No More Hashtags looks like a great book on the
reflection of hashtags of the past. Any
plans to release similar books with social and cultural themes?
I do have a follow up in the works and just as I did with No
More Hashtags, I’ve been performing select pieces at various open mic events in
the tri state area to get feedback which
will be helpful in determining the direction of the project.
How did you come up with the hashtags to focus on in No
More Hashtags?
Hashtags indicate something that is trending, however it’s
pretty much a short time span because a topic can be quickly trending for 24 hours and then just
as quickly as it appeared it is soon forgotten. I think a person’s life is more valuable than
a hashtag having their name followed with a rest in peace. The persons I recognized in the book were
people who were living and breathing but whose lives, dreams, hopes were cut
short and whether we knew them personally or not their lives mattered and at some point we should get tired of the
injustice and the lack of respect for
the value of life to the point of saying no more. I don’t want to be just a hashtag on
timeline. I’m more than that and so are
those names mentioned in the book.
What will readers get out of your book?
What I want readers to walk away with is a sense of
connectivity. There is a need for awareness and understanding of how we are all connected to each other. If you can see the pain in a community and
just because it is not happening to you, can turn and walk away what does that
say about humanity? What does it say about who we are as we live, work and go
about the day? For some the reflections shared may serve as a reminder and for
others some of the stories shared may be totally new. We must ask ourselves these questions and in
our answering determining how we are going to show up in the world. Will I be the one who will stand in
solidarity and support alongside a brother or sister regardless of race,
gender, ethnicity or orientation or will I just walk on by?
What inspired you when writing No More Hashtags?
I was inspired by what I saw happening in the world and
community around me. I became fearful
for even my own safety and of those I loved as a result of the amount of
racially motivated tragedies. It was
like watching the fall of dominoes one after the other a case or incident would be in the noose with
mothers and family members crying for justice.
It was heart wrenching and painful.
I needed to deal with my own questions, pain and grapple with the questions of why this level
of hatred is still occurring in a nation that prides itself on being a melting
pot, the land of the free and home of the brave. In order to process everything I was seeing
and hearing I needed to put pen to paper.
When did you decide to become a writer?
I’m not sure that it was a clear decision other than that I
felt I had something I needed to say and that writing was my best vehicle fof
epxression.
When writing No More Hashtags did anything stand out as
particularly challenging?
The challenge was the timing of it all. I struggled with the
content
because I didn’t want to be stereotyped as this angry black
woman, yet I
felt that these were real stories of people with reallives
that needed ot be
told and remembered.
These issues are not simply black and white and
we all have a role to play in ensuring equality for all.
What do you like to do when not writing?
Participate in crazy book reading challenges with friends,
attend open mic nights, experiment with new recipes, journaling and checking
off places on bucket list.
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