{"id":6193,"date":"2025-11-09T12:42:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-09T12:42:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/2025\/01\/28\/write-of-passage-ride-or-die-or-get-out-the-way\/"},"modified":"2025-11-09T12:42:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-09T12:42:12","slug":"write-of-passage-ride-or-die-or-get-out-the-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/2025\/11\/09\/write-of-passage-ride-or-die-or-get-out-the-way\/","title":{"rendered":"Write of Passage: Ride or Die or Get Out The Way"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('audio');<\/script><![endif]-->\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-6193-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/api.substack.com\/feed\/podcast\/155907791\/dea6aa6ab163e05b8334dbf320ef5323.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/api.substack.com\/feed\/podcast\/155907791\/dea6aa6ab163e05b8334dbf320ef5323.mp3\">https:\/\/api.substack.com\/feed\/podcast\/155907791\/dea6aa6ab163e05b8334dbf320ef5323.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<p>To the writers, the creatives: if you\u2019re like me, you possess a deep curiosity about humanity and a desire to do good through your work. But creatives\u2014are you struggling? Are deadlines slipping through your fingers? Is the blank page staring back at you, stubborn and bare?<\/p><div id=\"vanes-83712615\" class=\"vanes-content vanes-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 2px;margin-right: 2px;margin-bottom: 2px;margin-left: 2px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/fireswordandsea.htm\" aria-label=\"Fire Sword &amp; Sea\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FireSwordSea_HC-scaled.jpg?fit=1706%2C2560&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Fire Sword &amp; Sea\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FireSwordSea_HC-scaled.jpg?w=1706&ssl=1 1706w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FireSwordSea_HC-scaled.jpg?resize=200%2C300&ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FireSwordSea_HC-scaled.jpg?resize=683%2C1024&ssl=1 683w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FireSwordSea_HC-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C1152&ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FireSwordSea_HC-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C1536&ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FireSwordSea_HC-scaled.jpg?resize=1365%2C2048&ssl=1 1365w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/FireSwordSea_HC-scaled.jpg?w=1280&ssl=1 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" width=\"569\" height=\"853\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p>Do you feel alone, like no will ride out to save you?<\/p>\n<p>The truth is no one is coming, because we are all anxious and distracted. It\u2019s hard not to be. Since our last episode, it feels like a million and one things have happened all at once.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve seen creatives grappling with the still-high price of eggs, building skits about boycotts\u2014or debates about debating boycotts\u2014and the resurrection of TikTok sparking discussions about zombie-like timelines.<\/p>\n<p>Time burns.<\/p>\n<p>Writers wrestle with their roles. We try to create worlds, worlds that feel diverse and welcoming while rage-watching unqualified individuals ascend to power due to the privilege of their bank accounts or honestly whiteness or white associations. I\u2019ve seen a spectacle of posts from people with crosses in their bios making rage filled takes on what Jesus would or would not do.<\/p>\n<p>How do we create, keep creating when everything around us is in flux and chaos? I usually have my act together. I plan and execute. This week I\u2019ve let time get away from me. I\u2019ve written and rewritten this very essay a multitude of times. I want to give you fresh mana every time I step to the microphone.<\/p>\n<p>Then unexpectedly, clarity came during a celebration of life for a dear friend\u2019s grandmother.<\/p>\n<p>Watching a montage of Mrs. Dorothy\u2019s life in photos, hearing testimonies of love, and, most poignantly, listening to the words of her longtime best friend moved me deeply. Her bestie described their years of shared laughter, prayer, and adventures\u2014as missions of foolery at bars, late-night Thelma-and-Louise-style escapades, and their unshakable bond.<\/p>\n<p>When the bestie shared a piece of wall art Mrs. Dorothy had made for her, I choked up. Hung in a gilded frame, the red and orange colors radiated joy. I felt the sisterly love and support. The bestie said that everything wasn\u2019t always perfect between them, but they knew that either would ride to hell and back for the other.<\/p>\n<p>At that moment, I knew what I had to write. The question that cut into my soul\u2014are you someone\u2019s <em>ride or die<\/em>? Are you someone\u2019s safe harbor, their distraction from life\u2019s destructive winds? Or are you a danger in disguise, someone who, by intent or accident, dims their light?