Kern Carter's Blog, page 86
October 22, 2021
An Italian Diary — New Story On Love & Literature
This Sunday, we’re introducing a new story on Love & Literature. The story is narrated from the perspective of Alessia Petrolito, who takes us through her childhood as an adopted Black child raised in Italy, and all the joy, jealousy and confusion that comes from that experience.
Alessia’s love for language comes alive through her prose. You’ll be taken on a tour through Italian towns and cities, inside of homes and outside of schoolyards, and join Alessia’s journey trying to fit in with her family and friends. Alessia’s references to Italian music and pop culture put you front and centre in her world like only an expert storyteller could.
Chapter one will be released this Sunday. Subscribe to Love & Literature to read An Italian Diary and other great stories featured in our newsletter.
An Italian Diary — New Story On Love & Literature was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
October 21, 2021
Editor Picks — Favourite Posts On CRY Last Week
Image by Prostock StudioBack at it again with some more inspiring posts. These editor picks are more about showing gratitude than anything else. We’re thankful to all of you for choosing to share your stories on CRY.
With that said, like any proud parent, we have favourites (you know it’s true, moms). So here are a couple of pieces that caught our eye last week:
KernWhen Nathalie Clair submitted Beauty In My Hair, I wasn’t exactly excited. But as I read the first couple of lines, I knew I was in for something special. Call it prose, call it poetry, regardless, it’s beautiful and vulnerable and a real depiction of what so many Black women go through.
Favourite excerpt:
But they didn’t see her
She was background noise in human form
She smiled and laughed but inside there was no love
Tomboyish with chemically altered hair pulled back into too tight pony-tails
Or covered by colorful bandanas tied too tight in the back
Rocked a baggy t-shirt to match to cover up the excess of fat
It was the only look that made her feel cuteSafia B.
I’m always so inspired by our CRY community. From dealing with rejection to working up the nerve to hit publish on a post, each day you all share pieces about the highs and lows of writing with beautiful transparency. This week, I enjoyed reading
My Insecurities About Writing by Cristi Ackerman Wells, where she reflects on being a new writer and the insecurities she carries around “like a devil on my shoulder.”
My favourite excerpt:
So, when hope’s evil twin, doubt, comes along to tell me no one will like the piece I have poured myself into, and by proxy, not like me, I can give that bitch a little shoulder shrug, grab onto one of my pillars, and swing the other way.
Editor Picks — Favourite Posts On CRY Last Week was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
The maze of life
A poem about life
Photo by Susan Q Yin on UnsplashEvery day there is a choice,
the choice to love, the choice to shine your light,
no matter what's happening around you
for much depends on how you treat yourself through the maze of life.
When you feel lost navigating through its lanes.
Don’t give up, for you could be dazzled to see the treasure just around the corner.
When you encounter people who make you stop believing in love,
Please know, that as long as you love yourself, you always have a good chance of finding love again.
When you are on your knees with your head hanging down,
Please remember to be grateful, for all that you still have and spare a thought for the far-less privileged.
When you are rejected knocking at one door,
Please remember there are several others to knock at, even though you can’t see those at the moment.
If you ever feel lonely and abandoned,
Please remember that you always have the hand of God guiding you, if you are willing to acknowledge his presence.
When you feel burnt and bruised,
Please remember, you have the power to reach the goal no matter how lost you feel walking through the maze of life.
Please remember, you can always rise as a Phoenix rises from the ashes.
© Pratibha Mohanty October 2021 | All rights reserved
The maze of life was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
October 20, 2021
How to Fall in Love With Writing Again
“Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion.” — Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
