Welcome back to Writing Black Joy, and today I have with me one of my dream guests - Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts. She is an incredible author, so let me tell you about her.

As a writer and thought-leader, Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts offers those who read her work and hear her speak an authentic experience; an opportunity to explore the intersection of culture, identity, and faith/spirituality at the deepest levels.

She is the founder of HeARTspace, a healing community created to serve those who have experienced trauma of any kind through the use of storytelling and the arts. Tracey has Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from the University of Kentucky, a Master of Business Administration degree from Montclair State University, and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Fairleigh-Dickinson University.

She is a former Assistant Professor of English and Black Studies at the Community College of Philadelphia. As a writer, Tracey has published eighteen books including several collaborations with numerous high-profile authors. In 2021, Tracey became one of 20 writers who contributed to the groundbreaking book, You are Your Best Thing: Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and the Black Experience edited by acclaimed researcher, Brene Brown, and founder of the MeToo Movement, Tarana Burke.

Her most recent publication is the critically-acclaimed book, Black Joy: Stories of Resistance, Resilience, and Restoration (Gallery/Simon and Schuster) which has received rave reviews from celebrities like Kerry Washington, literary writers like Kiese Laymon and Deesha Philyaw, and media outlets like Good Morning America, Essence Magazine, and USA Today. Her forthcoming book, Then They Came for Mine: Healing from the Trauma of Racial Violence, examines the source and impact of racial violence against Black people in all its forms and offers a blueprint for the way the Christian Church can help facilitate healing.

Tracey has spoken on a number of platforms around the country on topics related to race/social justice, education, faith/spirituality, and wellness. Additionally, Tracey's freelance work has been published in print and online publications such as Oprah Daily, The Washington Post, Essence Magazine, The Guardian, The Chronicle for Higher Education, Ebony Magazine, TheRoot.com, and more.

Tracey and I talk about:

• How she came to her joy journey through grief
• Dance parties with her daughter and the duality of grief and joy,
• Her search for the feeling of joy in her body
• The both / and of stories of Black lives
• Her definition of Black joy
• How she writes from a place of authenticity
• Inspiration and creating rituals that help her write
• Switching her voice as a ghostwriter
• The importance of finishing
• How she chooses future projects from her myriad of ideas

And so much more. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

You can find out more about Tracey at https://www.traceymlewis.com/

You can learn more about me at https://www.safiyarobinson.com/