Category Archives: Peace

March 2022: Traveling Without a Passport

It delights me to be living in Atlanta where the flowers put on a dazzling performance each spring. Exciting to make new friends I’ll soon get to see in person, have old friends throw pajama parties and others fly in for the weekend to show me new perspectives of the city.

Time-Traveling

I’ll be in two places at the same time this spring, in Honolulu at the Association for Asian Studies(AAS) conference to discuss approaches to Japan Studies and at the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) to present on a panel with Opal Moore, Kyla Marshell, Chantal James, and Rochelle Spencer about experimenting with form in our interdisciplinary projects.

I didn’t skip 2021 although there were times I wanted to fast forward past some of the parts that included lockdown and social distancing from my friends and family. These were some of the highlights:

I joined the faculty as a Visiting Professor in the Graduate Creative Writing Program, City College, Harlem. I was fortunate to work with a stellar group of writers
Presented the James Baldwin Lecture “Unprecedented Heartbreak” for Adelphi University
Facilitated two online writing workshops: Creating a Pleasure Toolbox and Grief and Healing
My short story “In a House of Wooden Monkeys”, was published in Glory Edim’s Anthology “On Girl Hood”

What I’ve Been Reading & Re-Reading

Wrapped in Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston, Valerie Boyd
Dust Tracks on a Road: A Memoir, Zora Neale Hurston
Vice President Kamala Harris: Her Path to the White House, Malaika Adero
Speak Okinawa: A Memoir, Elizabeth Miki Brina
Finance for the People, Paco De Leon
Cookbooks

News

Youngblood Arts is offering 30-minute and 50-minute Zoom or phone conversations with creatives. Discuss your writing and creative projects, resources, grants, and how to sustain your practice.

One-on-one consultation appointments are available Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 1:00 pm-7:00 pm EST – $75 for 30 min/$125 for 50 minutes
Workout Wednesdays Writing Prompt Group Session meet Wednesdays on Zoom from 12-12:30 pm EST – $30 for 50 min

LATE BREAKING NEWS: 2020 Tried to Kill Me I’m Still Here

**Shay Youngblood, in my home studio photo credit: Carolyn Miller**

In the most challenging two years of my life (2018-2020), I moved 5 times (twice during the pandemic) experienced heartbreak, loss, health issues, etc. During the pandemic I have had the opportunity to spend quality time with myself asking:

Who am I in this moment now?

How do I choose to live?

How do I choose to love?

How will I move forward to create a sustainable life for myself and contribute my skills to my community?

We live in a new world. Our lives have changed dramatically from the pandemic and righteous protests against police brutality, a devastating economic downturn and political chaos. Zoom is a verb and we are both burnt out and able to extend our reach world because of it.

Grateful to 2020 for these highlights

My new home in Atlanta is SANCTUARY, KITCHEN LAB and CREATIVE STUDIO
Made deeper connections with my TRIBE of women friends, my blood and chosen family and made new friends
Emory University’s Rose Library acquired a portion of my personal and professional ARCHIVES
Published a graphic novel about a black female superhero/sex educator
Sold two illustrated children’s books to Chris Myers at Make Me A World and, Porsha Burke at Convergent (RANDOM HOUSE imprints)
My novel Black Girl in Paris was optioned for film/tv by Natalie Baszile the author of the novel Queen Sugar
In a creative learning/ experimenting spree, I made a series of drawings about the meaning of HOME during the pandemic, took ukulele and piano lessons, a manifesto writing workshop, weight training and yoga classes and streamed hours of classic opera from the MET and podcasts on subjects ranging from the esoteric to the erotic. I also cooked the most amazing meals and invented recipes.
Celebrated Georgia turning BLUE, thank you Stacey Abrams & Fair Fight Action, and the election of Biden and Harris
Velina Hasu posted a lovely interview with me on her blog highlighting Women Theater Artists https://matchabook.wordpress.com/2020/12/09/this-is-shay-youngblood-her-eyes-have-seen-and-the-seeing-continues-to-soar/

2021 is all about FOCUS and RADICAL SELF-LOVE

New Events and Adventures in 2021

Launch of Youngblood Arts Second Sunday Genre Bending Literary Fitness writing workshops in MARCH!
Excited to teach writing workshops for VONA Feb 27-28 and July 2021
Artist Residency with Indigo Arts Alliance (Portland, Maine) TBA

SELECTED READING LIST

Black Futures, edited by Kimberly Drew and Jenna Wortham

Accra Noir, edited by Nana-Ama Danquah

The View From Breast Pocket Mountain, Karen Hill Anton

What’s Your Story, Rebecca Walker and Lily Diamond

African Look Book, Catherine McKinley

Everything Inside, Edwidge Danticat

Rise, Marcus Samuelson

Resist, Veronica Chambers

ARTISTS on my RADAR

Robert Pruitt, Deborah Roberts, Carolyn Miller

*Please support Black and Independent Bookstores and BIPOC artists

Storytelling Heaven at the Dallas Museum of Art Story Slam

18th Century Marrow Scoop

Inspired by the amazing Rob Walker’s Significant Objects Project, Carolyn Bess of Arts & Letters Live at The Dallas Museum of Art, commissioned four writers (I was among them) to create original short stories inspired by objects in the collection. (See Rob’s blog here Materially Untrue. ) We were invited into the vault where thousands of priceless artworks are stored in a massive underground city. It was overwhelming and thrilling. There were three compelling pieces that stirred my imagination. A painting by Mark Bradford, a woodcut by Käthe Kollwitz and an 18th century silver marrow scoop. Images swirled around in my head, but there was no clear story. In the week that followed my visit to the museum I learned that my friend, the artist Terry Adkins died. I wrote a draft of “Broken Beautiful” in less than 48 hours. His loss was an unexpected element. The story became a place to channel my grief and make peace with our unfinished conversations.

Studio Work

I love my work space. It’s almost like living in a library or inside of a book. One of my muses, a memory, a character who transforms, stands at the top of the stairs. Thank you Hiroko Kubo for taking this photo. This is where the dreaming and thinking happens, the other end of the studio is where I write, edit and sweat. It’s is like looking inside my brain, forbidden to enter.

Stacks of books to be read.

Stacks of library books.