Being a writer came after a long road of involvement in other art forms namingly, dancing, painting and singing (though to be honest I'm lousy at that one). The main goal of my nonfictional titles is to please African healing traditions from our entire diaspora on equal footing of respect with Native American, Chinese and European traditions. To do that I started with what I learned as a girl growing up in the country in a community of farmers and doers. My parents were perfectly capable of living off the land and we did that for a couple of years...I mean like, we didn't even have running water. We stayed healthy though. My elderly aunt who lived with us and my grandpa taught me a lot about studying heard, cooking well and making the most of what's been handed to you. Dad fished and let me tell you he used every part of that fish from feeding the family, to the animals to the soil. Mom canned and baked and made wine. You can see, things were rich and colorful. Animism, nature veneration and ancestor seemed to come natural to me, given the environment in which I grew up. I joined a small coven when I was a teenager and was heavily involved with ancient mysticism by that time. Painting sustains me because it is a way to have direct, intense contact with diverse spirits from devas to elementals, light, nature and the universe as a whole. It is a beautiful form of communication. Words have captivated me since I can remember. I love the great poets and the dark poets as well, Edgar Allan Poe, D.H. Lawrence, T.S. Elliot, Nikki Giovanni, Maya Angelou, e.e. cummings. I like words that move and strong voice. I'm finding that I have become more and more conversational in my writing even though it relies heavily on research and at times is densely cited. The healing and seeing is most influenced by my grandmothers. One I never met but my mother adored, was a spiritualist minister and herbal healer who by all indications used hoodoo remedies as well. The other, I adored, she was a professional cook, who always had fresh floral arrangements when we'd come to visit on a dark cherry table. I'm telling you, that woman could work dreams, read them and tea leaves with equal proficiency. Some would see these as dark arts but for me they are framed in light and I keep my personal practice, energy work and writing focused towards the light though I am well aware of the darkside.

COVR 2004 Best General Interest Book for "Sticks, Stones, Roots and Bones: Hoodoo, Mojo and Conjuring with Herbs.
Presenter at 2005 BEA, Chicago
Presenter at HerbFest 2005, Aura Cacia Farms, Norway, Iowa
Fulbright Senior Scholar Award, CIES and Australian American Foundation for studying Aboriginal Australian anthropology and art
Ford Faculty Enrichment Grant
Illinois Arts Council, Special Assistance Grant
Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant
Authors Guild

Recently my art forms have been coming together into single works. I am writing and illustrating two books that will be published in 2009. The topics are African tree medicine and African women's arts and crafts. Stay tuned!

Llewellyn online bookstore Biography
Gives background information on my background in complimentary healing and magickal work as well as providing links to my books.

Four Seasons of Mojo: an Herbal Guide to Natural Living
My first magickal cookbook focuses around seasonal observations and celebrations. The idea is to teach readers how to utilize and benefit from the mojo of every season rather than dreading some seasons and loving others. This book includes holiday inspirations from the African diaspora and elsewhere, holistic health information, tea blends, herbal meat rubs, spice grinding and preparation, juicing, smoothies, baths, floor washes, hydrosols, hair conditioners, shampoos, dyes, pomades and much more..."Four Seasons of Mojo," takes you into the kitchen of a practicing Green Witch and Hoodoo, so you can learn how to incorporate mind, body, spiritual medicine into your life. The book's goal is presenting practical ideas for using magical herbalism to enhance lifestyle. The book explores seasons of the year and seasons of life with chapters devoted to youth, middle-age and aging. Moreover, it contains special holistic health information specifically for men and for our animal companions. "Four Seasons of Mojo," is a contemporary magical health cookbook that embraces cultures from around the world, rather than being exclusive or stuck on a specific culture and in that way it is a very American book. Cultures included are: Aboriginal Australia, Buddhist, Afro-Caribbean Islands, South Africa, North Africa, West Africa, Brazil, Puerto Rico and East India. These are all countries I have studied, visited or maintain a close relationship to--some include personal interviews, for example one with my friend who is of Zulu heritage, speaking about growing up with rooibos tea. This is a book written with the forward thinking, open-minded reader in mind or those who would like to be. Site includes a book blog

Sticks, Stones, Roots and Bones: Hoodoo, Mojo and Conjuring with Herbs
My first book period. Writing and illustrating this book was a journey of discovery and a labor of love. I call the book a love letter to my people and indeed it takes a look at our healing traditions in Africa, through the middle passage, into slavery and present day life. It compiles, presents and compares beliefs of the African pantheon from throughout the diaspora, crafting a practical, comprehensive guide to holistic health. This book uses hoodoo in a non-traditional form to guide readers through various passages of life including: courtship, marriage, childbirth, middle age, elder/crone years and passing on. Understanding and calling upon the goddesses and gods is central to the book's premise as I am a goddess worshiper. Herb growing, harvesting, preparing and use is described in a practical, hands-on manner. Readers learn to imbue their homes with spiritual blessings using magickal herbs to make smudging wands, loose incense, sachets, mojos, floor washes, baths, teas and much more. Contains useful information on herbal formulations for making soap and healing balms as well as providing background on aromatherapy and perfumery from ancient Egypt to the present day; all information is presented from a spiritual perspective, inspired by Hoodoo and the Motherland but accessible and welcoming to all paths.

International Clan of the Eclectics
A membership only group on yahoo.com which is a study group for "Sticks, Stones, Roots and Bones," Four Seasons of Mojo," and a welcoming place for neopagans, Indopagans or others of fused paths of East & West, western and nonwestern. Check us out!