Woman of Color, a Giveaway.

It’s a special kind of thrill to have a book written by a dear friend sitting on my nightstand. A book, as I’ve said, isn’t so different than a baby. There’s the waiting and wondering for one thing. The labor. The delivery. The bursting pride, the nervous flutter, the simultaneous urge to shout your joy from the rooftops and to protect your precious charge from the wide world.

This week, one of my very dearest friends published her first book, Woman of Color. It’s been such a thrill to watch this volume of magic come to life. I had the privilege of reading some passages as LaTonya wrote them, and to devour the manuscript in its entirety last fall.

Here, a few words I wrote after that first reading:

LaTonya’s book, like LaTonya herself, defies definition. It’s one part memoir, one part style guide, one part glimpse into the kind of everyday magic that anyone who knows LaTonya has experienced in real time. In these pages, LaTonya tells her own story with clarity and strength at the same time that she invites other women into the room to share theirs. In her characteristic style, LaTonya portrays a world that’s bright, colorful, exuberant, and nuanced. She reminds us of the tools we have at our fingertips to access joy, honor pain, navigate loss, and ultimately, to triumph.  

I’m so happy today to spread a bit of that joy, a bit of that power, a bit of the magic embodied by my dear friend. We’re giving away one copy of Woman of Color on my Instagram page. Head there for the full details on how to enter. [GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED AND A WINNER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.]

PS. If you’re local, Latonya and I will be in conversation at Books are Magic on Friday, May 10! Mark your calendars and come chat with us!