As long as I can remember, I’ve been told that I am my mom’s copy. It was always understood that they meant I looked like her (which was the highest compliment) but what I always wished was that my heart was like hers. There is …
This month the Black Garden co-sponsored a monthlong film festival by the nonprofit, HotHouse, featuring Afro-Cuban women. Each documentary highlighted a different woman’s story and I was reminded once again that not all stories are told and certain ones are perennially left out of history.
I had my notebook to jot down points to introduce as prompts later in the school year. Without realizing it, I started scribbling and sketching ideas while watching these films, called to it like a love language flowing from lips you’re eager to hear. Does creativity fuel others’ creativity? Emphatically yes.
This month was packed with images. During October, a month I especially associate with harvests, I revisited Julie Dash’s beautiful film, ”Daughters of the Dust”, filled with the stories of the Gullah/Geechee women on Saint Helena Island.
These yellow leaves on the screen and in this downtown garden frame these beautiful stories. Whether in South Carolina (Georgia!) or Chicago, listening to the shimmering leaves rewards the listener. So many stories, so much life.
As a kid, traveling meant using every single mode of transportation and exploring both the new and familiar. We were just as likely to visit the other side of the city where we were living as we were to be in San Francisco, Venezuela, Boston, …
Tucked into the corner of the Black Garden is a plant not much bigger than a sapling. Its flat leaves are distinctively delicate. This is a black currant bush. And this variety is called Ebony. It is the sweetest of all varieties. Love letter # …
Over the years, our traveling family unit has grown from just me and the parents to my brother to significant others and even the next generation. We’ve asked ourselves: if we go there, what will so-and-so like? This is just another reason why cities are at the heart of our travels. Sure, we hit the mountains, wilderness, country, and the remote but there’s just something magical about cities. We like the energy.
There’s of course Atlanta, arguably the capital of the New South. The home of Dr. Martin Luther King, the Varsity, and Coke.
And the city in the Aegean, Athens, that elevates its ancientness as its modern residents navigate the past. I lived there for a year and every day I learned something new. I could never get enough of the cuisine, especially vegetarian stews and luscious yogurt with puréed fig of thyme-scented honey.
And like most cities, Athens was always my base where I’d venture to far-flung places like Santorini, Crete, Patmos, and Istanbul.
Stay tuned to Barcelona and Berlin!
This will be short and (so) sweet. This week my parents came to Chicago to party. Yes, it included late night conversations, a walk around the Point, delicious food, and laughter. More than anything, it included love. Parents, grandparents, children, spouses, and grandchildren… so much …
The Black Garden is coming along nicely. Like most things in life, when you’re planning something, it’s not always clear how things will work out. Does gardening encourage patience? Flexibility? Curiosity? Every year, the Black Garden gets more interesting. A new black tomato is planted, …
Has anyone told you lately that there’s so much good stuff out there? If not, I’m saying it.
Summer has its unique way of revealing how much is out there: zucchini for giants, pounds of tomatoes, mint taking over any and every garden if you’re not careful, and enough fruit for pies, ice cream, the freezer, and the tiniest of hands.
Let’s toast to abundance! Happy summer, everyone.
This month marks the third year of the Black Garden. Swiping through catalogs and exchanging seeds with friends, the possibilities are endless. Perpetually, predictably, unsurprisingly, I’m overwhelmed… until I’m not. I then remember that there’s not enough room for everything and there’s so much pleasure …
