My first poetry collection feels new and old and special all the same.
I've written books about festivals and celebrations. Books about brown boys finding their place in the world. And a business book for the professionals grinding through the work of building something meaningful. Each one came from a different part of me, a different season, a different need.
And yet, every single time a new book arrives, when it's finally real, finally held, finally here, the feeling is the same. Immense joy. A quiet, full contentment that I can't quite put into words, even though words are supposedly my thing.
This time felt different in one beautiful way: I departed from my children's books entirely. No little ones, no colorful spreads, no gentle lessons wrapped in story. This time I went somewhere more interior, more adult, more mine.
I started my poetry journey in my early college days, and lost it for some time. Until it just came back. And it led to me build this collection.
Good Brown Girls is a poetry collection, rooted in history, heritage and tradition, and it is, in many ways, the most honest thing I've ever written. It's for the women who grew up between two worlds and somehow learned to call both home. For the daughters of immigrants who held so much quietly. For the good brown girls, wherever they are.
Every book has been a gift to give. This one felt like a gift to myself first.
And that joy? Still immense. Still the same. I hope it always is.
If you are interested in the journey and experience, you can find the book here: Link to Good Brown Girls