May 2022: Walking in Beauty

I woke up smiling. It was a beautiful sunny spring day and I wanted to walk in beauty. Atlanta High Museum or Atlanta Botanical Gardens?

 After a friend brought me a delicious slice of Visiting Cake, she dropped me off at the Gardens.

What a glorious Eden! Walking among the trees, flowers, and plants (venus fly traps) the aroma of honeysuckle and other sweet florals stopped me in my tracks and so did the glass creations of Chihuly.

On grand display are large-scale metal sculptures of Santa Fe-based artists Kevin and Jennifer Box Origami in the Garden, a traveling exhibition.

It was a sweet surprise to meet Kevin and Jennifer while I was admiring one of Jennifer’s pieces.

The show opens to the public on May 7th.

I hope you’ll make the time to walk in beauty soon.


HOMECOMING

Finally got the chance to see the stunning mural created by Najee Dorsey for the Mildred Terry Public Library, my childhood sanctuary in Columbus, Georgia.

I took photos with my family in front of the mural depicting the history of the library and the community I grew up in.

Najee has been working on an epic project in the Atlanta area, a gallery space, Black Art in America opening to the public soon.

Yes, that’s me in the mural, the girl in yellow typing a draft of the Big Mama Stories at Yaddo Artists Retreat.


UPCOMING EVENTS

July  8 – 14th Horizon Theatre presents SQUARE BLUES directed by Thomas Jones lll

August 15  STAY TUNED for the announcement of a public reading of my play  BOSS LADIES & TENDER-HEARTED GIRLS: A Manual for Renewal and Resistance at the HORIZON THEATRE 

Pre-Order Mama’s Home at CHARIS BOOKS & MORE

Black Women Speak! Marguerite Hannah and Horizon Theatre Present a new Project to amplify the voices of Southern Black women, find it in The Dramatists ATLANTA May/June 2022 Issue – Read: BLACK WOMEN SPEAK PROJECT by Candrice Jones & Shay Youngblood 


WHAT I’VE BEEN READING, RE-READING, AND WATCHING

  • Bridgerton Seasons One and Two 
  • The Gilded Age
  • Nashville, binge-watched all six seasons and wept at the end of Season Five.
  • Better Life
  • Black-ish, binge from Season One
  • This Is Us – when I need to cry. Each episode is good for at least three boo hoo’s
  • Stacks of Illustrated Children’s Books
  • Vintage Cookbooks
  • Cooking Shows
  • Emails from a friend who keeps bees!
  • Cards, letters, and postcards from around the world, I enjoy sending and receiving snail mail

YOUNGBLOOD ARTS

I’m offering 30-minute zoom or phone conversations with creatives. Discuss your writing and creative projects, resources, grants, and how to sustain your practice.

Learn more and register with the links above.