february recap - that's a wrap...
Damn I'm glad it's over!
The month of love and Black history is coming to a close and as the world, specifically the United States, is still being televised as an unfunny shit show circus (I don’t like clowns btw), I hope you continue to choose compassion first…then chaos.
Let’s get into this recap.
music in rotation…
Doechii - Fireflies
Aaliyah feat. R. Kelly - (At Your Best) You Are Love
Tyler, the Creator feat. Schoolboy Q and Santigold - Thought I was Dead
Lucky Daye - That’s You
Mick Jenkins - Carefree
JID - Raydar
what am I writing?…
John Noire and I wrote a love poem together and I’m honored that he agreed to cowrite ‘That’s the Way Love Goes…’. Remember when I said writing romantic pieces don’t flow as easily for me? I meant that! I spent hours trying to write this poem as smooth as possible but I was losing steam. My rule is: if it doesn’t make my heart flutter, it’s not ready. After a few weeks of constant scribbling, scratching and making new beats with my pens (because I write with at least two pens) in my notebooks, I found a flow that felt like real chemistry to John’s song title poem. Additionally, I wanted to blend in musical terminology while keeping the nostalgic vibe.
This is why I take pleasure in writing collabs. I want to work with people who write in a completely different style than my own. We learn more about each other and ourselves in the process. We trust one another, make space for constructive criticism and agree to step outside the box. Let’s combine our visions and create stories and poetry about music, healing, intimacy, underworld, magic, gay/lesbian, who stole your money, who pissed you off today, dancing in the rain, lost in space, robots, zombies and maybe a few unicorns too.
pulled off the bookshelf…
Is it just me or does finding the right book look like you stumbled upon a small gem? Book shopping has been heavily on my mind and every time I went to a store, I didn’t hesitate wandering to the book section. Since I don’t trust my memory these days, I’ve been taking screenshots at the library, various bookstores and online to remind me to think about them later. Then I have another long list of saved books on the Hoopla app so I can get the hard copy because I don’t like reading books on my iPhone.
My reading and writing focus has been minimal this month and I’m tenderly coming back into my routine. My husband bought me several books that I look forward to reading soon. What I have shown is only a fraction of what’s been purchased lately. For the monthly recaps, I’ll be sharing my book purchases and current reads. If you wanna support my book buying habit because this is better than cocaine, you can send me a lil somethin somethin to my Buy Me A Coffee.
quotes & notes…
“In this world that operates so heavily by feeding on social media, which is designed to keep us addicted, and ultimately leaves us feeling more lonely than ever. We crave relationships with depth and meaning.”
-Karen Wesley, Dear Writers
“I don’t answer no cattle call cause I ain’t no cow. I am a luxury good. People with taste know to come find me.” -Andrew Robert Colom
“The hardest work you’ll ever do is the work you do on yourself.” -alex b.
listen here…
Listen to Magnetic’s spoken word ‘Search History’ that he contributed to SUM FLUX. You can also find him on SoundCloud.
read quickies…
Check out these reads for those days when you wanna squeeze in a quicky.
camera roll dump…
coming up next…
I took a week off after posting the poetry collab with plans to produce something new afterwards, but unexpected situations quickly followed and that required my full and immediate attention. My drive severely tanked and I was in no condition to write or paint anything that I couldn’t put my heart into. Thankfully, I’m making a steady recovery and have found mental stability to create again.
New flash fic creeping through first weekend of March. More info to come.
Next month, you’ll see me picking up the paint brushes again. I’ll be sharing art that’s for sale in the recaps but paid subscribers get discounts and receive a separate email.
Thank you to every single supporter that’s reading my shit and talking about me on and off the platforms. I appreciate you.
peace.
alex b.
Thanks for including my poem Alex - "A Soft Ruin"! 😉🌶 🔥
I love this essay so much. Your wonderful photos, the phenomenal art, the music, the books, your love poetry. I adore the way you connected with John Noire. I’m with you on thinking that’s the way love goes. This is beautiful. Peace <3