“If the kid at 25, living in Buffalo only knew how good life would get…” Almost every night, after I put Cydney to bed, I sat on the steps of 271 Norfolk Ave, on the east side of Buffalo, looked off at the four lights-ECMC-shown in the visible distance. I raised my gaze above Eerie County Medical Center, thanked God for my life, and wondered where and what would I be in a decade. Timile took Cydney with her to her aunt’s house on a late-July, Sunday afternoon. She insisted I took the time to myself to be myself. I worked a full-time job, took Timile to every doctor and chemo appointment, and m ..read more

In the summer of 2020, I started an essay series entitled An Ode to Self-Care. A couple years removed from my 2000-words-a-day regiment, I felt an intuitive urge to get back into shape. I used the My Summer Rewind, a 50-song playlist curated by Spotify, created by tracks I played the most between June and September. My Summer Rewind took the scenic route. My plans were to write them all 50 essays in 50 days. However, I took my time. I downplayed “my dreams of being a music impresario” in one of the final essays; it was too lofty, and I gave it up, for a girl. Towards the end of the piece, I re ..read more

“What did Cydney call you for?” Courtney asked. I had been in a studio session in Queens with my sister and longtime friend, Kristen all day. It was almost midnight and my daughter had not heard from her dad in almost 12 hours. “She called me to ask “Daddy where is my black and white sweater?” and I told her it was in my room on the dresser. I knew she really didn’t call about the sweater; but once she heard you guys say hi, she knew I was alright. She was just calling to see if I was alive.” I replied with a laugh; Courtney and Kristen joined in as well. The three of us did not laugh at my da ..read more

“Wouldn’t it be interesting for the story to begin, just meeting and talking in a coffee shop?” Noiéme inquired. It was a little after 1pm and the shop closed at 12:30 for the day. It seemed as if the two of us lingered and let time stand still for a moment before we went our separate ways. I’d watched her close the shop a few times and it never took her as long as it did this spring afternoon. Noiéme glanced in my direction, perhaps to gauge whether I would react or respond to her question, as she mopped the floor in a casual fashion. “I think that would be a very good story,” I replied after ..read more

Chad Travis Milner, Ten years in business ain’t no chump shit…don’t ever forget it. In the summer of 2012, you were 26, and began to see some light after the darkest 16 months of your life. You became a father February 14, 2011, your partner diagnosed with terminal cancer days later, you moved thrice in seven months in different cities, your mother was diagnosed with cancer five months after your partner, your partner passes away; and after five months of custody hearings in two states, your happily every after could begin. You and I both know that heavy-ass sentence was the cliff-noted versio ..read more

October 31, 2021 To read the original post from 2012, click here. Ten years ago, I left my friend Chase’s apartment in Mt. Rainier, Maryland. As he left for work, I began the final leg of my drive from Buffalo to my new home, Newport News, Virginia. I could have made the 10-hour trek in one afternoon; but I never wanted to move to Virginia. Instead, I opted for one more night of comfort, as I braced myself for the then-unknown future. It is easy to get lost in DC; the streets were designed to make several turns to get to one’s destination. I took one-too-many lefts and rights and found myself ..read more

Around 1am on a humid 4th of July, I waited outside of my friends’ hotel in New Orleans’ French Quarter. I came to New Orleans for my college roommate’s wedding; and after the nuptials, shooting a music video at the reception, and a drink in hand for the past nine hours, it was time to hit the streets and play. As I waited for the rest of my party, I pulled out my phone, pressed record, and focused on a small piece of paper from my wallet, to share on my Instagram stories. “One day I’ll tell the story of this piece of paper and why I keep it in my wallet,” I said in a slow cadence. I am unsure ..read more

“Ayo, quick, give me a topic to write about,” I said to Genevieve at her workplace in Queens. Despite a fortnight of experiences to expound on, I had yet to make my way to the proverbial chair and needed a challenge-or prompt-to coax my thoughts into words onto this very page. Genevieve was quite the conversationalist, so I had a hunch she would be a good catalyst. “I’m thinking about starting a podcast about dating American black men,” Genevieve said in her thick European accent. My eyes widened. It sounded like a great idea, so I asked her to explain. “As someone from Europe, I see how they ..read more

“If the kid at 25, living in Buffalo only knew how good life would get…” Almost every night, after I put Cydney to bed, I sat on the steps of 271 Norfolk Ave, on the east side of Buffalo, looked off at the four lights-ECMC-shown in the visible distance. I raised my gaze above Eerie County Medical Center, thanked God for my life, and wondered where and what would I be in a decade. Timile took Cydney with her to her aunt’s house on a late-July, Sunday afternoon. She insisted I took the time to myself to be myself. I worked a full-time job, took Timile to every doctor and chemo appointment, and m ..read more

In the summer of 2020, I started an essay series entitled An Ode to Self-Care. A couple years removed from my 2000-words-a-day regiment, I felt an intuitive urge to get back into shape. I used the My Summer Rewind, a 50-song playlist curated by Spotify, created by tracks I played the most between June and September. My Summer Rewind took the scenic route. My plans were to write them all 50 essays in 50 days. However, I took my time. I downplayed “my dreams of being a music impresario” in one of the final essays; it was too lofty, and I gave it up, for a girl. Towards the end of the piece, I re ..read more