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I said my first word "mama". This was the start of my journey.

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Went to Vacation Bible School with my nana. With my brother, cousins, and other fellow churchgoers, we had to read Bible stories and memorize scriptures. These are my earliest memories of reading.

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I read “Holes” by Louis Sachar in fourth grade. It is the first novel I’ve ever read and loved.

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I memorized Homework, Oh Homework!” by Jack Prelutsky in our school-wide poetry competition. I made it to the semi- finals. This made me more confident as a public speaker and a reader.

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I became obsessed with the Goosebumps series. These books made me fall in love with all things horror and scary.

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During my 12th grade AP Literature class, we were assigned the hardest novel ever, Frankenstein. It was difficult to read and comprehend. Even my classmates struggled. So, I gave up on reading Frankenstein and used SparkNotes to understand what was going on. It made me insecure about my reading abilities.

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While studying at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, I was told by my professor that I had horrible writing skills and needed practice. I had a hard time critically thinking. It made me hate writing and reading.

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I got an "A" in my college African American History Course! It was so difficult because there was a ton of reading and writing. But, I enjoyed the challenge and I had a great relationship with my teacher.  This made me fall in love with reading again.

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I used all of my experiences in college, both triumphant and defeats, to write the Senior commencement speech for Michigan State University's College of Education. I was the first Black male student speaker; and This was my proudest moment and the beginning of my speaking career.

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I wrote my first short story titled "Inside the Eye of the Clumsy Dragon" and I submitted to a short story contest. Then, I lost. It made me feel like I was not good at writing fiction stories.

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Common Lit, a nonprofit organization, offered to license my short story, “The Eyes of the Clumsy Dragon”. Knowing that the story resonated with a larger audience made me feel ultra-confident in my own writing and has taught me to never stop believing in my dreams.

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I published my first book, “The First Five: A Love Letter to Teachers”. It has been well received by critics and I have sold thousands of copies of the book. My confidence in regards to my writing has soared.

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I was nominated for an Audie Award in 2023. It really affirmed my authentic writing voice and gave me encouragement to move on.

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I started going to the doctor about struggling to finish books. Based on a test and what I was experiencing, the doctor suggested that I may have dyslexia and ADHD. This helped me understand why I was struggling and encouraged me to not be so hard on myself.

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I traveled to Europe just to get away from the US and to practice my writing. Here, I wrote my own play and then I started to write my own story. This really helped me to see writing in a new way and in a new perspective.

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I bought my first electronic typewriter. This helped me to focus more on drafting than editing. It helped me to become a faster writer and get over writer's block.

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Over the years, my journey with reading and writing has had its fair share of ups and downs. I loved writing has a kid but I  I hated it as a teenager. Rejection and perfectionism worked together to drain the confidence I had in my own writing and reading abilities. It was the same for reading, even as an English teacher. However now, with books published and other opportunities on the way, my confidence in my writing and reading has soared. My hope is that I continue to find time to write my own stories and find books that I love.