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cVanessa, why so serious?\u201d We are living in serious times. Everything must be purposeful. We need to think before we speak. <strong>James 1:19-20, says something like, <\/strong>brothers and sisters, everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because anger does not produce righteousness.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Why should we do this slow think? It doesn\u2019t feel good. If I just post on social\u2026<\/p>\n<p>No. These social media streets are meaner than ever. And the consequences of a good jab, a quick retort, can have monstrous FAFO reactions. Let me tell you a few short stories to illustrate this.<\/p>\n<p>There was once a phenomenal female painter whose work celebrated women and cultural pride with breathtaking power. At the height of her talent, she was mostly ignored. Society lauded her famous husband as the true genius. She was told to be quiet, to support him, to be lesser. I imagine, she often looked up at the sky and wondered why there wasn\u2019t enough light for two.<\/p>\n<p>There was a humble poet who burned to tell the stories of ordinary people. When she poured her heart into her writing, critics dismissed her. They wanted stories about the elite, not the impoverished. The fire in her soul left no room for compromise, but her enemies sought to bury her work. They succeeded. No one rode to save her. She died impoverished and in obscurity. She closed her eyes knowing her peers had deliberately dimmed her light.<\/p>\n<p>There was once a collector who nurtured others\u2019 prose. She gave so much of herself that her own work was overlooked. After publishing several novels with little acclaim, she gazed at the starry sky and wished there was enough light for her mentees and her too.<\/p>\n<p>Imagine women dying spent of their energy and grace, dismissed, barely acknowledged. Unfortunately for a female creator, these are not anomalies.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Women Who Didn\u2019t Live to See Their Due<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Artemisia Gentileschi (1593\u20131656):<\/strong> An Italian Baroque painter whose powerful depictions of women, such as <em>Judith Slaying Holofernes<\/em>, were overshadowed by her male contemporaries. Today, she is celebrated as one of the Baroque period\u2019s greatest artists.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sor Juana In\u00e9s de la Cruz (1651\u20131695):<\/strong> A Mexican nun and writer whose literary works were suppressed by church authorities. Forced to sell her library of collected books, she soon died. Her best known work <em>Reply to Sister Filotea of the Cross<\/em> is a defense of women\u2019s education. Today, she\u2019s a feminist icon.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emily Dickinson (1830\u20131886):<\/strong> The American poet published fewer than a dozen of her nearly 1,800 poems during her lifetime. Today, she\u2019s a legend.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Zora Neale Hurston (1891\u20131960):<\/strong> A giant of the Harlem Renaissance, Hurston\u2019s work was erased from mainstream consciousness for decades. She died in poverty and was buried in an unmarked grave.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Frida Kahlo (1907\u20131954):<\/strong> Often overshadowed by her husband, Diego Rivera, Kahlo\u2019s work is now recognized worldwide as a celebration of womanhood and Mexican culture.<\/p>\n<p>There are more\u2014always countless more women who are dismissed and their greatness only acknowledged posthumously. Death and decades of time shouldn\u2019t be prerequisites for a creative to get their due.<\/p>\n<p>Back to my earlier stories, I have some posthumous updates.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Ignored Artist: Frida Kahlo<\/strong>Always in the shadow of her husband, the famed 1920s painter Diego Rivera, Frida\u2019s talents were noted and championed by art-world luminaries like socialite Lupe Mar\u00edn (Diego\u2019s first wife) and photographer Tina Modotti. Lupe introduced Frida to influential figures in the art world, while Tina captured stunning photographs that catapulted Frida\u2019s reputation. These two women helped elevate Frida\u2019s distinctive style and works, including her 1926 piece, <em>Self-Portrait in a Velvet Dress<\/em>. Their support was instrumental in promoting her art in Mexico and beyond, eventually earning Frida the global acclaim she deserved.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Hobbled Writer: Zora Neale Hurston<\/strong>Story two was about the gifted Zora. During her lifetime, Zora was celebrated as a writer of the Harlem Renaissance. However, after the 1940s, her work fell out of favor. She was criticized by contemporaries for not explicitly addressing racism or aligning with the civil rights movement. Her focus was on everyday folk and folklore. This divergence caused the literary elites to push her into obscurity. Shunned and misunderstood, Zora died in poverty in 1960, and yes, buried in an unmarked grave.