live-throughwords

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The terrifying part about being human is that if we aren't vulnerable then we succumb to the unfathomable fate that we will not only be alone in the afterlife, but also during our time on this earth.

How do I come to grips with the fact that with every waking moment I'm digging my grave deeper and deeper with each word I choose to swallow, with every silence I choose to embrace.

More comfortable in the stillness than the danger of the unknown.

I know that day will come when this body will be bound in dirt, but what happens when I feel just as suffocated by the eyes of the living in these waking moments?

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I have so much to say. So much to think. So much to feel.

If only my words were able to capture the weight of everything between my ears then I’d be able to find some solace.

What is lost? From my brain, to my fingertips, to this page, to your eyes, to your brain? In those mere five steps there’s lives of interpretation. Years of experience I’ll never know.

The mere fact that my thoughts can never accurately reach you, dear reader, is so terrifyingly daunting. A longing to be known met with a world of isolation barred by the walls of interpretation

We can never be truly known. And where do we draw the line of embracing that solace and confronting that fear?

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There’s a heaviness to this life that I don’t think I was made for. Some people can take the weight. Their shoulders don’t bend, their knees don’t shake, their faces like stone.

But with every waking moment I must make a conscious decision to not buckle under the constant pressure of this world and the ways in which I long to go against it.

How do you stand upright in a world, a society, that is built to knock you down with each and every waking day? I am so much more than this and yet I am stuck in the cycle of this dystopian nightmare for the sake of surviving.

This life is so short and what have I got to show for it? Buckled knees and a head full of fear? How long until the pressure is too much to bear?

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Leila Chatti, Postcard from Gone

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How do you get so many notes?

That is a fantastic question that even I don’t know the answer to! Every day I wake up to see more notifications, and I’m blown away that people are still reblogigng my words.

My only advice: just write from the heart

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Wishing you all a healthy, blessed new year. May you be filled with joy and love once again.

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they say there’s a difference between being alone and loneliness but where do you draw the line when one’s cause is another’s effect and walking in circles is proving to only solidify the rut in the ground  I’m walking on alone

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So I love you from the depths of my heart to the depths of yours.

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and as the years still pass

my love for you remains

the only constant

in this ever-changing world

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I’m starting

to feel

lost

again

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My heart aches

For anything but you

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I am the mountain, you are the sea, two forces never meant to be.

So I’ll watch from above, as you crash into me, wearing down until I’m free.

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teach me how to forget you like you’ve forgotten me how you’ve dragged the memories out and left your mind clean teach me how you’ve moved on and see me as someone you once knew because this is something I’ve never mastered and I’m afraid I’m losing me to you

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open your eyes what we had was never real

- note to self

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here is a google doc of resources to support george floyd, ahmaud arbery, roy stoddart, and the many, many, many other wrongfully murdered black people in the united states — as well as the black lives matter movement in general

please share this link or post to anyone and everyone

[live-throughwords]

books by black authors masterlist

Supporting art by Black creators is a great way to support the black community; read their stories, support their stories and ensure that our voices are heard. It goes without saying that each and everyone us who does read should be putting effort into reading stories of POC because even through fiction, we’re learning more about different cultures and countries and heritages. But for today I’ve put together a list of fiction by black authors that only scratches the surface of books by black authors out there, and there’s also a section that includes a few queer reads! If you like reading then please consider having a look!

 (P.S in light of it being Caribbean Heritage Month in June, each book in the list that takes place or is about a Caribbean country is marked in brackets next to the title!)

Adult Fiction

 ·        How to love a Jamaican- Alexis Arthurs (Jamaica) a  debut collection of stories about Jamaican immigrants and their families

·         Here comes the sun- Nicole Dennis- Benn (Jamaica)  ‘a cast of unforgettable women battle for independence while a maelstrom of change threatens their Jamaican village.’

