Photo by Anete Lusina on Pexels.com For decades, the justice system tagged dads across America with felonies, effectively barring them from the workplace. With the legalization or decriminalization of marijuana spreading like wildfire across the States, criminal justice reform, overall, is becoming more progressive. Suddenly, serious jail-time for minor drug offenses is a thing ofContinueContinue reading “How Felons Become Rich Overnight”
Category Archives: family
Celebrating Your Own Success — Guilt Free
Photo by Viajero on Pexels.com This Thanksgiving, don’t forget to be thankful for yourself. We live in a society that tells us success is a must. So, we spend long days studying and even longer nights working, just to have a taste of that sought-after success. It’s not until we’re single, 40, lonely and stuckContinueContinue reading “Celebrating Your Own Success — Guilt Free”
Growing Your Own Wings: You Got This
Who are you trying to please? What arrogant asshole has you feeling inadequate or less than? Don’t lie to yourself. The sooner you face the reality that you allow your happiness to be determined by how someone else feels about you, the sooner you’ll be cured of this. Sometimes, we fall in awe with people,ContinueContinue reading “Growing Your Own Wings: You Got This”
An Ode to a Frenemy of Mine
Tom Deriggi and I came from completely different backgrounds, but, as the universe would have it, our paths intertwined. He was a heavyset guy with bright red flushed cheeks that seemed to accentuate his greyish blue eyes. Politically, we were on two opposite spectrums: Tom on the far right, arms folded, chest out; me onContinueContinue reading “An Ode to a Frenemy of Mine”
Our Own Sort of Fun
Drugs. Violence. Police brutality. Hate. Love. Love. Love. In 1995, if you would have read about the Robert Taylor projects, the news report would probably have headlined something like this: “17 Men Arrested in Drug Sting at Robert Taylor Homes.” But inside those forsaken buildings where no one but those who lived there would haveContinueContinue reading “Our Own Sort of Fun”
Inspiration Comes from Everywhere
As you’ll find if you read my blog thoroughly enough, I grew up in the Robert Taylor Projects on the Southside of Chicago. If you do any research, you’ll find it was not the ideal place to grow up, being overwhelmed with drugs and gang activity. But it is where I am from, and IContinueContinue reading “Inspiration Comes from Everywhere”
A Newborn
Nearly three months ago, my third beautiful daughter was born. Her eyes are a color I have never seen before and I cannot name. I was hoping for my first son, but I’m blessed either way. The question is, where do I go from here?
How to Write a Book
Recently, I have been working my ass off, writing, finishing my MFA and going to school while also helping to raise my three daughters. The question I am constantly asked is, “How do you find time to write?” I don’t find time. I make time. That’s the difference. Life will give you a million reasonsContinueContinue reading “How to Write a Book”
I Am a Drug Dealer, Not So Much
One of my most vivid memories of my life in Chicago’s Robert Taylor Projects is my friend Travis and me walking through a grassy field and finding a huge ZipLoc bag of crack cocaine. There had to be at least 300 rocks in there. Up until this point, I had seen plenty of crack transactions.ContinueContinue reading “I Am a Drug Dealer, Not So Much”
Bullet and a Baby
The bullet exploded. The heavy gun powder choked all of us.
The Reeders Block 