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Hip-Hop as News, Mirror and Narrative Art: An Evening with Angie Thomas

This past Saturday, I had the pleasure of meeting #1 New York Times best-selling author Angie Thomas. In addition to her book signing, she gave an in-depth look into how and why she wrote her first novel “The Hate U Give.”

She shone a light on why hip-hop had such a profound impact on her growing up. It appealed to the rebel in her and idolized what she heard and saw on TV. She spoke about it giving a voice to the voiceless and even rapped a few bars from classics such as “The Message” and recited poetry from the late great Tupac Shakur.

What I loved most besides actually getting to meet her was her passion: lifting hip-hop up without completely letting it off the hook, giving us a personal roadmap to writing and publishing her book, and most touching for me was watching how she lit up answering the teens’ questions during the Q &A. I could feel how much she wanted them to hear her and how much she believes in them.

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You can’t fake that kind of passion–not that well. I related to her when she spoke about being a Black girl in predominantly White spaces and the anger that is felt when microaggressions are hurled your way. I was all too familiar with her story of not standing up for herself when she should have. One of the best pieces of advice she gave was not everyone deserves your energy. You try to show them the way. If they learn the lesson, great. If not, move on.

It was a reminder I needed. I shed a couple of tears during her presentation. I could feel her bravery and how much she actually cares about the equality of ALL people. There was so much solidarity in the room as she spoke about justice.

Listening to her made me feel like my Black life matters. She was a voice I could hear. And one I hope to be reading and listening to for a  long time to come.

 

 

Meatless Mondays: A Retrospective

I wrote a post months ago about having to say no in order to say yes to myself. Well, I am doing it again. I have been working extra hard lately and tonight, I will nourish myself and rest. I also thought about something special to share. I have made many vegan dishes–mostly cooked but several raw vegan. I had many favorites like African peanut stew, Raw No Bake Brownies, Vegan Shepherd’s Pie, Sweet Potato Enchilada Bake, Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo and Raw Taco with Cashew Sour Cream.

I look back and think how proud I am that I pushed myself to find and cook these recipes. I didn’t just rely on salads (but I have made plenty of those!). I can’t believe it took this long to become more creative with my cooking but mostly I am grateful that I used this as a way to take better control of my health.

I can’t wait to see what the rest of the year brings as I start to prepare more raw meals and watch food play a much bigger role in my healing.

 

 

 

Staying Raw?

I have had a long week. Not sure if I made the right decisions about everything. But two things are very clear: I am beyond excited for the Digital Storytelling workshop next month AND I know now more than ever that I want to be high raw after July is over.

One of the reasons is that despite how hectic my week was I had the energy to work out twice today–once before work and again this afternoon. I just had more energy than I expected. The other is that I saw my face and neck started to smooth out. It looks like my psoriasis is disappearing at a much more accelerated rate. Being vegan helps but raw vegan… Weight loss is certainly apart of it (3.2lbs this week) but the feeling surpasses the pounds lost. There is nothing like having this level of energy and clarity. I don’t want to let it go.

When I think of what could be, I don’t want to stop too soon before I really see what healing can take place. Even if there are a few cooked meals here and there after July, I am more motivated than ever. Now that I know the direction my body is going in, why would I ever stop? I don’t want to cheat myself of the experience.

I don’t want to cheat myself of the experience of looking in the mirror and just seeing me, nothing more, nothing less.

Storytelling in Tuscaloosa

The other day I was accepted to participate in The Storyteller Project: Digital Storytelling for Women of Color at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa created by Dr. Rachel Raimist and Dr. Robin Boylorn. I paced the room after reading the email. I could barely contain my excitement!

I applied for the project after seeing a post on the See Jane Write Facebook group so special thanks to her for sharing it with us! Even though I don’t know exactly what’s in store yet, I do know I will be surrounded by 9 other women who also have a story to tell. Stories that may look radically different than mine. It’s the thing I look most forward to. Collaborating and learning and growing and developing with complete strangers united in one mission.

