new things a-brewin'

howdy folks!


So, as my senior year approaches at the most rapid of paces, I am met with an unsettling yet exciting truth: my life is beginning. My real, independent, ADULT life. It's crazy, but I'm so excited. I think I'm more excited than nervous because of all the promise that is ahead. Wanted to share some of my upcoming projects and endeavors to outline what I think is a very good start to an awesome life.

On the academic tip
-I'm a SENIOR!! 'Nough said.
-I am co-founder and acting overseer of the Young Black Thinker's Society in the AUC.
-I am co-founder and co-editor-in-chief of The Presage (An Undergraduate Journal) which debuts 1 September 2011.
-As graduate school desires become actualities, I'll be doing my most to go to Emory for graduate school.

On the extra-curricular tip
-I am the new co-host of Open Mic Nights at Morehouse College's Kilgore Cafe in the AUC
-I am an active member of Ill-Lyterati (Arts Collective based in Atlanta, Georgia)-I am a lead in Sista Speak Up (Sister's Chapel Spoken Word Ministry at Spelman College)
-I've been requisitioned to help on several artistic projects both here in Atlanta and elsewhere in the U.S.
-I have tons of writing projects in the works, which is what I REALLY wish to share::

**IF YOU DON'T READ NOTHIN' ELSE, READ THIS**

I'm excited about some upcoming writing projects. I'm working with a new genre of writing (one that probably exists already, but I am unfamiliar with as such). This genre fuses the short story with poetry. Extended poems (I'm talking pages long) that tell one story. So far, I've got two separate, specific works I wish to produce in the coming months. The first will be entitled 'Introductions' which will showcase my poem The Memo and then have one 'chapter' for each section of the piece that details how that aspect of me was formed. The second, tentatively titled 'Storytelling' will be a compilation of several poetic short stories of varying lengths and themes. A third concept is a more long-term goal which is the completion of a work entitled Genesis and Devotion. An epic poem, co-written with my friend Zach. The first part turned out wonderfully, and I think and extended, several-part tale would be great!

So, ambitious Chaina has arrived. Look out for great things, and as always, and support or critique is well-welcomed and appreciated.


-Chai

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totally random blogpost about kwanzaa (and stuff)

man it's funny. I've been changing so much, right before my own eyes. I was not too long ago the every-sunday-church-goin, all-As-recieving, hair-relaxed-wearin, preppy-dressed, just-say-no-proclaimin, 'they-call-me-shy-cus-I-am'-introducin, save-myself-til-marriage Chaina. I'm no longer quite as reserved. and more and more I see myself becoming more.. "afro-centric"- maybe it's the hair. ha. seriously though, you couldn't have told me even 5 years ago that I would one day be sitting in a room in Paris, hair self-dreading, missing green, and thinking about celebrating kwanzaa. yes, kwanzaa. hear me out:


so I was thinking: non-christians shouldn't celebrate Christmas. or at least they shouldn't call their celebration and gift-giving Christmas. as I am currently searching myself and my surroundings for my personal 'where do I come from' answer to the great humanity question, I began to think, what if I decide I'm not a Christian? I still want to extra-spoil my kids once a year! not just that, of course. but the spirit of Christmas warms me. the family time energizes me. and the gifts have always been more about giving as a show of love for me than a time to recieve. so I thought of Kwanzaa. looked it up. and I really like it's tenants, its core. while I probably wouldn't wear african garb, I would most definately love a time to focus on (and focus my family on) the importance of unity, creativity, and self-determination for example. I would focus on it's connection to Africa for historical purposes, but not in a back-to-africa sense. I do not wish to imitate Africans, nor do I wish to insinuate that we're some kind of quasi-african, I simply wish to celebrate parts of their everyday culture that I also hold dear and appreciate.


what's more it lasts a week! this gives the family so much time to truely reflect on what's important. gives it time to sink in.

now is this a holiday? I wouldn't say so. but I also wouldn't say that mattered. it's a celebration of love, life, and responsibility. hmmm.. still thinking, but I really like this. PLUS it can't possibly clash with any religious tenants I may hold dear in the future (including Christianity) and will compliment them well, if needed.

