The LuvvLetter

Hey Reader, So… we need to talk about this RAGGEDY narrative that women need to be humble, because I’m tired of it. Actually, it’s not just a narrative, but an obsession that people have to ensure that girls and women are “humble” as if the day we were born, that was the assignment. When it never was. When Vice President MY PRESIDENT, Kamala Harris, went on the Call Her Daddy podcast and said “there are a whole lot of women not aspiring to be humble” I felt that in my SOUL. Because YES,...

Hey Reader! Mentally, I’m already on summer break. Sometimes the summer slowdown gives us space to actually SEE what's been happening around us all year. And this week, I've been noticing some things that have me shook. Specifically, what's happening with reading and literacy, as kids are heading out of school. Let's dive in. 👇🏾 RANT The kids can't read. And that's wild as hell. I've been seeing these posts and stories about what's happening in our schools, and I am SHOOK. Teachers are...

Hey Reader, Beyoncé was in Chicago last weekend. We cut UP in that Honey Pit and A TIME WAS HADDDDD!!! 🥰🥰🥰 And I loved sharing it with some of my fave people including 2 of my nieces who got to go to their first ever concert 😭. I fear that I have ruined all other concerts for them because... how do you follow BEYONCÉ? Now I gotta go book another massage. My knees still hurt 😅 But yeah, let's talk about what's been pissing me off this week. 👇🏾 RANT Leave Angel Reese ALONE. I am sick and tired...

Hey Reader,Since Little Troublemaker came out a couple weeks ago, one of my FAVORITE things have been people receiving the limited edition gift boxes we sent folks in my network. How I curate my book boxes is that I want the folks who receive them to feel seen for real. Like… I want it to surprise and delight them. I want them to open it and feel like someone thought about making them smile. For the box for this book, it was important for it to honor the people receiving them. And since this...

Hey Reader, Earlier this week, I had the honor of moderating the Chicago stop of Kennedy Ryan's book tour for her latest novel Can't Get Enough. Being in my hometown, surrounded by readers, celebrating a Black woman's stunning work? Pure joy. 😍 Click through to hear me giving Kennedy ALL THE FLOWERS 💐 In a week where I've been wrestling with metrics and validation (more on that below), Kennedy's novel reminded me what matters: creating work that moves people. Stories that help us escape. Art...

Hey Reader, Fam… launch week is LAUNCH WEEKING. 😩 My fifth book, "Little Troublemaker Defends Her Name", officially dropped on Tuesday. And y’all… the love? THE LOVE?? I’ve been blown away. 🫶🏾 From SiriusXM with Zerlina Maxwell, to NBC News, to a feature in People Magazine, to linking up with Tina Shoulders at LinkedIn, to seeing so many adorable kids at school visits… I’ve been out here. I wrote this book for any kid who has ever felt othered because of their name. But let’s be for real: the...

Hey Reader,Y’all… It’s launch day! My FIFTH book is officially out in the world. 🙌🏾🥹 Little Troublemaker Defends Her Name is here! And I’m feeling ALL the feelings. Joy. Pride. Nerves. Gratitude. Because this one? This one is very special to me. 🥰 This is the story of a little girl who has to defend her name on the first day of school. It’s a love letter to every kid who’s ever felt “othered.” A celebration of culture, courage, and the power of our names. And would you believe… it’s launching...

Hey Reader,The thing about my books is that they have really been significant in healing my “ASK WOUND.” ❤️🩹 What’s that? It’s what I call that thing we all have, where we hate to ask for help because we don’t wanna bother people or be a burden. But when my first book I’M JUDGING YOU was dropping, I knew that one of its purposes was not just to do well for me, but to use its success to open doors for more authors who were not white men. And that mission felt bigger than me. So I ASKED FOR...

Hey Reader,Sundays are my sabbath. I started honoring that a few months ago at the behest of my friend and big sis Fawn Weaver, who don’t play about her days of rest. On Sundays, I do NOTHING but what I want to do. I am not useful to anyone but myself on those days. Husband, niece, family, anyone. Sundays are my days of respite from being a responsible human being. I might spend the entire day in my pajamas, playing the Sims, ignoring the phone, guilt free. ♥️ And that has been a...

Hey Reader, Sooooo my PROFESSIONAL TROUBLEMAKER podcast season 5 WON TWO WEBBY AWARDS!!! 🏆🏆 Not just one, but TWO! The judges chose it as "Best Limited Edition Series in BUSINESS" and then Y'ALL showed up and voted for it too! I'm filled with gratitude about it and I’ll tell you especially why below. Last weekend, I got to spend time with some absolutely brilliant Black women at ExcelerateHer Conference and it filled my cup!!! The way Black women pour into me, is unlike any other and I insist...

Hey Reader,I’m learning to do things differently. To unlearn, to pause, to shift. And I’m in that space right now. We’re six days away from the release of my next book, Little Troublemaker Defends Her Name. My fifth book. Usually by now, I’d be deep in press tours, planning my outfits for TV appearances, hoping and praying I hit the New York Times bestsellers list. Because that list? For years, that was my measure of success. Not just for the flex, but because I knew that every time someone...