I have witnessed friendships and relationships that bloomed beautifully only to die a harsh and painful death. I saw roses grow from cracks in concretes and then plucked prematurely by those who were supposed to water them. I have watched flowers starve and wings clipped. I have seen Kings slandered and soldiers slain symbolically, their characters lynched. I have observed how secrets spill into the streets when people no longer want to keep them. I have watched Queens shatter other Queens’ crowns instead of fixing them. I have seen people with tribes of men suddenly walking alone. I have witnessed safe spaces become hazard zones. Is it better to have connected and lost or not connected at all?
What would happen if this blog faded away into oblivion? Would it even make a sound?
Thank you to everyone who participated in the contest this year. We will announce the semi-finalists on Friday, December 20, 2024.
In the meantime, the contest hoodies and t-shirts are now available on the website! Your support helps us keep this contest going year after year and keep it free to enter!
They are comfy, like a warm hug, and come in black and dark chocolate colors, with more to come. Sizes go up to 3XL.
The website also has a donation page if you are not interested in the gear but want to help.
Disclaimer: I do not think blogging is for everyone. These articles are here to help guide and encourage you to discover your own systems and practices, as each person’s journey is and will be different.
Let me be clear: I did not start this blog to write these books.
I started this blog for some other reason, and in the process of being creative, I wrote about these topics until they culminated into whole books.
After three years of writing poetry dedicated to Black people and Black womanhood, I compiled those poems into a book called I am Soul.
After sharing excerpts from an exciting short story out of my wheelhouse but fun to write, it eventually culminated into an urban fantasy novel.
After writing Black History articles every Friday for Black History Month that went beyond February, the project culminated in a full-length volume people can now enjoy anytime they pick up the book instead of waiting for Friday.
I hope you see where I am going with this.
In the same way that journaling can help us to organize our thoughts, writing about your area of expertise on a blog can be good practice for book publishing.
Posting content on social media and a blog is a form of publishing. Whenever you hit that post button on a blog article or a Facebook post, you are publishing content. Here are two powerful ways it helps to prepare you to write a book.
It Helps You to Get Used to Writing Publicly
When writers publish books, they open themselves to be judged, not just praised. When you post content online, you engage in a similar vulnerability. Your thoughts are now live for everyone to see, critique, or admire. This is similar to what happens each time an author publishes a book. Writing on a blog or posting to social media helps you to get used to hearing feedback about your writing.
It Helps You to Build an Audience / Readership
One of the significant issues new self-published authors face is publishing books with no readership. While established authors like Ashley Antoinette can pop out with a new book and surprise readers, new authors may have a hard time doing the same because they don’t have the audience for it to be successful. They can publish books on a whim, but they also run the risk of people not buying them. Blogging can help with that.
While practicing how to write publicly, you also build up a tribe of readers who like what you write! You attract people who enjoy the same things you do, not just with writing but with life. You might all like to travel, garden, or camp. You might all be married, single, or divorced. You might all be business owners, work a job you love, or retired.
These genuine connections help build bridges of commonality that eventually lead to mutual support systems. You also get instant feedback that will help you test-drive your story idea.
I was born in the late 1980s and grew up in the 90s, so groups like Jagged Edge, 112, and Dru Hill are my jam. Jagged Edge has this one song called “Seasons Change,” and although their song is about romance, it also makes me think about seasonal changes in general.
Toward the end of the year, there are always seasonal changes. You might notice the support is different or that you are different. This is part of preparing for a new season and, with it, a new era.
As the golden hues of autumn deepen into the stark whites of winter, nature offers a poignant lesson in letting go. Once heavy with vibrant green leaves, the trees surrender their foliage to the whims of the wind. It’s not a loss but a graceful shedding, a necessary preparation for renewal.
“Every time the seasons changes we do too. Nothing remains the same, neither should me and you. Gotta have faith in the way that he moves, as the seasons change.” – JE
If I could have glimpsed how this year would end, I would not have chosen to write about joy. I would have chosen overcoming or something more relatable to the times. The truth is joy has been a struggle. I look around the world and wonder if anyone cares anymore. I realize there is a time for everything. In the words of Zora Neale Hurston, “I have been in Sorrow’s1 kitchen and licked out all the pots. Then I have stood on the peaky mountain wrapped in rainbows, with a harp and a sword in my hands.”
