I genuinely enjoyed my Sacred Conversation with Dr. Jennifer Mullan, PsyD., creator of Decolonizing Therapy: a psychological evolution that weaves together political, ancestral, therapeutic, and global well-being (@decolonizingtherapy on IG). Dr. Jenn is a major disruptor in the mental health industrial complex. Her work is an urgent call to dive to the root of global and generational trauma to unlock the wisdom of our sacred rage. She is also the author of the recently released book...

*LIVE RECORDING. I wrote and delivered this poem, The Beautiful Ones Have Changed to Light, in honor of the martyred poets and writers of Gaza and Falesteen as part of the first ever Los Angeles reading of The Gaza Monologues, on January 19, 2024. Our gathering was organized by the precious Sonali Fiske @sonalifiske (IG) with the blessing of Ashtar Theatre @ashtartheatre (IG) in Ramallah and in response to their global artistic solidarity call. We gathered to pay our respects, bear witness,...

*LIVE RECORDING. Reciting a poem on Indigenous healing ways for the Presidential Opening Session of the American Psychological Association National Convention, Washington, D.C., August 3, 2023. 10,000 souls rolled deep at this gathering in the spirit of 2023 APA President Dr. Thema Bryant's @dr.thema chosen convention theme: You Belong Here. *My poetry reading world tour, The Gathering, kicks off tomorrow, Friday evening, February 2, 2024 in Echo Park, Los Angeles. Tickets are at...

Reading (and playing piano accompaniment) Harvest, a ceremony piece that will be newly included in the upcoming revised edition of my book, Father to Son: Ode to Our Black Young. All of my books are available at jaiyajohn.com (thank you for purchasing directly from the author) and at booksellers worldwide. Audiobooks, eBooks, book specials, sleep stories, audio talks, apparel, piano music, and Birthing Words creative writing support are exclusively at my website. Thank you for posting your...

My heart was deeply moved by this quiet, heartful conversation with Cole Arthur Riley, creator and curator of Black Liturgies (a project of The Center for Dignity and Contemplation), and author of the books This Here Flesh and the upcoming Black Liturgies:  Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying Human. Cole shares her soulful work daily on Instagram. In our conversation we share about our kindred childhood experiences with silence, solitude, and finding our written and spoken voices....

I am thrilled to share with you my Sacred Conversation with Dr. Thema Bryant. As many of you know from our past conversations, Dr. Thema embodies so many graces. She is a sacred dancer, poet, author, minister, doctor of psychology, therapist, professor, and currently the President of the American Psychological Association. This conversation is full of joy and laughter. We explore the gift of emotional honesty, the importance of physical embodiment, and the power of being true to yourself in a...

I do not know how to describe my third Sacred Conversation, with Laya F. Saad. We just finished our conversation, so my heart is still so full and crying. Layla lives in Qatar, has done groundbreaking work on the harm of and healing from supremacies, and has been on a beautiful personal journey involving her ongoing discovery of her neurodivergence. She shared so openly with me. I guess you can say that our conversation is about embracing your true nature, including your creative nature, and...

Reading a selection from my upcoming book, Dear Artist. Dear Artist, and all my books, is available at jaiyajohn.com (thank you for purchasing directly from the author) and at booksellers worldwide. Audiobooks, eBooks, book specials, sleep stories, audio talks, apparel, piano music, and Birthing Words creative writing support are exclusively at my website. Thank you for posting your copies and readings of my books, and your creative images and videos with my overlayed verses, tagging...

Wow. I hope you listen to and feel this one. My second Sacred Conversation is with Terence Lester, Ph.D., a soul who does sacred work to restore and celebrate the dignity of those who are unhoused and/or invisible. He is a husband, father, author, and founder of both Love Beyond Walls and Dignity Museum. In our very soulful, vulnerable conversation, we talk about the profound self-harm caused by not seeing the dignity of other souls, the cost of invisibility, our life journeys of spiritual...

I am excited to share with you our first Sacred Conversation, with the artist, painter, poet, birth mother of the Heart Dept, activist, revolutionary, and much more, Shelley (Grace) Bruce. In our conversation, we explore the holiness of names, "Land Back" as a holistic liberation movement, the birth story of the Heart Dept, and our upcoming September 13 Heart Dept gathering which will serve as a fundraiser, medicine circle, and book launch and signing for my new book Dear Artist: A Love...

Reading a selection from my upcoming book, Dear Artist. You may preorder Dear Artist exclusively at jaiyajohn.com. All my books are available at jaiyajohn.com (thank you for purchasing directly from the author) and at booksellers worldwide. Audiobooks, eBooks, book specials, sleep stories, audio talks, apparel, and piano music are exclusively at my website. Thank you for posting your copies of my books on Instagram, tagging #jaiyajohn, encouraging others to purchase, posting readings of your...

Reading a selection from my upcoming book, Dear Artist. You may preorder Dear Artist exclusively at jaiyajohn.com. All my books are available at jaiyajohn.com (thank you for purchasing directly from the author) and at booksellers worldwide. Audiobooks, eBooks, book specials, sleep stories, audio talks, apparel, and piano music are exclusively at my website. Thank you for posting your copies of my books on Instagram, tagging #jaiyajohn, encouraging others to purchase, posting readings of your...

