Kern Carter's Blog, page 10
February 7, 2023
musings:
Photo Credit: Authorfrom the moment i arrived here, i’ve been a daughter —a first, a grand, and a great. a decade ago, i was preparing to be a mother. since, i’ve been finding myself, and as of late, acknowledging the iterations i’ve lived. the many faces. hairstyles. pseudonyms. perspectives. changes.
it’s been hard reconciling the things i've said to and about my past selves with what i’d say to them now. i wouldn’t berate them about the barely-there belly. i’d gladly accept the praise given for their style. they’d know i was proud of them and the some things they made out of nothings. but that’s the easy part.
the hard part is realizing i still disparage my current self. fingers crossed, one day future me will look at captured moments of current me. unfortunately, the probability of the same internal conversations and considerations is high, given my penchant for telling this self the same things whispered to the pasts. fortunately for me, i now have an awareness that the formers didn’t. i’m less concerned with others’ acceptance & more focused on reveling in my me-ness. giving grace & holding space. enjoying my own energy.
the many layers and identities are always present, even when forgotten. my journey of rediscovery revealed not only my selves, but also my ancestors. i now know i don’t walk alone; as i live & breathe, so do they within me. just as gma’s transition served as a bridge from our physical relationship to a spiritual one, my ori, my higher self, connects my being with my guides and spirits.
through all of the situations and wish-were-differents, a consistent, elemental me has been there, often overlooked but also hidden. unaccepted and unembraced. but when you know better, you do better.
this leg of the journey is about acknowledging the names and titles and versions. minding what i say, unlearning hurtful habits, and releasing false truths. when i look back at this picture of this me — in gma’s slip-turned-loungegown, against the throw gifted by my mama — i will be able to say i spoke kinder words to my belly
& breasts.
& hips.
& cheeks.
& heart.
& efforts.
i held all the parts, all the changes, and i relished in their dopeness. i gave them their flowers in the moment.
[image error]musings: was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
Call For Submissions — Your Angel
When I was self-publishing my first book, Thoughts of a Fractured Soul, I had no idea how much it would cost. I wrote the entire thing before realizing I needed money to edit, design a book cover, and find a third party who would upload it to distribution platforms.
This was back in 2013, one year before my novel actually came out. I was still a struggling writer and single parent. Money wasn’t exactly rolling in so I decided to crowdfund using only my network.
When the fundraising date came and went and I only raised $200, I was ready to curl up in a corner and bawl my eyes out. But then I got an email from someone who wanted to support but missed the deadline.
He asked me if I could meet up. When we did, he handed me an envelope and told me how much he believes in my novel. I didn’t open the envelope till I got back home, but when I did, there was $3,000.
That’s how my first book got published.
This person was literally my angel. And we all have at least one. For this week’s writing prompt, tell me about your angel. Who has stepped up in your life when all the odds were against you? It could be on your writing journey or life in general.
Same rules as always:You can submit to this or ANY of our past writing prompts. Just scroll through our previous newsletters. They’ll be marked “Call for Submissions.”If you’re already a writer for CRY, go ahead and submit.Be as creative as you want in your submissions. As long as you stick to the topic, we’ll consider it.Just because you submit doesn’t mean we’ll post. If you haven’t heard back from us in three days, consider that a pass.[image error]Call For Submissions — Your Angel was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
February 6, 2023
Writers and Creators: When In Doubt, Self-Indulge
How hosting an obscure radio show helped me survive the weirdest year of all of our lives
February 5, 2023
February 1, 2023
Two more workshops
Hello friends, we had another magical session this past Saturday. These Superstar Sessions are quickly becoming my favourite event. The conversations about writing these past two weeks, the learning, the support, it’s all been everything I dreamed of when I thought of bringing us CRY writers together.
And this truly is just for CRY writers. We definitely do more formal workshops that are for the public, but these Superstar Sessions are something different. They’re far more intimate and exclusive to the CRY community.
We have two more of these sessions left. If you’d like to learn about writing in the most intimate and inspiring environment possible, then SIGN UP HERE. You will get an email with the link to the next session (and all future sessions), which takes place this Saturday from 1:00 pm — 2:00 pm EST.
[image error]Two more workshops was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
January 31, 2023
January 30, 2023
Depression is My Worst Enemy, But Sometimes My Best Teacher
I would be a different person without my repeated residence in Hell
