“There was no way for me to understand it at the time, but the talk that filled the kitchen those afternoons was highly functional. It served as therapy, the cheapest kind available to my mother and her friends. Not only did it help them recover from the long wait on the corner that morning and the bargaining over their labor, it restored them to a sense of themselves and re-affirmed their self worth. Through language they were able to overcome the humiliation of the workday. But more than therapy that free wheeling wide ranging exuberant talk functioned as an outlet for the tremendous creative energy they possessed. They were women in whom the need for self expression was strong, and since language was the only vehicle readily available to them they made of it an art form that - in keeping with the African tradition and which art and life are one - was an integral part of their lives. And their talk was a refuge.” - ⭐️ Monday Muse - best selling author, professor, and mentor Paule Marshall. It hurts my heart to share with you that this incredible writer is now an ancestor. It is always sad and awkward for me to share the news of someone passing on social media. Something about it feels strange, almost inappropriate. The fact that we have lost 2 Free Black Women literary legends this month feels particularly intense, both Paule and Toni are sacred bricks that help in forming The Free Black Women’s Library’s existence. They both gave us incredibly powerful stories about Black life - confession - if not for this project I’m not sure if I would know who Paule Marshall is, I had never heard of her until 2015 (!) when I started collecting books by Black women. I devoured her writing which felt like it was just for me. Through this work I honor her writing and her life, I share her book and stories and treasure her legacy of using language to define and center our gorgeous and complicated existence. This excerpt is from REENA AND OTHER STORIES which was published by The Feminist Press in 1983, this book features her early short fiction, Merle (a novella), as well as an autobiographical essay entitled “From the Poets in the Kitchen”