October Is for Black Girls, Book Jackets, and Big Love
In just a few days, we’ll be celebrating something that means the world to me — Black Girls Day Off.
Not just a book.
Not just an event.
But a movement.
Something created for us. Something built by love. Something that I hope will keep growing year after year.
🖤 October 11, 2025 is the day we gather in Orlando to celebrate the beauty, brilliance, and boldness of Black girls ages 12–18. It's free. It's joyful. It's powerful.
And it's the kind of day I wish I had when I was that age.
That’s why I wrote Black Girls Day Off.
This story is for every girl who’s ever felt unseen, unheard, or underestimated.
It’s about history.
It’s about triumph.
It’s about the challenges we’ve faced and the road we still walk.
But most of all, it’s about the fact that we are here —
because they made a way.
And speaking of making a way…
💛 October is also a personal month of celebration.
I honor two people who have poured into me more than they probably know —
👨🏾 My dad — the original storyteller in my life, full of wisdom, quiet strength, and Caribbean humor that sneaks up on you.
👦🏾 My son — who reminds me every day that legacy matters, that love is loud and soft, and that the stories we tell shape who we become.
So yes, October is busy.
It’s the month of fall — falling leaves, falling temperatures (well… not in Florida), falling in love with life again.
And when you fall?
Just get back up.
Dust off your knees like your auntie told you to. Then go write a bestseller. 😄
🎉 Big News: My First Hardcover Book!
Black Girls Day Off is also my first hardcover — with a real book jacket.
Not a Nike jacket.
Not a leather jacket.
But a book jacket, and I have never been more excited to hold a story in my hands.
If you haven’t already:
📚 Preorder it.
🛒 Order it.
📝 Write a review.
📢 Share it with your people.
This story needs to get out into the world.
It’s history. It’s heart. It’s healing.
🎧 And don't forget the rest of the bookshelf:
📖 Neither Out Far Nor In Deep
🌴 Where the Guava Tree Stands
🍬 Sweet Like Sugar Cane
🔍 Where Is Noemi
All except Where Is Noemi are available as audiobooks, so you can read them on the go — in your car, on a walk, or while you’re trying not to burn dinner. (Been there.)
🎧 I still have a few free Spotify audiobook codes left for Neither Out Far Nor In Deep, Where the Guava Tree Stands, and Sweet Like Sugar Cane.
If you’d like one in exchange for an honest review, just DM me on social media: @kittiwriter1
Thank you for walking this journey with me.
Thank you for reading.
And thank you — always — for helping these stories reach the readers who need them.
With love and big October energy,
Leah T. Williams
@kittiwriter1
🌴 Caribbean stories. Young voices. Real life.
💬 What are you celebrating this October?
Or better yet — how are you making space for the Black girls in your life to rest, rise, and shine?
Tell me in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.
