Jocelyn found it hard to focus on the date, although it had been the only thing occupying her mind until she got…
Sydnee glanced at her phone and saw a text from her mother, Marilyn. Sometimes she wished she had never taught her mother…
As Bill Withers plays in the background about grandma’s hands, I look down at my own. I have my grandmother’s hands. They…
As a kid, I remember the subject of race coming up twice in our family. The first time was when my brother…
I need to remind myself that Mama is human, that she is not endless love, and food, and sacrifice. But she makes…
I was ten years old when I first witnessed domestic violence. It was a hot summer day on Hobart street. Children were…
“If I didn’t define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people’s fantasies for me and eaten alive.” — Audre…
“Have you considered writing a book about your life?” It is likely someone has asked you this question, or maybe you have…
Today is our long day. We need to drive nearly 200 miles to cross state lines. Mom and I take shifts, plying…
“Let me know when it starts to burn,” Aunt Mimi would say, pressing down on the silver release of the styling chair,…
“I’m sorry for your loss. Though the coroner’s report said your father departed on June 29th, July 1 (2005) will be the…
My mother’s eyes are bulging, glassy and wild, almost spinning in their sockets with fear. Her cracked lips are pulled back from…
Tamara turned her car into the horseshoe driveway in front of her younger sister Cameron’s college dorm, just managing to wedge her…
By age 6, I knew what nostalgia meant, and it already felt like a dirty word. Nostalgia was a lecture about old…
Let me start by giving my parents the grace they deserve. My mother was only sixteen when she had me, and the…