Hey Ravishing Ones! Nickie, here, founder of the Ravishing Raconteur. Thanks for listening to my first podcast.
Today, I wanted to share a bit more about myself and how my love for writing began.
I started Ravishing Raconteur as a creative outlet to showcase not only my work but also that of other talented authors, songwriters, rappers, and poets. Every week, I’d like to package my passion and share it with you all. Here at RR, we celebrate the writers. People who are not afraid to have fun and express themselves.
If you’d like to be featured on RR, please leave a comment below.
I know you didn’t love the music video for Untitled (How Does It Feel)—I get it. You didn’t want to be seen as a hypersexual singer, but to me, it was artistic, beautiful, and tastefully sexy. That’s what I would say. We, the fans, didn’t mind. We really didn’t. When we said you looked good, it was a compliment, homie. I know you didn’t want to be seen that way, but it showed your versatility as an artist. We still respect you as the singer, songwriter, and producer. It was your caterpillar-to-butterfly moment. You proved your talent with your interpretation of Smokey Robinson’s “Crusin'”. Your rendition of the ultra-jazzy “Get By” was fantastic. You brought poetry with Brown Sugar. The R&B banger “Lady” from the Brown Sugar album was a hit.
It was the year 2000. I remember it vividly—there were about ten of us girls hanging out in a dorm room. Simone was the one who had her space hooked up like a mini-apartment, complete with a big screen. For some reason, we were all together that night, and your video came on. I think she had it saved or something. She asked, “Have you seen that ‘D’Angelo video?” She put it on the video, and I was mesmerized.
A beautiful milk chocolate brotha with thick, neat cornrows and smooth skin. I could tell you’d been doing push-ups, sit-ups, and fasting. You did what it took to look amazing in that video. We all stood there in awe of your sweaty and sultry performance.
I was listening to Tammi Mac from 102.3 KJLH. She talked about the artistic side of that video, and I agree. For me, it was a tasteful way to show vulnerability and sensuality. She mentioned the nods you gave to the Hood, to the Roots, and to Black culture. These nods were your neat cornrows, your cross necklace, and that subtle bling on your left wrist. Of course, your voice was just singing beautifully. Your style and artistry carry deep cultural significance, enriching your music.
People talked about that abrupt ending. I read somewhere that it symbolized a climax, a sudden emotional release. Interesting take.
Anyway, long story that I’m making longer—I went out and bought Voodoo. I was hooked. I played that CD until it couldn’t play anymore. Some parts got scratched, and I had to skip around to hear the rest. Your artistry—man, I’m not big on music vocabulary, but I know good music when I listen to it. You stew in your sound. It’s rich, soulful—like “Chicken Grease.”
Then came Black Messiah 14 years later. I fell in love all over again—so many magical hits like Really Love, Sugah Daddy, and The Door.
You were one of those low-key artists we didn’t hear from often. Still, when you emerged, you were everything. You are definitely a Ravishing Raconteur. Your resilience and dedication to your art are genuinely inspiring.
After hearing Jackie Hill Perry’s latest track, “I Ain’t Worried,” I decided to fulfill my promise to myself to highlight incredible Christian emcees like her. This video popped up on my YouTube feed, and her delivery and wordplay instantly hooked me. With lyrics like:
“Wayne said G’s move in silence like lasagna / Got four babies and they crazy, call me Donda / Some people hate me, others love me / I’m a genre…”
This track definitely had my head bobbing to the beat, and I immediately put it on repeat.
On March 3rd and 10th, I had the privilege of attending the Speaking Our Truth writer’s workshop hosted by St. Elmo Village, a non-profit organization that fosters the arts in West Los Angeles. The event centered around topics such as social justice, cultural diversity, intergenerational connections, and community relationships, where writers from all walks of life came together to share their truths.
During the workshop, I was fortunate to participate in several classes that challenged my writing skills and sparked a personal transformation. The screenwriting class, led by the insightful Rene Rawls, was a revelation. I discovered new ways to build a character’s journey, forever altering how I view films. Dorothy Randall Gray’s ‘Buttons’ class was equally enlightening. Her unique approach to storytelling, based on random buttons, encouraged me to express myself more freely in my writing and life, leaving me with a renewed sense of inspiration and a desire for self-discovery.
