ICYMI

• What to know about the first week of a trial in the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur

• Hard-Wired for Giving

• My First A’s Game in West Sacramento

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2025 The Nexus Unbound

While the PR people don’t like retrospectives, there’s nothing like seeing art revisited to make some of us excited for the next installation. 2025 was the celebratory 2nd year for Nexus and Black Art Week coinciding with San Francisco’s Museum of African Diaspora’s (MOAD) 20th anniversary.

Being fortunate to hear the opening remarks from SF arts commissioner Ralph Remington and executive director Monetta White, showed me there was some magic in seeing the early stages as MoAD was breathing life into the exhibition.

You can read more about the third year, which starts September 2026, in Essence magazine here.

Revisiting the photos, gave me pause about what the future of art, particularly Black art has to look forward this upcoming year. The resonating feature for 2025 was Mikeal Owaunna’s Infinite Essence.

The 2025 exhibition was blue lights of churning matter, angelic bodies and stardust into form that felt visceral. It took on a new understanding for POC’s of what creating and falling apart can feel like.

The 2025 exhibition ended August 2026 and changed in September as the new exhibition for Nexus and Black Art week rolls in.

A separate part of the Nexus was the exhibition at SFO’s international terminal which ends it’s run October 2026. The Women of Afrofuturism exhibition features Black women who shaped the storytelling and art that we know as Afrofuturism.

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ICYMI

• S.F. Mayor Lurie unveils first big haul of private funds to address homelessness

• California Attorney General Says He’s Considering a New Way to Stop Trump’s Hollywood Tariff Plan

• Former Supreme Court Justice David Souter, a Republican who became a liberal favorite, dies at 85

Sometime in August 2023 a meeting of the minds happened in the grove deep in San Francisco’s Golden Gate park. We, the audience, were surrounded by redwood trees, sunlight and birds. The tallest of the redwoods held the sunlight back and the room between them created a breeze to remind us that full and intentional listening was required. The small audience nestled underneath them awaiting our journey into the discussion about “Nature Swagger”.

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The founder of Outdoor Afro and author of “Nature Swagger” Rue Mapp was in a discussion with Phil Gingsburg, director of San Francisco’s Parks and Recreation.

The talk made me think about my connection to the outdoors and hiking as she answered why she wanted more Black people to connect with nature. Rue explained her philosophical beliefs that the reason more Black people didn't get outdoors was perception of not having enough time.

I understood this to mean having free time that didn't involve driving kids to practice or the overwhelming exhaustion of being in a rut. My definition of “enough time” is limited to my own understanding that not everyone has the same hours in the day, regardless of what the Internet memes or influencers would have us to believe.

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When Rue created Outdoor Afro in 2009 the road was right in front of her. I believe listening to her she understood there were others behind her as well. Rue explained she needed to create something new and use her own experiences to forge a path.

That day in the middle of the grove, I also met a man that raised cattle and owned a slaughter house. It was in that moment of the discussion, that I remembered there are some experiences that people have to be introduced to in order for them to experience them. Rue explained her experiences of hunting and learning the difficulty of hunting, shooting and killing a deer was an invitation that opened the world opened up to her.

Somewhere in that discussion about her journey, I understood just as Rue did in her role and purpose of creating Outdoor Afro. She was forging a new path which meant saying yes to the possibility that someone else was watching. She understood that someone else was coming up behind her. For women such as herself to create something it means there is possible way not to walk through that door. It wouldn’t be the same journey that got her there for the next person but would bring us [Black Americans] closer and possibly back to nature.

Life has taken a turn and it required me to redirect my focus inward. I'm still writing but it's all a work in progress and I'm not ready to share yet. But I will share this video of my first time performing with a band at Torch's open stage in Sacramento.

Thanks to my supporters who are continuing to follow along on the journey.

I'll be returning soon to share some of my favorite photos that I’ve taken and some stories.

ICYMI

• Who’s running for California governor? Here’s a look at the current field of candidates

• ‘I was a kid’: Kenan Thompson opens up on losing $1.5 million and what prompted his ‘SNL’ longevity

• ‘Tangled’ Live-Action Movie Finds Its Leads: Teagan Croft, Milo Manheim

  Exclusive)

• Trump proposes massive increase in 2027 defense spending to $1.5T, citing ‘dangero…

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ICYMI

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• Attorney for Rob Reiner’s son resigns but says his client is not guilty of murder under state law

• I’m not going to call white people ‘allies’ anymore

• At Many Top Law Schools, Black Student Enrollment Continues to Drop [Looks like there was someone out there doing their homework assignment]

• Tax targeting Gullah-Geechee landowners on Sapelo Island could…

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ICYMI

• US judge dismisses SEC fraud lawsuit against Hex crypto founder

• Eddie Murphy sings Hymey Town on SNL

• This Oakland Founded group...Black Bourbon Society

• ‘Verzuz’ battle meant more to Oakland and the Bay Area than just entertainment

Eddie Murphy is a scammer and lying to us all

Eddie Murphy is a scammer. I know it and he does too.

How dare you, Eddie!

Ther…

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Teaching: I’m continuing to offer courses. Sign up for Rewriting Diversity for December 17, 2025 6p-7:30pm.

