1 00:00:05,120 --> 00:00:07,320 Speaker 1: Hey, this is Annie and Samantha Brook your stuff. I 2 00:00:07,360 --> 00:00:08,720 Speaker 1: never told your protection. I heard you. 3 00:00:18,640 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 2: And welcome to another activist around the world. And I 4 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:25,120 Speaker 2: was informed this weekend by a good poet friend of mine. Yes, 5 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:28,639 Speaker 2: local Atlanta poet Nate. Shout out to Nate. That is 6 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:32,400 Speaker 2: National Poetry Appreciation Month, which I did not know. Y'all 7 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:33,839 Speaker 2: would try to keep up with all these things, but 8 00:00:34,040 --> 00:00:36,280 Speaker 2: sometimes there's a lot of things at the same time. 9 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:41,400 Speaker 2: But because it is National Poetry Appreciation Month, we wanted 10 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:45,120 Speaker 2: to highlight a poet who came across my fip on TikTok. 11 00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:47,240 Speaker 2: I thought she was based out of Atlanta. She's actually 12 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:49,800 Speaker 2: based out of Florida, and we wanted to take some 13 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:53,120 Speaker 2: time to celebrate her work and her amazing book, Shintasha 14 00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:56,120 Speaker 2: Naomi Lane. Here's a bit of information from her site 15 00:00:56,320 --> 00:01:00,840 Speaker 2: Shintasha Lane dot com. Meet Shintasha Naomi Lane, author of 16 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:03,760 Speaker 2: Not a Monolith Poems and Musings of a Black Woman, 17 00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:08,440 Speaker 2: her debut poetry book. Shintasha Naomi Lange was born in Brampton, Canada, 18 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:12,400 Speaker 2: but primarily raised in Orlando, Florida. Shintasha is the eldest 19 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:15,320 Speaker 2: of six children. Grew up in a Jamaican household surrounded 20 00:01:15,319 --> 00:01:18,679 Speaker 2: by many matriarchs in her youth. She moved several times 21 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:22,440 Speaker 2: during her childhood, attending sixteen schools K through eighth grade, 22 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:26,640 Speaker 2: which attributed to her adaptability. Dang Shintasha takes pride in 23 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:30,120 Speaker 2: being a daughter, a granddaughter, niece, friend, confidante, and above all, 24 00:01:30,319 --> 00:01:33,880 Speaker 2: the eldest sister and bonus mom. Shintasha graduated from the 25 00:01:33,959 --> 00:01:36,800 Speaker 2: University of Florida, where she obtained a bachelor's degree in 26 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:40,880 Speaker 2: health science. While her Tipoma currently collects dust in the 27 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:43,800 Speaker 2: closet at her home in Tampa. I appreciate that I 28 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:47,640 Speaker 2: just found my degree just down about. That's like a 29 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:51,919 Speaker 2: problem with that somewhere. And yes, we actually purchased her book. 30 00:01:52,440 --> 00:01:55,640 Speaker 2: Really loved what she was giving. She read some bits 31 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:58,800 Speaker 2: off of it on her TikTok page and I was like, yeah, 32 00:01:58,800 --> 00:02:01,280 Speaker 2: I must have this. She also signed copies. I got 33 00:02:01,320 --> 00:02:03,960 Speaker 2: the signed copy because you know, I wanted the special special. 34 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:06,960 Speaker 2: So this is a little bit from her book where 35 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:10,200 Speaker 2: she thanks the reader again. The book is called Not 36 00:02:10,280 --> 00:02:13,760 Speaker 2: a Monolith Poones and Musings of a Black Woman. She writes, 37 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:16,840 Speaker 2: dear reader, thank you and welcome to Not a Monolith. 