a good week

8 Jul 2015 news 0 Comments

ConeyOn the news recently I saw President Obama being questioned by the press about his “best week.” They meant the week when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Affordable Care Act and marriage equality, but Obama responded that marrying Michelle was a good week, along with the weeks when his two daughters were born. We have personal achievements and professional accomplishments; for me, a really good week combines both, though sometimes it’s hard to distinguish between the two. As a writer, I’m self-employed and spend a lot of time at home. I’m not doing school visits right now, though today I’m heading up to SVA to speak to Katie Yamasaki‘s illustration class, and on Friday I’ll Skype into Michelle Martin‘s graduate class at Simmons. Last weekend I finished the first draft of Dayshaun’s Journey (or Dayshaun’s Gift, I’m on the fence) and almost immediately found an illustrator online. Yesterday my illustrator in Hong Kong submitted all 13 illustrations for I Love Snow! and my UK illustrator, Charity Russell, is turning in fantastic pictures for A Wave Came through Our Window. On Sunday I had a chance to break bread with Ebony Thomas who’s visiting from Philadelphia. On Tuesday a group of us got together for tea and talked for hours on end. Then I walked 30 blocks with Tracey Baptiste and we got to swap ideas about organizing a movement. I know people think that introverts hate to be social, but that really isn’t true. I crave social interaction but only under certain conditions. Having a corner booth at Alice’s Teacup was perfect because all five of us fit and were close enough that we didn’t have to shout to be heard. No one rushed us out of the place, and I didn’t overindulge since they were out of banana nutella cake. Being with other writers is important because we can talk honestly about the publishing industry and certain individuals and/or trends that we consider problematic. There’s lots of laughter, a little gossip, and space to scheme. I’ve thought about leaving this support group; I’m the only self-pubber and don’t have the insider insights of the other authors. But I’m almost always the outsider—in any context—and generally prefer that position. And the ladies insist that my perspective is just as valuable, so I promised not to secede from our union anytime soon. I doubt I could replace the positive energy our monthly meetings generate, so I’m going to keep on counting my blessings and trust that this week will end just as it began.

photo 1

l-r: Ebony Thomas, Tracey Baptiste, Dhonielle Clayton, Ibi Zoboi, me