First and Last Name: 

Candace Garnes

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Age:

28

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Location:

Boston, MA,USA

 

How did you find out about Feminessay? 

Word of mouth.

 

Why do you write? 

I write because it is freeing. Oftentimes speaking the words my head, heart, and soul are trying to say is difficult for me. Writing allows me to work through trauma, emotions, confusion, stress, anxiety, and good things too like love, and gratitude, and appreciation.

 

How would you describe your writing?

My writing is raw, real, and vulnerable.

 

How does your work/independent project(s) connect to your writing/storytelling?

I'm a people-oriented person. A lot of my energy is put into others. I enjoy learning about the human existence and behavior. I'm also incredibly emotional and an empath. So my writing often mirrors that as do my projects.

 

When did you realize that you should share your writing on a public platform and who/what helped you with this realization?

I realized it a while ago but it wasn't until my dear friend Tiye reached out to me that I finally committed to that. It was right after getting into my current relationship that I realized I needed an outlet to organize and make sense of my thoughts and emotions. And given the current climate of our country I thought that my experience might help open the eyes of other people, help them see a different perspective, or help someone going through a similar thing make sense of their current situation.

 

What made you want to share your writing through Feminessay?

I love what Feminessay provides. It provides this incredibly safe space for Black women to be heard. It's no secret that we are horribly under appreciated and marginalized so to have a place that is for us to be free to write and express ourselves is incredibly encouraging and allows me to feel safe and supported enough to be vulnerable and honest with my writing which is how the best work is produced.

 

How does it feel to see your work and the feedback that it receives on Feminessay?

It feels amazing! So many people from my life reached out to me after my piece was published on the site. People I hadn't heard from in years, people from all different areas and times of my life were reaching out thanking me for being so real and vulnerable and saying all of these positive things about how it affected them in positive ways. It was great to be able to provide that for folks.

 

What advice would you offer to encourage women to write and share their stories through Feminessay?

This is such a celebratory place. The team and the contributors to Feminessay are so encouraging. It's a community where we celebrate each other, build each other up, and provide a really safe space to be honest. I can't say that enough. I'm so pleased and grateful to even me just a small part of this community.

 

What do you love about Feminessay?

Can I just say that I love everything?! I love the community. It's unlike anything I've had since leaving college. I don't have a group of black women in my everyday life that talk about their struggles, their successes, their loves, desires, passions, failures, dreams, etc so openly and encourage me to do the same. I'm the only black person at my job, I have few black friends in my new city to spend time with, I'm dating a white man. So having this community is essential to my soul.

 

What more would you like to see from Feminessay?

 I know that contributors are all over the world but I would love to see meetups take place! I'd love to bring even a small piece of this virtual community into my real life.

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