38 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:20,280 Speaker 2: This project revealed itself sometime in early twenty twenty, both 39 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:22,720 Speaker 2: in the quiet and the madness of that year. As 40 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:25,120 Speaker 2: the death soles steady climbed in the forefront of Lives 41 00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:27,560 Speaker 2: while the Battle for Black Lives was being broadcast for 42 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:30,600 Speaker 2: all to see, I became enraged at the world around me. 43 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:34,000 Speaker 2: I returned to what I've always known writing, whether it 44 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:37,680 Speaker 2: be diary, intrigues, essays, stories, and eventually poems, the written 45 00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:40,760 Speaker 2: word has always allowed me to center myself. Over the 46 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:43,400 Speaker 2: next three years, I would struggled with depression, anxiety, and 47 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:46,280 Speaker 2: general dissatisfaction with the state of the world. Like millions 48 00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:49,720 Speaker 2: of others, I took many hiatuses while creating this project 49 00:02:49,760 --> 00:02:53,000 Speaker 2: and thought this idea might never materialize, But I knew 50 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:55,360 Speaker 2: I had to publish this works as it firmly planted 51 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:58,480 Speaker 2: itself in my psyche. Not a day could pass without 52 00:02:58,480 --> 00:03:01,840 Speaker 2: me thinking about Not a Monolith. The intention behind it 53 00:03:01,919 --> 00:03:04,440 Speaker 2: Not a Monolith is to express an authentic range of 54 00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:06,959 Speaker 2: life experiences through the cultural lens of a black woman. 55 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:10,120 Speaker 2: Throughout these four sections, my hope is that you discover 56 00:03:10,240 --> 00:03:13,720 Speaker 2: relatable stories I dreamed that Not a Monolith Poems and 57 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:16,280 Speaker 2: Musings of a Black Woman contributes to the greater phenomenon 58 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:19,480 Speaker 2: we found ourselves in again as a Black renaissance with 59 00:03:19,720 --> 00:03:23,919 Speaker 2: love Shintasha Naomi Lane, And yes, I think she does 60 00:03:23,960 --> 00:03:26,720 Speaker 2: a fantastic job in that. And with that, I thought 61 00:03:26,760 --> 00:03:29,679 Speaker 2: we would take some time to read a couple because 62 00:03:29,720 --> 00:03:32,280 Speaker 2: of obviously we need you to buy this book, We're 63 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:35,280 Speaker 2: just going to give you teasers of what poems really 64 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:37,760 Speaker 2: spoke to us. So any did you pick out one 65 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:38,160 Speaker 2: for us? 66 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:42,360 Speaker 1: I did, And just to explain a little bit more, 67 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:45,120 Speaker 1: it is split into sections that are kind of based 68 00:03:45,160 --> 00:03:49,720 Speaker 1: on emotions or themes. It was a tough It was 69 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:51,520 Speaker 1: tough to pick out one. I had a couple of 70 00:03:51,600 --> 00:03:54,320 Speaker 1: final contenders, but I did choose one that's a. 71 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:55,320 Speaker 2: Little sad. 72 00:03:57,760 --> 00:04:00,760 Speaker 1: And also the length varies pretty widely, which I like. 73 00:04:01,640 --> 00:04:04,560 Speaker 1: But this one is called make a safe space for us. 74 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:07,920 Speaker 1: You declare protection, Yet it is us who are left 75 00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:10,920 Speaker 1: carrying in the streets, left to live with the PTSD 76 00:04:11,080 --> 00:04:13,720 Speaker 1: of all the women before and all the women who 77 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:17,559 Speaker 1: will tragically befriend the wrong man, walk down a wrong path, 78 00:04:17,839 --> 00:04:21,039 Speaker 1: drink the wrong drink, wear the wrong dress, say the 79 00:04:21,080 --> 00:04:25,320 Speaker 1: wrong thing, And will it be you that makes it right? 