Redbone Afropuff and Black GRITS

Bridging Feminism’s Gap

Miss Mariam — Sat, 25 May 2013 14:00:05 +0000

I recently received some proof my normal-person job is important. I try to keep my normal-person job (as opposed to my starving artist/struggling writer gigs) away from my blog, but I work in social justice research, so sometimes, my job and my blog can’t help but relate. On a recent episode of Q, I heard [...]

The Graduation Speech I Wish I had Heard

Miss Mariam — Fri, 24 May 2013 16:00:03 +0000

Dr. Ruth Simmons, former president of Brown University, delivered my commencement speech. Honestly, I don’t remember a thing she said. I’m pretty sure I paid attention to her words. I remember laughing or otherwise responding in some way to some of them, and besides, she was the first black president of an Ivy League institution. [...]

Am I a (Proud) Southerner?

Miss Mariam — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 05:12:54 +0000

Am I a “Southerner?” Yesterday’s Talk of the Nation made me want to say, “Yes!” I was in the car with my mom when the segment, “What Does It Mean to Be a Southerner?” aired, and nearly every time someone called in, they said something I had either just said to my mom or that [...]

When Healthy Eating is Overwhelming

Miss Mariam — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 17:22:33 +0000

I could be cooking right now. Or gardening. Or sleeping. Or exercising. Or reading. Or writing something else. But I’m spending time writing this blog post because I’m committed to sharing what I hope are new and unique insights into various issues in the social, cultural and political sphere. This is my gift. This is [...]

How Every Christian Can Relate to Homosexuals in the Church

Miss Mariam — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 10:30:15 +0000

Last Thursday, Jeff Chu, author of the new book, “Does Jesus Really Love Me? A Gay Christian’s Pilgrimage in Search of God in America,” appeared on the Diane Rehm Show. It was the kind of interview that made me talk back to the radio and that spurned discussions with other people in the car. I [...]

How My Friend Learned Rape Is Wrong

Miss Mariam — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 10:30:52 +0000

When my mother and I heard the verdict in the Steubenville rape trial, we wondered why only two people were on trial. Clearly, there were other people responsible: Who provided the alcohol? Whose home did this happen in? Who took the photo of the boys carrying the unconscious girl by her arms and legs? Who [...]

The Most Important Ingredient for a Good Sex Scene

Miss Mariam — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 11:26:13 +0000

As you may know, I spent much of this week at AWP’s 2013 conference in Boston. On the last day, I attended a panel on how to write a good sex scene. The panelists read from their own works and from those of other writers who they think have written sexual intercourse well. Some of [...]

Problematic Prison Panel – lessons from AWP13

Miss Mariam — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 00:05:38 +0000

I’m at the 2013 AWP Conference in Boston this week, and yesterday, I attended a session about teaching creative writing in the prison system–juvenile detention centers included. The main takeaway from the panel: a creative outlet allows people to stay in touch with their humanity even in the most seemingly hopeless of conditions. Their stories [...]

Rules for Colorblind Casting

Miss Mariam — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 20:00:42 +0000

I swear, the things I find in weekend reading. I saw a headline in my daily e-blast from The Root about a high school doing a stage production of “The Wiz” with no African Americans in the cast. (Maybe some members of the cast are another “other?” School officials claim here that there’s diversity in [...]

The Black Woman’s Disease I Couldn’t Dodge

Miss Mariam — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 15:30:17 +0000

For this last day of American Heart Month, I present a health story. One year ago, I found out I had high blood pressure. I was 31. I had gone to my church’s fellowship hall after service for a special Women’s Heart Health Day. I had no interest in the blood pressure screenings—I wanted the [...]