Geniece Mondé, PhD

As a Mets fan, I share the sentiments of Boston's mayor.

The Yankees lose:

Red Sox fans 🤝 Mets Fans

its a picture of a ballerina teaching future young ballerinas!!!

"Ballerina Aesha Ash wandering around inner city Rochester breaking the stereotypes about women of color and to inspire young kids."

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Great interview!

They send you the page proofs in a few weeks for final review, but essentially warn you that changing the pagination with edits is a crime comparable to high treason.

Two books. One about supreme court Justice Sotomayor and the othe This is Our Freedom by Geniece Mondé.

My retired mother volunteers at a library and today she was excited to share that someone returned two books: Mine and another about Justice Sotomayor. These are the things that make my little nerd heart smile.

This is the way. There's too much going on. We might as well have our favorite cereals. I don't even correct loved ones when they pronounce the "l" in salmon anymore. We're all just trying to survive.

Yeah, it is. It would be drizzling
*ICE* and folks would be jogging in Cambridge. I only knew this because I'd watch them from my seat in a warm restaurant.

Joseph McNeil, Young Spark in a Civil Rights Battle, Dies at 83

I'm always amazed (and deeply grateful) when I consider what elders bravely faced when they were still adolescents.

Image to two thumbs up above water indicating that one is pretending to be ok while stressed and overwhelmed.

Pray for ya girl.🫠 I might have to break my "no going to the office on Saturday" rule for the first time, but this book is worth it. I'm excited to share it soon.

How I Went From Prison to Tenure What if we saw incarceration not as a liability, but as a credential?

"My lived experience makes me a better scientist. It sharpens my research. It deepens my compassion. It fuels my teaching.
I’ve faced parole boards and dissertation committees. I’ve survived prison, rejection, and structural racism. I’m not afraid of grant panels, or of students who need grace."

Colorful book cover titled Vanishing Half

Finished this yesterday and WOW!!! These characters are so well developed, and the plot structure works so well. From beginning to end, this book was satisfying, complex, and tender. It's definitely in my top 3 books for the year.

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Hummingbirds always bring me such joy. I captured this little guy this week by one of my flowered plants.

Unsolicited Writing Advice, no. 3214566:
Trying to follow writing trends is usually a waste of time. By the time you can see them, they're over. Instead, just write what you love. Write it as well as you can, and wait. Don't be afraid to be different. One day, maybe, you'll be the trend.

When i was in my 20s ( 2010s) I used to wonder why older women had makeup looks that were popular in the early 1990s. Now I get it. My makeup look will forever be a time capsule of whatever "easy soft glam" is (that was what i searched in YouTube. I'm not learning any new tricks in my 40s.

Image of 3 Black women set against a colorful background.

I was able to complete one more book before my time is consumed with teaching prep, grading, and writing. This book detailed heavy and painful experiences, yet, the women's wit and candor made me laugh loud. The author centered Southern Black women and their lives.

I have a 9 and 6 year old (boys). It only gets louder.

Relieved to see that tea (with caffeine) is also included!

Fun fact (pejorative): I and other Black women often commiserate on the fact that in some contexts we're assumed to be competent & responsible (so we receive little to no mentorship), yet infantalized when we're told that we need to meet benchmarks we've already exceeded. Super fun!

Jamaican flag with Jamaican Independence Day written

Happy Jamaican Independence!

On August 6, 1962, Jamaica officially became independent from British rule. My parents still recount how they and other children dressed in all white and paraded through their town to mark the occasion.

We likkle but we tallawah! (We're small but mighty) 🇯🇲

Academics on August 1st

Enjoying tonight's thunderstorm while sitting in my screened porch.

I just watched the trailer. The casting matches the character description.

I saw Emmett Till this week at the grocery store. By Eve Ewing looking over the plums, one by one lifting each to his eyes and turning it slowly, a little earth, checking the smooth skin for pockmarks and rot, or signs of unkind days or people, then sliding them gently into the plastic. whistling softly, reaching with a slim, woolen arm into the cart, he first balanced them over the wire before realizing the danger of bruising and lifting them back out, cradling them in the crook of his elbow until something harder could take that bottom space. I knew him from his hat, one of those fine porkpie numbers they used to sell on Roosevelt Road. it had lost its feather but he had carefully folded a dollar bill and slid it between the ribbon and the felt and it stood at attention. he wore his money. upright and strong, he was already to the checkout by the time I caught up with him. I called out his name and he spun like a dancer, candy bar in hand, looked at me quizzically for a moment before remembering my face. he smiled. well hello young lady hello, so chilly today should have worn my warm coat like you yes so cool for August in Chicago how are things going for you oh he sighed and put the candy on the belt it goes, it goes.

Today, on what would have been Emmett Till's 84th birthday, I'm sharing one of my favorite poems by Eve Ewing.

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Book cover with a silver spoon and the words "Black cake"

Ever finish a book and wish you could time traveling a week in the past, so that you could begin reading it again? As a Jamaican woman who has watched my mother and grandmother prepare black cake, this story, like the dessert is rich, textured and complex. Outstanding!

IF YOU ARE UNDER 40, YOU MAY NOT UNDERSTAND HOW DEVASTATED WE ARE RIGHT NOW!!! NOT THEO!!!

There's this interview with Anderson Cooper where Colbert discusses loss and Anderson starts crying.