WRITING ACTIVITY WITH THE STARS AND THE BLACKNESS BETWEEN THEM For this 3rd anniversary of the book for everyone who is into it 😂 I have a writing activity inspired by my book! As a first-time young adult writer I found myself wanting to offer young people particularly, queer and Black and QTBIPOC kids an opportunity to enjoy themselves, the world and their own pleasure. I spent time with my teen self with curiosity and tenderness to write authentically in that realm. Through writing this book, I was healing my emo-awkward-queer teen self by giving my characters pleasure and romance. Below are some prompts for doing some writing with your teen self. Breathe yummy breathes. Hand on tummy and heart. Feel, hold and witness the sensation of being in your body. Tell yourself you are enough. Remind yourself that you are a living, breathing, experimental human. That part of humanity is being a mess and that is okay. Invite your teen self into the space. Invite them to sit and stand wherever they would like. Be gracious and kind to them and don’t judge what they decide to do. See if they tell you anything or if they are just quiet. Do they like you? Trust you? Got advice for you? Or maybe they ain’t thinking about you at all. All is okay. Write down a list of items including music, clothes, foods, pictures, candy, momentos, books your teen self would pack in a backpack for a journey of any kind: into a forest, a city or desert or a gay auntie’s house or a rave. Brainstorm destinations your teen self wanted to see and would go. Finally: Write a scene, poem, or fictional story inspired by them. Something for them. You or they can be the protagonist. Try to make it something that you know they need to read that only you can write. Share your piece or these prompts with someone you love if you are into it. Or share a sentence of it below in the comments. Loooove youuuuu! And all of your selves...