Latoya Giles
Bio
I'm just a single mom tryna make it. Come with me on my journey through life in writing... "A dream deferred is not a dream denied"
Stories (74/0)
SingleMomChronicles
I am now going into the later part of my twenties. I have a little girl that I have been raising alone. Her father blamed me for the dissolution of our relationship. It had nothing to do with his excessive drinking. It had nothing to do with his infidelity. It had nothing to do with him staying out all night or sometimes being gone for days at a time. I was supposed to just stick it out and let him get it all out of his system and wait for him to be ready to settle down. I'm sure he would've settled down eventually, right? Seriously, what in the world? Who the heck is doing that?
By Latoya Giles 3 months ago in Chapters
Trilogy of My life...
I have always loved to read. I have loved books since I learned to read. Reading allows me to be completely immersed in another world. When I am reading, I imagine the setting, the characters and the things they say and do. It is my favorite thing to do outside of writing. I will never forget a particular series of book that I read some years ago. I have actually read it again and listened to it on audiobook. It is a set of three books. The first one is God Don't Like Ugly. The second book is God STILL Don't Like Ugly. The last book is God Don't Play. The series focuses on a little black girl. The reader follows her through life across the three novels. The girl ends up fatherless and being raised by a struggling single mother. This is the first thing i can relate to here: being a struggling single mother. The father leaves the family because he falls in love with a white woman. Her race important because this was during the time that interracial couples were taboo, even outlawed in some places. The father is the breadwinner for the family. They were already poor with him working, so when he left, things got worse very fast.
By Latoya Giles 3 months ago in BookClub
ThatWriterGirl
How many times have said I love to read, or I love to write? Probably too many to count honestly. I was called a "nerd" when I was in school. I loved to do schoolwork. I loved (and still love actually) anything that had to do with reading or writing. It was a treat when I got to do both! I know. With all that being said, I have been writing for a long time. I say that a lot here too, lol. What was my first piece? Well, which first are we talking about exactly? Do you mean my first poem? Perhaps, we are talking about my first short story. Maybe my first published work. I do suppose though, if either of those things are what was meant, it would have been specifically stated, right? So, my first work ever it is! That really takes me back. I started seriously writing in high school. I mostly wrote poetry then. The poems I would write were all based on my life events and situations. Whatever I was going through or feeling in that moment went into a poem. I saved them all. I have a box that I keep them in. I go back to read them from time to time. It is such a stroll down memory lane. Not all the memories are good though. Some of the poems are painful. Some poems are sad, others are angry. I wish I had dated them all. Only some have a date. Since I wrote them though, I immediately know the situation that was occurring during whatever poem I am reading: break-ups, friend fights, drama from school or work. I have come a long way. When I say that, I mean I have come a long way mentally, physically, emotionally and as a writer.
By Latoya Giles 3 months ago in Writers
The New Human Resources
Netflix is a streaming service that provides its customers with an abundance of original content. Under the "adult animation" tab is a show: Human Resources. Once you get past the grossness, the situations are relatable. The first few episodes touch on post-partum depression, infidelity and alcoholism. Worth a watch...18+
By Latoya Giles 3 months ago in Critique
Here to There
Here and there and everywhere. Point A to point b. Sometimes I get a little fancy and add in a point C. To have one is OH SO convenient, but not always cheap. Money to keep you going, keep you clean and keep you well. I have one. Mine is my favorite color...baby blue. Mine is also a girl and she has a sunroof to boot!
By Latoya Giles 4 months ago in Poets
Happy Father's Day Mommy!
It is 2023. The price of everything I can think of has risen exponentially. Joblessness rates are high. People are unable to afford to buy a house. Marriage rates are way down, divorce rates are way up. So many households are headed by a female. These issues are not race or culture specific. As a black woman, I would be remiss to not mention how absent fathers are made to seem more prevalent in the African American community. It, in fact, is not. That, though, is a different discussion for a different time. Stay tuned for that perhaps.
By Latoya Giles 5 months ago in Viva
Painted Prose
A picture, whether painted, or captured by a camera, speaks a thousand words; Volumes. Each line and instrument stroke adds more to the conversation. Every single word symmetrically coming together to bring a vision into clear view. I have seen many things through these 38 year old eyes. I have seen pictures that have made me feel warm inside, setting off a physical chain reaction of outwardly positive physical reactions: a smile for instance. A picture can also evoke fear and sadness, triggering a different set of physical effects: tears or a scowl maybe.
By Latoya Giles 5 months ago in Art
#SingleMomChronicles: Spendthrifty
As a single mother, I am always looking for ways to save money, a penny here or a nickel there. Especially with the way these prices is rising every second out here. Children always need things. They gotta eat, have shelter and have clothes to wear. You gotta pay travel expenses like car payment or Uber or maybe the bus. However you and your children travel, there is a price. After all the bills are paid, I still want to take my kids out to have some fun sometimes, you know, create memories`and stuff. Here are a few things I do to save money:
By Latoya Giles 7 months ago in Lifehack
