Babygirl/Lola

poems that remind you of your penpal, or poems you wrote for them

a hand drawn portrait of them, if you’re artistically inclined

a list of book, movie, or tv show recommendations

a connect four game! you just draw out the board and then color in a chip every time it’s sent back and forth between you

homemade crosswords, personalized to your penpal

homemade word searches

doodles you’ve made! you can even put double stick tape on the back, cut them out, and then put them on wax paper to make them into stickers!

a playlist of your favorite songs at the moment

homemade collages matching the aesthetic of your penpal

a list of questions for them

recipes

pressed flowers

friendship bracelets

little embroidery squares! these are so cute and you can personalize them

cute crocheted things, like hearts, clovers, flowers, etc

iron on patches

i love words. here are some of my favourites that sound beautiful when spoken.

propensity — a natural inclination towards something

peregrination — a long, wandering journey with no fixed itinerary

penchant — a tendency or strong liking for something

sepulchre — a tomb

meretricious — superficially attractive but ultimately worthless

phosphenes — the colours  that you see when you rub your eyes

petrichor — the smell of earth after rain

clandestine — secretive, perhaps illicit

persiflage — light-hearted banter

perfidious — secretive, untrustworthy and deceitful

repudiate — reject or refuse to admit to

perspicacious — perceptive and observant

Reblog to support black writers!

Things Fall Apart: Chinua Achebe

The story of colonialism in Africa from the perspective of an indigenous African man.

Invisible Man: Langston Hughes

A coming-of-age tale told through the lense of a black man questioning his place in a white society.

Their Eyes Were Watching God: Zora Neale Hurston

a story that touches on topics such as femininity, marriage, gender roles, sex and sexuality, and growing up, through the lens of a black woman living in the south in America in the early twentieth century.

Don’t Call Us Dead: Denez Smith (Non-Binary/Trans) (Recent Publication)

This collection of poems is written by a really skilled Non-Binary trans and HIV positive poet expressing feelings on subjects like police brutality and death

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings: Maya Angelou

The first in a seven-volume series, it is a coming-of-age story that illustrates how strength of character and a love of literature can help overcome racism and trauma

Giovanni’s Room: James Baldwin (Gay)

This book is about and features the experiences of a bisexual man, and his relationship with an Italian bartender named Giovanni in Paris, France.

An Unkindness of Ghosts: River Solomon (Non-Binary) (Recent Publication)

A story that analyzes the black experience through the lense of science fiction and space travel, and brings a black voice to an overwhelmingly white genre

Push: Sapphire (Bi)

The 1996 novel by famous bisexual writer, Sapphire also has a movie adaptation called “Precious” and both are both Massive critical successes for their dark telling of a black coming of age story about a girl escaping abuse and exploring themes of motherhood, love, abuse, and more.

Your Son Is Dead: Persephone Anansi (Trans)

(Yes this is my book 🙃) (Recent Publication)

A new collection of poems from a black, trans woman about her experiences in life with identity, love, and activism, that touch on these subjects in a way that is visceral, raw, at times painful, and at times inspiring.