Reply ID: cm4v
May 8, 2018

Julia,
How are you?

I'm well. Miss hearin' from you though. Miss your thought provokin' thoughts, and your well rounded conversations that're deeply rooted in womanhood and maturity. Did I mention character? You inspire me.

Well, came to the find out the MLK quote you sent (February) is from the book Strength to Love. Didn't recognize it till I gotta newsletter in March that quoted it and the source. Shortly thereafter, I found a page of notes I assembled from the text in question. Oddly enough, I've misplaced them, again. Busyness will do that to you.

Calmin' down as we speak. Dully takin' more and more things off my plate and gettin' back to my introverted self. Basically I love the summer but realize hangin' out on the year for hours watchin' people play basketball or handball and yellin' and screamin' doesn't make me feel alive or energize me. People want me to be on the yard all day. But I can't do it. Two hours of outside, tops. Then I have to relocate. Find life in a book of some sort, whether I'm readin' or writin' one.

Currently readin' For Question of Freedom, Dwayne Betts's memoir. Tempted to not finish it only 'cause it's erringly similar to the last memoir from an ex-con I read (Writing My Wrongs by Shaka Senghor). Bored. Honestly made me not want to write my own. Don't want to be repeating the same ol' "Prison is vicious, but I survived and turned my life around through books or religion. Look at me now." But God wants me to finish it. Guess I gotta new perspective and insight to teach people. That's what it's all about.

Lately been nickeled and dimed stories for the book. Findin' new ways to say some old things and bring fresh and excitin' descriptions and nuances to the manifest. Words like uninnocence (God gave me that today). :) Learnin' how to tell the story of "me" without all the vulgarities and violence and R rated circumstances and situations that shaped me at the time. Doin' this will require God's help and increases my creativity.

Speakin' of creativity, had to get back to desginin' just to have joy in my heart. Lately been on an Adidas kick. Designin' like ten pairs of shoes, even a couple of sweaters and T-shirts.

So I wonder if you got my postings from February? Gotta letter from Between the Bars in late March sayin' they had just received