Conflicted I’m no broke back bitch. Can’t I be angry and sad? Fuck you! No, fuck me...
breakup haiku- “Love is a Battlefield”
"Love is a Battlefield" --Pat Benatar Music pricks my heart I try to listen, but choose 2 Dope Queens* instead *Podcast
breakup haiku: week one
Haiku rule: 3 lines, 5-7-5 syllable arrangement. Support no barstool wisdom not ready for fuck him girl no questions, just you. Coffee these mornings i wake drink coffee bitter with tears what happened to us?
Sonic Memories Book Review
I was recently blessed with a fab review of my debut book Sonic Memories from Yellow Arrow Publishing. Here's a little taste: "It’s happy hour on a Saturday. Cija Jefferson and I order fried chicken sandwiches and pile into a booth at a neighborhood bar in Baltimore. My one year old is diving under the table and …
Flashback: How art helped me cope w/ a D.T. presidency
Reader’s Note: I found this blog post about the freshly minted prez while organizing my Dropbox. It was originally written in late November 2016. I never posted it because I tend to be publicly apolitical. Sometimes people freak the hell out and can’t hear anyone else’s point of view, which is exhausting. Now just past 100 …
Continue reading "Flashback: How art helped me cope w/ a D.T. presidency"
On Revision
Tomorrow I head off to enjoy Writers & Words' first writing retreat. I'm excited to participate as an editor and on-site staffer and look forward to meeting and/or reconnecting with fellow writers as well. My plan is to continue reading Zadie Smith's Swing Time and to begin to revise and delve deeper into "Candy, Lies, & Larceny," which …
Book Review: Be Cool by Ben Tanzer
Welcome to Ben Tanzer’s compound, a magical place where there is, “…art, surfing, tacos and drinking, low slung stucco bungalows or ranch houses in Southern California…” Come through and stay if you like. I think you will. Know that Tanzer’s open about what’s important: family and a daily need to run and write. He’s also …
I’m Black!
Styles P proclaimed it in his 2006 song "I'm Black" and James Brown shouted it out in his 1968 song "I'm Black and I'm Proud." Both clarify how I feel these days. It's embarrassing to admit it, but I wasn't always proud to be black, much to my parents' chagrin. I was probably blackest in my middle …
Behind a Window: Summers at Mom-Mom’s
nowme takes the pics & i write the words* Ellie looked up from her phone when Mom exited the George Washington Bridge. Maryland and fifth grade a distant memory. Mom-Mom’s apartment was in the Bronx. She liked this part: ridin’ in the heart of the city, music blaring from bodegas, people covering the block. Mom-Mom’s building …
Behind a Window: Stairway to Heaven
nowme takes the pics; i write the stories* Sunday drives are tradition in the Hernandez household. “Audrey, Eddie, Luis! Vamos!” I grab my favorite book, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” and dart out the door. Mom tugs a pigtail and giggles as I run past. When we pull off, I look up at our …
Cija's Quips 