PlaylistsApr 19, 20264 min
The After-Hours Playlist, Vol. III
Sade. Solange. A little Erykah. The records I draft to.
Featured · Writing
On Writing the Body Without Writing the Body
There's a difference between erotic and explicit. The first leaves room for the reader.
I learned to write desire the way a jazz pianist learns to leave space — by trusting the silence to do half the work. The point of a love scene is not what is shown; it is what is felt next.
May 02, 20266 min
Read the Essay"I write at 11:47 p.m. because that is when I stop translating myself — and start telling the truth."
— C.J. Noir
The Archive
Everything written so far
8 entries
Playlists
Behind the ScenesApr 04, 20268 min
Why Atlanta, Always Atlanta
Some cities are settings. This one is a character.
CharactersMar 21, 20269 min
Inside Alexis: The Geometry of Wanting Quietly
A character study of the woman at the center of Ombré Desires.
Black FemininityMar 09, 20267 min
On Black Femininity as Architecture
We were never the décor. We were always the building.
SensualityFeb 22, 20265 min
The Architecture of a Slow Burn
Tension is a building. You don't rush a building.
PublishingFeb 08, 202610 min
Letters from the Submission Pile
What no one tells you about getting a debut into the world.
Late NightJan 25, 20263 min
11:47 P.M.
A late-night dispatch from the desk.
Soft LifeJan 11, 20265 min
Soft Life Is Not the Absence of Work
On rest as resistance, and the small luxuries of Sunday.
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One letter a week. Sometimes a playlist. Always a sentence worth saving.