What a summer!
The summer began with my son’s return from the Middle East. He got off that airplane now man-size and full of wit and sarcasm. I’m happy to be a mom again. Having a 13-year-old eight grader keeps me relevant. I now know more than I ever imagined about YouTube and gaming.
This season was abundant with creative accomplishments. I had the joy of speaking with a friend and fellow writer, Aisha Saeed, about her YA novel, Written in the Stars, and her role in the We Need Diverse Books Campaign. Aisha is also included in Faithfully Feminist: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Feminists on Why We Stay (August 2015). The anthology features my essay, “Speaking Forward.” I produced a podcast with several contributors, and you can listen to that here.
One of the most…unexpected developments of the summer: I became a storyteller. Like, on stage. I participated in my first story slam, and won. Then, I participated in another event. In a totally surprising development, I was invited to be part of The Monti’s season opener. This is sort of a big deal. I had great fun crafting a story and performing in front of a sold out crowd on September 12th. I have another storytelling event lined up at an October fundraiser, and then a late 2015 local grand story slam ( a showcase of all story slam winners). This storytelling stuff started out as a “this looks like fun I’ll think I’ll try it” and quickly morphed into a thang.
And, on the subject of story, I’m giddy with excitement to head to my first writing residency at the end of this month. I have a cabin in the mountains for a week to work on my memoir. This summer has been one of story; I welcome the change of season, the cooler weather, by finally writing mine down.
Deonna Kelli Sayed 
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