Intellectual Ink Editor in Chief
Julia Press Simmons
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Charlotte Young-Foye
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Diane P. Rembert
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Lamont Press
Flash Fiction ~ Contemporary
Braheim Gibbs
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Shonda Mayes
Events
Author Untamed
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Karen E. Quinones Miller
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Editors' note Dear Readers,
Spring has sprung, and in honor of National Poetry Month, Intellectual Ink Magazine is thrilled to present our latest issue, POETRY IN MOTION an in-depth recap of the celebration honoring the first black mayor of Hagerstown. Write news conversations with author and founder of Written In Melanin LLC, C.M. Lockhart, and Poet Phoenix Kabali. In this edition, we feature the works of talented writers and poets who have shared their unique perspectives on life, society, and everything in between. From compelling essays to stirring poetry, our contributors have offered their best literary creations that are sure to captivate your imagination.
As always, Intellectual Ink Magazine will continue to be a source of inspiration and a platform for emerging writers, creatives, and entrepreneurs of color to share their unique visions with the world.
We invite you to sit back, relax, and enjoy!
Julia Press Simmons EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Charlotte Young Foye CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Contents 2. EDITOR'S NOTE 4. WRITE NEWS~ INTERVIEW AUTHOR C.M. LOCKHART 10. WRITE NEWS ~ INTERVIEW POET PHOENIX KABALI 14. POEM OF THE MONTH ~ TOUR OF THE GHETTO 16. CULTIVATING CONFIDENCE THROUGH CREATIVITY ~ SHAE SUNFLOWER 27. CHARLOTTE'S CLOSET ~ BIG PIN*UP ENERGY ANNIVERSARY 32. EVENTS ~ BEYOND THE PAGE BY UNTAMED 35. FLASH FICTION ~ POLITCALLY ACTIVATED
20. POETRY IN MOTION~ AN INDEPTH RECAP OF THE CELEBRATION HONORING THE FIRST BLACK MAYOR OF HAGERSTOWN BY CHARLOTTE YOUNG FOYE
40. BOSS UP ~ SAMONE OF SAMMIE'S SWEETZ 47. BOOK REVIEWS ~THE BLACK QUEEN & YEAR OF YES 51. WHAT THE EFF IS GOING ON~IS BLACK MASCULINITY BEING ERASED?
INTELLECTUAL INK MAGAZINE
Owner of Written in Melanin LLC. Founder of the Melanin Library. Author of "The Wrath of The Gods" series. Host of the Written in Melanin Podcast. Mentor to indie authors. Promoter of Black authors.
C.M. Lockhart
A writer of fantasy because she loves creating worlds, exploring relationships, and writing about Black girls who aren't all that nice. She's been writing since the age of fourteen and all her characters are Black unless she tells you otherwise. What inspired you to start writing?
In truth, I’ve always been drawn to it. Since the moment I learned to read, I’ve been in love with it. And as I got older, I started wanting the characters in my books to act differently – for the main characters to fall in love with different people and for the endings to be better. And I wanted to be able to read about girls who had descriptions that fit my real life. Like I think most people are, I was unbothered by it at first. But once I noticed the absence of brown skin and kinky hair, except when it was convenient or when the character
would never make another appearance in the book, I couldn’t go back to being blissfully ignorant. And that’s when I began crafting my own stories. The very first one I remember writing was when I was around eleven. My dad had gotten a laptop, and allowed me to use it to practice typing. So, I started creating journal entry stories about a super-rich girl with a room like Arnold’s from Hey, Arnold! and a crazy family. She was fun, spoiled, and a little wacky. And I realized one day that I had dozens of documents about her, and I thought, “Oh, this is something I can do for real.” So, I did. What comes first, the plot or characters? The characters. I write books about Black girls who aren’t all that nice. So, whenever I get an idea for something to include in a story, there’s always a Black girl in my mind, waiting for her turn to have her adventure told. Describe a typical writing day. My writing days are pretty basic! After waking up and scrolling through social media, I make myself and my husband some tea, get ready for the day, and then sit at my computer. I pull up some music to fill the silence, crack a window if it’s warm enough, and then pull up my document. I use the writing software Dabble Writer because it’s streamlined enough to keep me focused while keeping track of my goals, notes, and comments. I open OneNote on the side to keep track of any stray thoughts, ideas, cut content, and reminders for my future self once I start editing, and then I get into it. Most days,
I have a word count goal I’m working towards, but in the beginning, often I’m just organizing my thoughts. I try to share pretty much everything about my writing journey on my YouTube channel and podcast, so that pressure helps keep me focused! How long does it take you to write a book? About five months, if I’m serious. I usually start in November with NaNoWriMo to capitalize on all the positive writer energy that can be found on the internet, and I keep going until the end of March. By then, I usually have a full manuscript that’s clean enough to send out to my beta readers and editor.