The second weekend was just as impactful as the first. Poet and vegan chef V. Kali’s class focused on Poetry. She led an exercise on writing about the color blue, which helped me structure an entire poem, something I hadn’t done in years. Shonda Buchanan, whose work dissects her experience as a Black and Indian woman, led a class to analyze Luis J Rodriguez’s poem “Watts Bleeds” and inspired us to create poems or memoirs.
This workshop was a powerful testament to the transformative power of creativity. The vibrant energy of the talented and passionate participants rekindled my love for writing and reminded me of my initial spark. I left the workshop inspired, energized, and rejuvenated, with a renewed commitment to my craft. If you’re seeking a place to reignite your creative spark and connect with like-minded individuals, this workshop is a must-attend for the rejuvenation and reenergizing it offers.
The Speaking Our Truth writer’s workshop at St. Elmo Village was an unforgettable experience that inspired and empowered me. Through the classes and writing exercises, I was challenged to dig deeper into my writing and explore new ways of expressing myself. The instructors were knowledgeable and passionate about their craft, and their teachings will stay with me for a long time. Being surrounded by such creative and talented individuals was a transformative experience that rekindled my love for writing. I left the workshop feeling energized and renewed, with a newfound commitment to my craft. If you’re looking for inspiration and a supportive community to help you grow as a writer, I recommend attending this workshop in the future.
Black Music Month is going by way too fast! It’s already the end of June. I am not going to let this month pass without indulging in a few more tunes. After hearing Yaya Bey’s new track, “Meet Me In Brooklyn,” on Morning Becomes Eclectic, I had to share it with my ravishing ones. This song is short and sweet with a touch of reggae. Press play to get an earful of this sweet summer treat.
Since it’s Black Music Month, I will highlight some tracks by my favorite songwriters. I will start with PJ Morton’s “Please Don’t Walk Away.” This song is so pure, sincere, and honest. Not only did Morton pen the track, but he also sang and played the keys along with drum programming. The most beautiful part about this track is the symphony of sounds by talented violinists, cellists, saxophonists, trombonists, and others that helped complement the fantastic production.
I read a lovely article on The Marginalian that shared author James Baldwin’s take on the power of love. To me, this is a perfect nod to both Black History Month and Valentine’s Day. He said:
Pretend, for example, that you were born in Chicago and have never had the remotest desire to visit Hong Kong, which is only a name on a map for you; pretend that some convulsion, sometimes called accident, throws you into connection with a man or a woman who lives in Hong Kong; and that you fall in love. Hong Kong will immediately cease to be a name and become the center of your life. And you may never know how many people live in Hong Kong. But you will know that one man or one woman lives there without whom you cannot live. And this is how our lives are changed, and this is how we are redeemed.
What a journey this life is! Dependent, entirely, on things unseen. If your lover lives in Hong Kong and cannot get to Chicago, it will be necessary for you to go to Hong Kong. Perhaps you will spend your life there and never see Chicago again. And you will, I assure you, as long as space and time divide you from anyone you love, discover a great deal about shipping routes, airlines, earthquakes, famine, disease, and war. And you will always know what time it is in Hong Kong, for you love someone who lives there. And love will simply have no choice but to go into battle with space and time and, furthermore, to win.
I’ve watched her blossom since meeting her in 2008. I was a stage manager for a play where she was casted as an angel. Although she was professional, kind, and quiet, she poured her heart onto the stage when it was time to do her scenes, and it is no different today.
The Inglewood-based renaissance woman has released two books, “Bless Your Sweet Bones” and “The Humble Commode: Poems & Prose to Start Your Day,” actively performs her poetry in Los Angeles, and is a fantastic worship leader at our church home, Crenshaw Christian Center.
The USC alum shared how she built her stage presence, discovered her gifts, and the power of words.
Ravishing Raconteur: Please share with us the moment you decided to become a writer, singer, and actor. Did you quickly recognize that you were talented in all three areas, or did you hone each gift over time?