One question I’ve been asking myself since my acceptance: Who will I be on the other side of this experience? I have reasons to be both exhililarated and fearful of the answer and I think that’s more than enough reason to go and find out.

Every time I have taken a chance related to my writing or speaking, I have not had an ounce of regret. It has always brought me to a new level of self-awareness whether the outcome was what I pictured or not.

So next month I will spend a few days in Alabama, uncovering more of who I am and how I want to share her with the world.

 

Meatless Monday: No Bake Raw Vegan Chocolate Brownie

If anyone thought I was going to go through this month without chocolate, they had another thing coming. But how was I going to make a raw but delectable chocolate treat? Turns out, there are a myriad of ways to do just that.

On Friday, I found a recipe for a raw brownie on minimalistbaker.com. I used her recipe from for the brownie only but had to go to a different site for the frosting because it was vegan but not raw.

Here’s the brownie recipe:

Ingredients

BROWNIES

  • 1 cup (93 g) + 1/2 cup (47 g) raw walnuts, divided + more for topping
  • 1 cup (150 g) raw almonds
  • 2 1/2 cups (~425 g / 15 ounces) dates, pitted (if dry, soak in warm water for 10 minutes then drain)
  • 3/4 cup (60 g) cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 Tbsp cacao nibs + more for topping
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt

 

Instructions

  1. Place 1 cup walnuts and 1 cup almonds in food processor and process until finely ground.
  2. Add the cacao powder and sea salt and pulse to combine. Transfer to bowl and set aside.
  3. Add the dates to the food processor and process until small bits remain. Remove and set aside.
  4. Add nut and cocoa mixture back into food processor and while processing, drop small handfuls of the date pieces down into the food processor or blender spout.
  5. Process until a dough consistency is achieved, adding more dates if the mixture does not hold together when squeezed in your hand. You may not use all the dates.
  6. Add the brownie mixture to a small parchment lined 8×8 dish and before pressing, add remaining 1/2 cup roughly roughly chopped walnuts and cacao nibs and toss to combine and evenly distribute. Then press down with hands until it is flat and firm. I like laying down a piece of plastic wrap to prevent sticking and get it really flat.
  7. Lift parchment paper to remove brownies from dish and use hands to slightly squeeze in the sides to create a smaller square – this will make the brownies slightly thicker and more dense.
  8. Transfer back to dish and place in freezer or fridge to chill for 10-15 minutes before cutting into 12 even squares (If adding ganache, slice afterwards!).

Frosting (from the rawtarian.com)

  • 1 cup dates
  • 1/4 cup raw cacao (cocoa) powder
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 3/4 cup water (or a tiny bit more if needed – but try to stick to this amount)
USE METRIC 8 SERVINGS

Recipe Directions

  • 1. Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender. If possible, let them sit in there for a few minutes to soften the dates a little bit.
  • 2. Blend all ingredients in your high-speed blender. The ingredients can be a little finicky to blend, so start at a slow speed and increase speed slowly.
  •  Keep blending for a very long time to get a velvety consistency. This is one of those recipes that really makes use of the power of a high-speed blender. If you feel that the blades are just spinning but aren’t actually moving all of the icing around, turn the blender off and make an air pocket down the side of the blender with a spatula to expose the blades. Remove the spatula, replace the lid, and start blending slowly again.
  • 4. You’ll know it’s ready if there are no bits of dates and all you can taste is velvety chocolate goodness.
  • 5. This raw chocolate icing is ready to use as soon as you pour it out of the blender.

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To say we loved it would be the understatement of the year! We made it on Friday and are having a piece a day. I never knew dates were so amazing for binding and sweetness. Our food processor has made it possible to try so many recipes. It was also easy and after we molded it into a square, we only froze it for about a half-hour. The cacao nibs tasted even better embedded in the brownie. We will definitely try it again. Great alternative to the traditional dessert.

Post-Detox Symptoms

Quick update: No more rashes! No more itching fits! Insane amount of energy during my workout this afternoon. I was on the elliptical for about 40 minutes which is about average for me but what struck me was the speed and intensity I maintained throughout it. I dropped 2.2 lbs this week but I know the surge of energy didn’t come from weighing a couple less pounds. I believe it came from eating live, unprocessed foods.

