Annenberg Beach House Artist in Residence

Greetings! My first week concludes as writer-in-residence. I'm doing public office hours Saturdays from 11 am until 2 pm, so please stop by for a visit. We can talk writing, new books, or anything literary; even the adaptation of books into movies!

I've just returned from a month-long stay at the Dorland Mountain Artist's Colony where I sought solitude to work on my book; then, surprise! I unofficially began my Annenberg residency, as I reached out to secure writers to create meaningful programs around my proposal's theme.

Am pleased to announce the Emerging Women of Color Writers evening is set for 10/24, 6:30 pm, at the Beach House and will feature unique and talented voices just emerging on the literary scene. Each woman is at a different point on her journey, and their writing is uniquely them. Guests will surely one day tell friends, "I heard her (fill in the blank) read back in the day."

Starting the public program series with emerging writers is done with intent. My goal is to demonstrate the importance of supporting, nurturing, and encouraging women of color writers regardless of when they made the commitment to their craft, how they came to know writing is breath and air all wrapped into a soul, and how they express their authentic self in words.

I've had some late nights and early mornings, lots of rejection, and even people who just don't respond, but I persist. The commitment to ensuring every space becomes a space for women of color, whose self-identities may be claimed as mother, daughter, sister, partner, wife, immigrant, queer, lesbian, an abuse survivor, or an array of other "pieces of us" we hold true to our journey and to who we are is critical to this residency.

Every program participant has an opportunity to express views on what is discussed around the theme, so questions, topics, a direction for discussion will have been talked through prior to the event evening.

This is going to be a wild ride, but if those who attend walk away with a better understanding of who we are and why our voices are critical to a larger literary narrative, if the writers who participate connect with other writers, gain new fans of their work, and understand the nuances of this curiously secretive publishing industry, then we did "good," as we used to say back home.

I'll sleep well again, knowing all the effort has been worth the restless nights.

I'll write more later. For now, go well

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