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365 Black

Does anyone else consider February the official kickoff to a year of observing and celebrating Black History? 🏿‍♀️ Please don’t say I’m alone here!

In honor of the 2024 Black History kick off month, I’m recapping my Juneteenth Series.

Juneteenth Series

In 2022, I pulled a few images from my catalog that highlight the struggle for freedom, autonomy, and justice Black American’s have endured for centuries. In 2023, my Juneteenth Series focused heavily on giving voice and identity to the unknown. I’m still working on the 2024 Juneteenth Series, but I’m leaning toward legendary entertainers who created and impacted culture for generations. To be revealed in June.

When practical, all Juneteenth Series images will be printed on 11×14 fine art paper. Deviations from this will be noted in the description. Below are images from the 2022 and 2023 series. Click on the button to purchase.

New Release: Alone | All In One: A Solitary Journey

Solitude has been a writing theme for well over a decade. Alone | All In One: A Solitary Journey is a collection of poetry that has been flowing from me in fits and spurts over the last dozen years. It’s my third volume of poetry and my seventh book publication.

Click above to pre-order your copy of Alone | All In One: A Solitary Journey – available and shipping beginning April 16, 2024.

Online Workshops

In 2024, I’m offering various workshops on writing, publishing and real estate. Each workshop is designed to provide thorough information that will boost your research and processes. Workshop attendees who desire tailored information and guidance will be able to book consultation services with me.

Hood Rich: From Blight to Prosperity Workshop

Monday, February 19, 2024 6:00-7:00pm CT

Hood Rich: From Blight to Prosperity was developed with out-of-state investors in mind. Milwaukee, WI is not a top-of-mind city for individual investors looking for opportunities in affordable markets. Perhaps it should be.

When I returned to Milwaukee in 2021, it was at the end of a road trip that functioned as a bi-lateral scouting tour. I was looking for a new home base and a place to invest in real estate. My top cities for real estate investment at the time were Atlanta, Baltimore and Detroit.

Milwaukee got on the list because I was visiting my sister for the summer and thought I could toss in a quick renovation as my first project. Unfortunately, I didn’t plan for Covid related complications, supply chain disruptions, sky-rocketing materials and labor costs or unavailable contractors. I’m in year three of the three-month renovation project. The best part of this is I’ve learned a great deal about construction, contractors, permitting, city bureaucracy, and what goes into demolition and rebuilding. My Hood Rich Workshop will provide valuable insight for the Milwaukee real estate investment market.

In addition to the workshop, I’m offering Neighborhood Driving Tours for potential investors who want to explore the market on the ground.

Visualizing Your Story Workshop

Last year, while teaching tenth graders creative writing, I developed an outline for writing an autobiography, Visualizing Your Story. Since it was developed for tenth graders, some of whom enjoyed the writing prompts, it’s an easy-to-follow process. I will be introducing the Visualizing Your Story Workshop this spring.

If you’d like updates, please reply to this email and I’ll add you to the Workshop Info list.

So, You Want to Write Workshop

Over the years, I’ve had many people ask for guidance on their writing and publishing journeys. Last year, I created a workshop that would feed into an in-person conference. The So, You Want to Write Workshop is targeted towards developing writers who may also be considering publishing their own work.

If you’d like updates, please reply to this email and I’ll add you to the Workshop Info list.

Need a Photographer?

Book your session today!

Since 2018, my skills and portfolio has grown significantly. Despite my broad interest in photography, I’m primarily a lifestyle photographer. I enjoy showcasing personality and the essence of our personhood. This focus works well with branding shoots, events, and special occasion shoots. Please visit Harvest-Photo.org for more information and examples of my work.

Books

All About Black History: I AM WOMAN

I AM WOMAN: Expressions of Black Womanhood in America reaches back to Isabel de Olvera who, in 1600, declared herself free from marriage and slavery in a sworn affidavit before an expedition to New Mexico. It stretches forward to the deeply hopeful inauguration of Kamala Harris as Vice President of the United States of America in 2021.

I AM WOMAN is a triumphant response to centuries of oppression, neglect and abuse. It’s a tribute to the women in America who are not seen, heard, honored or appreciated, yet are always relied upon to support every layer of society. This collection of images and words is an expression of how Black Women in America see themselves. Who they are as individuals in private, in public, as a community and as givers and receivers of ancestral grace.

All photography in the book (except as noted for historic figures) is by LaShawnda Jones.

Click below to order I AM WOMAN.

Re-release: Desert of Solitude

I’ve been re-editing Desert of Solitude: Refreshed by Grace since I released it in March 2018. Though it may seem like I enjoy sitting on my work, from my point of view nothing is ever really done. However, after this version, I’ll leave it to the winds of time!

Click the button below to order the second edition of Desert of Solitude: Refreshed by Grace. Available and shipping beginning March 20, 2024.

ICYMI Re-issue: Fantasies Wide Awake

Fantasies: A Metamorphosis of Sexual Attraction was my first self-published book nearly twenty years ago. It was also my first poetry and photography collaboration. Re-issued as Fantasies Wide Awake, it has new design elements added to the original images (some of which were made into NFTs), updated cover design, and a few new poems.

Click below to order Fantasies Wide Awake.