I'm trying to tell myself I'm not becoming a characiture of some afro-hippie of the past but I must say, I'm only doing what I'm truely led to. it's just so strange, even to me, considering this is nothing like my upbringing. I mean my Grandma Lee celebrated/s kwanzaa but I never did with her, (I just remember reading it on the Merry Christmas/Happy Kwanzaa card with my gift). I was the first to go natural in my house (now there are 2 dreadheads and me), and even then it wasn't about going back to my roots so much as me wanting a wild curly mane, and not to learn how to relax my own hair. and what's more it's not that I'm influenced by some 'cool kids' group on campus. I'm in paris for goodness' sake, having random epiphanies about kwanzaa and letting my hair dread out of laziness. I guess I should be content and stop questioning myself, hunh? this is the real me. man this is wild.

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things

things I love: 30s and 40s cinema, 80s hip-hop, 90s r&b, sam cooke, malcolm x, jazz music, soul, men with dreads, mama's boys, shoes, katherine hepburn, james 'jimmy' stewart, green, fashion-esp 30s (which people think is the one undefineable decade. HA!), eating food that tastes good, doing person-specific things for the people I love, philosophy, intelligent conversation, a good cry, my family, teaching, children, knowing that I've been a blessing to someone and that I will bless many more yet (God willing), words, good blogs, poetry, art, photography, incense, the color turquoise, genuine friendship, house m.d., laughter, my sweetheart's backyard, atlanta's magnolias, lilies, philly cheesesteak, pina coladas, the sound of any saxaphone I've ever heard, the snow, caramel, lengerie, tigger, disney's beauty and the beast, strawberry milkshakes, my grandma lee's subtle yet potent afro-centricity, christmas music, smiling or laughing to myself over a good memory, pockets, love

things I like: cooking, singing, reading, listening to french radio stations while drinking coffee, being in paris, being reluctant to meet new people or try new things and then discovering those new persons or things are quite wonderful, youtube, getting dressed, skype, being annoyed by my sister, the way my grandma brook's emails can almost bring me to tears even though all they say is I'm praying for you and I miss you, soft rain, doing new cultural things (art shows, museums, speeches...), limeade

things I don't like: PMSing, bad dreams, being away for too long, the feeling of "I should have...", insencerity, disrespect, bad mouth children, being hot, not being able to explain my emotions, boredom, having my time wasted

things I hate: poor logic offered as fact, intentional hurt, abuse, neglect, isms, hate

things I miss: being told I will only fall asleep, falling asleep, and then being reprimanded for falling asleep on movies during sleepovers with the sibs, my bed, mom's cooking, going to forever 21 w|stephanie not to shop but to comment on the way the store looks, atlanta, being held by him while watching movies on his mac, my cousin david, visiting my dad's house- I want to see the new place, twitter being up (lol)

things I want: house seasons 5 and 6, a fancy dinner with my family for my 21st birthday, to be the fantastic matriarch of my own family, to teach and build schools, old movie posters (the philadelphia story and it happened one night to name a couple), to have enough money to be able to give as much as my heart wants to, to design my own jewlry and maybe even clothes- not a line but literally my own just for me, snow on my birthday and/or christmas for the rest of my life, to take up sax (again) in grad school- and ancient greek, to have cool pictures taken of me

things I know: I want my house to smell like incense and organic oils and soaps, I love him, I will make a great professor one day and an even better mother, I realllly like atlanta, there is a God, love is real, I am loved, I've left out plenty, it would be really cool to have one wall in the house on which everybody could just create whenever they got the urge, I like me

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new. and improved?

so I felt funny calling mine a blog when it was really just a website, or very narrow archive of some of my writings. so I had two options:

1. rename this my 'website' or 'very narrow archive of some of my writings'
2. make it more like a blog

well really I had three options:
       3.   keep it the same and call it a blog anyway

I chose the second. so now we've got poems and songs and other writings along with my random rantings and insights. may even add some essays. links. and I have a couple colabos in the works, too. so stay tuned and grow with me!

-chaina

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well hello there

Hello, World.

I'm Chaina. I'm a thinker, a writer, a lover of people and things. and this is my blog.

on this site you will find all kinds off goodies: works-in-progress, completed poems, songs, and other writings, and the ramblings and insights of a (not so) random mind -which could include just about anything.

have fun. enjoy. and happy blogging.

ps. I like comments. comments are good. wanna chat about it? tweet me:[@cnickole].

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