Black Reads: Issue 007
This might be my favorite Black Reads newsletter to date! Yes girl, it’s that good!
Boy, this week’s Black Reads is a treat for you! This baby was curated with new inspiration and a new perspective for the intention.
This week we had a new F.U.B.U. Collection newsletter drop on Friday curated by
and with guest writer on nostalgic album covers in Black music.F.U.B.U. - Black Music, Vol. 2
If a picture is worth a thousand words then how much is an album cover worth? Done correctly, an album cover is an encapsulation of a sound, a portrait of an artist during a fixed point in time.
Special recognition and celebration to:
- for curating the Black Music series with pure intention and care from your original idea and how you selected writers to curate this series with you, this has been beautiful to witness.
- for the thoughtfulness and personal connection aspect of your writing style that adds a special touch to the series.
for the commitment to uplifting Black art in all its various forms and mediums.
Now let’s get into this week’s Black Reads: Issue 007. I hope you enjoy it!
Notes Highlights
Black Reads
Last week while working on the Sunday Service Announcement newsletter I found that my love and natural ability is in curating these newsletters. I don’t have a strategy or plan, I come into the blank draft each week and allow my creativity to flow.
Some weeks, it may be more apparent that I am tired and pushing through but once I’m in the draft and I schedule these newsletters it fills MY cup just a little more each time. I’m learning to find balance with all the sudden changes in my life while still preparing for more to come, that’s the nature of the flow.
I want to continue curating the Black Reads newsletter with the original intention, to celebrate the Black writers who are WRITING and not being recognized. We wait for others to celebrate themselves, while we struggle to see and celebrate our wins, therefore how can we wait for them to see and celebrate theirs?
Here are some reads that
and I read this week that hit home for us and feel these writers should be recognized. However, we are continuing the celebration of publishing our words and showing up for ourselves by sharing it to be featured, this might be the closest to the intention we have gotten.That’s a celebration!
What Whitney’s Watching
with Paid Subscriber
Jacquie Pick
When I read Whitney’s post it got me thinking about some of the things I’ve heard about Walt Disney over the years. She made some very great points and spoke to how the Black community responds and how they lack accountability. And personally, I wonder why we still support them, as many filmmakers and scriptwriters we have in our community, why don’t we work together more to create films for us, made by us? Y’all know how I think.
SubStack by DL White
with Paid Subscriber
Jacquie Pick
Did you know there was a Black Indie Author Day?
I didn’t either until Wednesday when I read DL’s piece celebrating her accomplishments as a Black Indie Author and sharing this newly established day.
Black Girl Healing
with Paid Subscriber
I've been agonizing about changing my newsletter name, but I was inspired when you did it
.I realized that I am on a path where I am leaving my identity as a pediatrician with the trauma of working in healthcare and moving into my identity as a writer. My writing is the way I am healing. My writing is less about healthcare and more about unlearning all the harmful behaviors and mindsets that society taught me as a Black woman and healthcare exacerbated as a physician, and so I am taking readers on the journey of healing from that.
So it's official Black Girl in Healthcare is now Black Girl Healing. Just in time for my bday on Monday. #ItsfinallyVirgoseason
Not sure why I wanted to share my inner monologue, but I figured why not?! That's what
is for, right?
a blues for aria
with Paid Subscriber
Jacquie Pick
I’m happy to see so many of us expressing our genuine exhaustion with the “healing process” and starting to reclaim our power around what we are truly doing, rediscovering parts of ourselves we buried because society told us to. Andria’s vulnerability in this piece spoke to me, its growth and expansion. It’s necessary for each of us.
Rudegal Tab Rants
with Paid Subscriber
Hey, y’all!
Trigger Warning…talking about real shit but triggering to some.
I wrote a piece today talking about sexual abuse as a child/adult and why we should teach our children how to express their physical boundaries to protect themselves.
It’s a major starting point for a lot of mental health issues that unfortunately doesn’t get addressed till much later in life after a lot of pain and trauma. Let’s break these generational curses with our stories.
