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Joi Donaldson
Joi Donaldson

95 Followers

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Published in The Elementals

·Jan 23, 2021

The Kids Are Tuned In

On the morning of January 6, I drove through D.C. running errands. I witnessed the line of insurrectionists headed towards the Capitol from Union Station. After running my errands and returning home, I find my daughter standing in our living room, eyes dotting back and forth between her phone and…

Generation Z

3 min read

The Kids Are Tuned In
The Kids Are Tuned In
Generation Z

3 min read


Apr 28, 2020

How Black Women Save Our (Sex) Lives

I didn’t know just how pivotal sex therapy would be until my second session. Unpacking can be brutal. It requires that you hold a scalpel, constantly at the ready to slice yourself down the middle. Shit needs to pour out that’s clogging up the pipes, especially the sexual ones. Much…

Sex Education

4 min read

How Black Women Save Our (Sex) Lives
How Black Women Save Our (Sex) Lives
Sex Education

4 min read


Feb 25, 2020

Bamboo Earrings, At Least One Pair

Black Girlhood, Evolved Cross-posted on joiunspeakable.com/blog I bought my first pair of Bamboo earrings last week. I’m 32. Throughout my childhood, I’ve admired them in the glass cases of the neighborhood corner store or beauty supply. I want to talk about a time when I smelled of pink lotion and…

Black Women

4 min read

Bamboo earrings, At Least One Pair
Bamboo earrings, At Least One Pair
Black Women

4 min read


Published in The Elementals

·Feb 20, 2020

When God Blinks

January 26, 2020. I’m folding clothes while cursing at the sky. My heart is broken as I think of the irreplaceable and complicated legend we just lost along with 8 other souls, 3 of whom children. All I could think was about their futures. How we and they were cut…

Religion

5 min read

When God Blinks
When God Blinks
Religion

5 min read


Published in The Elementals

·Jan 31, 2020

Dick, Interrupted

Never fuck with a writer. For we will quote tweet and blog post your life into infamy. It’s tough out here these days. Games are talked, some are played. There are moments you think there’s a spark, even if it’s purely physical. You ignore your leanings; the need to be…

Sex

7 min read

Dick, Interrupted
Dick, Interrupted
Sex

7 min read


Dec 13, 2018

Loving Him from Afar (Ode to My Son)

(in this piece, I speak candidly about grief, loss, dreams, ancestral work and moving on) Have you ever felt a longing for something you’ve never had? Had pieces of your heart slipped so deeply past the surface they somehow hold you together? That’s how I’ve felt this week, only I…

Pregnancy

4 min read

Loving Him from Afar (Ode to My Son)
Loving Him from Afar (Ode to My Son)
Pregnancy

4 min read


Published in The Elementals

·Nov 16, 2018

When Abuse is Enough

From 2015–2018, I dated a man I thought was the love of my life. In many ways, he was. He fit the bill. He lovingly accepted my daughter, we made incredible plans, we dove into enlightening discussions. He really made me feel like I was his rock and would one…

Healing From Trauma

6 min read

When Abuse is Enough
When Abuse is Enough
Healing From Trauma

6 min read


Nov 23, 2017

How 2017 Cured My Ashiness, Explained

2017 came equipped with copious amounts of razor blades, lemon juice and coconut oil. Here I lay out the highs and band-aids that was and at this moment still is 2017. I started a podcast. Who in 2017 didn’t start a podcast? My dogs have a joint podcast and that’s…

2017

5 min read

How 2017 Cured My Ashiness, Explained
How 2017 Cured My Ashiness, Explained
2017

5 min read


Jun 16, 2017

To the Birds for Whom We Write

Your favorite writer most likely does one or all of the following: Laughs/cries when subjects hit home Sucks teeth at op/ed mainstays but crack knuckles as they prepare their flame work. Sits unbothered as the words won’t come. They know they will. And if not, today just ain’t the day. Strings together perfect Twitter…

Writing

2 min read

To the Birds for Whom We Write
To the Birds for Whom We Write
Writing

2 min read


May 27, 2017

When Singing Ain’t It: An Open Letter

After three years, bruised egos and the death of some situationships, I found this letter I wrote to a front line of a choir. This letter was leaked before I got to deliver it the way I wanted: with petty disregard for feelings. In conclusion, I was blackballed, Monique Lite…

Relationships

3 min read

Relationships

3 min read

Joi Donaldson

Joi Donaldson

95 Followers

Author. Filmmaker. Creative.

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