Reading Notes: Dipo Faloyin’s Africa is not a country

I am so grateful for Dipo Faloyin’s book Africa is not a country: Notes on a bright continent, written in a way that felt as if I could hear the author’s voice telling me stories, charming me and helping me feel connected to people and places far from my home, even as he had toContinue reading “Reading Notes: Dipo Faloyin’s Africa is not a country”

Writing as a way of living, not for a living

There is a reason I named my website Reader. Writer. It’s because that’s who I am, what I am. For me, there is no joy greater than moments spent immersed in the words, reading or writing. I am very aware that this is not the same for others, almost to the point of a cultureContinue reading “Writing as a way of living, not for a living”

Reading Notes: Vicious is my middle name

I’ve chosen to spend most of my life in a small college town in the mountains of North Carolina, and despite the understandable yen to explore the world in my youth (which I did), I have always loved it here, loved the sight of the mountains and nature all around. But one of the thingsContinue reading “Reading Notes: Vicious is my middle name”

Reading Notes: Pop by Robert Gipe

I finally finished Pop, the third book of the series by Robert Gipe, and am still sorting my thoughts on this book and the series as a whole. This story stands on its own, but is more powerful, I think, if you have read the first two books (Trampoline and Weedeater). I should probably notContinue reading “Reading Notes: Pop by Robert Gipe”

Reading Notes: Weedeater by Robert Gipe

Earlier this year, I posted some thoughts on Trampoline, the first in a related set of books by Robert Gipe. I recently finished the second book Weedeater, and I’d like to share a few thoughts again. This won’t be a review or plot summary, so if you want to know more about the book, checkContinue reading “Reading Notes: Weedeater by Robert Gipe”

Reading Notes on Robert Gipe’s Trampoline

I’ve been finding time, or making time, to read more often, and my best friend gifted me with three books by Robert Gipe, set in a coal-mining mountain region somewhere in eastern Kentucky. By a crow’s flight, it’s likely not that far from where I live in western North Carolina. The first novel is Trampoline,Continue reading “Reading Notes on Robert Gipe’s Trampoline”

1619 Project: Muhammad

Khalil Gibran Muhammad’s essay is titled “The sugar that saturates the American diet has a barbaric history as the ‘white gold’ that fueled slavery.” As always, my goal is to highlight these articles rather than summarize, assuming that you will read the original works. This line in particular stood out for me: In Europe atContinue reading “1619 Project: Muhammad”

1619 Project: Kruse

I continue to read, reflect, and shine a spotlight on the essays in the New York Times Magazine’s 1619 Project. Princeton University professor Kevin Kruse, who I know as That-History-Guy-on-Twitter, wrote an essay titled: “What does a traffic jam in Atlanta have to do with segregation? Quite a lot” A quote that resonated for meContinue reading “1619 Project: Kruse”

1619 Project: Morris

I am the type to read the book before I see the movie, and I tried to do something similar with the podcasts for the 1619 series, which both encompass and differ from the essays they address. But I accidentally hit play on the third podcast on “The Birth of American Music” before reading WesleyContinue reading “1619 Project: Morris”