Today, I actually had thoughts of continuing beyond July. I don’t know if I will. I have a curiosity to try some new vegan restaurants that have opened recently but the craving isn’t as strong. I also feel the need to snack less on nuts. I still eat them (love walnut taco “meat”). However, I find myself craving a bowl of cherries or a giant green salad more.

I am hopeful that post-July craving living food this much feels just as natural to me as not eating meat and dairy has become over this past year.

It’s amazing what we gain when we take things away we always thought we needed.

Vent

Tonight I met up with a friend and let it all hang out:

all of the highs and all of the low lows

all of the insecurities

all of the love

all of the resentment

all of the hope

all of the fear

all of the joy

all of the past dreams that didn’t come true…some I let go..some I don’t know how to let go

Or should let go

Letting all the words find a way out

My way of singing a song

Even if my voice cracks and there’s no pretty left.

Meatless Monday: Raw Vegan Taco with Cashew Sour Cream

Tonight, I made raw vegan tacos using walnut “meat” and used Romaine hearts as the shell. I have used walnut before but never made fresh pico de gallo and cashew sour cream. The recipe came from mydarlingvegan.com. Everything came out well but I needed to add a bit more sea salt to the cashew sour cream and let it sit in the refrigerator a bit longer. I also added more cumin and hot sauce to the walnut mix. We fell in love with the pico!

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Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients
Walnut Meat
Pico De Gallo
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
  • 1 jalapeño, minced
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
  • salt to taste
Cashew Sour Cream (optional)
Extras
  • 12 leaves of romain lettuce
  • 1 avocado
  • fresh cilantro
Instructions

  1. To make the walnut meat, blessings d all taco meat ingredients in a food processor until walnuts break down into small crumbs. Do not over mix, they will quickly form a paste. Remove from processor and set aside.

  2. Combine the ingredients for pico de gallo and refrigerate until ready to use.
  3. If making cashew sour cream, drain and rinse the cashews. Transfer to a high-speed blender with remaining sour cream ingredients. Blend until completely smooth. Transfer to small container and refrigerate until ready to use.
  4. To assemble tacos, place 2-3 tablespoons walnut meat on the bottom of a leaf of romain lettuce. Top with pico de gallo, avocado, fresh cilantro, and cashew sour cream. Once assembled, serve immediately.

We definitely will be making this again!

Raw Food Detox

Today is the fifth day of my July Raw Food Challenge. I have eaten a raw food diet before for a short period of time. The biggest difference I see this time around are the detox symptoms. I did lose weight this week (4.6 lbs) but parts of my body are covered in red rashes. Apparently, it’s a common symptom  that I never experienced before. I had fatigue and headaches in the past but watching myself breakout like this has been jarring. I think because of my psoriasis the thought of my body being covered in something I can’t control unnerves me.

It doesn’t mean I will stop. I am telling myself that it will go away in a matter of days. I just have to wait it out. I am holding onto the benefits and staying excited about my results at the end of the month.

Your turn:

Have you ever experienced any detox symptoms? If so, how did you cope with it?

Knowing

We’re halfway through the year and I have been reading a lot about reevaluating goals for the reminder of the year.

At the end of 2017, I laid out my writing goals for 2018. They included finishing the 1st draft of my novel, pitching or submitting work each week, be open to speaking opportunities, apply for fellowships and completing an E-book.

Reflecting on the first half of this year, I haven’t pitched every week but I have had my work published on 2 sites. I was on a panel for James River Writers’ January Writing Show and had the pleasure of speaking to Riverside Young Writers. I haven’t applied for any fellowships but I did apply to be part of a digital storytelling conference (still waiting to hear about it). I haven’t finished the first draft of my novel but I did complete my first E-book available on this site:

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I  am proud of the strides I have made. I am letting go of the weekly submission goal. The goal that is most important to me besides keeping up with this blog is finishing the first draft of my novel. It is the one thing that matters most to me.

I don’t want to go into 2019 wondering what it will be like to finish.

I just want to know.