Tag: blogger

PAIL: Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month

If you log into my Instagram account and go to my for you page, you’ll see tons of pictures of pregnant mommies, infants, and babies.

I didn’t mean to do this. I watched one video of a cute little baby, and now my search bar looks like I am trying to adopt somebody’s chiren.

Even then, it didn’t occur to me that October is a month when we raise awareness of a special kind of loss.

Even as my heart grew sad over some of the pictures, I still did not realize why I was watching this.

My personal journey begins with a miscarriage in the summer of 2020 and then two ectopic pregnancies between 2021-2022. I experienced pregnancy three times (even going through surgery), but there is nothing to show for it.

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. It is a time to remember the women who have experienced loss through:

  • Miscarriages
  • Ectopic
  • Stillbirth
  • Infertility
  • Embryo Loss
  • Molar Pregnancy
  • Infant Loss
  • Child Loss
  • Neonatal Loss
  • Surrogate Loss
  • Failed Adoption
  • SIDS
  • Blighted Ovum
  • Chemical Pregnancy

If you’ve never heard of these, this is a great time to research them, to reach out to women/parents you know who have experienced loss, and to overall educate yourself about PAIL.

Why Not Joy?

Spent time with these cuties this weekend!


Why write poems about joy in such a time as this?

This has been a constant question in the back of my mind. It is not something anyone has asked of me personally, but something that the subconscious, always overthinking part of my brain asks when it wishes to second-guess itself. And, in the rebuke of these thoughts, I answer:

“Why not joy?”

I do not mean always being happy when discussing cultivating a spirit of joy. No one is always joyful in the basic sense of the word. I do not mean toxic positivity or whatever that’s supposed to mean.

In the same way that we embrace anger, grief, and frustration (which are normal and have their place), we can also embrace more joy and gratitude. If sadness and depression suck our bones dry and drain our life force, then joy and gratitude can be a powerful life-saving nourishment.

As I’ve said in Black Joy: “Nobody talks about society’s addiction to Black trauma / how much more profitable it is to talk about pain than poems/depression than joy.”

This constant cycle of death and war is draining to the soul and rotten to the bones. Where do we find or hold onto our sanity without joy? Have we forgotten that it has always been here with us? If enslaved people found joy, why not us? Or do we believe we are that special of a generation that we can survive without it?

In “The Role of Joy and Imagination in a Revolution,” author Marii Herlinger writes: “White supremacy culture values objectivity, overworking, and neglecting self-care — joy interrupts that. White supremacy culture teaches us to be individualistic, self-serving, and distrustful of each other — love interrupts that. Therefore, joy, imagination and love are revolutionary tools which actively defy capitalism and white supremacy.”

Sounds like a page out of Tricia Hersey’s book!

Speaking of Hersey, in the same way that resting more does not make one lazy, nor is it the same thing as being idle (you can be well-rested and still do the work), more joy does not make one blind to the atrocities of the world. On the contrary, it can help one to see things more clearly by stepping outside of the chaos. As Jaiya John puts it, “It can be a revolutionary act of love for yourself and others to not let yourself be sped up by the pace of a toxic, anxious, frantic, desperate, traumatized culture. Stay slow, my friend. Everything beautiful in you is gestating.”

This year, our poetry contest theme is joy, so I want to give you more to consider as you pen your entry!

The Latin word for Joy is gaudium, meaning to rejoice. Think of a time when you found joy in the unexpected. How did that make you feel? In what ways did you rejoice?

I cannot wait to read/hear your masterpiece!

We accept entries from October 21st through December 1st!

PS. I just found out this blog has been listed among Feedspot’s 30 Best Self-Help Book Blogs and Websites of 2024! Thank ya’ll for rocking with me!

Yecheilyah’s 7th Annual Poetry Contest 2024

It’s that time of the year, good people!

We are excited to announce that this year’s poetry contest will begin later this month and run through the end of the year.

This time, we will choose semi-finalists who will be highlighted on our social media. From those semi-finalists, we will choose three winners from the poets with the highest ratings by the judges.

It’s about to be a time!

The entry rules, guidelines, and list of prizes are now available on the website. (Remember, we have a website for the contests now!)

We are also doing something different: We are having the interview with the winners (semi-finalists and finalists) on Instagram Live! Words are too powerful to be limited to paper, especially when expressed in this medium. To quote Maya Angelou, Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning.”

So that is what we will do!

I got my Sidney Shaw voice ready to ask, “When did you first fall in love with poetry?”

Here are the official dates:

Submissions Accepted:

October 21st – December 1st

Semi-finalists announced:

December 20th

Finalists Revealed:

January 1, 2025

Please Click this Link For the Entry Rules, Guidelines, and Prize List

If you would like to support our poets with a donation, you may do so by clicking on the website’s donation page here.

Please feel free to share the flyer with all your poet friends. Even if you don’t enter, someone else might want to!

Hope to see you soon!

