Seeds of Peace was the first place I ever performed something that I wrote. I never expected where the passion and courage I discovered in that moment would lead me.
Going from telling my story to Seeds at Camp, to sharing my experiences of growing up in Maine to an audience of over a thousand people two years later—alongside professors, poets, writers, artists, and musicians from Columbia University to the state of Indiana—is still crazy for me to think about.
I performed these pieces—part of my series, ‘Four Ways of Looking at Black Girl’—on April 2 at Show & Tell, a 90-minute literary cabaret at the State Theater in Portland, Maine. Show & Tell helps support The Telling Room, a nonprofit that empowers youth to share their voices and express themselves through free programs. I hope hearing my experiences helps inspire you as much as sharing them did for me.