DISPATCH
SPORTS
DIAMOND LIFE
Baseball is back—along with real live fans. The Reds kick off their 145th season this month against the Cardinals, and Great American Ball Park will be at 30 percent capacity in pod-style seating (if COVID cooperates). Play ball! MLB.COM/REDS 1 6 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M A P R I L 2 0 2 1
SPEAK EASY
HEALING SEASON X Jaylin Leslie uses her creative talents— from painting and fashion to podcasting, writing, and spokenword performance—to connect with people on an intimate level. The Cincinnati native published her first collection of narrative, free verse, and imagery writing, Seasons, in April 2020 to explore her personal journey of healing, which she also shares on a blog and podcast. When did you become interested in making art? Writing was an outlet for me when I was younger because my mom would always buy me journals, since she loves to read. My family history is full of creatives. My grandfather is a wood carver, and my dad paints and also designs clothing. I guess if I had to choose one art form, though, it would be speaking and writing. I just think words are a great way to connect with people. I really feel as though I’ve been given the gift of communication. What was the inspiration behind Seasons? This is about the seasons of my life from hardship to growth, and those growing pains. Initially, I was on a journey of healing and self discovery. I got deep into meditation
two years ago, and I was telling that story on my blog [earthensden.com], so I wanted to create a book that could inspire other people. What are some of its major themes? The book has three chapters, with the first one called “Bloom,” which is one of the stages of winter. So that’s more of the hard and heavy stuff. The second chapter is “Flower,” which is in the springtime. So I’ve survived this very dark night of the soul, and I’m growing. Then “Garden” is the season of abundance, where I realize I should just be whole and accepting of myself. It’s the season of forgiveness and peace with my past. What do you hope aspiring creatives take away from Seasons? I think poetry and reading and all of those things sometimes can be a very analytical arena, but I just wanted to create something that people would connect to emotionally. I hope people learn to be honest in their work. When you’re creating something, don’t do it with the intention of sales or anything like that. Do it because it means something to you and has a deeper value inside you. —GRACE DEARING
PH OTO G R A PHS BY J O N ATH A N W I LLI S
ILLU S TR ATI O N S BY ( W E AV E / SP O R T S) EMI VILL AV ICENCIO / (SPE A K E A S Y ) Z AC H A RY G H A D E RI
a child—were her first inspiraidentity during her Duncanson residency by leading a handful of public events tion, and she fondly recalls her First Communion crown (white lace and this month, including workshops, pubinspired by Queen Nefertiti) that her lic programs, and school visits. “What I parents designed together. “At the heart want people to take away from my event of most of my design, it’s inspired by is the strength to reclaim their identity,” Black women,” says Bias-Daniels. “A lot she says. “I hope everybody can kind of of times Black women are put into one unplug themselves from the matrix and the constant media we’re fed, and rebox, that we have to be one thing. We have to be strong, independent women, evaluate who they are.” or we’re angry, in-your-face women. But The Duncanson residency was the beautiful thing about Black women founded in 1986 to honor the legacy is we’re soft and also strong when we of Robert S. Duncanson, a Cincinnati need to be. We’re funny, we’re painter whose patron, Nichoserious. I think my work takes las Longworth, commissioned that on in fabric form. There’s murals for his downtown a lot of duality—strong verhome—now the Taft Museum of Art. “What I love about sus soft, draped pieces verWeaving It Together Robert Duncanson and other sus a corseted, exoskeleton, Asha Ama Biasarmor feel.” Daniels will host public great Black artists who came T h ro u g h DA A P ’s re programs April 12–26 before me,” Bias-Daniels says, during her Duncanson “is that they not only existed nowned co-op program, BiasDaniels worked for couture residency. Find details in their artwork but had the at taftmuseum.org. extra burden of opening doors fashion house Marchesa, an for people who looked like them. That’s experience she was grateful to have. It also made her realize she wanted to forge something that was instilled in me from her own path. “I was able to design the a very early age, of always making sure I showpiece for their couture bridal demake room for more of us. “I think the design world would realsign,” she says. “It was truly my design that went down the runway, and I was so ly benefit from having more Black voices proud and happy about the moment, but at the table, because there are so many at the end of the runway show I didn’t things from our culture you don’t see get to go out and say, Thanks, guys, that represented in the mainstream. Black was me. So I was like, OK, I want to figure people aren’t getting the opportunities and aren’t being exposed to the design out doing this for myself.” Bias-Daniels started charting her world. I really hope, especially with the programs I’ll have for the younger stuown path after college, appearing on Project Runway spinoffs Under the Gunn dents, that I can encourage at least one (placing third) and Project Runway All person to make a career out of the creativity that God gave them.” Stars. She plans to continue exploring