Melaina Williams: As a little girl, I was always doing something creative from making my family watch me perform to writing poetry. I used to write in my journals that I wanted to be an “inspirational poet and an entrepreneur.” I have my parents to thank for encouraging my creativity and helping me to hone my gifts by welcoming my at-home performances, placing me in choir, taking me to museums and exposing me to literature that introduced me to Phyllis Wheatley and Maya Angelou; all of it to spark the creative spaces I am present in today. I honed my skills by studying creative writing and theatre in college, intensely researching the work of those artists who inspired me and investing in vocal coaching and other skill building courses. I am still honing each of these skills because you never stop learning or developing your voice. Constant change is happening in you and around you.
RR: I’ve seen you perform various times over the years – and your performances are powerful. How did you build a strong stage presence?
MW: I have watched and studied artists and performers who captivate audiences and ask myself, “What are they doing that won’t allow me to turn away or tune out?” The answer would be that they are honest, know their purpose or their goal, know how to tell a story and are tapping into the soul of a thing. So, when I write and perform, I ask myself if all these parts are present. When it’s time to perform, there is a surrender to what I know as the Holy Spirit, to carry me in the work that has been inspired by that same Spirit.
RR: What advice would you give someone who has a body of work but is afraid to share it with the world?
MW: When it scares you, you have something. You’re saying something, when you are unnerved by what you have created. And if the fear is that maybe people won’t like it, you’re right. Maybe they won’t. And guess, what? Maybe they will. My husband likes to call it “telling stories” and this is the one time where “telling stories” is a complete “no, no.” Don’t make up a story that has not happened. Live the story out. And if it “fails,” you have succeeded at following through with lessons learned for the next creative project.
“Real Music” by Melaina Williamsfrom “Bless Your Sweet Bones”
RR: You write a lot of soul-stirring poems! You have noted Gwendolyn Brooks as your influence in your writing. What was it about her work that makes you want to grab a pen and create?
MW: Gwendolyn Brooks knows how to take the mundane things of life and make them miraculous. She wakes you up to the marvelousness of the human experience while still keeping the simple and delicateness of that same experience. She intrigued me with her voice and her consistency as a writer.
RR: From your book, “Bless Your Sweet Bones,” inspired by your late grandmother, Jewel Hines, you wrote something powerful that I’d like for you to explain: “We are composed of our mothers and grandmothers and teachers and girlfriends and boyfriends and mentors and enemies’ words. I guess that’s why it’s so important we be aware of the words we allow to stay in our hearts and minds. Sooner or later, they start to define us.”
MW: Words are powerful. They have life. When words are spoken to you or by you, they can create excitement, fear, inspiration and so much more. Throughout writing “Bless Your Sweet Bones,” I reminisced on the great words of affirmation I received from family and friends; words that encouraged me and kept me going. I also remember the words that cut but because I had a strong foundation of affirming words from those who I respected, I was able to dismiss the words that would only create doubt and stop me from creating or moving forward. There is a big difference between constructive criticism and negative words. Constructive criticism is my friend even when she annoys me because she’s making me better, helping me to edit, erasing the ego. Negative words cause self-doubt and can become a block for creativity. Words are so important and I have learn to guard which words get to stay because they indeed define you and your future.
“Nappy Gratitude” by Melaina Williams
RR: I listened to the Savvy Creative podcast, where you said a lot of your writing happens on the commode, which inspired your first book, “The Humble Commode.” LOL. What does your writing process look like today as a wife and mom?
MW: My writing process as a mother and a wife is definitely different. I was writing every morning like clock work. I also was quite tough on myself about it. Now, I am writing but with a lot more grace for myself. I set a goal to write every morning but if my daughter decides that it will be playtime, I set it aside until the end of the day. Or sometimes the next day. And that is okay. Because wellness, especially during a pandemic and increased social unrest, grace for yourself is one of the best things you can do to find mental, emotional and spiritual peace. I remember when the BLM demonstrations began for George Floyd, there was such a pain that I was needing to feel and pressure to write something, to say something but some of that felt like social pressure. “If I don’t say something now, then people will think I am not supporting the movement.” “Everyone else is saying something, I need to say something.” I’ve learned that saying something or writing something out of expectation has no soul. It’s people pleasing. I make sure my writing is solely because I have something to say. When I did write, it was honest, in my voice and said something people connected to. The writing process for me is being intentionally present and ready to write and not write. Whatever the moment calls for.
