thankful. This is Tuesday Talk.
© 2014 Theda Okona All Rights Reserved
It has been almost four years since I have been home to Charleston, South Carolina. In 2010, my family and I laid my mom to rest; the return to the Lowcountry brought back so many bittersweet memories and life in Chucktown was not the same without her. My chest was pounding hard upon entering the city limits; the place like me was the same but different all simultaneously. I knew then, this was going to be more than a trip just for spring break. All of this significant right now because I have four more chapters to write and my Lowcountry novel will be finished. It has been a long tedious journey writing this book—I have killed some major and minor characters and given others a new lease on life. I have also learned to love the journey of creating alone—growth for me because I love creating with others more. The novel has been renamed at least fifty times and I have lost on two occasions more than a thousand words... (Delete should not be an option writers can use when writing). This trip to Gullah nation has given me gifts that money can't buy. First, I reconnected with my family and we did what families do best, sit around and tell stories. Four hours of Lowcountry food and family will cure whatever ails the soul; for me it was like being baptized in the River Jordan. Then I went to Chuma Gullah Gallery in historic downtown Charleston (Great Hall at Charleston City Market) to find and convince a Lowcountry artist to allow his or her work to grace the cover of my novel. Really wanted to use the artistry of Jonathan Green but as Jerry and I surveyed the works of the others such as: John W. Jones, Irene Tison, Leroy Campbell, Carol A. Simmons, and James Denmark--one portrait stood out among many. One thing led to another (that's another Tuesday Talk) and John W. Jones was on board with letting his artistry be the cover of my novel. That night, I sat in the bathroom and cried tears of being overjoyed--I had gotten everything I needed...so I thought. One more tidbit, (I call it a God wink) found out the name of my one more woman in my matrilineal line...so now there is Chinwe, me, Theresa, Adeline, Elizabeth, Diana and now Susan. Asking God to wink once more, I sure do want to know Susan's mom's name, but in the meantime I remain gullah thankful. This is Tuesday Talk. © 2014 Theda Okona All Rights Reserved
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Blogger Bio:Theda Okona is a former storyteller and co-host for an internet radio broadcast. She lives to be inspired. Adjunct Professor at Miami Dade College, Writer, Speaker, Vocalist and Author of Clouds of Grace--she has a Master of Arts in Education and a Bachelor of Arts in English. Archives
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