Month: September 2019

Posted in Culture, Family

Prom: But Make it Culture

Posted on by Rachelle Saint Louis

So, it’s been a hot minute since I went to prom and I was reminiscing with all the pictures on my feed a few months back. I went to prom both junior and senior year of high school. Junior year, I went super simple with a black dress and makeup I did myself. This was before I knew the difference between day looks and night looks, so please don’t judge me if those pics every resurface.

Senior year, my mom helped me go all out. We brought our A-game. I was given the opportunity for a prom she’d never had. I’m talking custom-tailored dress, face beat, a professional photographer, and a Mercedes for the night. I didn’t get to drive it, though. Prom was truly a night to remember.

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Posted in Community

3 Reasons You Need to Support Local Bookstores

Posted on by Rachelle Saint Louis

I always wanted to be the kind of person that shopped at local bookstores and had tote bags with quotes on the cover. Growing up, that idea was never something that fit into our family’s budget. But now, I’m an adult.

There’s a bookstore that opened up downtown about two years ago that I’d completely forgot about. When I started visiting it this summer, I learned so much about the importance of supporting independent bookstores. Todd, who works at The Book Cellar, even let me take a few pictures of him.

Here are three reasons you should support local bookstores, too!

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Posted in Community, Culture

Open Mics in Coffee Shops

Posted on by Rachelle Saint Louis

I am a Spoken Word artist. Writing has always been a part of who I am. I wrote my first short story in second grade, it was about a land of flying turtles. I’m pretty sure I modeled parts of it after Avatar: the Last Airbender.

In middle school, I had the gift of an amazing English teacher. She introduced our class to the workings of Langston Hughes. Before then, I had only known of Shakespeare and Emily Dickinson. I wrote my first poem in seventh grade and published it on Wattpad immediately. Those were the days when Wattpad was really poppin’.

Freshman year of high school, I started hearing about this Spoken Word Poetry Club. I didn’t even know that was a thing. So I went to a meeting of these so-called poets and immediately fell in love. I started writing that same day so I could come back the next week with a piece. I was so scared to perform, even if it was just in front of ten classmates. But one day, I did.

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Posted in Commuter Chronicles, Culture, Family, The Writer's Block, Travel

My Haitian Vacation: A Return to the Motherland

Posted on by Rachelle Saint Louis

I wouldn’t consider my summer one of the Hot Girl variety, but it was a fun one, nonetheless. This summer was one of travel, adventure, and newness. It was also my first time out of the country in six years.

I went on a cruise at the start that gave me a small taste of Haiti. Labadee was the tourist side of my ancestral plane, but it was also a place where I could hear the melodies of my native tongue.

I drew a close to the summer engulfed in Her beauty. The week I spent there was what I can only describe as complete cultural immersion. So before I get into the happenings, let’s get some backstory.

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