I write from the intersections of grief and liberation, memory and magic, rage and reverence. Click here to pre-order my debut book of poetry, Spilled Milk, available on Kindle: https://a.co/d/3OMUWZI
As the founder of Cowrie Crossings, my writing exists alongside my facilitation and ritual work, anchored in Black and Indigenous cosmologies, feminist resistance, and the embodied belief that another world is not only possible but already emerging through our stories. I write to compost empire, tend to grief, and root us in the futures we deserve. Whether in the form of essays, meditations, facilitation guides, or grief invocations, my words move with the rhythms of the land, ancestral memory, and communal healing.
My work lives at the intersection of grief and imagination; grief for what’s been stolen, destroyed, or denied, and imagination for what can still be nurtured into being. I write as a Black and Indigenous femme, a cultural worker, and a facilitator of ritual and resistance. My writing is not separate from my organizing, spiritual practice, or care labor. It is all part of the same root system.
The clarity of bell hooks influences my work, the cultural diagnostics of Resmaa Menakem, the truth-telling of Toni Morrison, the visionary structure of Octavia Butler, and the grounded, gut-level praxis of adrienne maree brown. My writing centers the dignity of marginalized lives, holds space for discomfort, and invites my readers into reflection, rupture, and repair.
I primarily write for those navigating grief, collective trauma, political disillusionment, and longing for connection outside capitalist extraction. I believe writing can be both a tool and a talisman.
You can find my latest published work on the Liberatory Wellness Network blog, where I contribute essays that explore the intersection of healing justice, cultural critique, and community accountability.
Latest pieces:
“White Supremacy’s Costume Party” - LWN blog
“Love Left at the Frontline: The Politics of Black Love Denied” - LWN blog
“Stop Waiting for the Funeral to Listen” - LWN blog
“Bodies in Mourning, Bodies in Motion: Sex and the Work of Black Grief” - LWN blog
“The Politics of Renaming: Refusing the Plantation Archive” - LWN blog
“Stage 2” - a poem published in Black Feminist Collective, 8/17/19 under my former pen name, Nelle Jones
“Don't Let Your White Friends Get You into Trouble” - Rain City Slam’s 1st place winning poem (2019),
🌿 My Writing
You’ll find essays, meditations, and cultural criticism that explore:
Grief & loss (both personal and collective)
Embodied liberation
Black & Indigenous cosmologies
Anti-fascist dreaming and speculative futures
Mutual aid and solidarity economies
Queer & feminist reflections on pop culture, power, and kinship
✍🏽 Selected Publications & Projects
Liberatory Wellness Network
Featured author on grief, whiteness, cultural repair, and abolitionist futures.Cowrie Crossings Workshops
Creator of grief-centered, future-facing writing rituals and workshops found on the workshops page of this website.Zines, Essays & Speeches
Available soon as downloadable PDFs for educators, movement groups, and spiritual collectives.
🪴 Services I Offer
You can hire me to write or collaborate on:
✍🏽 Personal essays and creative nonfiction
📚 Cultural or political commentary
🧰 DEI and justice-oriented writing for nonprofits (blogs, newsletters, curricula)
🌀 Workshop-based writing guides, ritual texts, or reflection prompts
💌 Grief-informed content for spiritual or care-centered spaces
💸 Rates & Access
Click here to download my full rate sheet →
🤝 Let’s Work Together
Are you an editor, organizer, educator, or spiritual leader looking to collaborate?
Send me a pitch, invitation, or question:
📧 cowriecrossings@gmail.com
📍 Oakland, California
🌐 @CowrieCrossings on Instagram
I’m open to assignments, commissions, partnerships, and mutual aid-based writing projects. Let’s create something mutually nourishing.
My debut book of poetry