<\/p>\n<p>Enter burgeoning writer Alice Walker (The Color Purple), who encountered Zora\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/42qAnzk\"><em>Their Eyes Were Watching God<\/em><\/a> in graduate school around the 1970s, a decade after Zora\u2019s death. Profoundly changed by the novel, Alice was shocked that Zora\u2019s legacy had been erased. Determined to restore it, she feverishly researched Zora\u2019s life, eventually writing an essay for <em>Ms. Magazine <\/em>titled \u201cLooking for Zora.\u201d Alice located Zora\u2019s unmarked grave and purchased a headstone, inscribed with: <strong>\u201cZora Neale Hurston: A Genius of the South.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>The Dismissed Editor: Jessie Redmon Fauset<\/strong>Jessie (1882\u20131961) was a vital figure of the Harlem Renaissance, yet her work was undervalued in her lifetime and largely forgotten until the feminist and civil rights movements of the 70s. I recently read an advanced copy of <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/40ACkq9\"><em>Harlem Rhapsody<\/em><\/a> by Victoria Christopher Murray, which chronicles Jessie\u2019s life. Victoria beautifully highlights how the editor\u2019s dreams were often sacrificed to nurture younger Harlem Renaissance writers like Langston Hughes. Her contributions to literature and her own novels deserve the same spotlight:<\/p>\n<p>* <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4gmDNpT\"><em>There is Confusion<\/em><\/a> (1924): Examines issues of race and ambition among Black professionals.<\/p>\n<p>* <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/40QadEZ\"><em>Plum Bun<\/em><\/a> (1928): Explores passing and the complexities of identity, a theme that may have influenced her friend Nella Larsen\u2019s <em>Passing<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>* <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3EnDUnQ\"><em>The Chinaberry Tree<\/em><\/a> (1931): Focuses on family dynamics and societal expectations within Black communities.<\/p>\n<p>* <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4jwpZMt\"><em>Comedy: American Style<\/em><\/a> (1933): A biting critique of internalized racism and the pursuit of whiteness.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you, Victoria, for returning Jessie to our lexicon.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s what I love about research and writing. Pen to paper, words forming sentences\u2014we get to take readers back in time and restore women. In <em>Sister Mother Warrior<\/em>, I rediscovered Marie-Claire Bonheur, the first Empress of Haiti, and Gran Toya, a counselor and African military leader to Emperor Jacques I (Jean-Jacques Dessalines). These two women, connected to the man who liberated Haiti, were crucial to shaping the Haitian Revolution. Within the prose, I built the respect and friendship that developed between these two polar opposites. That\u2019s right opposite can respect and ride for each other.<\/p>\n<p>With fiction based loosely on historical events and people, I ride for the forgotten and amplify sisterly ideals. In <em>A Gamble at Sunset<\/em> and the forthcoming <em>A Wager at Midnight<\/em>, I deliberately showcase the Wilcox sisters\u2019 relationship. These Black women are far from perfect. They won\u2019t be painted or captured in a pristine sonnet. They\u2019re messy and passionate. Their ability to listen and not judge is constantly tested, but they will ride at dawn for their sister.<\/p>\n<p>We need that energy now. Listen closely: I\u2019m not interested in performative protests. I don\u2019t want my exhausted sisters lifting a finger for something that\u2019s not well thought out. I refuse to witness the front of a firing line, because the loudest folk dropped away and hid.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover I don\u2019t want to see sisters picking apart another sister or their art for clicks or because they disagree. We\u2019re blessed that Lupe and Tina weren\u2019t judgmental in their love for Frida. Alice didn\u2019t care that Zora wrote differently from her. She didn\u2019t question Zora\u2019s identity or love for her people. Alice stood in the gap and worked to elevate Zora. She returned her to us and bought a headstone to honor a woman, she\u2019d only met in reading the dismissed words of <em>Their Eyes Were Watching God<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>What I\u2019m saying is: In these times of turmoil and distress, leave petty differences behind. Ride or die for the freedom, freedom to produce art. Don\u2019t let your sisters die in poverty. Don\u2019t let them leave this earth without tasting the fruit of the seeds they planted. In a world of chaos, be Lupe, Tina, or Alice\u2014or any other writer who restore our ancestors to us.