Text Tuesdays – “The Echo”

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2020, Atlanta, Blue Hurt, Blue Lines, Blue Lines Blog, California, Chapel Hill, college, Georgia, Instagram, iPhone, iPhone Post, iPhone X, iPhoneagraphy, Key Yemaya Walker, Keypsiia, Keypsiia Walker, Keypsiia Yemaya Walker, Los Angeles, Love, New York, New York City, North Carolina, Oakland, Photography, poetry, Prose, Sacramento, San Francisco, Text Tuesdays, The Echo, U.S., UNC, UNC Chapel Hill, United States, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

The Echo
10/2020

The echo of silence in my mind is deafening,
Surrounded by the inadequacies of others, that they try to place on you,
The shrinking of your life, for their gain,
Their solace,

Music Mondays – “Don’t Kill Dub (Poem by Sonia Sanchez)

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Atlanta, Blue Hurt, Blue Lines, Blue Lines Blog, California, Catch A Fire, Chapel Hill, college, Georgia, iPhone, iPhone Post, Key Yemaya Walker, Keypsiia, Keypsiia Walker, Keypsiia Yemaya Walker, Love, Lovecraft Country, music, Music Mondays, musician, MW, New York, New York City, North Carolina, poetry, Prose, Sacramento, San Francisco, Sonia Sanchez, Soul, U.S., UNC, UNC Chapel Hill, United States, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Vocals

The manuscript Blue Lines is the fictional coming of age narrative of a young California woman Key Yemaya Walker, and her 2 year growing journey through school, love, and life period piece, written by Kenneth Suffern, Jr., taking place at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill between the years of 1997 – 1998. Loosely based on true events, and experiences during that time, told through the eyes and voice of the main female protagonist, a freshman first attending the school.

Cover Sundays – Alice Smith – “I Put a Spell On You” Nina Simone Cover

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2015, Alice Smith, Atlanta, Blue Hurt, Blue Lines, Blue Lines Blog, Brooklyn, California, Chapel Hill, college, Cover, Cover Songs, Cover Sundays, Covers, Georgia, iPhone, iPhone Post, Key Yemaya Walker, Keypsiia, Keypsiia Walker, Keypsiia Yemaya Walker, Los Angeles, Love, music, musician, New York, New York City, Nina Simone, North Carolina, Photography, piano, R&B, Sacramento, San Francisco, Singer-songwriter, songwriter, Soul, U.S., UNC, UNC Chapel Hill, United States, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Vocals

The manuscript Blue Lines is the fictional coming of age narrative of a young California woman Key Yemaya Walker, and her 2 year growing journey through school, love, and life period piece, written by Kenneth Suffern, Jr., taking place at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill between the years of 1997 – 1998. Loosely based on true events, and experiences during that time, told through the eyes and voice of the main female protagonist, a freshman first attending the school.

Music Mondays – Foo Fighters feat. Gary Clark, Jr. – “Wat Did I Do?/God As My Witness”

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2015, alternative rock, Atlanta, Blue Hurt, Blue Lines, Blue Lines Blog, California, Chapel Hill, college, Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters, Gary Clark Jr., Georgia, guitar, indie rock, iPhone, iPhone Post, Key Yemaya Walker, Keypsiia, Keypsiia Walker, Keypsiia Yemaya Walker, Los Angeles, Love, music, Music Mondays, musician, MW, North Carolina, Producer, rock, Sacramento, Singer-songwriter, songwriter, Soul, U.S., UNC, UNC Chapel Hill, United States, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Vocals

The manuscript Blue Lines is the fictional coming of age narrative of a young California woman Key Yemaya Walker, and her 2 year growing journey through school, love, and life period piece, written by Kenneth Suffern, Jr., taking place at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill between the years of 1997 – 1998. Loosely based on true events, and experiences during that time, told through the eyes and voice of the main female protagonist, a freshman first attending the school.

