I took the wrong train and got off on the right stop. I walked into the auditorium after stopping by the table shifted book store.
I now carried 3 hardcover books plus the books I had in my bag to read on the train. I stood at the back of the auditorium and kept my bags and coat ready to make an exit at the end of the event.
But if course, I didn’t leave immediately.
Hannah V. Sawyerr, Author of Truth Is
Each author that shared, must have picked the best part of their book because I wanted to buy more. And I did!
I picked up two books from Young People’s Literature:
Ibi Zoboi’s (S)kin, and Amber McBride’s The Leaving Room.
Celebrating Professor Patricia Smith Professor Patricia Smith reading poetry
After listening to Patricia Smith talk about her father and Mississippi, I just had to purchase her book of poetry, The Intentions of Thunder: New and Selected Poems. Her storytelling was sweet with sadness.
The nonfiction genre was difficult to pick from. I knew I wanted something but went back and forth between Jordan Thomas When it all Burns: Fighting Fire in a Transformed World and Claudia Rowe’s Wards of the State: The Long Shadow of American Foster Care. After listening to the finalists I decided that I wanted to hear more of the voice of Yiyun Li in Things in Nature Merely Grow. Her voice was pure grief but the writing technique sounded new.
Lastly for fiction, I bought A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar.
There is no honor like an older brother going through his extensive library to hand you two books he doesn’t have time to read!
In July Tyriek saw me on my way to get lunch and in the hot sun asked me what I was reading. It was a conversation that was both annoying and frustrating because he caught me in the heat – reading the best part of the plot.
I am reading James, by Percival Everett. I told him while quickening my pace. His long legs caught up with my gait.
What’s it’s about?
Ugh! Really?
Yeah, I want to know. He kept his cool to my deep annoyance.
It’s a spin on Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn. We get to meet Jim, the Black character, and know of his story.
Tyriek crossed the street with me to the restaurant and for sheer big brother bothersome held the door for me while asking me more questions about the book. To which I closed the book and said,
Please, it’s extremely hot and I’m starving. Plus I want to finish.
Okay, but next time I see you I’mma give you something more to read.
To this I rolled my eyes and gave him an incredulous smile. Even though we talk about books all the time, I never saw him with a book in his hand! As a matter of fact, he doesn’t even walk with a phone!
But he did stick to his promise.
I was on my way to the library and with perfect timing, he met me in the nearby park with not just any books but Bartolome De Las Casa’s The Devastation of the Indies (a translated copy) and Leonard W. Ingraham’s Slaveryin the United States.
I didn’t even try to hide the fact that he made a big impression.
Where did you find these? I asked smiling.
You don’t even want to know. Seeing that I was impressed, he started talking with his hands.
You want them back? I wanted to see how connected he was to his books…
Yeah, I want you to also tell me what you thought about them.
Gosh, he wants them back! I thought. So much for giving me books! Instead of showing him that he may not indeed get them back, I questioned him about the assignment part-
So, are you also giving me homework?! I looked at him in disbelief. He never told me about the homework part. He just said he was giving me books! (Books that now he wanted back!)
I need to know about them but I don’t have time to read them.
What are you looking for? What about them do you want to know?
I can’t tell you until you read them.
Really?! Tell me exactly what you are looking for-
I want to know if they are lying about enslavement. Here he went on a rant about the transatlantic slave trade and the movement of the people before the trade even began.
Instead of asking him the big question- What in the world are you doing that you can’t read?! I replied, Well, I’m only reading them because they are closely related to my studies.
I have more.
This time I smiled at him.
Tell me, how big is your library? And I do want to know where you got these.
This time I had all the time in the world to listen to him. He rambled on about the state of Black folks in America reminding me of my brother Jahlil over in Westchester. And I find my books all over the city, I don’t buy any of my books. I find all of them.
I shook my head in full agreement because I also find books. Especially books associated with Black history. I once found a rare Elise Greenfield book that’s worth hundreds of dollars in a pile of unwanted books.
Tyriek I’ll read and pass it back to you with notes. Can you look in your library and pull out more books? I’m looking for writings about Black children and schooling in New York City.
I ran into Joy Paige, a former student of mine who is now in her third year in college.
Of all the things I remember about Joy, I remember how she used to speak. She did so with noticeable space between her words. I remember when I taught her class about heartburn ( it was a health and nutrition lesson) and at the end of the lesson she acted out the symptoms of having heartburn and asked to go home immediately. Her speech was with the the perfect timing. While her acting was perfect, her request fell on death ears. I knew the tricks of a six year old.
When I ran into her as an adult, I listened to her speaking and I couldn’t help to notice that she spoke the same- with clarity- only this time it included touching her hair and an occasional hum or smacking sound. However her tone was the same. It was a strange observation!