For this, I am reminded that although the seasons do change and nothing is the same as it once was, it is joy in this release, a quiet celebration of trust. Autumn reminds us that letting go doesn’t mean forgetting but making space. The crisp, cool air carries the scent of fallen leaves and the promise of something new. In letting go of what no longer serves us—old habits, lingering doubts, or past mistakes—we find ourselves lighter and more open to the possibilities ahead.
With its stillness, winter teaches us to embrace emptiness’s beauty. The bare trees do not complain, but in the dead of winter, they stand tall against the snow, a reminder that strength remains even when we’re stripped of adornment. There’s comfort in the quiet, a chance to reflect and rejuvenate. Letting go allows us to rest, dream, and trust that life cycles will bring renewal in our own time.
See how joy can be found in letting go. It is not a loss; it’s a transformation. Like the seasons, we evolve, finding beauty in the shedding and the stillness. And as the days grow shorter and the nights longer, we learn that the most profound growth often comes in the quietest moments.
This is your reminder to submit your poem on or before December 1st to participate in this year’s poetry contest and win cash prizes and promotions.
Your poem must focus on joy in some way and be in our inbox on or before the clock strikes midnight on December 1, 2024!
Email your poem to support@yecheilyahsannualpoetrycontest.org.
Tips for Submitting Video:
Now that the contest is in full swing, you might be wondering how to submit a video of you reciting your poem. As you might recall, we are accepting audio and video submissions. If you choose this, remember you still must send us the written version.
You can upload it to YouTube or Vimeo. Set it to private and send us the link.
You can send it via Google Drive to support@yecheilyahsannualpoetrycontest.org.
You can use Dropbox. I have created a temporary account for us under support@yecheilyahsannualpoetrycontest.org.
There is a website that makes uploading large files super easy. It is called We-Transfer, and it’s free to use. Here is the link: wetransfer.com. In the email space, put support@yecheilyahsannualpoetrycontest.org.
Another website that allows video files to be sent is Sharefile. Here is the link: www.sharefile.com
Note: Do not upload your video to Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook because there is no way to keep it private (even with a private account). This is a competition. We don’t want anyone’s poetry leaked until the contest ends and the winners are announced. After that, you are welcome to distribute your work far and wide! (This also helps to protect your intellectual property!)
For details on entering, please click the link below and share this with the poets you know!
You don’t have to post a long, drawn-out social media thread about America’s sins.
You don’t have to debate and argue with people in the comments.
It might look like a gloomy day for some of you, but I want to remind you that Joy remains.
And do you want to know why Joy remains?
Other than you woke up this morning?
As Toni Morrison puts it, this is precisely the time when artists go to work!
“There is no time for despair. No time for pity. We speak. We write. We do language.” – Toni Morrison
This raw vulnerability many of you are feeling is precisely what you should put into the work.
Allow this emotion, good or bad, to bleed into one of the most potent poems you have ever penned.
Let it be the most profound and truthful piece you’ve ever written.
You don’t have to post it to social media, but write it down.
What I know of moments: They pass.
This historical moment will be written on the pages of history books, so what should you do?
Do what you’ve always done. Do the work.
As one woman put it on Facebook:
“You are awakening to the same country you fell asleep to. The very same country. Pull yourself together. And when you see me, do not ask me, ‘What do we do now?’ How do we get through the next four years?’ Some of my ancestors dealt with at least 400 years of this under worse conditions. Continue to do the good work. Continue to build bridges, not walls. Continue to lead with compassion. Continue the demanding work of liberation for all. Continue to dismantle systems. Continue to set the best example for your children.”
“Continue to be a vessel of nourishing Joy.”
– Venice Williams
Remember, we are accepting submissions for this year’s poetry contest on Joy from now through December 1st! Get started by subscribing at yecheilyahsannualpoetrycontest.org.
Last year, members of She Wins Society were surprised with awards in the mail honoring their contribution to the community. Imagine my excitement about getting Most Poetic Sister. Scrolling through pictures on my phone, this one stuck out as we prepare for our Conference and Awards Ceremony on November 9th!
It also revealed to me the role that photographs and images play in our joy.
Images are not only suitable for memories; they are silent whispers of time, capturing fleeting moments of joy and weaving stories without words. Pictures are pockets of bliss that freeze laughter and emotions we can experience whenever we look back at them.
Sometimes, when I want to experience joy in a difficult moment, I look at snapshots of a happier time. Each frame holds a fragment of elation, and in their stillness, they evoke the essence of joyful energy.
Remember, we are accepting submissions for this year’s poetry contest on Joy from now through December 1st! Get started by subscribing at yecheilyahsannualpoetrycontest.org.
The PBS Blog 