If you’re interested in this course for your organization or other courses I offer including but not limited to:

• Having Difficult Discussions

• Interview Preparation

• Pop Culture Analysis

• Travel Writing

send me a comment or email at storysoulconsulinging…

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ICYMI

• Sign up for Rewriting Diversity course on December 3, 2025 6pm

• Pope Leo returns 62 artifacts to Indigenous peoples from Canada

• Ohio bill would ban AI from marrying humans, owning property

• To the former VP of USA

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Guil…

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ICYMI

• New POC Food & Wine Festival features rising Bay Area culinary talents https://www.berkeleyside.org/2024/04/24/poc-food-wine-festival-bay-area-reems-sobre-mesa

• Bay Area author pioneered travel that went outside ‘mainstream appeal’ https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/bay-area-author-travel-pioneer-18552648.php

I'll preference this by saying I decide…

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ICYMI

• Environmental groups rally against proposed carbon dioxide pipeline in Solano County :The pipeline would transport carbon dioxide emissions from local plants, like the Richmond Chevron refinery and the Benicia Valero refinery, to a storage facility in the wetlands around Collinsville. There, they would inject the carbon dioxide over a mile into the ground, leaving it there permanently.

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• Federal funding cuts to food program impacts communities and farmers For the Hoopa Valley Tribe in California, the funding had helped them provide meat, fruits and vegetables, and it created reliable income for their farmers. According to Issa Bloom- “In March, the USDA announced it would eliminate the program. USDA said in an email to NPR, they support farmers and consumers with 16 other nutrition programs, including one that provides food banks with agricultural products from around the country. Many food banks and tribes will stop getting money from the local food program by the end of the year. By next summer, all payments will end. The impact will be felt especially hard in rural areas like the remote Hoopa Valley.

FOODVENTURE Ice Cream Bar Soda Fountain 815 Cole Street, San Francisco

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ICYMI

• Portland hears polarizing testimony on policy to ban rent pricing software

• Starbucks announces significant store closures and layoffs

• Thrifters, grifters, and business

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My first introduction to Tyler Reese not to be confused with the country singer whose last name is Tritt, was at Live at Mama Dog Studios [watch it here].

Tyler Elizabeth Bertani’s vo…

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ICYMI

• Memories of a Black San Francisco, Pt. 1: Personal Great Migration

• 23andMe is filing for bankruptcy. Here's what it means for your genetic data

• Widow of country legend says man preyed on her, stole millions (report)

• SF Unions Call for Boycott of Airbnb as It Tries to Claw Back $120 Million in Taxes

Foodventure:

Eighth Rule Bourbon Steakhouse

The Westin St. Francis San Francisco on Union Square 335 Powell St, San Francisco, CA 94102

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In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) because my archive is heavy:

• Nestle plunged into crisis as CEO fired for hiding romance with staffer

• gOD-Talking: Musician Bryan C. Simmons talks his new documentary and growing up in Vallejo

• ‘Verzuz’ battle meant more to Oakland and the Bay Area than just entertainment

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Classic Cars but are we classic?

I just had to start with r…

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ICYMI

• After Shark Tank, Mark Cuban Just Wants to Break Shit—Especially the Prescription Drug Industry

• Elon Musk and Twitter face San Francisco city probe over headquarters

• The Dehumanizing Condescension of White Fragility

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Foodventure:

Caroline's Oyster Bar, Charlotte NC
600 S College St, Charlotte, NC 28202

Not being an oyster aficionado doesn't mean I can't …

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• Helen Mirren Says “I’m Such a Feminist, but You Can’t Have a Woman” Playing James Bond: “It Just Doesn’t Work”

• Luxury apartments in Mission Bay become crime magnet despite steep rents

• Appeals court throws out massive civil fraud penalty against President Donald Trump

• Is Extinction Permanent? Resurrecting California’s Xerces Blue Butterfly

ASMR and all the p…

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On September 9, I’m moderating a panel on intergenerational stories of Trans people at Kepler Books in Menlo Park

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ICYMI

• Top Oakland official takes legal action against political activist for harassment

• Banning Council Again Approves Megawarehouse Project

• What the Supreme Court’s Standing Ruling Means for Nonprofit Litigation

• LA City Council Opposes SB 79, Sparking Criticism from Housing Advocates

For over two years, I've followed the project of Caron Creighton through s…

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Habana Cuban 1966 Contra Costa Blvd, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523

I treat myself to one good meal when I travel. When I say good, I mean something I can't have at home. And because the world is unkind, I decided it would be an expensive one.

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ICYMI

• S.F. Mayor Lurie unveils first big haul of private funds to address homelessness

• Black Futures Ball will fundraise for youth and honor Oakland community members

• Former Supreme Court Justice David Souter, a Republican who became a liberal favorite, dies at 85

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The 17th year of Sebastopol Film opened with a reception to meet the community and honor peopl…

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ICYMI

• France, UK private jet clampdown

• BATW: Social Media Tutorial for Writers

• Parcel 36: The Fight for Neighborhood Green Space in San Francisco

To Sir, you were loved

I’ve seen Sir on stage three times. The first was at Sol Blum in Sacramento, he gave the sun a run for it's money. The next two times I saw Inglewood Sir perform, he was a different person. I…

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