Celebrating the Life of Prince O(+> 2 Years Later – A Different Take – C Week Ƭ̵̬̊

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1958, 2011, 2016, actor, April, Arista, Atlanta, Atlanta Braves, Blue Hurt, Blue Lines, Blue Lines Blog, California, Chanhassan, Coachella, Coachella Festival, Coachella Valley, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, college, Columbia, Death, EMI, Forum, Funk, Georgia, Girl, Girlfriend, Great Western Forum, Guns 'N Roses, Housequake, How can you just leave me standing?, If I Was Your Girlfriend, Indio, Jamie Starr, Joey Coco, Joy In Repetition, Key Yemaya Walker, Keypsiia, Keypsiia Walker, Keypsiia Yemaya Walker, LA Forum, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Dodgers, Love, March, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Mourn, MSG Entertainment, Myla Watson, NPG, Oakland, Oracle Arena, Paisley Park, pop, Prince, Prince Nelson, Prince Rogers Nelson, Producer, Purple Rain, R&B, record producer, Rest in Peace, Rest in Peace sweet Prince, rock, Sacramento, Sign O The Times, Singer, Singer-songwriter, Sometimes it Snows in April, Take Me With U, The artist formerly known as Prince, The Fabulous Forum, The Fabulous Fox, The Forum, The Forum presented by Chase, The Madison Square Garden Company, Universal, Usher, Warner Bros., Warner Bros. Records

Instead of talking about that day, how I felt, or loss, this year I will be different and a celebration. The first year was shock, and Coachella tributes, last year (2017) was my tattoo and party on the anniversary.

In 2011, I made a last minute decision to travel to California…mind you, Los Angeles. In the process of that trip, a late decision was made to attend the Prince residency at the historic Fabulous Forum in Inglewood California on 4/21/11. The building had been recently returned to its venue status, after being a church since the teams had left years ago for Staples Center.

After an already full day, with a game of the Atlanta Braves beating the Los Angeles Dodgers, however losing the series, my iPhone died as we pulled into the Forum parking lot. Excited to see Prince, though the scalped price of $100 per ticket, for face value $25 tickets was not agreeable, especially through my nemesis StubHub, we arrived, and you could hear The Time performing through the paper-thin walls of the building.

Initially our tickets scanned as “already entered,” and I just shook my head on the money spent, knowing that I could’ve gotten legitimate tickets, though we later found out that the tickets were just printed multiple times. Upon entering, the set list was as follows:

New To You Music Sundays – Classixx (feat Isles) – “The Dissolve” – Blue Lines Coachella Week

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Atlanta, Blue Hurt, Blue Lines, Blue Lines Blog, Blue Lines Coachella Weekend, California, Coachella, Coachella Festival, Coachella Valley, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, college, deep house, electronic, Electropop, Faraway Reach, Georgia, indietronica, Indio, Isles, Key Yemaya Walker, Keypsiia, Keypsiia Walker, Keypsiia Yemaya Walker, Los Angeles, Michael David, music, New To You Music Sundays, New To You Sundays, nu-disco, Sacramento, Tyler Blake

The manuscript Blue Lines is the fictional coming of age narrative of a young California woman Key Yemaya Walker, and her 2 year growing journey through school, love, and life period piece, written by Kenneth Suffern, Jr., taking place at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill between the years of 1997 – 1998. Loosely based on true events, and experiences during that time, told through the eyes and voice of the main female protagonist, a freshman first attending the school.

Music Mondays – Pusha-T feat Kendrick Lamar – “Nosetalgia” – Blue Lines Coachella Week

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alternative hip hop, Atlanta, Blue Hurt, Blue Lines, Blue Lines Blog, Blue Lines Coachella Weekend, California, Clipse, Coachella, Coachella Festival, Coachella Valley, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, college, Compton, Dominick J. Lamb, Durham, England, Georgia, Hip-Hop, Hip-Hop Music, Homer Banks, K-Dot, Kanye, Kanye Omari West, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, Key Yemaya Walker, Keypsiia, Keypsiia Walker, Keypsiia Yemaya Walker, KRS-One, Lawrence Parker, Malcolm McLaren, Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren, Memphis, music, Music Mondays, My Name Is My Name, Norfolk, Nosetalgia, Nottz, Nottz Raw, Pusha T, Queens, Raymond Jackson, Sacramento, Scott La Rock, Scott Monroe Sterling, Stax, Stoke Newington, Tennessee, Terrar, Terrence LeVarr Thornton, Terrence Thornton, The Bridge Is Over, The Bronx, The Twilite Tone, Trevor Charles Horn, Trevor Horn, Virginia

The manuscript Blue Lines is the fictional coming of age narrative of a young California woman Key Yemaya Walker, and her 2 year growing journey through school, love, and life period piece, written by Kenneth Suffern, Jr., taking place at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill between the years of 1997 – 1998. Loosely based on true events, and experiences during that time, told through the eyes and voice of the main female protagonist, a freshman first attending the school.