80 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:29,479 Speaker 1: Will it be you? Who holds friends accountable? Or is 81 00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:30,800 Speaker 1: it all pageantry? 82 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:35,080 Speaker 2: It is a little sad. That's deep questions, deep deep questions. 83 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:38,000 Speaker 2: One of the ones that I picked out is called 84 00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:40,880 Speaker 2: the breaking Point, which she did feature on one of 85 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:44,640 Speaker 2: her videos on TikTok, which was like, yes, I need this, 86 00:04:44,760 --> 00:04:47,120 Speaker 2: so I thought I would do it too. The breaking 87 00:04:47,160 --> 00:04:51,719 Speaker 2: point be free. The alternative is lethal. There's so much 88 00:04:51,760 --> 00:04:55,960 Speaker 2: more cultural philosophy. Curiosity is waiting on us. How much 89 00:04:56,000 --> 00:04:59,800 Speaker 2: longer can we endure this continued imprisonment? Among the tortured 90 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:03,320 Speaker 2: who realized this is not living. We've been drowning for 91 00:05:03,360 --> 00:05:06,720 Speaker 2: so long, been trapped for so long. Hear them whispering, 92 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:10,720 Speaker 2: please rest, And I thought, she also has these little 93 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:13,200 Speaker 2: musings on here, and this one really spoke to me 94 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:16,880 Speaker 2: because I understood it is as amusing? Is number sixteen 95 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:19,880 Speaker 2: this or that? And it's am I depressed? Or is 96 00:05:19,920 --> 00:05:21,880 Speaker 2: it these birth control side effects? 97 00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:24,599 Speaker 1: Yes, it's so real. 98 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:27,760 Speaker 2: It's so real. And I was like, no, really, what 99 00:05:27,839 --> 00:05:30,200 Speaker 2: is wrong with me? Is it because of this? Or 100 00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:31,840 Speaker 2: is it because of the pills I'm having to take? 101 00:05:32,400 --> 00:05:36,520 Speaker 2: And then one other one is they shall appear. Sometimes 102 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:39,200 Speaker 2: we forget the power of our own tongue. How many 103 00:05:39,240 --> 00:05:42,640 Speaker 2: times have we spoken life into the unknown for certainty 104 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:47,039 Speaker 2: from the uncertain? Our tongue a tool of unimaginable influence, 105 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:51,440 Speaker 2: a weapon to yield brilliantly. I thought that was very powerful, 106 00:05:51,680 --> 00:05:55,640 Speaker 2: and obviously that's what she's doing with this book. Again, 107 00:05:55,760 --> 00:05:59,359 Speaker 2: I think it's really worth investing in with like poets 108 00:05:59,560 --> 00:06:02,040 Speaker 2: who are are trying to create their brand, who are 109 00:06:02,160 --> 00:06:05,320 Speaker 2: writing things that are beautiful and needed in this time 110 00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:08,680 Speaker 2: of darkness. As a person from the South, as a 111 00:06:08,680 --> 00:06:12,320 Speaker 2: person from Florida, I understand the depth of pain. Like 112 00:06:12,320 --> 00:06:16,320 Speaker 2: there's a whole different level of pain coming from arias 113 00:06:16,360 --> 00:06:19,760 Speaker 2: like this which seem to really really really want to 114 00:06:19,839 --> 00:06:24,000 Speaker 2: deepen the divide, especially when it comes to people of color, 115 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:26,440 Speaker 2: especially when it comes to Black women, especially when it 116 00:06:26,440 --> 00:06:31,080 Speaker 2: comes to the marginalized community, and having these moments to 117 00:06:32,040 --> 