·         Everything inside: Stories- Edwidge Danticat Rich with hard-won wisdom and humanity, set in locales from Miami and Port-au-Prince to a small unnamed country in the Caribbean and beyond, Everything Inside is at once wide in scope and intimate, as it explores the forces that pull us together, or drive us apart, sometimes in the same searing instant.

·         Breath, eyes memory -Edwidge Danticat  (Haiti) When her mother leaves Haiti to find work in the US, Sophie is raised by her aunt. Their parting, years later, when her mother sends for her, is as wrenching as the reunion in New York. Though she barely knows her mother they both carry secrets from their homeland that will haunt them forever.

·         A small place- Jamaica Kincaid (Antigua) ‘In A Small Place, Jamaica Kincaid candidly appraises where she grew up, and makes palpable the impact of European colonisation and tourism.’

·         Ayiti- Roxane Gay (Haiti) ‘From New York Times-bestselling powerhouse Roxane Gay, Ayiti is a powerful collection exploring the Haitian diaspora experience.’

   Contemporary YA

·         Clap when you land- Elizabeth Acevedo (Dominican Republic)

‘In a dual narrative novel in verse that brims with both grief and love, award-winning and bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo writes about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives.’

·         The Hate you Give- Angie Thomas  Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this is a powerful and gripping YA novel about one girl’s struggle for justice.

·         On the Come Up- Angie Thomas a powerful story about hip hop, freedom of speech – and fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you.

·         Dear Martin- Nic Stone Raw, captivating, and undeniably real, Nic Stone boldly tackles American race relations in this stunning debut.

·         YA Jackpot- Nic Stone Seventeen-year-old Rico splits her time outside school between looking after her younger brother and working in the local gas station to help her mum pay the bills. So when she sells a jackpot-winning lotto ticket and the money goes unclaimed, Rico thinks maybe her luck has changed.

·         Dear Haiti, Love Alaine- Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite (Haiti) Alaine Beauparlant has heard about Haiti all her life…But the stories were always passed down from her dad–and her mom, when she wasn’t too busy with her high-profile newscaster gig. But when Alaine’s life goes a bit sideways, it’s time to finally visit Haiti herself.

·         Get a life, Chloe Brown- Talia Hibbert Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost—but not quite—dying, she’s come up with seven directives to help her “Get a Life”

·         This is my America- Kim Johnson  The Hate U Give meets Just Mercy in this unflinching yet uplifting first novel that explores the racist injustices in the American justice system.

·         You should see me in a crown -Leah Johnson Becky Albertalli meets Jenny Han in a smart, hilarious, black girl magic, own voices rom-com by fantastic debut talent ,Leah Johnson.

·         The sun is also a star- Nicola Yoon The New York Times bestselling love story from Nicola Yoon, author of Everything, Everything.

·         The Field Guide to the North American Teenager- Ben Philippe Norris Kaplan is a black, French Canadian teenager who has been uprooted from his home after moving to Austin, Texas with his mother. 

·         Opposite of Always- Justin A. Reynolds Jack and Kate fell for each other and had their own love story, but it soon ended after Kate’s unexpected death. Then, through reasons Jack can’t explain, Kate’s death sends him into a repetitive time loop, taking him back to the moment they first met. 

·         Queenie- Candice Carty-Williams Queenie is a young Jamaican woman living in London. After her breakup from her boyfriend, Queenie embarks on a journey of self-discovery, self-acceptance, and self-worth

- Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson (Monday Charles is missing, and only Claudia seems to notice.)

  Sci-fi/ Fantasy YA

·         Queen of  the Conquered- Kacen Callender On the islands of Hans Lollik, Sigourney Rose was the only survivor when her family was massacred by the colonizers. When the childless king of the islands declares he will choose his successor from amongst eligible noble families, Sigourney is ready to exact her revenge.

·         Children on Blood and Bone- Tomi Adeyemi Tomi Adeyemi conjures a stunning world of dark magic and danger in her West African-inspired fantasy debut Children of Blood and Bone.

·         Black Leopard, Red Wolf- Marlon  James  ‘A game-changing modern fantasy classic’.