RR: You’ve published all of your projects independently. What are the key steps one must take to publish independently?
MW: My first book, “Bless Your Sweet Bones” was published by World Stage Press. My second book, The Humble Commode” was a chapbook (self-published).
Interestingly, “The Humble Commode” was published as a chapbook after I had my first book published, which usually isn’t the writing timeline, but I found that I wanted to get thoughts out quickly about “letting go.” I wasn’t interested in shopping the book more than I was about sharing work and creating a healing experience. So, the chapbook in itself was a symbol of “letting go” and releasing the pressures of life. There was a great joy and feeling of accomplishment to create each book by hand. Every fold, staple, choice of font, design on the page was created by me. It was a special experience, and I am glad I chose to do it.
I am not fully versed in the self-published world but so I don’t have any real key steps. The steps I took for my chapbook was building the work. Designing using design sites like Canva. Funds to print or pay for printing. There are sites that can make this way easier than the process I took. Writers really have many avenues to getting read.
RR: Bonus question: What upcoming projects are you working on that you’d like to share with us?
MW: I am working on finalizing the edits on my two act play for production. I am also interested in writing a creative work about womanhood and motherhood. And maybe get some time to travel and write in the near future.
“Bloom” by Melaina Williams from “Bless Your Sweet Bones”
Learn more about Melaina on her Instagram page: @melainawilliams. You can purchase her books on Amazon.com and WorldStagePress.org.
If you or someone you know wants to be featured on Ravishing Raconteur, please email me at nicole@ravishingraconteur.com.
“Like Chinua Achebe said, ‘you have only four options as a Nigerian: be a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer, or disappointment, so, congratulations.'” Says Comedian-Actress Yvonne Orji to a group of friends in her HBO Comedy Special, “Momma, I Made It!”
With the repetitive news headlines on the Corona Virus, massive protests for Black lives, and skyrocketing unemployment rates, laughter and inspiration are what the world needs, and Orji serve it up hot and fresh.
Orji, who plays Molly Carter from HBO’s Insecure, shared in an interview with Fast Company that initially she didn’t think now was a good time to release her special. She shared, “I had a moment of like, this is probably coming out like at the worst time. But this is actually the best time because people need levity, and they need a moment of collective laughter.”
Adorned in a fly leather blazer dress by Nigerian Designer, Laurence Bass, Orji stylishly graced the stage of The Howard Theatre in Washington D.C. to share the beautiful complexities of being a Nigerian-American. I love that she and the producers filmed segments of her visit to Nigeria, and she interlaced glimpses of her stay throughout her set. This gave her witty jokes a colorful context. She taught viewers how to haggle at a market, braid hair, ask (or not ask) for directions, and end an argument – the Nigerian way.
Her trip also included visiting her parents, which was a big part of her set. Some people may find it rude or insensitive to make fun of their parents, but Orji sees it as an endearment. She said, “I will continue to make fun of them on stage because they are my money-maker (laughs). I am still fortunate to still have my mom and dad with me, I hope it’s for a long-long time. But for me, these moments are special. I get to share them and share their story with, not just myself, but with the world.”
A pivotal part of her set is when she described the constant parental pressures she faced as a child to be a straight-A student, and as a single adult, she now faces another hurdle: currently not married with zero children. Orji, who has a Master’s Degree in Public Health, said, “when you have the pressure of your parents, in any way, shape, or form, either it’s to succeed or to get your life together. That is a huge motivating factor. But then it’s also the reason you need therapy.”
But now, with her career on the rise, she can shout, “Momma, I Made It!” Hopefully, her success can hold them over until she meets, “The One.”
If you are looking for a good laugh, watch “Momma, I Made It,” out now on HBOMAX.
Ravishing Raconteur 