00:06:36,080 Speaker 2: being able to center yourself is difficult. So we wanted 118 00:06:36,120 --> 00:06:40,200 Speaker 2: to celebrate Lane's work. So you can find her on 119 00:06:40,240 --> 00:06:44,040 Speaker 2: her site Shintasha Lane dot com, which is s h 120 00:06:44,200 --> 00:06:47,359 Speaker 2: A n t A s h A l i I 121 00:06:47,480 --> 00:06:50,920 Speaker 2: n G dot com. We can find her book, her 122 00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:53,479 Speaker 2: debut book, which is amazing. With all of her poetry, 123 00:06:53,640 --> 00:06:57,640 Speaker 2: you can write stories from her own life, about her 124 00:06:57,720 --> 00:07:01,800 Speaker 2: what her travels, how her how she came upon writing 125 00:07:01,839 --> 00:07:06,760 Speaker 2: this book. The process again one of the post's origins, 126 00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:09,920 Speaker 2: how my year in China resparked my poetry, which is 127 00:07:09,960 --> 00:07:14,280 Speaker 2: a fantastic bit an insight about her poetry and about 128 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:16,480 Speaker 2: how she came about it. So I think it's really 129 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:20,520 Speaker 2: interesting and really important that we do have more and 130 00:07:20,680 --> 00:07:23,360 Speaker 2: more voices out there, and that we are listening to 131 00:07:23,400 --> 00:07:26,120 Speaker 2: these voices, and that we are uplifting these voices by 132 00:07:26,160 --> 00:07:29,200 Speaker 2: buying and purchasing and supporting them as well. As she's 133 00:07:29,200 --> 00:07:30,640 Speaker 2: saying to review, I haven't done that yet, so I 134 00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:34,200 Speaker 2: need to go find somewhere to review. I think since 135 00:07:34,200 --> 00:07:36,360 Speaker 2: I bought it through the TikTok shop, one of the 136 00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:39,320 Speaker 2: few purchases that I've ever done on TikTok, I've been 137 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:42,600 Speaker 2: making fun of my partner, who buys a lot from TikTok, 138 00:07:42,680 --> 00:07:45,160 Speaker 2: but this is one of the few purchases that I 139 00:07:45,320 --> 00:07:47,320 Speaker 2: had found that I was like, yes, this is a 140 00:07:47,400 --> 00:07:50,920 Speaker 2: Christmas present for both Annie and I, so very excited, 141 00:07:51,120 --> 00:07:53,520 Speaker 2: but you should take time to go and check it out. 142 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:56,920 Speaker 2: The cover art is really really beautiful too, and that 143 00:07:57,120 --> 00:08:01,720 Speaker 2: was actually done by Chelsea Simone and it's a beautiful artwork. 144 00:08:01,800 --> 00:08:04,160 Speaker 2: So take some time, go check her out, Go buy 145 00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:05,960 Speaker 2: this book and then let us know what your thinking 146 00:08:06,120 --> 00:08:09,520 Speaker 2: and as well as what your favorite whole miss. 147 00:08:09,240 --> 00:08:11,960 Speaker 1: Yes, because you know we love poetry over here and 148 00:08:12,040 --> 00:08:15,800 Speaker 1: so let us know. Recommendations also welcome. Yes, Well. You 149 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:18,520 Speaker 1: can email us at Hello at Stuff onondevertoltre dot com, 150 00:08:18,680 --> 00:08:21,840 Speaker 1: or you can find us on Blue Sky at Master podcast, 151 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:24,920 Speaker 1: or on Instagram and TikTok at Stuff I've Never Told You. 152 00:08:25,080 --> 00:08:26,680 Speaker 1: We're also on YouTube. We have a tea public store, 153 00:08:26,680 --> 00:08:28,360 Speaker 1: and we have a book you get wherever you get 154 00:08:28,360 --> 00:08:31,320 Speaker 1: new books. Thanks as always to our superdue Christina, Executive 155 00:08:31,320 --> 00:08:32,720 Speaker 1: pducer My and a contributor Joey. 156 00:08:32,840 --> 00:08:33,200 Speaker 2: Thank you. 157 00:08:33,720 --> 00:08:35,599 Speaker 1: Thanks to you for listening Stuff I Never Told You 158 00:08:35,640 --> 00:08:37,679 Speaker 1: xpection by her Radio. For more podcasts on my heart Radio, 159 00:08:37,720 --> 00:08:39,480 Speaker 1: you can check out the heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 160 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:48,840 Speaker 1: or where you listen to your favorite shows.