Birmingham

6 Questions to Ask Yourself This Week

On Friday, April 17, I had the honor of delivering the keynote address at the Youth Leadership Birmingham graduation. Youth Leadership Birmingham (YLB) is a program by Leadership Birmingham for high school sophomores and juniors who are dedicated to creating meaningful change in their community and the city we call home. Founded in 1986 by visionary Leadership Birmingham alumni who recognized the need to cultivate young leaders, YLB creates transformative experiences by bringing together diverse student cohorts across Jefferson County for comprehensive leadership development – all at no cost to participants.

Many of the parents and other adults in the room told me that even though my talk was for the kids, they found themselves taking notes. What a compliment! So, I’ve decided to share my remarks here on the See Jane Write blog.

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My New Word for the Year 2026

I’m ditching my word for the year 2026 because New York Times bestselling author Tayari Jones told me I should.

On Sunday, March 15, 2026, I had the honor of moderating a discussion and Q&A with Jones when she visited Birmingham as part of her national book tour for her new novel Kin, which debuted #3 on the New York Times Bestseller list and is an Oprah’s Book Club pick. (You can read highlights from the discussion in The Birmingham Times.)

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Food for the Writer’s Soul at the 3rd Annual Eat & Greet by LaDarrius “LHUT” Hutcherson

On Sunday, February 22, I had the chance to attend the Third Annual Eat & Greet event, hosted by popular content creator LaDarrius “LHUT” Hutcherson.

The event was a celebration of LHUT’s debut book, Bloom Where You’re Planted, which tells his story and how he is building the life of his dreams, growing his influence, and making an impact all in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. (Learn more about LHUT’s book in my latest article for The Birmingham Times.)

But LHUT told me that he wanted this year’s Eat & Greet event to inspire attendees to bloom where they’ve been planted, too.

So, while the event served up delicious food and drinks, LHUT wanted attendees to fill up on nuggets of wisdom too. And so much of what was shared by LHUT and other guest speakers were words I felt writers especially need to hear.

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Southbound Food Festival: Every Story Has a Food Story

Southbound Food Festival brought ten days of culture and culinary delight to Birmingham, Alabama from September 19-28. Because I’ve been such a busy bee lately, I was out of town for most of this year’s activities, unfortunately. But I couldn’t miss Rooted: Women in Food, which was held on Saturday, September 20 at the Market at Pepper Place. Not only was the market packed with female artisans, but there were cooking demos from female chefs, book signings, panel discussions and more.

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