the books that shaped fort negrita

one taught me love, one taught me patience, one taught me pain. really tho! lol

i'm starting to prep for @blackmomsblog 'period party" on january 6, come out atlanta! and i'm pulling more books for my mini-library. these books changed my life, and i carry these books with me to every pad party, and that's because i hope they will offer to others what they have offered to me. 

i'm going to start with the book that taught me love, and that's sisters of the yam, if something ever knew i needed it more that i knew myself, it was this book. after finishing an abroad research project in the spring then finishing my second semester of grad school, and planning bEARTHday fest pop-up, i was burnt tf out! this book reminded me of the simplicity of love and my ability to perform was not an honest measurement of my wealth. 

next. to the one that taught me patience and that's jambalaya, this book taught me that the universe isn't a microwave, and sometimes you gotta wait for that (womb)manifestation to come to fruition.

the one that taught me pain was sacred woman. that book tore my little life apart in 2013, and told me in a thick southern/island/creole accent "try again dear". i remember reading that book and thinking, i can't eat what? i gotta build what? and almost six years later it makes so much sense, and has made my life fruitful.

honorable mention is the greenbelt movement, it lays out the organization strategy of wangari maathai's greenbelt movement, an org whose mission is to "mobilize community consciousness for self-determination, equity, improved livelihood securities and environmental conservation using tress as the entry point." SHOOK ONES. this book is giving me the tools to design fort negrita the coop. 

lastly, want to engrave minimalism practices in your head without have to loose sleep, give this book one good skim for about an hour. true to its minimalism ideology the book is simplified and succinct. think juicy nuggets not over-piled plates. i can recall the tips in the book like my mom's phone number.