thirteenrivers 
i tried to teach my sons what my parents attempted to teach me they tried to keep me safe they did their best to warn me there are rules, they said rules to be upheld these rules unwritten these rules filled my head these rules kept me in check institutionally chained these rules kept me […]Read Post ›
by Karen Georgia A. Thompson i remember the first timeas if it were yesterdayeight months pregnanta walking watermelonslowly movingthrough the heat of a southern summerframed by carolina blue skies on the stale humid air it came:“look at that nigg**” and there they werefour – blond haired – barely teenaged – malessitting on the sidewalkone embarrassed […]Read Post ›
Birthdays are special to me. I like to think of unique ways to celebrate, creating memories to help me mark time and remember the gifts of wisdom, life and time. Sometimes I get close, like the 14 day cruise for my 50th, 6 months after my birthday. The gift to myself was memorable, as was […]Read Post ›
These days, I find myself walking through burial sites, thinking about those who have gone before, wondering about the faces and lives of those whose names line the monuments and markers of these sacred places. I was not always this comfortable with the things of the dead and death. I was taught to be afraid […]Read Post ›
I like many, have seen the signs that are the school and the homes and look no further to discover what lies beneath the surface. I like many, did not take the time to stop and listen to the stories of a community and a past that is my own.
A few weeks ago I was in New York City for meetings and took the opportunity to venture out on a visit to the Bronx. An early morning arrival at JFK and a trip to see my sister at work for her car, and I was on my way for another sightseeing adventure. New York […]Read Post ›
On both sides of my family, I find a long list of women who are strong, courageous and deeply spiritual. My on-going quest for more information about my family, and the Ancestors now gone, has provide me with the opportunity to engage my relatives – including my grandmother, mother, aunts and cousins. […]Read Post ›
Written by Karen Georgia Thompson This past week, I was in Indianapolis and decided to go sightseeing: my kind of sightseeing where life meets history. I was going to look for John Freeman. Mr. Freeman’s story was compelling, and the invitation from one of the sites I read to “stroll Pennsylvania between 10th and 11th […]Read Post ›
Written by Karen Georgia A. Thompson New York City has millions of visitors annually. They flock to Times Square and Broadway. They want to see Central Park and watch Broadway shows. They come to the Big Apple to shop in places like Macy’s at Herald Square and Saks Fifth Avenue. They want to see St. […]Read Post ›
This past Easter weekend, I found myself in New York City – Brooklyn – visiting family and friends. New York City is one of those places that receives millions of tourists annually, coming to see the sights and sounds of the “City that never sleeps.” New York is Broadway where music lyrics profess a magic that […]Read Post ›
By the Rivers 