Yecheilyah’s 1st Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2017

Yecheilyah’s 2nd Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2018

Yecheilyah’s 3rd Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2019

Yecheilyah’s 4th Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2021

Yecheilyah’s 5th Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2022

Yecheilyah’s 6th Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2023

Yecheilyah’s Book Reviews – Leaving Fatherland by Matt Graydon

Title: Leaving Fatherland

Author: Matt Graydon

Publisher: Cranthorpe Millner Publishers

Published: August 20, 2024

Pages: 326 pages

Matt Graydon’s gripping, well-researched historical fiction debut Leaving Fatherland explores the difficulties of growing up with an abusive father in the context of World War II, Hitler’s ascent, and how our early years have a significant influence on our adult life. Right away, we are introduced to the abuse Oskar Bachmann suffers at the hands of his father, Karl, who assaults his son both physically and mentally. He refers to him as weak and wishes that he, like his brother Emil, had joined the Hitler Youth.

The first time Karl hits Oskar in the book shocked me, even though the author did an excellent job showing the cruelty that led up to it. This would profoundly affect Oskar throughout his life, a life the author shares with us in such detail that it reads like an autobiography.

Contrasted against Karl’s cruelty is his mother Aneta’s kindness and gentleness, a welcome relief. She encourages him to read, which becomes his safe space. Aneta also finds a way to buy Oskar a tourist-class ticket to America to complete his education.

“The pages of the books I wrapped around my mind and soul like blankets brought distraction and great solace from the relentless strife of home life.”

-Leaving Fatherland, Oskar Bacchman

Oskar continued on to study psychology at Manhattan’s University of New York, a decision he made especially to gain a deeper understanding of his father. Even though Karl is mean to him, Oskar still loves him, evident in his desperate attempt to understand him. In his own words: “I’ve learned it’s possible to hate what your father is and yet still yearn for his approval.” As he navigates the city and makes new friends, Oskar is still affected by his father’s actions as shocking revelations about Karl’s ties to Hitler emerge.

I love the research that went into this book, even down to the Black man taxi driver referring to the ten-dollar bill as a “sawbuck.” Even though the author is not Black, his depiction of the driver and his persona was spot on. Bachmann referring to him as a “Negro cab driver” and how he had not seen many Black people growing up in Germany also fit the times (1930s).

Although a lengthy read, Oskar’s life is filled with many secrets and unexplainable fortunes, culminating in a surprising revelation that connects everything together.

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Ratings

  • Plot Movement / Strength: 4/5
  • Entertainment Factor: 4/5
  • Characterization: 5/5
  • Authenticity / Believable: 5/5
  • Thought Provoking: 5/5

Overall: 5/5

Leaving Fatherland is Available Now on Amazon!

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About the Author

Matt Graydon Author Photo

Matt Graydon has loved writing since childhood. In his early career, he trained and then worked as a journalist for local and national newspapers, developing research skills that proved vital in his historical fiction writing. He later worked as a senior public relations executive for major corporations in a global context, interacting with people from many cultures around the world. In recent years he rekindled his love of creative writing, attending expert writing courses by Faber and others to develop his craft. He is an active member of the UK’s Society of Authors and belongs to the Phoenix Writing Group in Dorking. He has had both poetry and short stories published, most recently Saigo No Tatakai, an account of a kamikaze attack in the Second World War told from both sides.

Matt lives in Surrey, with his wife, adult children and an unruly cockapoo. When not writing, he spends as much time as possible outside gardening, or engaging in astronomy and photography.

Links:

Website: www.mattgraydon.com

Facebook: Matt Graydon Writes

Instagram: @matt_graydon_writes

Twitter: @graydonwrites

To have your book reviewed on this blog, apply here!

Stay tuned for our next dope read!

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Yecheilyah’s Book Reviews is a reputable review service that features writers from all over the world, both traditionally and independently published. We are listed on Kindlepreneur as a top-tier book review blog and Reedsy as one of their vetted active book blogs that provide insightful, excellent book reviews.

*Books are read in the order they are received.

 

More

Photo by Neon Joi

We have enough people who are beautiful.
We need more who are brave.
We have enough people who are popular.
We need more who are passionate and purposeful.
We have enough people who are wild.
We need more who are wise.
We have enough people who are famous.
We need more who are faithful.
We have enough people who require rewards.
We need more who require respect.
We have enough people who are too afraid to fail.
We need more who are courageous enough to fly.

You can listen to this poem on TikTok, and be sure to subscribe on YouTube!

Yecheilyah’s Book Reviews – Firsthand by A’Dreana Anderson

Title: Firsthand

Author: A’Dreana Anderson

Publisher: Joyfully Unbound Publishing

Published: July 7, 2024

Pages: 332 pages

In Firsthand, Richard McLeary owns over seven hundred acres, the third largest Plantation in Chatham County. The land was given to him by his father-in-law on the condition that he marry his daughter and treat her well. However, Richard is arrogant and seeks the approval of other wealthy planters. He boasts as if his land cannot be stripped from him and violently mistreats the enslaved people working his plantation.

