Toni Morrison passed today. As the accolades and memories pour in, I am remembering tackling “Song of Solomon” freshman year and invoking her in one of my 2016 readings for “Strivers and Other Stories.” Some notes from that reading: Thanks for coming and giving me a bit of your weekend time. Your support is definitely […] 
My story “Cotton Compress” was published in the Callaloo Journal’s latest issue, #40.2. Many thanks to Ravi Howard–who led a great workshop I participated in at Callaloo’s 2016 Oxford creative writing workshop session– for recommending my submission. Also many thanks to Melanie Hatter, who provided key edits to the story and made it much, much better and […] 
Coming back from another spirited, challenging and enlightening workshop week, this time the notable Tin House Summer Workshop held at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. I participated in one of the novel workshops led by the gracious and energetic (and fellow native Georgian!) Tayari Jones. In the midst of her book tour for “An America […] 
In the wake of celebrating the life of my father, the Aspen Words writing workshop in Aspen, Colorado provided a breezy clean-air escape—again—into the “serious” literary world: Manhattan agents and editors. MFA grads. Tea drinkers. Brows that furrow at the mere mention of a certain current White House occupant. And us “emerging” writers gasping at humble-bragged mentions of […] 
A casual chat in the studio with some old friends at “We R Sumthin Else.” Talking about Donald Glover, #AtlantaFX, Kanye, growing up in the South, America, white supremacy, living your best life– and oh, yeah, a bit about “Strivers and Other Stories” too. Check it out. (And all their other episodes too). 
Many thanks to PEN/Faulkner’s Writers in Schools Director Gregory Langen and Eastern High School librarian Ellen Dodsworth for the invite to present and discuss “Strivers and Other Stories” with the students at Eastern High School on my first Writers in School program visit last week. I enjoyed the attentive eyes and heartfelt questions about my stories, […] 
I had an interview with the blog site Write and Author, a resource dedicated to helping writers develop their craft and offer advice on publishing. I discussed my writing process, influences, and why I like to write. Some excerpts from the Q&A: What do you love most about the writing process?The excitement of not knowing […] 
Had a spirited reading and signing of “Strivers and Other Stories” in my hometown of Augusta, Georgia at the Lucy C. Laney Museum of Black History on Sunday, February 19, 2017. The museum, I noted to the audience, is in a downtown neighborhood that conjures many memories from my formative years: Waiting for my sister’s piano […] 
Attended my first AWP conference this week and participated in WWPH’s panel on running a small press. 12K writers converged on DC and our sprawling convention center for 3 days of panels, readings, a massive book fair and that kind of casual social freedom people have when being amongst their own kind. Lots of […] 
Thanks to Politics and Prose for supporting the Washington Writers’ Publishing House and providing an opportunity for us to read and introduce our books recently. If you don’t know, P&P is a vaunted institution in DC, one of the last viable independent bookstores around really. And it hasn’t even been around that long. When I […]