Persephone’s Children: 7

by | Feb 19, 2021 | and curiouser

      Another excerpt from Persephone’s Children, @DundurnPress, publishers.   U is for uterus, uteri; also, for uterine fibroids. Benign growths that range in size from microscopic seeds to peas, to fists, to cantaloupes, to pumpkins. Black...

Persephone’s Children:6

by | Feb 13, 2021 | and curiouser

H is for hypodescent. Hypodescent: the assignment of “mixed-race” children to the sub- ordinate group by the dominant culture. Hyperdescent: the assignment of “mixed-race” children to the more-advantaged group by the dominant culture. Hit and miss: whether you’re...

Persephone’s Children: 5

by | Feb 6, 2021 | and curiouser

On your paternal side, your grandpa Lever fled Columbia, South Carolina, at the age of sixteen. Your grandma Daisy said he left after his brother was beaten to death with a hammer for applying for a white man’s job. He journeyed to Chicago, part of the Great Migration...

Persephone’s Children: 4

by | Jan 30, 2021 | and curiouser

ATLAS Shrugged — a lot. While travelling, a sense of humour is important. So are snacks and good company, as well as an awesome playlist.* Sometimes I imagine heading to parts unknown — driving in my car until I run out of cash or am stopped by the ocean. I’ll pick up...

Persephone’s Children: 3

by | Jan 30, 2021 | and curiouser

Each month, I will be posting excerpts from my memoir-in-essay, Persephone’s Children. I hope they vibe with you. Selene nudges the box of tissues on the side table toward me. I fight the urge to push it back. “Have you thought any more about my suggestion?...

Persephone’s Children: 2

by | Jan 13, 2021 | and curiouser

Each month, I will be posting excerpts from my memoir-in-essay, Persephone’s Children. I hope my work vibes with you. “When you left your second husband, it had been a spur-of-the-moment decision. Your mother had said H was only using you, that he didn’t...