·         The Belles- Dhonielle Clayton If you could change everything about yourself, would you?Should you?

·         An Unkindness of Ghosts – Rivers Solomon “This book is a clear descendent of Octavia Butler’s Black science fiction legacy, but grounded in more explicit queerness and neuroatypicality.”

·         Song of Wraith and Ruin- Roseanne A Brown- The first in a gripping fantasy duology inspired by West African folklore in which a grieving crown princess and a desperate refugee find themselves on a collision course to murder each other despite their growing attraction

·         Song below water- Bethany C Morrow a captivating modern fantasy about black mermaids, friendship, and self-discovery set against the challenges of today’s racism and sexism.

·          

 Queer reads

·         Felix Ever after- Kacen Callender   a novel about a transgender teen grappling with identity and self-discovery while falling in love for the first time.

·         The Stars and The Blackness Between Them - Junauda Petrus Audre and Mabel, Black girls who find romance just in time for everything to fall even further apart.

·         By any means necessary- Candice Montgomery By Any Means Neccesary dives into the intersection of race and sexuality through the lens of its main character, Torrey, a gay Black college student. 

·         Full Disclosure- Camryn Garratt Camryn Garrett’s debut novel follows a Black, HIV-positive teen as she explores her first romantic relationship. There are few books that discuss what it’s like to live with HIV, especially those that are light, relatable, and told through the lens of a young Black girl.

·         The Black Flamingo- Dean Atta Atta pens a coming-of-age story about a boy accepting his identity as a mixed-race gay teen, but then finds a place where he belongs as a drag artist named The Black Flamingo.

·         Juniper Leaves- Jaz Joyner   Kinky-haired blerd Juniper Bray used to believe in magic, until she lost her best friend: her grandmother. Now this 15-year-old shy girl is headed to her father’s research trip on a farm hundreds of miles away, with a family she barely knows and the opposite of a best friend, her new arch nemesis, Bree Mckinney. As if she wasn’t miserable enough. Little does she know the next few months Juniper will discover magical powers she never knew she had, get a crush on a girl she never knew she’d like and well, quite frankly, save the world.

  Thriller/murder mystery

·         The Gilded Ones- Namina Forna Inspired by the work of Angela Carter and Anthony Burgess, The Gilded Ones is a gritty psychological crime drama with twists and turns that will have readers hooked.

·         Spin- Lamar Giles This murder-mystery will leave you on the edge of your seat; when famed DJ ParSec is found dead, her best friend Kya and number one groupie Fuse put their differences aside and team up to find out what happened.

Keep sharing, signing petitions and donating where you can. The more people who are actively anti-racist, the better. We don’t want to let this go silent, we need change globally, and for all POC, the fear and threat of racism is EVERYDAY for us, we need allies that will help change the system. If you have any books you’d like to add to the list feel free!!

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HOW TO DONATE TO BLM WHEN YOU HAVE NO MONEY

a black woman named zoe amira posted a video on youtube. this video is an hour long and filled with art and music from black creators. it has a ton of ads, and in result will rack up a ton of revenue. 100% of the ad revenue from the video will be dispersed between various blm organizations, including bail-out funds for protesters. it will be split between the following, dependent on necessity

brooklyn bail fund

minnesota freedom fund

atlanta action network

columbus freedom fund

louisville community bail fund

chicago bond

black visions collective

richmond community bail fund

the bail project inc

nw com bail fund

philadelphia bail fund

the korchhinski-parquet family gofundme

george floyd’s family gofundme

blacklivesmatter.com

reclaim the block

aclu

turn off your adblocker and do not skip ads. between each time watch 3-5 other videos (mix it up) before restarting. this will ensure you aren’t marked as spam by youtube. mute the tab if you need to focus elsewhere but don’t mute the video itself. and let. it. play.

youtube will donate to blm for you.

please, please reblog. for people who don’t have money to spare, this is incredibly important information to have.