People always say time heals. Time doesn't necessarily heal anything. It allows you to manage things. There are occasions where you feel the pain as if it just happened, but you know that it's a fleeting moment.
Gratitude is one of the greatest gifts we can give. And it's not a gift we often give to children. We expect it of them, but we don't necessarily give it back.
Grief is like mending a knee. You can mend the knee and make it function, but the knee never actually heals.
I grew up around a whole bunch of girls, and one thing I realized is what they had on their plate was very different than what I had on mine. The things girls are made to be responsible for is a heavy burden - take care of your younger siblings, do good in school, have some extracurriculars. The pressure is intense.
I wanted to be Langston Hughes.
The literary world has to compete with YouTube, Instagram, PlayStation, Xbox, Hulu.
Boston is pretty infamous for race relations.
The people who know me do not ask me about the next book or how it's going. They ask, 'Jason, are you sleeping?' because they know my brain will not shut down.
I read 'The Young Landlords' and felt almost a chemical change. What I realized while reading that book was that I could write in my voice, use my tongue, my language, my style, and write a story.
'To Kill a Mockingbird' wasn't about me.
The truth is, my life was made infinitely more difficult because I didn't read any books. But I didn't read any books. That's my story. That's my truth.
It's naive of adults to believe that young people aren't aware of what is going on in the world. The best thing we can do is confront that to help them navigate it. We can help them say, 'These things are happening. What does that mean for your life?'
When I was a kid, I couldn't see life outside ramen noodles and Kool-Aid.
The feeling of self-discovery, for me, is perennial.
When Black Lives Matter started, it was polarizing.
Rap music was and is, for me, everything.
Rap music was a savior to me.
I wanted to be a poet. I fell in love with poetry around eight years old, but not through literature. Instead, it came through hip-hop lyrics and my obsession with reading liner notes. Queen Latifah's 'Black Reign' is the album that stands out the most.
The idea of the mask in any scenario has always fascinated me. Not only does it protect identity, it also allows one to hide.
Rappers were my storytellers.
