*taps mic*
borrows from Jay-Z’s Public Service Announcement,
“Allow me to reintroduce myself”
Born the only daughter of a Black Liberation Theologist and a Black Southern Belle, I love God’s Grace, oxford commas, and living in the sacred overlap.
I too sing America. (I might sing it better than you). Descended from generations of storytellers, seers, and miracle workers, God gifted me a unique opportunity to do what I love. I write, therefore, I am. Writing helps me understand the way I feel about the world. Endlessly fascinated and dangerously curious, I envision a world where each of us embraces the Precise Image of God that we are, naturally, at every given moment, even as each of us exists in a liminal state. I speak in stories.
I may not comment on everything, but I miss nothing. Faith is the lens through which I view the world. What my faith is not is a blunt instrument. Humans are, by nature, competitive. It is not uncommon for people to assert advantage or wield their privilege. Part of what the Apostle Paul teaches in Galatians 2 speaks to the tensions we continue to face in human interactions. Centuries ago, he admonished them for focusing on the wrong things, principally that their salvation came from obedience to Mosaic Law rather than through the Gift of Grace.
It begs the question, who are we, really? So, who am I? An opinion writer and essayist, I married my first and one true love and together we made two remarkable people and raised 2 fur babies. I wrote my first book about my favorite child, in the form of love letters to our first Boxer, Lessons Learned from My Downward Facing Dog, Sermons Preached by Sando. I was a contributing author to the (in)courage Devotional Bible, the Nautilus Award-winning anthology Planting the Seed: Lessons to Cultivate a Brighter Future (Brave New Voices) and look forward to the 2025 release of the Message Women’s Devotional Bible, to which I also contributed.
I am currently working on my first novel, and in learning my characters and hoping readers will fall in love with them, I am writing their stories.
Imago Dei, God is an African woman, the pillow upon which I kneel to offer my daily petitions. Be my Guide and my Comforter as I take this leap of faith.
With that, I am thrilled and honored to share my first work of fiction, published by The Literary Purveyor
Chelle A Wilson 