Words Matter, So Do We

May is one of those words that looks simple until you think about it.

May.
Can.

We use them like they mean the same thing, but they do not.

Can says you have the ability.
May says you have permission.

And that difference matters.

It matters in our writing. It matters in our classrooms. It matters in our lives.

That is exactly what my book Words Were The Enemy is about. It is about how the words we choose shape the way we see ourselves and the way the world responds to us. It is about finding your voice and learning how to use it with intention.

May is also the last month of school for me, and if you know, you know. This is the time of year when every teacher is counting down the days. My students feel it. I feel it. The bell rings and we all look at each other like we are almost there.

Summer is around the corner calling my name.

Next month, I will officially be off. Hopefully not off my rockers, but definitely off the school schedule.

And you know what that means.

More time to write.
More time to create.
More time to bring more stories to you.

Because the stories are not resting, they keep boiling, frying, simmering, baking, and seasoning themselves in my head, demanding to be served. Some of them will be sweet like sugar cane. Some of them will sit with you quietly, like a memory under a guava tree. Some of them will challenge you the way Neither Out Far Nor In Deep does, or keep you searching like Where Is Noemi.

I cannot wait to share what is next.

As always, thank you for reading, for supporting, and for making space for these stories. And if you have read any of my books, please leave a review. Your words help these stories travel further than I ever could on my own.

So let me ask you this.

What is something in your life right now that you know you can do, but you are still waiting for permission to do?

With gratitude,
Leah T. Williams
@kittiwriter1
Caribbean stories. Young voices. Real life.