As The Page Turns

Clement and Cristina Trudeau are sixteen-year-old twin heirs to a disgraced but powerful magical family that saw their matriarch dethroned by some pretty vicious and powerful enemies nearly thirty years ago. Fast forward to the present-day and it seems like the same folks that usurped, nay murdered, their grandmother all those years ago are still out to wreak havoc on their family when they  discover that their mother has now been cursed in a pretty bad that was seemingly meant to kill her as well.  So what do you do when you have tremendous conjure magic flowing through your veins, you just discover that your mother has been hexed, and it's  likely by the same folks who usurped your family’s  crown in the first place? You take a beat to readjust your crown  and you team up with your equally powerful twin to  take your family’s legacy back, that's what you do!  Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker is a marvelous debut that tells the story of powerful magical families, intergenerational curses, and twisted family dynamics in contemporary New Orleans. Touching on themes of grief, racism, mental health, as we well as some political machinations and backstabbing thrown in,  this book does a wonderful job of highlighting traditional african spiritual practices as well as the journey to self-discovery especially when destiny is calling and it doesn’t feel like you’re ready or prepared.  So do I recommend this book? Hell yes! I really enjoyed my time while I was reading and even though some bits were slightly predictable from the whodunnit perspective, the overall story  and pacing were written really well and I look forward to seeing where the author will take the characters as it's the first in a series.   Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Teen  for the e-ARC. Get your copy here!

So on an honest tip - I came into the book-ish corner of the internet, more specifically, Bookstagram because at my core, I’m just a girl who loves books. Period - end of story. Now y’all already know the story, Alanna and I got together and we created our Instagram page - @Loc’d & Lit. Fast forward four years later and your girl is still a book nerd, but she’s also a social entrepreneur grinding hard to open up a new bookstore in my hometown of the Bronx. Plot twist - say what now?! So while Loc’d & Lit has grown by leaps in bounds in the past few years, taking care of my fourth baby (that’s what I call her now lol), has come with the need to learn a bunch of other skills that I never imagined I needed. Side bar, I went to law school because I patently hated math and I never fancied myself as a Creative. So imagine my current dismay when I find myself pouring over things like website analytics, event ROIs, corporate tax deadlines, Canva edits, and running after Alanna to document all her receipts. Not gonna lie - this ish feels wild to me, son.  But I’m here - learning, growing and going back for bookseller certifications (because baby, when we open up this bookstore, we are going to make sure she runs right!). Even though it’s hard sometimes, I low-key really love what we have built and what I am still building with my boo-skie Alanna. I never imagined some of the experiences that we have had on this journey together, but man oh man am I grateful and inspired to keep going. Not just for myself, but for our community as a whole. So for the next few weeks, I’ll be knee-deep in newsletter planning and website organization but stay tuned because you know I’ll be bringing you guys along for every step of the journey. So be sure to stay up to date with all of our bookseller chronicles and make sure to sign up for our newsletter updates here if you haven’t already done so. You know what to do…LET’S GET LIT!

Tell me something better than a good personal ritual…I’ll wait. Now your girl loves her a good ritual - bad! And ever since the pandemmy, I’ve been really leaning into those simple daily and monthly rituals that cause me to slow down, ground, and be present. Some of my faves are tea brewing, doing my weekly manicures, and of course - reading!  But another ritual that I have come to appreciate greatly is collaging. Collaging is the art of making a picture in which various materials or objects, are stuck onto a larger surface. Now for an art noob like me, collaging has been an amazing outlet because it enables me to get my inner thoughts, feelings, and goals out of my brain and into the world in an artsy and meditative way. Whether I’m intentionally working on a vision board or just plain bored and fidgety, collaging has been as revealing of my inner self as journaling, and it is definitely a soothing form of art therapy. So that’s why I am super-excited that Loc’d and Lit will be hosting thee amazing Doriana Diaz on April 14 at the Boogie Down Grind right here in the Bronx! squeals Artist Bio: Doriana Diaz is a multidimensional artist, archivist, and memory worker rooted in Philadelphia's soulful rhythms. She has hosted a wide array of collage and bookmaking workshops around the city in spaces like The African American Museum, Brandywine Art Museum, United States Botanical Gardens, a variety of schools including Penn Charter, Delaware Valley Friends School, and Green Street Friends, along with places such as Express Newark,and Bok Bar. Her work explores loss, memory, fantasy, utopia, formation and identity through the archival documentations of visual imagery. Her collage work entitled 'A Declaration of Joy in Motion; Friday Night Voodoo' was chosen as the 1-year anniversary poster for Rachel Cargel's Loveland Foundation in 2021. This honor was in partnership with The Loveland Foundation and The Akron Museum of Art. She is also one of the 2023 recipients of the Black Music City grant where her collage work will be funded by REC Philly, WXPN, and WRTI 90.1 to explore her project entitled ‘Sisters in Rhythm, A House of Our Own’ cataloging and memorializing the work of Sister Sledge and The Supremes through visual storytelling. She believes art has DNA, Her work is an exploration of cultural agency, archival documentation, and rhythms of resistance and expansion. Whew! She’s hella dope right? So are you excited yet? Are you digging through your old magazines and looking for some scissors and glue? I know I sure am! I have been stalking Doriana ever since I found out about these bookmaking and collaging sessions, and I am so glad that we have the opportunity to host her right here in the Boogie Down. So what feelings do you want to express, what stories or thoughts do you want to put down on paper. Come join us and learn how to create your own unique journals and collages with guidance from an amazing artist and soul sister. This is going to be a day of fun, creativity, and community, so I don’t even want to hear any blah blah about art levels and “but I don’t have any experience.” This workshop is perfect for beginners and experienced artists alike. Don't miss out on this opportunity to unleash your creativity and connect deeper with self and fellow community members. I know I’m gonna be there front and center, and I hope to see you there too! To register for this upcoming workshop, click here. The vibe will be a cozy and intimate so seats are limited. Make sure to lock in your spot today! C’mon y’all and LET’S GET LIT!!