January 2021

• Nnedi Okorafor - "After the Rain"
• Kiese Laymon - "How to slowly kill yourself and others in America"

February 2021

• Krystal Nikol - "Poems about Him"
• Cicely Tyson - "Just As I Am"

March 2021

• "Africanfuturism: An Anthology" - edited by Wole Talabi
• Brittle Paper

April 2021

• "High Rise Stories: Voices from Chicago Public Housing" - edited by Audrey Petty
• Heather Ann Thompson - "Whose Detroit? Politics, Labor, and Race in a Modern American City"

May and June 2021

• Dr. Erika Gibson - "Preparing Girls for War"
• Brenda Jackson - "Finding Home Again"
• LaCharmine Jefferson - "Unfinished Business"
• Dr. Myrtle Means - "The Recipe for Ecstasy"
• Carla Moore - "Crash! Leading Through The Wreckage"
• Dr. Germaine Pentsil - "The Rebel Factory Series"
• Sheri Riley - "Exponential Living"
• Gin Noon Spaulding - "Jump-O-Ween"
• Ruth Watson - "Who Said a Girl Can't Be President?"
• Tywauna Wilson - "Girl, Get Up and Win!"

August 2021

• Michelle Poler - "hello, FEARS"
• Terry Smith - "The Art of Armed Robbery"

September 2021/October 2021

• Roxane Gay - "Hunger"
• bell hooks - "all about love"

November 2021

• Kayla Aliese Carter - "The Grim Reaper's Rifle"
• Anthony Frasier- "Raising the Game: The Untold Story of Jerry Lawson"

December 2021

• Nnedi Okorafor - "Remote Control" 
• Namina Forna "The Gilded Ones" 

It's January 3rd, 2021. And as I sit here, the realization hit me, I hate New Years. Now I know you're thinking "what is this girl talking about?" And if you know me, you're probably thinking "Lord, what she bout to say now?" But, let me explain. I am very big on growth, exploration and self improvement, and I believe that it's something that should continuously happen, there is no mountain peak. I'm also realizing the amount of pressure that myself (shoutout to therapy) and my peers put themselves through to be great. Now I'm not blaming millennials, but I do think that the immense pressure that we put ourselves under to make a big course correction or correct bad habits at the top of the year does nothing but set us up for failure. Think about it. None of us are strangers to imposter syndrome and we're always looking for ways to put it to bed, but somehow it creeps up on us when we least expect it. I think NYE resolutions are actually a tool that can lead to the waking of the IS beast, because if we don't achieve those milestones, we start to self-attack. Do I think we should move through this life without goals or points of change? No. I do think that we need to remove the stress and pressure around New Years change and give ourselves more grace and room to reset. Especially after the hell of a roller coaster that we had in 2020. You can be successful, your life can be meaningful, you can create change and enjoy life while doing it. But, take the time to step back and lift up some of that pressure to do everything full speed at first. Give yourself a moment to breathe and assess your path forward. It is something that I'm actively working on, and let me tell you, it's not easy. But I am actively working to lift up myself from the world's weight. 

I hope you do the same. Happy New Year.