Spent the weekend with a beloved child (who isn't mine:-). We attended the 2nd annual Black History Fest held at the Harriet Tubman Cultural Center in Columbia, Maryland, which offered a variety of entertainment, education, books, clothes - a handcrafted skirt from Fashion by Abisola, accessories - a beaded bracelet from I-am.com, decorative goods and more from talented creatives across the spectrum of artistic endeavors. The father of author Tamilore Adejumo (Along the Way, Christian nonfiction) made such a compelling pitch that his daughter's book has been added to my very long TBR list. Subject Matter Experts in various aspects of business were there too.   Kid duties shrank my weekend reading time, but currently reading Sex, Lies, and Sensibility by Nikki Payne that among other themes opens with prime examples of Prosecutor Fani Willis's "A man is not a plan" maxim. It's layered and emotionally fraught so I'm not doing my usual voracious binge read, ...

  [Sex, Lies and Sensibility by Nikki Payne, Red String Theory by Lauren Kung Jessen, Valley Verified by Kyla Zhao, Two Vows and a Viscount (Seduction 2) by Eloisa James, At First Spite by Olivia Dade, The Ladies Rewrite the Rules by Suzanne Allain]  In theory, a three-day weekend offers the perfect opportunity to focus on making progress with multiple WIPs that are behind schedule. My reality is that using the holiday for reading the books shown above is a temptation likely beyond my ability to resist.  Author and founder of The Write Women Book Fest Heather Brooks gave me awesome presents from her trip to the Hampton Roads writers event she attended at the end of last year. A sturdy canvas tote bag and a clever portable storage journal from Novel Grounds for organizing bookmarks, stickers, and other author swag is so practical and attractive! Plus, she gave me a signed copy of The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope (and said something silly about feeling okay if I want...

  Reading options to occupy me until the Usher half-time show:   [Leslie F*cking Jones by Leslie Jones, A Christmas to Remember by (The Ms.) Beverly Jenkins, The Takedown by Carlie Walker, Clover Hendry's Day Off by Beth Morrey]  Baking is my year-round love language amplified during the month of February.  Wishing you healthy love and assorted goodies every day of the year.

  [TWWBF2023 authors Shameka Erby, Eden Appiah-Kubi & author Courtney Duke Foster, who also supported TWWBF2023 by attending; TWWBF2023 author Briana L. Smith; book baskets as raffle prizes created by Nikki Payne's mom; the edge of PGCMLS Community Outreach Facilitator's left arm, Shameka Erby, Eden Appiah-Kubi, Nikki Payne; Briana & Eden looking toward the 1st raffle winner; Eden, Nikki & Courtney]      Saturday's "Celebrating Black Women's Voices in Fiction" with authors Eden Appiah-Kubi, Courtney Duke Foster, Shameka Erby, and Nikki Payne offered an abundance of thoughtful insights, personal revelations, and laughs from these brilliant, generous, successful human beings.  As moderator, Eden Appiah-Kubi's questions about inspirational authors, pivotal reads, book recommendations, the writing craft, self-publishing versus traditional publishing pros and cons, and more invited panelists to answer beyond the superficial, which offered the audien...

  Unprofessional. Messy. Out-of-control. Unkempt. Not well-groomed. Strange. Weird. Wrong. Ugly. Dirty. Hair  "Why don't you...?"  [Just conform to whatever expectations make the oppressors feel comfortable while reinforcing their sense of cultural dominance.]   For months, the Barbers Hill Independent School District in Houston,Texas has been waging war against a child (who's now 18 years old) because, in my opinion, they want to crush him into conformity by bullying him about his hair. Two weeks ago the Barbers Hill Superintendent used a full-page print ad to justify and endorse the continued bullying of this child by some adults who believe doing so is a worthwhile use of their time, energy and taxpayers' dollars.  https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/barbers-hill-isd-crown-act-18617658.php This ongoing saga poked at my own past wounds related to my "ethnic" hair and expectations of conformity among people and in spaces where Blackness and ...

  Currently reading  Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What is Human in a World of Machines  by Joy Boulamwini, Random House, October 2023 (a complementary read to Algorithms of Oppression by Safiya Umoja Noble, 2018)   Comfort reading a sweet historical as a brain break from the seriousness of contemplating the proliferation of the machines.  And our across-the-street neighbor with a snow blower that hadn't been needed for the past two years cleared our driveway and sidewalk, allowing us to stay inside to read and bake!  

Since 2024 is off to a super hectic start for me, probably no more actual reviews this month, just book pics of current reads and binge options.   My version of emergency preparedness Happy reading!  (& yes, that includes audiobooks, Braille text, comix...)