In just the first few chapters, we are witnesses to his brutality which includes the death of an enslaved man defending another. In this haunting and poignant historical fantasy, debut author A’Dreana Anderson is compelling in her telling of slavery to such an extent that it felt like Richard had written this story from his own personal account. I can see a racist white man who pretends he is wealthier than he actually is clearly in my mind. There are also some historical accuracies I appreciated.

When visiting the Slave Market, the auctioneer presented an enslaved woman who was pregnant. Richard frowns and decides not to bid on her. While enslavers eventually valued women of childbearing age, this was not always the case. Before 1808 and the abolition of the slave trade, many slave owners discouraged enslaved women from reproducing. They considered the infants to be time-consuming and took too much time away from the women working. It wasn’t until after 1808 when slave owners could no longer depend on the domestic supply of enslaved laborers from the trade, that they sought women who could reproduce and had already given birth to healthy children.

The story’s turning point occurs when Richard, his son Henry, and his overseer James head to the Oglethorpe’s Racecourse Slave Market outside of Savannah to replace the enslaved people he murdered. He bids on Nini, a strong, gorgeous Black mute woman who captures his eye so much that he spends $2,500 for her. He immediately lusts after her and attempts to beat her into obedience. However, Nini refuses to comply, which turns him on even more. There is something about her eyes, and Richard is going to find out the hard way when he wakes up to realize he has been condemned to live as a mute, enslaved Black man.

Some graphic scenes might be too much for some readers, though, and some of the descriptions, although well-written, slowed the story just a bit. (Richard sometimes talked too much for me.) However, this was not to the extent that it destroyed the overall reading experience.

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Ratings

  • Plot Movement / Strength: 4/5
  • Entertainment Factor: 4/5
  • Characterization: 5/5
  • Authenticity / Believable: 4/5
  • Thought Provoking: 5/5

Overall: 4/5

Firsthand is Available Now on Amazon!

Firsthand

To have your book reviewed on this blog, apply here!

Stay tuned for our next dope read!

IMG_8994

Yecheilyah’s Book Reviews is a reputable review service that features writers from all over the world, both traditionally and independently published. We are listed on Kindlepreneur as a top-tier book review blog and Reedsy as one of their vetted active book blogs that provide insightful, excellent book reviews.

*Books are read in the order they are received.

 

Yecheilyah’s Book Reviews – Call Me Mama: A Reason to Persevere by Ife Akanegbu

Title: Call Me Mama: A Reader to Persevere

Author: Ife Akanegbu

Publisher: My Cute Prairies

Published: July 1, 2024

Pages: 57

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be an addict, this short narrative will transport you there. From the weight of guilt to the hope of redemption, the author portrays a picture of addiction that will make you reconsider your feelings about addicts.

The story opens with Mariam sitting in a car outside her daughter’s school, watching with binoculars. She is not allowed to see Zora. She has lost access to such privilege.

As someone who grew up with an addicted mother, I understand what it’s like to be a daughter and not have your mother around, which doesn’t always mean she’s not present. For example, Zora refers to Mariam as Aunty, even though she is her mother. She does this because she does not know Mariam is her mother. It took me back to the first nine years of my life when I addressed my mother by her first name. What I appreciated, though, was how the author helped me grasp how it feels from the mother’s perspective. The author’s writing style is poetic, allowing for honesty and grace.

Call Me Mama helps us empathize with the human parts of those who fall prey to addiction, and I love that about good fiction. Don’t just tell me someone is a villain; show me why. How did this person get to this point? What made them the person they are? In addition, we so often see the monster and not the person being held hostage in their bodies, a prison for their unhealed trauma.

“She wanted to beg, plead for another chance, promise that this time would be different. But the words died in her throat, strangled by the shame that had become her constant companion.”

Then, there is Mary-Joanna, a constant temptation. “Come on, let’s get out of here, have some real fun,” she says as they sit in the basement of a church. Her words are like a trigger that sends Mariam’s heart beating against her ribs until she no longer hears anything the speaker is saying, only the promise of relief from the dungeon of darkness she’s found herself in.

But, it is Zora who is the real salvation of Mariam’s story. The innocence of a child and the unconditional love Zora wrap around her mother’s neck offers Mariam the hope she desperately needs. Will she take it?

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Ratings

  • Plot Movement / Strength: 5/5
  • Entertainment Factor: 4/5
  • Characterization: 5/5
  • Authenticity / Believable: 5/5
  • Thought Provoking: 5/5

Overall: 5/5

Call Me Mama: A Reason to Persevere by Ife Akanegbu is Available Now on Amazon!

Call Me Mama

To have your book reviewed on this blog, apply here!

Stay tuned for our next dope read!

IMG_8994

Yecheilyah’s Book Reviews is a reputable review service that features writers from all over the world, both traditionally and independently published. We are listed on Kindlepreneur as a top-tier book review blog and Reedsy as one of their vetted active book blogs that provide insightful, excellent book reviews.

*Books are read in the order they are received.