The Review Board

The concept of me transferring my usual intense verbal rants into written ones was initially given to me by my therapist. It is hilarious that I can acknowledge her statements years later. Most of the time when I sat across from her, I would leave the positive commentary she gave, in the crevices of the couch. The realizations about my state of mind would rush out the office door before me to make it as difficult as possible for me to make it back home. Maybe the encouraging suggestions that were meant to ignite my spirit ventured out of the office when all the lights were out, and everyone had exited the building. Then unsure of where I resided, a portion of my perspective purpose, wandered around Brooklyn trying to find my voice. It must have been exhausted. All those years searching for the host that had no concern or interest in its’ existence.

Then, by way of Instagram, I found vocal.media. An igniter that stoked passions within me that had long been diminished. This platform has broadened my understanding of my talents. In the past I would tell people that I write poetry, always hesitant to call myself a poet. Vocal has empowered me to proclaim myself a writer. I declare that title with pride. It is in my bio on Instagram and Twitter which sounds like a fact that should be dismissed, but it is not. I never thought Twitter was for me because I assumed nothing I had to say was important enough to be read by the rest of the socially active population. My poems and my short films were for me. I had not been consistently inclined to share my writing to anyone besides my parents. Or better yet, I subconsciously resisted revealing a part of myself that does not fair well in isolation. By making my Instagram account public, I was releasing that same sheltered aspect of my being. I now feel the need to promote my work. To showcase it. To believe in the worth of my words.

That long forgotten recommendation had finally located me. It was probably around 3 in the morning, when my purpose and I ran to one another like Jon and Arya Stark reuniting for the first time in Winterfell in years. Perhaps my therapist was suggesting that I do vlogs or podcasts, but this is the medium I am most comfortable using for now.

I am tapping into endeavors I dreamed of as a child. My mind is constantly brewing with all the possibilities of my capabilities. There is so much I can imagine doing with my writing. I am envisioning my own magazine, highlighting people of color in the most limitless, unaltered, and phenomenal way. The Review Board is merely the beginning. Wouldn’t you want to say you were there from the start? You know like being the one who told your friends that Donald Glover is an emcee with a sick flow and goes by the name Childish Gambino. Like telling your family this new show Sons of Anarchy with a few familiar faces is going to be a great.

The Review Board will be a site people visit to gain excitement around the plethora of amazing things to read, watch, listen to, and eat. It will be the go-to to decide which workouts to try, places to shop, attractions to visit, places to vacation, policies of importance, jobs, etc. It will be a love fest for the parts of society that do not get the acknowledgement it deserves. It will be a world of a healthy intoxication of greatness. Understand that even when a painful topic is being dissected, it will be produced with love, vulnerability, and consideration of others. It will not be superficial delivery of things that have already reached mass popularity, nor should you expect anything pretentious. As a subscriber/reader/ viewer you will get informed, passionate, and empathetic pieces from an intriguing point of view. You can rely on The Review Board to inspire you, spurring more from yourself than you thought possible. Why visit The Review Board over anywhere else? …. The care I have for what I am writing about, will jump from your computer/tablet/phone screen and comfort you in ways you did not know you needed.