Yeah! Let’s hope she sees this, hurries up, and sends it to us! lol I can’t wait to read the whole thing too…

Thank you so much! I’m so sorry to hear about your brother. I can not even imagine what you’re going through, as I’ve never been through something so tragic, but I do know that if I were to lose my little brother it would destroy me.

I try to write from experience, so I don’t have any songs that have directly dealt with that, but I do have a song called Everybody But You that was written about a friend who battled with depression and contemplated suicide…

http://soundcloud.com/avrielepps/everybody-but-you-2007

My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family. I am tremendously humbled that you would reach out to me for this.

It changes every couple of seasons… but for a minute it’s been these two:

lmfao… seriously, anon? no… no I do not. But why would that piss you off?

HA!! thank you… glad I was able to exceed your expectations. Say hi next time… I don’t bite :)

I’ve actually gone through times where I feel like me and my best friend might have grown apart for good. Like, we just got so far off into our own worlds that it felt we might never find common ground again. And what did I do? I didn’t trip out over it. I let her do her and I reached out to her when I needed her. Furthermore, I was there for her when she did the same. Somehow this unspoken bond we had kept bringing us back together at the most pivotal times which helped us realize that sometimes you have to grow apart to grow together…. the best part about that is finding solace in the fact that since she had my back in the first place when it was easy/convenient, she’s ALWAYS going to have my back when times get a little tougher. Conversely, I watched my best friend/boyfriend move 3,000 miles and not be there when I needed him. Two totally different experiences/outcomes but both equally amazing opportunities to learn & grow.

I say that to say, if there comes a time when you realize they don’t really have your back, then be grateful that you were given the chance to find that out…. cus who wants to waste their time caring about someone who doesn’t care about them? I think opportunities like these are a blessing, because they let you find out how strong your friendship really is and it helps build the foundation for 8-80 more years of friendship with that person. 

But, stay strong and just keep loving them. That’s all you really can do. 

I honestly was scared to post that when I first wrote it. I thought people were going to tell me I was whining/underestimating my privilege/yadda yadda. And although now it seems a little unsophisticated to me (I’m totally my biggest critic), it was real at the time and I had to express it. My perspective has evolved since then (I’m waiting for the articulation to come to me so I can share it with you), but I get these kinds of messages a lot (most of them seem too private to answer them publicly). Still, I appreciate every single time someone reaches out to me, because it reminds me that I’m not alone too… that’s the feeling we’re all after anyway, right?

Seriously though… thank you.

Thank you so much. I love how you took the time to reach out to me. I seriously just feed off of the beautiful and positive energy from the people around me.

& I only make music for two reasons: 1. To express myself (so I don’t go crazy) and 2. To inspire others and let them know exactly what you have expressed — that none of us are alone. I will always be here for anyone that wants to listen/talk/vibe/cry/smile/scream/rant/laughetc.

You have inspired me today to keep going. Thank YOU.

I fall in love with people on a daily basis… lol it’s a gift + curse. 

& there was someone I was really into the past couple months, but things fizzled so it was on to the next…

Right now I’m really just trying to stay focused on some personal goals and trying to not let dating suck up my time/energy. But, somehow I always end up running into really intriguing men. So while I’m trying to keep myself from falling for anyone right now, I will say that there is a person I talk to pretty regularly who is very fall-worthy.

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how it goes… at the very least, I’ll get a song out of it…. I always do. :)

lmfao! It’s been a minute since someone has asked me this… but yes. that’s alllll mine! 

thank my mama and daddy for that ;)

thanks!

I’ve been reading/listening to your poems… your personal accounts are always inspiring and beautifully written as well. 

p.s. there definitely needs to be more academic writing from the biracial perspective… hopefully I’ll add to the discourse in the near future.

Thank you so much for sending this message! We’re all connected in our desires to belong, but once you realize (as I believe you have and as I have recently) that you are magnificently beautiful and perfect as you are, life begins to feel so pleasant.

It’s always nice to understand where we have come from, but it is so much more important — so much more powerful — to know that we have ultimate control over who we are right now and who we will become. Our past, our ancestry, our lineage does not define or bind us. And right now, you and I are defining what it means to be mixed. We are reaffirming an idea that to be American, to be Black, to be Columbian, to be Jewish, to be biracial, or to be _____________ can mean so many things and it’s silly to try and define these concepts so strictly.

Just by living our beautifully complex lives and connecting with each other (even if it’s just on tumblr) we are having such a profound impact on the collective consciousness. I think that’s pretty cool

Yes! Was just listening to The Vortex yesterday…