Since the beginning, I have been accused of being didactic in my writing. This is something that perhaps can be excused in writing non-fiction, but in the world of fiction and poetry, many view it with scorn. I guess that I have found it my duty to use whatever talent I might have been endowed with […]
The other day while I was working out at the gym, I saw this muscular guy wearing a t-shirt saying, “Always Give 100%.” This got me thinking, “Do I agree with this premise?” The answer was surprisingly, NO. Upon deeper contemplation, this is something I have been considering for a while. However, this conventional wisdom […]
My experience with journaling began in second grade when my teacher compelled us to keep a journal that she would check. In this way, I was initiated into the art of writing nonfiction as I perceived it. When I was a sophomore in college, my mother gave me this beautiful journal with these pages woven […]
“I have failed over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.” –Michael Jordan During my time on this planet, I have rarely tasted the sweet nectar of success. But I have had plenty of experience with failure. It has been this extensive experience that has allowed me to see failure […]
When I was a nine-year-old boy, devouring scraps of hip-hop from MC Hammer, I was just getting my first taste of music that would be a major force in my life. In hindsight, Hammer was pretty lame, but in my defense, I was too young to know any better, and it was a gateway for […]
The Music of My Youth Influenced Generations In light of recent events, it seems to be as important as ever to celebrate African-American culture. One of the many amazing contributions of this historically oppressed group is hip-hop, which not only gave birth to an immensely popular genre of music but inspired millions of people across […]
I normally would not take such a risk, not thinking so much for my own well-being, but the lives of others who could be compromised, if I were to contract the virus and pass it to someone. But here I was, ready to risk it all for those I love and…myself. Both my parents turned […]
You hear the crack of the bat and see a ball sailing through the crisp spring air on Chicago’s Northside as it gets hung up in the ivy of the Wrigley outfield for a ground-rule double. With beer in hand, you think this is it.
I am excited to formally introduce the project that has been more than a decade in the making: Subterranean Mixtape. This has been a journey not only of discovery and great emotional depth but tenacity. The more than 1,000 pages of my writing that I pulled together that spans more than two decades was culled […]
Poetry has been a part of my life most of the way. While working on Subterranean Mixtape, I exhumed some of my earliest poems, and it has been a trip looking back at them. Here is one poem that I wrote in seventh grade: See Me As I Am Paint me red, Paint me blue, […]