Text Tuesdays – Blue Lines Excerpt – Chapter 13: Beauty in Blue and White

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Atlanta, Blue Hurt, Blue Lines, Blue Lines Blog, California, Chapel Hill, college, FKA Twigs, Georgia, Key Yemaya Walker, Keypsiia, Keypsiia Walker, Keypsiia Yemaya Walker, music, Sacramento, Tahliah Debrett Barnett, Two Weeks, UNC, UNC Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

I started this blog to support the process of completing and publishing my manuscript, Blue Lines, yet when I started this labor of love in 1998, I felt that certain events would retard the process. Time and life, and eventually those events did retard the process. This is one of my favorite chapters, though not my favorite scene. To set up the scene, my fictional protagonist, Keypsiia is sitting in Coker Aboretum, after hanging out with her best friend Azul the night prior because she was annoyed with her interest, antagonist Blue.
As I share today, I do it being that the manuscript takes place on the campus of the current NCAA Champions, The University of North Carolina, and also because I found it funny how many of thing themes authored in this chapter were echoed in the lyrics of FKA twigs’ song, “Two Weeks.”
Please enjoy:

“Hello love,” Blue interrupted Keypsiia’s solace.
She smiled as she looked up from the uneven wooden bench. The sun’s glow bathed her through the twisted tree barks and haphazard vines that formed the awning that opened to the walkway bordering the south end of the Coker Arboretum and her smile radiated her face as a few leaves floated in their descent to the hidden dirt sidewalk.
Keypsiia’s hair was pulled back into a curly auburn puff at the back of her head as she sat with her legs folded under her form. She was tired and the sinuses behind her nose throbbed from drinking the previous night hanging out with Azul. But, while briefly gazing up to Blue, a large silly grin overtook her face. She reflected back to their brief argument the day prior and how she had wanted to call Blue last night, but that she didn’t have his number. Her heart jumped just seeing him before her. His navy First Down Bubble jacket hung haphazardly ruffled under the straps of his navy backpack and she focused on a brown and white feather that pointed out from it. His hat covered his cornrowed braids and his baggy light blue Ruff Wear jeans careened down his legs, to rest upon his opened boots. Yes, she reflected, this was the man who brought her such joy in just being there.

Music Mondays – The Avalanches – “Because I’m Me”

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Astralwerks, Atlanta, Australia, Barney Perkins, Blue Hurt, Blue Lines, Blue Lines Blog, Blue Lines Coachella Weekend, California, Coachella, Coachella Festival, Coachella Valley, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, college, disco, electronic, EMI, Fun, General Norman Johnson, Georgia, Gregory Perry, Hip-Hop, Hip-Hop Music, Honey Cone, Key Yemaya Walker, Keypsiia, Keypsiia Walker, Keypsiia Yemaya Walker, Modular, music, Music Mondays, Plunderphonics, Robbie Chater, Sacramento, Saladine Wallace, Salahadeen Wilds, The Avalanches, Tony Di Blasi, Want Ads, Wildflower, XL

The manuscript Blue Lines is the fictional coming of age narrative of a young California woman Key Yemaya Walker, and her 2 year growing journey through school, love, and life period piece, written by Kenneth Suffern, Jr., taking place at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill between the years of 1997 – 1998. Loosely based on true events, and experiences during that time, told through the eyes and voice of the main female protagonist, a freshman first attending the school.

New To You Music Sundays – Phantogram – “Destroyer”

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Atlanta, Blue Hurt, Blue Lines, Blue Lines Blog, California, college, Destroyer, dream pop, Electronica, Georgia, iPhone, iPhone Post, Josh Carter, Key Yemaya Walker, Keypsiia, Keypsiia Walker, Keypsiia Yemaya Walker, music, New To You Music Sundays, New York, New York City, Phantogram, Sacramento, Sarah Barthel, Saratoga Springs, Shoegaze, Three, trip hop

The manuscript Blue Lines is the fictional coming of age narrative of a young California woman Key Yemaya Walker, and her 2 year growing journey through school, love, and life period piece, written by Kenneth Suffern, Jr., taking place at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill between the years of 1997 – 1998. Loosely based on true events, and experiences during that time, told through the eyes and voice of the main female protagonist, a freshman first attending the school.