Community
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For Our Readers: A Call to Contribute
Some of you have been with Aya Collective Publishing from the beginning. Perhaps you were one of our first workshop participants in 2017. Maybe you attended one of our early public readings, gathered with us in a writing space, or picked up a copy of The Gospel According to a Black Woman, the first book…
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Now is the Time When Artists Go to Work
This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal. – Toni Morrison It can feel like in this time, when resistance against tyranny is…
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Black Women Living With Endometriosis (New Book)
Beloved, the wait is over. For those of you who have been in community with Aya Collective Publishing for some time, you know this moment has been a long time coming. Over the past several years, we have been tending a powerful new text focused on the lived experiences of Black women navigating endometriosis—work rooted…
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He Drops the Seed
He drops the seedShe nurtures it for monthsA new creation,Almighty birth power.Women given the wombTo carry the life.To feed the embryo,The bearer of faith,Gestation is just.She conceives shelter, food, Breath for life to survive. He drops the seed,A Jabez experienceClaims the territory.Being born out of pain,Storied to beCondemnation, punishment Purported because of “Eve.” She carried the seed,Ask…
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Care, Community and Spirituality: How We Hold It Together
Dear Beloved, How are you holding up? If you live in the Twin Cities, I know that like me, you have probably been feeling a lot of angst, sadness, and anger. The terrorization in our communities by our national government, constant surveillance, and increased violence, has left many of us feeling overwhelmed. In times like…
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Finding Your Voice in a World Full of Noise: A Guide for Black Women Writers
The noise around you grows louder every day, drowning out the words waiting to be spoken. For Black women writers, carving out space to find your voice in a world full of endless chatter can be a challenge. But what if finding and exercising your voice didn’t have to be so hard. What if you…
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3 Reasons to Step Into Your Calling as a Writer Today
At Aya Collective Publishing, we believe Black women’s stories are sacred. Our words carry humor, grace, candor—and truth. Through storytelling, we pass down eternal messages. We walk in the legacy of Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Nikki Giovanni, and so many others who used language to move heaven and earth—filling libraries…
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Elevating the Sacred In Our Writing Practice
In her work on Endarkened Feminist Epistemology (EFE), scholar Cynthia Dillard reminds us of the power of (re)membering through spiritual consciousness and sacred practice. For me, writing is one of those sacred practices. It calls me back to myself, helping me gather the pieces I have been seduced to forget. Through writing, I hear my…
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Editorial – The Power of Community: Healing, Support, and Resilience in Times of Isolation
Written by Ebony Aya, January 26 When my sister and I became adults, we noticed a change in my mother. Though she always leaned towards solitude, her isolation increased. First there was a break with her small circle of friends and then there was a falling out at her church. Nearing retirement, with a refusal…
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