Blackstack Wrapped

This was one hell of a year, through it all we are closing out the year with more growth, expansion, clarity, and less baggage than we came in with. And I love that for us.

Photo Credit: Quality Lenz

As I reflect on the year and a half that I’ve been committed to building this community through Blackstack, the highs and the lows, the fear that I’ve had to push through to get here today. I am not the same person I was when I started this publication, and that scared me initially. But there’s a passion that continues to grow inside of me with each draft started because a new submission came in, with every person that shows up for a Live hosted for us to expand our craft in community. With every connection made, our network grows further, strengthening the webs that hold us together as a culture. This is the connection we desire and yearn for, and this is my way of holding the mirror back up to us to show us how magically we are as divine beings¹.

That’s the power of being in community with each other fully, authentically, without the mask blocking us from being seen in our wholeness. I want to shout out a few regular writers who embodied what it means to be in community. We are really Blackstacking the way that I envisioned all of us Blackstacking to keep this thing going.

One person who I’d say is the embodiment of what Blackstacking means, if it were a definition, is Anthony. Since Anthony joined Substack and discovered Blackstack, it seems like he has made it a personal mission to engage with every author who has been published or spotlighted in a Black Reads post. If you’ve been blessed with the Anthony Blackstacking effect, share your story in the comments. I want him to know how impactful and meaningful that is; he’s what the reciprocity I talked about in my last essay looks like.

I believe as divine beings, we heal in community, and it’s safe to lean on community during all of the moments of our lives because that’s how we once knew community, right? Why do we yearn for something that we chose to block?

Ri and I had a conversation once in that chat thread of my personal publication when it was open about community, and that turned into the first Blackstack submission to hit a thousand likes, ever! From all aspects: Ri’s words, your engagement, our reach, our connections extending in the comments, top-tier Blackstacking.

Then a couple of months later, this happened…

I messaged Chloe so quickly because I wanted her to know she was the first author submission to ever hit this many milestones within weeks. Especially because she pushed past her fear and submitted. This was another dimension added to Blackstacking.

Then I reflect on this one connection, a very special one, that started with me pushing past my fear and posting about the Blackstack Magazine: Issue 001 in a TikTok video that went viral. That’s when RyansOasis reached out via DM to find out more about Blackstack and submissions. And her essay was the first post to hit this kind of engagement and reach in 2025, which started this spiral effect of visibility for the Black authors that pushed past the fear and submitted.

It’s such a beautiful start to this 2025 wrap-up.

Thank you to everyone who has played a role in Blackstacking this year, from hitting that subscribe button, to engaging with the work published, to financially investing in the publication, to submitting your work.

I can’t express through words how much that means to me, so I will continue committing to this work for another year.

To help sustain this work for the year ahead, I have one clear ask: could you help me commit fully to this work for us by getting at least 30% of our subscribers to sign up for the $1 Writing Club?

The $1 Writing Club is an added day for us to meet in community to sharpen our craftsmanship in a workshop-style Zoom session, the second Wednesday of every month, starting January 14th from 6-7 pm PT. Replays will be available via email the following day if the time doesn’t align.

Sign Up Here: https://www.jacquieverbal.com/product/the-1-writing-club/H6FA4CGBW6C4NSAS276JXWAX?cs=true&cst=custom

1. Divine beings is a term that was mentioned in December’s Blackstack Salon by Gary F. Green II, PhD in a conversation with me about his book, Playing the Game, which is our Blackstack Book Club study feature for January and February.

Sign Up for Book Club January Study: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/lGj7EK1BTiygCPYfUcrFyA

Watch December’s Blackstack Salon Replay:

https://blackstack.substack.com/p/the-last-blackstack-salon-of-2025

Purchase Playing the Game: https://www.greenideasconsulting.com/book