Reading a selection from my upcoming book, Dear Artist. You may preorder Dear Artist exclusively at jaiyajohn.com. All my books are available at jaiyajohn.com (thank you for purchasing directly from the author) and at booksellers worldwide. Audiobooks, eBooks, book specials, sleep stories, audio talks, apparel, and piano music are exclusively at my website. Thank you for posting your copies of my books on Instagram, tagging #jaiyajohn, encouraging others to purchase, posting readings of your...

Reading a selection from my new book, All These Rivers and You Chose Love. All my books are available at booksellers worldwide. Audiobooks, eBooks, book specials, sleep stories, audio talks, apparel, and piano music are exclusively at my website. Thank you for posting your copies of my books on Instagram, tagging #jaiyajohn, encouraging others to purchase, posting readings of your favorite passages, and sharing online book reviews. My whole heart cries Grateful. jaiyajohn.com...   Support the...

Reading a selection from my new book, All These Rivers and You Chose Love. All my books are available at booksellers worldwide. Audiobooks, eBooks, book specials, sleep stories, audio talks, apparel, and piano music are exclusively at my website. Thank you for posting your copies of my books on Instagram, tagging #jaiyajohn, encouraging others to purchase, posting readings of your favorite passages, and sharing online book reviews. My whole heart cries Grateful. jaiyajohn.com...   Support the...

Reading a selection from my new book, All These Rivers and You Chose Love. All my books are available at booksellers worldwide. Audiobooks, eBooks, book specials, sleep stories, audio talks, apparel, and piano music are exclusively at my website. Thank you for posting your copies of my books on Instagram, tagging #jaiyajohn, encouraging others to purchase, posting readings of your favorite passages, and sharing online book reviews. My whole heart cries Grateful. jaiyajohn.com...   Support the...

Reading a selection from my new book, All These Rivers and You Chose Love. All my books are available at booksellers worldwide. Audiobooks, eBooks, book specials, sleep stories, audio talks, apparel, and piano music are exclusively at my website. Thank you for posting your copies of my books on Instagram, tagging #jaiyajohn, encouraging others to purchase, posting readings of your favorite passages, and sharing online book reviews. My whole heart cries Grateful. jaiyajohn.com...   Support the...

Reading a selection from my new book, All These Rivers and You Chose Love. All my books are available at booksellers worldwide. Audiobooks, eBooks, book specials, sleep stories, audio talks, apparel, and piano music are exclusively at my website. Thank you for posting your copies of my books on Instagram, tagging #jaiyajohn, encouraging others to purchase, posting readings of your favorite passages, and sharing online book reviews. My whole heart cries Grateful. jaiyajohn.com...   Support the...

Reading a selection from my new book, All These Rivers and You Chose Love. All my books are available at booksellers worldwide. Audiobooks, eBooks, book specials, sleep stories, audio talks, apparel, and piano music are exclusively at my website. Thank you for posting your copies of my books on Instagram, tagging #jaiyajohn, encouraging others to purchase, posting readings of your favorite passages, and sharing online book reviews. My whole heart cries Grateful. jaiyajohn.com...   Support the...

Reading a selection from my new book, All These Rivers and You Chose Love. All my books are available at booksellers worldwide. Audiobooks, eBooks, book specials, sleep stories, audio talks, apparel, and piano music are exclusively at my website. Thank you for posting your copies of my books on Instagram, tagging #jaiyajohn, encouraging others to purchase, posting readings of your favorite passages, and sharing online book reviews. My whole heart cries Grateful. jaiyajohn.com...   Support the...

Reading a selection from my new book, All These Rivers and You Chose Love. All my books are available at booksellers worldwide. Audiobooks, eBooks, book specials, sleep stories, audio talks, apparel, and piano music are exclusively at my website. Thank you for posting your copies of my books on Instagram, tagging #jaiyajohn, encouraging others to purchase, posting readings of your favorite passages, and sharing online book reviews. My whole heart cries Grateful. jaiyajohn.com...   Support the...

Reading a selection from my new book, All These Rivers and You Chose Love. All my books are available at booksellers worldwide. Audiobooks, eBooks, book specials, sleep stories, audio talks, apparel, and piano music are exclusively at my website. Thank you for posting your copies of my books on Instagram, tagging #jaiyajohn, encouraging others to purchase, posting readings of your favorite passages, and sharing online book reviews. My whole heart cries Grateful. jaiyajohn.com...   Support the...

Reading a selection from my new book, All These Rivers and You Chose Love. All my books are available at booksellers worldwide. Audiobooks, eBooks, book specials, sleep stories, audio talks, apparel, and piano music are exclusively at my website. Thank you for posting your copies of my books on Instagram, tagging #jaiyajohn, encouraging others to purchase, posting readings of your favorite passages, and sharing online book reviews. My whole heart cries Grateful. jaiyajohn.com...  Support the...

On August 12, 20122, Dr. Thema Bryant, minister, psychologist, professor, author, poet, spoken word artist, sacred dancer, and current President of the American Psychological Association and I sat to discuss her new book Homecoming: Overcome Fear and Trauma to Reclaim Your Whole, Authentic Self. . During our conversation, Dr. Thema reads from her book, and we explore her inspiring personal and professional journey leading her to write this powerfully compassionate, insightful, life-changing,...