I don’t usually do this. Actually, I’ve never done this. Dance, yes, but not this close, not this electrically. I tend to stay the customary distance back. That way I can slip into the shadows when I...

Hair is relaxed. It is now relaxed hair by a relaxer because Black hair is the opposite of relaxed hair because it is something wild, something to be tamed–to be relaxed. Relaxed hair needs attenti...

Begin by orienting yourself to the genocide that most closely aligns with your cultural identity. In this case, let’s say Armenia. Learn your family history. Ask relatives for their passed down...

You can drop the act; I know you’ve been stealing glances at my phone for the better part of the sermon. And no, I’m not lost. Have you not taken into consideration, that I, too, am here for the...

Line the little crosses outside Mother’s window so she can see them. Little boys wander. Little boys play soldiers. Little boys play Indians. Tuck their little bodies into the earth where Mother can...

I started eating white bread again after my husband died of cancer. Every morning I made a bacon sandwich in the microwave and ate it alongside a cup of instant coffee, lightened with powdered milk...

Before letting our visitors in, my mother bends with a nicotine whisper. “Play nice with Miss Debra’s baby.” I imagine a downy bundle—loaf-sized with curious eyes—benign as a rolled up sock. I’ll...