Take 5 w. Reza Rites

The #AmbitiousBlackFeminist

And 3 AM IS THE NEW BLACK

March 11, 2023

Hi friends, how did things go as you finished up the week and slid into the weekend? I finished a story for my grad school program, introduced some new study materials to my “adult education” students, did some vending, and met and shared love with a diverse group of women of color at the International Women’s Day event organized by the Providence City Council. Thanks to community connector and joy maker Lauren Case for setting me up as a vendor. Here are five other observations, proclamations, or ramblings for today’s Take 5 note:

1. I smell good. No, really. Think hints of coconut, pineapple, mango, lime, lavender, and “spice.” Throw peppermint and/or grapefruit oil in, from time to time, and maybe essence of turmeric, ginger and cinnamon given my tea-making and drinking, and you might be close if you’re trying to imagine it.

2. Thank goodness for that tea, too, for it takes a toll on the body, mind, and spirit (at least mine) when writing about an insipid and dangerously cruel character. Oof.

3. I am currently writing at least one grant to support a summer writing program for South County residents, 18 and up. I love teaching, so I am excited, but I’m also thrilled to be working with an original writing program I developed over a decade ago for adults and youth in community settings. The curriculum became the foundation for the lessons, units, and instruction I’ve developed and delivered over the years in schools. However, it’s really nice to bring it back to a community-based learning space.

4. One of the publications that motivates me, and makes me feel seen as a Black woman writer, is “Midnight & Indigo.” I am posting a collage showing screenshots from some of their more recent newsletters and posts. I believe in what they publish and how they’ve positioned themselves in the literary community, and I’m enrolled in an event tomorrow, that will be the second I’ve done as part of their workshop and class offerings.

5. The other accompanying collage and visuals reflect additional things that caught my attention recently, including but not limited to the following categories: opportunities for writers and artists, sources of inspiration, and moments of affirmation. They include a flyer from the International Women’s Day event referenced above, a writing retreat being organized by Adrienne Maree Brown, and a picture of me at Raphael’s Restaurant in Providence - in front of a piece of art they purchased as part of decorating their eatery. If you’re hungry for “The Taste of the Caribbean,” - and want to see the three pieces of #3amblack art they have on display, check them out at 568 Broad St., in Providence.

Do you have 5 observations or realizations from the week? Feel free to leave them in the comments if you’d like to share.

Sunshine and laughter,

Reza Rites

#3amblack #wear3amblack #shop3amblack #rezarites #ambitiousblackfeminist #poetry #art #blackownedbusiness #blackbusinesses #blackwomanowned #blackwomanownedbusiness #buyfromblackwomen #blackgirlmagic #blackwriters #blackwomenwriters #blackpoets #blackwomanpoets #blackartists #blackartmovement #blackwritersofinstagram #blackpoetsofinstagram #blackartistsoninstagra #blackentrepreneurs #onlineshop #collageart #writingwhileblack

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Take 5 w. Reza Rites

The #AmbitiousBlackFeminist

And 3 AM IS THE NEW BLACK

Below are five things on my mind for today’s edition of Take 5 with Reza Rites. What are five things you’re thinking about?

My uncle, Jay Clifton, passed away last month; I want to thank everyone who checked in and shared condolences. His life was characterized by love for family, professional globetrotting, and service to country, including through time in the Air Force and in his work with the State Department. He balanced being a man who joked quickly and cared warmly, with being a man of mystery and patron saint of confidentiality. I never could describe what he did - even after visiting him in Haiti during a Thanksgiving break while I was in high school. But there was no doubt he loved me and his/our family fiercely. He will be missed by many, including me.

On a parallel timeframe, that is also, perhaps, a perpendicular political positionality, I received news that three poems I submitted for consideration were selected by the What Cheer Writer’s Club, for “Solidarity,” their forthcoming anthology. One of my poems, in particular, offers a critique of “the military industrial complex” and the destruction caused by the weaponry and belief system that condones heinous acts of violence perpetuated all across the world.

Despite what appears to be a contradiction between the love, admiration and adoration that I feel (felt?) for my uncle, and my political and philosophical beliefs about war, I think there are two basic truths demonstrated here that are worth noting in the wake of Black History Month: a) many families can and do stay faithful to love, and to co-existing in the gray areas of mixed and sometimes unaligned personal beliefs and principles. Black women are the original authors of plurality and inclusion; and b) Black American history, and the domestic struggle for freedom, self-determination, and access to opportunity and autonomy has always seen multiple iterations, directions, attempts, and victories, and it has often included a global awareness and intentional integration of Black Freedom Struggles abroad. This is true in my family, as well.

I keep seeing cool opportunities for creative writers. While I figure out what I can and cannot do (now), I am going to try to share more of these announcements* on my 3 AM IS THE NEW BLACK pages.

My first mentor-instructor meeting went well. During one exercise, he asked me about my poetry and invited me to say anything I wanted about it. Along with a series of now-forgotten utterances, I briefly mentioned being inspired by Rumi and Pablo Neruda. Then he asked me to read some of the poems I had submitted (that he had selected), and after I finished reading each one, he followed up by reading the same one that I had just done. It is hard to explain the impact, but the experience was affirming and reverberative. He also asked me to send additional writing samples, audio poems, video presentations, and other creative works - a request that showed that rather than cower in fear when offered a glimpse of my full portfolio of work, he was ready for the ride. Beep beep.

Sunshine and laughter, Reza Rites

*announcements are neither endorsements nor markers of affiliation.

#3amblack #wear3amblack #shop3amblack #rezarites #ambitiousblackfeminist #poetry #art #blackownedbusiness #blackbusinesses #blackwomanowned #blackwomanownedbusiness #buyfromblackwomen #blackgirlmagic #blackwriters #blackwomenwriters #blackpoets #blackwomanpoets #blackartists #blackartmovement #blackwritersofinstagram #blackpoetsofinstagram #blackartistsoninstagra #blackentrepreneurs #onlineshop #collageart #writingwhileblack

#carefreeblackgirl #digitalart #askmeaboutit