<\/p>\n<p>My dear creatives, ride or die or get out the way.<\/p>\n<p>If you want a deeper dive into some of the books mentioned here\u2019s the list:<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4jxG30m\">The Answer \/ La Respuesta (Expanded Edition): Including Sor Filotea&#8217;s Letter and New Selected Poems<\/a>. Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz. The Feminist Press at CUNY, 2009. 2nd ed.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3EnDUnQ\">The Chinaberry Tree<\/a>. Jessie Redmon Fauset. Dover Publications, 2013.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3EeAt33\">The Color Purple<\/a>. Alice Walker. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1982.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4jwpZMt\">Comedy: American Style<\/a>. Jessie Redmon Fauset. Rutgers University Press, 1933.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/vrgambsunset\">A Gamble at Sunset<\/a>. Vanessa Riley. Kensington, 2024.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/40ACkq9\">Harlem Rhapsody<\/a>. Victoria Christopher Murray. Berkeley, 2025.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/40QadEZ\">Plum Bun<\/a>. Jessie Redmon Fauset. Beacon Press, 1928.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/3Gtm7Hb\">Sister Mother Warrior<\/a>. Vanessa Riley. William Morrow, 2022.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4gmDNpT\">There Is Confusion<\/a>. Jessie Redmon Fauset. Dover Publications, 1920.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/42qAnzk\">Their Eyes Were Watching God<\/a>. Zora Neale Hurston. J. B. Lippincott &#038; Co., 1937.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bit.ly\/wageratmidnight\">A Wager at Midnight<\/a>. Vanessa Riley. Kensington, 2025.<\/p>\n<p>One additional resource, the additional essay Alice wrote, \u201cLooking for Zora\u201d is in this collection: Walker, Alice. <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/4jBsQDK\">In Search of Our Mothers&#8217; Gardens: Womanist Prose<\/a>. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1983.<\/p>\n<p><p>Thanks for reading Vanessa Riley&#8217;s Write of Passage! <em>Subscribe for free. Get Vanessa&#8217;s take on publishing and the world, drawing from her journey as an indie author turned traditionally published powerhouse: 25 novels and counting.<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Thank you for listening. Hopefully you\u2019ll come again. This is Vanessa Riley.<\/p>\n<p>This is a public episode. If you&#8217;d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/vanessariley.substack.com\/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#038;utm_campaign=CTA_2\">vanessariley.substack.com\/subscribe<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"rop\"><small>Originally posted 2025-01-28 14:10:00. <\/small><\/p><div id=\"vanes-1225992161\" class=\"vanes-after-content vanes-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 3px;margin-right: 3px;margin-bottom: 3px;margin-left: 3px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubstackAd.png?fit=1080%2C1350&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Listen to the Write of Passage Weekly Podcast\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubstackAd.png?w=1080&ssl=1 1080w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubstackAd.png?resize=240%2C300&ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubstackAd.png?resize=819%2C1024&ssl=1 819w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/SubstackAd.png?resize=768%2C960&ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" width=\"540\" height=\"675\"   \/><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>To the writers, the creatives: if you\u2019re like me, you possess a deep curiosity about humanity and a desire to do good through your work. But creatives\u2014are you struggling? Are deadlines slipping through your fingers? Is the blank page staring back at you, stubborn and bare? Do you feel alone, like no will ride out [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6223,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[81,793,9,620,756,694],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6193","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personal-stories","category-politics","category-recommended-reading","category-syndication","category-technology","category-tv-and-film"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/2c08bdd66ef7e0e41e94c184646db5f4.jpg?fit=1925%2C1925&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6193","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6193"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6193\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6223"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanessariley.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}