When she filled me in on her success, she said verbatim:
So, yeah (hum), I am in my junior year of college (smack).
And I thought, you are picking up a lot up there at college- including a different way to speak- literally.
It would be something to run into her ten years from now and see if the space is still filled with hair touching, smacking and a hum.
The Holy Convocation be like rushing to church at the beginning and praying for one more hour of sleep at the end
The Holy Convocation be like songs flooding your mind and 14 nights to sing a song that’ll set a soul on fire!
The Holy Convocation be like listening to the preacher preach about the dangers of sin and the minister’s warning of doubting God and a large congregation shouting praise the Lord, Hallelujah, thank you Jesus!
The Holy Convocation be like “Achaia was ready a year ago”!
The Holy Convocation be like diversity in the ministry. Did you meet the saints from Asia and do you know how to cook like a West Indian for the saints from Jamaica?
The Holy Convocation be like we getting fish and fries again? Who is in the kitchen tomorrow? Who’s gonna preach tomorrow? You coming?
The Holy Convocation be like old faces, same histories, new victories, and stronger bonds. Long journey’s up and down 95.
The Holy Convocation be like let’s sing in harmony in praise service and forget our key on the big talent service
The Holy Convocation be like what color you wearing? Wanna dress alike?
The Holy Convocation be like rise and shine its 8am the saints are praying!
The Holy Convocation be like so much food to bring home!
The Holy Convocation be like I’m not sleeping, I’m praying! I’m not eating, I’m fasting! I’m not signing, I’m resting!
The Holy Convocation be like let us sit together during service because after service I may not even see you
The Holy Convocation be like it’s been a while I want to know how you be, why you didn’t check on me?
The Holy Convocation be like, how you related to him? How y’all cousins?
The Holy Convocation be like meet my wife, I’m married now!
The Holy Convocation be like remember when you used to take all the kids out? Yeah…you left me one summer!
The Holy Convocation be like Hazel, Vaeh, Violet, Gabriel, Ms. Kelly, Lay, and two kids from Ohio getting baptized.
The Holy Convocation be like Raymond and Ely crying for the Holy Ghost until it came down and Hannah’s daughter shaking and Dorthy’s sons sitting in the front near Minister Newton and everyone losing their seat during standing prayer.
The Holy Convocation be like mad people marching around mad times to break mad chains and destroying mad Jerichos
The Holy Convocation be like having no voice and eating hot and delicious greasy food at all the wrong times
The Holy Convocation be like wanna hang out in the morning? I’m gonna get up to go out with you. Be ready.
The Holy Convocation be like, let’s sleep in and try to meet tomorrow morning.
The Holy Convocation be like a new invitation everyday for two weeks
The Holy Convocation be like I’m at your place down stairs. I know it’s five in the morning but I said I was coming. You were in church till what time? Girl, why?! Convocation!? Okay, I’ll wait.
My best friend Tasha visiting me
The Holy Convocation be like wearing your Sunday best for two weekends straight
The Holy Convocation be like wearing heels, shouting in heels, changing into flats, standing next to Zach, Johnny, Jahaziel, Hezekiah, Sidney, Manny, Hadassa, and MJ… and my Godson saying what they were thinking, You short Lystria! – and listening to the conversation of young boys just to make them apologize under an oath of Brotherly love and Vaeh inviting her teachers to church and they coming
My niece’s two teachers coming to church…and one getting baptizedWorshipping with my best friend Ashley
The Holy Convocation be like best friends coming together over differences and Shawn telling me my blue dress is nice but very old timely (who asked him to be Mr. GQ of the Conversation? But he was)
Deacon Doug who is known for his songs and testimonies
The Holy Convocation be like eating only ham hock on a Sunday afternoon, because really, there’s nothing else to eat! And Mother Addie asking for the recipe to Jamaica red bean soup that came out great by a great chance!
Spending quality time with my sisters
The Holy Convocation be like family dinner on Sunday and Vaeh’s birthday party on a Saturday night, and Kamara still is praying- and missing the party and Kamara getting the Holy Ghost and everyone dancing and Ashley is waiting to talk and Little Malachi just wanna say hi and have you purchased the new book the Mother wrote? And Samaria wants to go out to eat and is there Little Flock rehearsal? and did you give Madison what you made her? And Sister Lisa wants to buy your soap and are you coming down to visit family soon?
The Holy Convocation be like, Wow! You’re all grown up now and Sis- You always dress to kill and come, Hurley Sisters, let me take your picture!
The Holy Convocation be like how can you take New York? and How can you live in the south?! and when you coming to Jamaica and remember when you spent time at my house and one day God will gather all of us and we will live in the sweet by and by together
The Holy Convocation be like it’s time for a new beginning, I hope it didn’t end without you getting the refreshing!
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