<![CDATA[(This poem was written to me by my friend James, after he witnessed a particular exchange I had with my uncle at a church function. Without unpacking all of my personal history, I can say that I found it to be deeply moving and personal. If you know James personally, that shouldn’t come as much…

Read More

<![CDATA[(Author’s note: the following was written as a short story, intended for submission into a competition. At the last minute, I balked, because I didn’t want to pay what I felt was an outrageous entry fee. But I selfishly kept the story to myself. Consider this post an apology.) (Author’s note, redux: this story, by…

Read More

<![CDATA[ Right now my jam of the moment is from Korean-American emcee HeeSun Lee featuring vocalist Shanelle Gabriel, entitled “Open Your Eyes.” There are two great attributes about this tune, essential for any song to reach Jam Of The Moment status: how it sounds, and what it says. First, how it sounds. When it comes…

Read More

<![CDATA[Artist: Chaka KhanAlbum: I Feel For YouSong: I Feel For You This song make me giddy. Yes, absolutely giddy. I love everything about “I Feel For You.” I love the staccato sample intro of Grandmaster Melle Mel’s voice saying, “Cha-Cha-Ch-Ch-Chaka Khan.” As an 8-year-old budding rapper, I probably repeated this phrase incessantly. (Perhaps my sister…

Read More