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When the Truth is Stranger than Fiction

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May 10, 2022

Breaking the Silence: Part I

“If you are silent about your pain, they’ll kill you and say you enjoyed it.” Zora Neale Hurston Friday, November 13, 2020 It felt like I had given birth with nothing to show for it. I was lying on my back in the emergency department of Wellstar Paulding Emergency Hospital with my legs open, my… Continue reading

Articles, General Topics

barren, barrenness, blog, blogger, blogging, conception, Fallopian Tube, fertility, healing, menstrual, menstrual cycle, period, reproduction, reproductive system
March 23, 2022

Let the Words Be Seasoned

There are times when Black authors find themselves fighting against those who wish them to edit their soul. Take the salt out the meat. Take the voice out the work, and leave it seasonless. To quote Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, “People still have a white, western idea of how intellect is ‘spose to walk in the… Continue reading

creative writing, General Topics

authors, black authors, Black Culture, black history, black writers, blog, blogger, blogging, culture, dialect, dialogue, history, proverbs, season, seasoned, slang, voice, wordpress, writing
February 2, 2022

Do You Know Your Somebodiness?

Crazy to think that in just a few short hours, this day will be part of history. As I write this, I think about how easily today becomes a memory. The question is, will it be a day worth remembering? Will I remember a cold day with clear skies and the birds building their nests… Continue reading

creative writing, General Topics

#WWWblogs, black history, black voices, black writers, blog, blogger, blogging, historical, history, life, meaning, random thoughts, somebodiness, somebody, thoughts, time, wordpress, writers, writing
January 16, 2022

Poetry of the Phoenix

And we sit around the firewatching the golden ball of flameleap and howl and transform the woodinto hot ribbons of light.Somewhere, we hope to be transformed toospark like the flames dancingsearching for some light in the times we live inand come out renewed from the furnace of afflictionthis firepoetry of the phoenix. Continue reading

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January 5, 2022

If We Were Having Coffee Right Now

Hey, ya’ll, hey! It’s been a lil minute since we had a lil chat. This year I decided I would not rush back to this blog after the New Year. If you are one of those extra woke people who need to remind me it is not technically a “New Year” until spring, don’t. I… Continue reading

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2022 updates, authors, blog, blogger, blogging, coffee, Coffee Date, indie, Indie Author, publishing, self-publishing, tea, updates, wordpress, writers, writing
December 21, 2021

Yecheilyah’s Book List 2021

Hey guys! As we wrap up 2021, I thought I’d copy off Barrack Obama and share my book list, a combination of Trade and Indie books I read this year. This list is based on books I’ve read or am reading now. I missed a lot of hot releases reading for research, so I only… Continue reading

book reviews, creative writing, General Topics

#TuesdayShares, 2021 Books, authors, blog, blogger, blogging, Book List, book reviews, reviews, wordpress, writers, writing, Yecheilyah's Book List
December 3, 2021

Looking Back to Look Forward

Although I tried out once, I was not a cheerleader in high school. I had danced before as part of a community program at Hamilton Park on Chicago’s south side with my twin sister and our cousin. We were taught handstands, traditional African dances (I am not sure of the tribe), and tap dancing. We… Continue reading

Articles, creative writing, General Topics

#BluSkyFriday, #LinkYourLife, authors, blog, blogger, blogging, flashback friday, forward, Friday, friday vibes, high school, memories, onward, throwback, wordpress, writers, writing

About Me

My name is Yecheilyah (e-see-li-yah), and my work confronts historical erasure and advocates for a more inclusive understanding of Black history. Through book reviews and poetry contests, I uncover and preserve the rich, often underrepresented stories of African Americans.