Hey Reader,

This week has had me knee deep in The Book Academy’s launch (shoutout to y’all for not dropping me and unsubbing with all the emails we’ve sent but this is a transformative program that I truly believe in and y’all know I do not like to send you MANY emails in one week but my Chief Strategy Officer said I wasn’t letting her do her job if we didn’t go HAM on the emails 😩 so I had to go “aight fine” but she had a point). Anyway, long story short, I’ve been busy this week while trying to be somewhat in the loop on what’s been going down.

Between the devastating wildfires still going in LA and watching folks plan to inaugurate foolishness on MLK Day (the irony feels like a punch to the gut), I've been thinking about how fragile everything is. How quickly things can change. How the stories we tell, how the stories we don't tell, all of it shapes what happens next. 🤦🏾‍♀️

Anyway, let’s jump into what's on my mind this week.

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RANT

So we’re really about to inaugurate Satan’s minion again.

The one thing America gon do is learn nothing from its past. And that is always wild to watch because although it’s not disappointing, it is stunning because HOW CAN A GROUP OF PEOPLE CHOOSE RAGGEDINESS ON SUCH A REGULAR BASIS?

When Sweet Potato Saddam got into office the first time and ransacked the place, pissed off global allies and turned the White House into his own Piggly Wiggly, we didn’t say “ABSOLUTELY NOT.” Then he staged an insurrection when he lost. And we didn’t exile him. And then got convicted of 34 felonies and we didn’t lock him up. Instead, as a collective, this country chose to say YES again.

Well, let me get more specific WHITE PEOPLE CHOSE THIS FOOLISHNESS AGAIN and the way THEY VOTE usually determines outcome b/c they outnumber us so much but we do our part as much as we can (shoutout to the 92% of Black women. We here. We present. We accounted for. We did our part).

And a lot of white people are now recognizing that they live in the hot tongue of a monstrous place. For the first time in their lives, they’re starting to see this country for what it really is: a 3rd world country in a 1st world coat. A Temu country at Gucci prices.

So for the 2nd time, we’re inaugurating a fascist fckboy with the intellect of a broken rope to the highest office of the land. It’s giving “Avengers: Endgame.” And I hate to see it.

But like the Avengers did cuz they squadded up and won, we can do the same. Again, it’s gonna come with us rolling deep together. As for the 92%, that’s what we’re doing. We’re cultivating even deeper sisterhoods and community.

I’ve put my energy into being resolved about how I plan on navigating all of this. I’m simply going to bear hug HOPE. I'm going to try as much as I can to stay grounded. I'm going to be intentional about cultivating my community spaces. And I'm going to pray. Gonna take care of myself and those I love most.

And also? I will be doubling down on purpose work. Cuz shit is real.

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REFLECTION

Protect our stories at all costs cuz the urgency of now is real.

Stories live. Stories breathe. They heal. They inform. They empower. And they’re now under attack more than ever. Books are being banned, they’re trying to get rid of the Department of Education. Frankly, they want us to get dumber, cuz a dumber populace is easier to control and manipulate.

You know how you could have said this 20 years ago and somebody might call you a conspiracy theorist? Well, pointing out the sordid grand plans of a government that has decided to stop being covert about their awfulness is simply telling the truth.

Every time I open my timeline, I see Octavia Butler's "Parable of the Sower" being discussed like it's today's news instead of a novel from 1993. That book isn't just fiction anymore. It's becoming our reality map. We're living in times that feel unprecedented, yet our ancestors and elders been told us this might come. They left us blueprints. They left us wisdom. They left us WORDS. Their BOOKS are beacons for us and thank GOD they did us the favor of writing them.

But imagine if Octavia or Ida B. Wells did not honor the assignment of putting those words on paper and in ink.

Even banned books are BOOKS first. And truly, one of my DEEP DEEP assignments is to see as many of US (who aren’t white men) write books. Because now that we see that precedented times have packed their bags and left us on sabbatical indefinitely, the things we’re going through, the stories we have, even the worlds we wanna create to escape from this one, NEED TO EXIST.

So many of us are doing our best work on social media, but if our accounts were deleted, that would be gone. So many of us keep thinking we will have more time to document our family history, or write that novel we know would be a litty good time or even talk about our most memorable experiences.

But if there’s one thing I’m recognizing more and more, it’s that procrastination is entitlement to time you were not promised, because later might never come.

When I think about Octavia Butler writing about a world on fire. About climate disasters. About leadership gone wrong. She wasn't waiting for the perfect time. She was writing THROUGH the imperfect times. Through the doubt. Through the fear. Through the uncertainty. And now? Her words are a lighthouse for us trying to navigate these stormy waters.

Reader, this is your permission slip. This is your cosmic nudge saying that the world needs what you have RIGHT NOW. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Not when things calm down. NOW.
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RECOMMENDATION

Get started on your book journey and go from Dream to DONE.

This week, we opened the doors to The Book Academy for our 3rd cohort, and for me, this is my focus for 2025: helping more people become successful published authors. And I’ll be doing that work with folks who have taken the leap to bet on themselves!

We're not just teaching you how to write your book (although trust me, we're definitely doing that). We're creating a movement of voices that will help reshape the literary landscape.

72% of books that were published in the last 5 years were written by white people, predominantly white men. Which, I find to be unacceptable and ridiculous. It’s time we change that. That means YOU need to write that book you’ve been thinking about.

When you join The Book Academy, you're:

• Learning how to turn your story into a powerful book
• Getting the tools to navigate the publishing industry
• Joining a community of other writers who will become your writing squad that keeps you accountable to making your dreams comes true
• Being part of the solution to that 72% statistic

AND we're donating a portion of proceeds to relief efforts in Los Angeles to help those affected by the wildfires.

This isn't just about writing a book. It's about creating legacy. It's about contributing to the healing of our communities. Both through our stories and through direct action.

Think about it: Every time someone writes their truth, they're creating a light for someone else to find their way. Every time we put our stories into the world, we're leaving breadcrumbs for those coming after us. That's what The Book Academy is about. That's what this moment is about.

So tell me: What story have you been holding back? What truth are you ready to tell? What impact are you ready to make? Drop it in the comments or hit reply. I want to hear from you.

P.S. The Book Academy doors close doors this Sunday and will not reopen until 2026, plus prices will go up the next time we open. So…if you've been waiting for a sign to start your book journey while making real impact in the world, this is it. ⌛️

​Click here to join us before registration closes.

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