Here’s mine:
Domestic Bliss in an Observable Universe
with Paid Subscriber
Hi, y’all!
Happy Saturday — my name is Kennedi I’m a photographer based in the south. Just recently made my first substack post. I’ll be making essays on mothering, art, spirituality, etc. Essentially I’m just reflecting on being human.
Feel free to check it out if you’re interested as well, here is my Instagram if you’d like to see my work @internetbby.
Excited to be in community with y’all cheers x
balancing act
with
Jacquie Pick
Reading Lavendula’s work feels like smelling fresh lavender to me.
Drea’s Sunflower Seeds
with
Jacquie Pick
Reading Drea’s piece about melanated spaces reminded me of my reason for creating
it sparked the inspiration to curate this week’s issue differently.
O.U.R.Story
with
Jacquie Pick
Ever since Lynelle has stepped unapologicially in her poetry bag she has been blessing the community with pure gems when she shares. Reading this one felt like taking my hair down.
Misogynoir2Mishpat’s Substack
with
Hey everyone!
Sometimes, you need a bit of encouragement to help jump-start the new week. If you were raised in the Church and can't get there this Sunday, here's a powerful word. Or, if you just need a boost - you will enjoy the sermon below. This sermon features the renowned Rev. Dr. Renita Weems. Her sermon starts at 51 minutes in. She reminds us about those who "cover" us with their prayers, teachings, and wisdom. It's a good reminder that we will also need to consider becoming the one who covers others if we do not do so already.
El Viaje Within
with
Hey y’all! Sharing my latest piece. I feel really proud of it 🫶🏾
In this poem, I explore my journey of personal transformation, celebrating confidence, ease, and abundance as my birthright. I reflect on my heritage and share my dreams of living in Colombia, Brazil, and Portugal, offering a heartfelt exploration of self-discovery and growth.
ensainte
with
Shanté Pick
in this article on Atlanta culture, saint does an excellent job of tying in the city’s history to its present-day claims of being a “Black Mecca.” as someone who grew up in the suburbs of Atlanta, it all hit home for me.
Selective Taste
with
Shanté Pick
a lovely reflection on home being more than a place where one resides.
Couchtyper’s Substack
with
Shanté Pick
a beautiful ode to Black American artist Faith Ringgold, who became an ancestor in April 2024. Ringgold was known for her elaborate narrative quilts. in this read, Ray’nee Thoughts explores the power in embracing otherness, as modeled by Ringgold’s life as an artist and activist.
Synmia Rosine’s Substack
with
Shanté Pick
inquiring about your birth story is an experience that’s ripe with so many different emotions, especially if that experience itself was complex for the parents. it’s something i personally encountered when i took birth doula training.
such powerful and poignant storytelling in this read.
I Needed That Tea
with
Shanté Pick
there’s not much that i could say that the following read didn’t already say so eloquently. so i’ll leave you with this quote from the author: “I feel safe in a Black woman’s arms, knowing I am communing with someone who looks, sounds, and views the world similar to me.”
things I collected.
with
adding to the variety of my eclectic newsletter with this offering of a poem and voiceover.
Thank you Blackstack and all of you- it all starts with a click-
When I signed up for this platform, it was to share stories and create a space for the thoughts weighing on my heart. As Nursing Differently, a nurse transitioning into agriculture, my focus has been on exposing the hardships faced by healthcare staff—a journey filled with both laughter and sorrow. What I found here, however, is more than just a platform; it’s a place of healing.
In my own journey, I’ve discovered that the writings here resonate deeply with me, often reflecting my own voice and experiences. I’m grateful for BlackStack and excited to delve further into the self-care, empowerment, and growth shared within this community.
Thank you for being part of my morning routine, whether it’s Sunday or Monday, as I write to you from Guam.
As Nursing Differently, I deeply value the work shared here and the community it fosters. As I continue to share my journey with others—creating safe spaces and a space for healing and education—I’m tremendously grateful to be held alongside this community.
Thank you so much for the shout out!! I really appreciate being part of this <3