On Friendship, Inspiration and The National Book Awards
Be open to trying something new, it may surprise you.
What a week or should I say a busy two weeks. I have been working on my novel for years now and with it done (is it ever really done?) I don’t know what to do with myself. The answer, as my good friend said, is to work on my next book. Great idea but I needed inspiration. Thanks to a friend visiting from out of town, we attended the The Life and Times of Malcolm X opera at the Lincoln Center. I enjoyed parts of it, but most importantly it made me realize that I need to go out more and take full advantage of what this city offers.
My friend then suggested we visit the Whitney Museum where artist Henry Taylor’s work was on display. His work highlights the everyday lives he encountered and the political landscape that impacts many negatively. Art has the ability to touch your soul, accessing inner emotions you did not know existed. Go see this exhibition.
Another friend (I have great friends) invited me to the Broadway play, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding. Off we went, on a cold Friday night, with me thinking of the late hour and my train ride back home. I loved, loved this play. Most Black women can relate to the peculiarities and dance of African hair braiders. From negotiating a price, to Nollywood movies playing all day, pauses for food and chats, to squirming in the seat for hours while your edges are being pulled. They captured it all. It was funny, poignant and sad at the same time. Go and watch it, there is still time.
On Saturday, yet another friend invited me for a six-mile hike. My first instinct was to say no, nope. But I woke up early and thought, why not. We met a small group on a slightly chilly but sunny morning and trekked around the local woods. The orange and brown of the Fall leaves covered our path, spring water cascaded down a rocky hill, and still I trudged on. I survived and look forward to making hiking a weekly adventure as the weather permits.
To cap it off, another friend invited me to The National Book Awards, a coveted ticket that she generously gifted me. The NBAs are one of the book world’s biggest events, so you know I was excited. There was the who’s who of the book world which made for a great networking event. Oprah Winfrey was the guest speaker and she spoke about the importance of reading amidst the countrywide banning of books. She concluded by saying, “Let us vow to keep our books right where they belong, in reach of everyone to choose for themselves what to read because that, dear friends, is called freedom.”
These past two weeks have taught me that I love my friends because not only do they inspire me in every way, but they are an important part of my life. They love arts and cultural events like I do, we can discuss a myriad of topics and never get bored. Most importantly, they love books like I do. This is by no means an exhaustive list, just a snippet of what makes them special.
As for the NBAs, well it made me think of Aunt Viv (Janet Hubert) in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air when a Black student (Jasmine Guy) at her university felt she did not fit in and the wise woman said to her, “If you wonder why I seem to fit so well here, it’s because I worked damned hard to get here and I know I deserve it.”
Sitting in my home, a day after the gala, I looked at pictures of the evening and seeing the room full of high achievers, I was overwhelmed. But then I reminded myself that I was there because I worked hard, and I deserved to be there and to be counted.
Let this inspire and remind you, that you too deserve to be in any room you enter. We are here and we belong!