Each vignette is basically a scene from something that happened in my research. It’s the who, what, where, when, why, and how of a particular moment. Each email is around two minutes (or less) of events and occasions that can last anywhere from one hour to four hours.

It’s also why the film I’m making to accompany my dissertation centers the stories of Black women pole dancers who have grown up in dance ministries and are still actively involved in church spaces.

did not write fiction before I started my PhD program. Now, I’ve finished two short stories, and I’m working on a novel.

But also, writing a creative nonfiction essay is both easier and more enjoyable for me than writing a more traditional journal article. The longer I’m in academia, the more it feels like my brain is rejecting academic writing.

Some would say that those churches wouldn’t be considered “the Black Church” because they don’t have a Black theology, but I think it’s important to wrestle with the number of churches w/ majority Black congregants & cultural practices that often promote anti-Black theologies.

And the even sadder part is that he goes to one of the largest churches in my hometown.

I was talking w/ my mom the other day about how people will say they want me to come preach when they hear that I’m a minister. I am a very particular type of preacher. I’m not for everybody’s church. I am grateful for spaces where I can be the full person God called me to be!