As the Incense Burns 🔥

On this episode I explore the old adage of: "look at your friends and see yourself" are you inspired, do you celebrate their successes as if they are your own? Truth be told... I'm awestruck, I share orbits with some influential souls. That said, I am joined by one of my oldest friends, one of those who stood with me against the Leviathan of stereotypes, who reminded me... naw fuck that man, we ar...

On Episode 37, I discuss the concept of placing those people who we admire, those souls who serve as our proxies on pedalstals and what that says about us. We are at an inflection point, where we can choose to LEARN from history or follow the same tired worn path of REPEATING it. I'll also read from recent work... Fresh prose Good People, that might have echoes of current events, life imitating ar...

On Episode 36, I discuss the healing power of music with my son. A Licensed Music Therapist, known in East Coast circles as the Gentleman Boss, he is a Music Producer, Performer, Guitarist, Songwriter, DJ, Social Marketer and a host with the most (gimme a toast for sliding prose into the post). But... we discuss how serving others in a spirit of humility can serve to be redemptive and how the medi...

On this episode, I have an ongoing soliloquy, as I attempt to answer a question on the benefits of water therapy, in a time where selfishness seems to be the default setting for living. I wonder about those things that we honor and hold most dear... our FOUNDATIONS. That ongoing journey of living, that omnipresent search for God's face. I thought of my family and the majesty of hist...

This is a 35 second sample of something from the waking mind, that I may expand on in a wider series depending on the response.

On epsiode 34, I talk about a higher level of blindness, the type that robs us of the vision to see ourselves and to walk in our purpose. We often fail when we subscribe to the notions that others have for us. In short, when we look at ourselves through the lenses of others it robs us of our vision. I read from a 2015 narrative, where reflect on an instance when I fell victim to this - and how I u...

On this episode I touch on the crumbling of our humanity or the traumas of the pandemic. As I read from some recent work; join me as I wonder aloud if narcisscism is our default setting; the battles or the hard work of choosing ourselves and the notions of serving something greater than ourselves which leads into a lesson or some storytelling gifted to me by way of my Family. P.S....  Make sure to...

On this epsiode, I return from my summer break from the podcast booth to reflect on the state of our humanity.  The real trauma of us (humanity) living in a pandemic which is arguably one of the most traumatic events in recent human history or at least in any of our lifetimes. We were forced inside "under lock and key"... alone with people, who we didn't like very much... ourselves. Coming to term...

On this episode I discuss notions of being free and a lesson gifted from my Uncle, as I read from a letter that I wrote to my Ancestors in 2019, pushing back against the idea of confining honor to the narrow boundaries of a single day. I learned that when the power of love is juxtaposed against history and the ugliness of humanity that freedom is an omnipresent battle that we cannot afford to lose...

On this unscheduled bonus episode, you asked about the cookbook and my culinary leans, so I'm shaking up my regularly scheduled programming to discuss the topic of my upcoming cookbook (TBA), the influence of my Paw-Paw, who I inherited my kitchen swag from and the linkages of food to poetry. Because it is my belief that at the basic level... that food represents the best chance for humanity to co...

It seems as if we are careening towards a fate that we cannot wrap our minds around, but we make a grave error when we assume that we are powerless and when we forget to breathe, what do we do now is the question.

On Episode 29, we take on the spirit of racism and how it thrives in a vacuum of love, as I read through some published and unpublished work on the topic. It is my contention that racism is a crisis of the human spirit that is spread by those who don't have the capacity to love, simply because they've never witnessed or basked in its power.

On this episode, I coin a new term "Mommaness" as I discuss the power of my Mother (Hey Momma! 👋). The one who taught me how to stand in the storm. I celebrate her in the form of narratives, her role in an origin story on the forthcoming cookbook and a poem for her and all of the other Momma's in the Universe. Let this serve as a small deposit of gratitude that I have for her lending me her power...

On this episode I reflect on the power of history, how it repeats, especially in families and the purpose that we can find in honoring the sacrifices of those who allowed us to be. Too often we are guilty of blinding ourselves to our paths when we allow doubt to have a foothold in our spirit. I discuss my battles with it along with a reflection on a recent brush with my own mortality and the uncom...

On this episode which was inspired by a question from my cousin Shirley.  I talk about the winding roots of a proud people and the gifts that they bequeathed to their children (us) and the rest of our kin. But it wasn't always like that... I tried to run from the call, on multiple occassions. Yes, I reflect on the initial resistance I had towards the idea of the carrying the torch and how it broug...

On this episode I pontificate ever so slightly on the concept of living under seige and how that is merely a side effect of us having short memories. History is apt to repeat and I give a couple examples of this including Marvin Gaye's thoughts on the topic and recollection on my wanderings in Japan and lessons that I gained.

On this episode I discuss one of the conduits to my creative process and a medium that I use to recharge the inventories of my peace of mind... the water's edge. This notion of water therapy, isn't complex or estoeric, we simply need to be still which goes against human nature. I discuss the origin story for the first book and some mighty words from my Father. I'll also unpack some concepts of fai...

On this episode I explore the notions of fear and the lies that we tell ourselves.  As I read from some narratives about fear that I have published over the years I've included some new missives and spoken word on this phenomena. However, there is an underlying theme where I wonder if we will be able to get out of our way. My synopsis or belief? Is that fear is fraudulent, it feeds off of what we...

On this episode, I talk about the power of storytelling and how food and words aren't disimilar. I've applied my understanding from this in my efforts as a genealogist. Given that "breaking bread" often facilitates the exchange of oral histories/stories, I've used this in my efforts to trace my roots. And I finally talk about the concept behind my forthcoming cookbook (TBA) with an origin sto...

On Episode 21 - I expand on the notions of finding ourselves during the Great Resignation and coming to terms with our own humanity.  Those lies we tell when we doubt our power, the fight against resisting our calling and reflections from you... the readers. In reading through some select pieces from my second book and some published work on www.shunpwrites.com. I'm waging a frontal assault on the...

On the this installment of As the Incense Burns. I read from my series "The Workplace" where I discuss my experiences as a Black man in corporate spaces, the dangers of performative allyship, microaggressions, passive aggressiveness galore and my tenure at a Fortune 100 entity which served as one of the most racist and toxic venues that I have ever born witness to and it left me wondering... how m...

As we open Season 2 - on this first episode of 2022, I touch on the vile spirit of impostor syndrome, stepping out on purpose and speaking on those inconvenient truths that we tell ourselves... so that we can get out of our way.

In this episode - I read from some old and unreleased poetry and narratives. I touch on the myth of us not being enough, the apprehension that we have in speaking truth to ourselves and the how fear immobilizes and steals that which is stored up for us.

On this bonus installment - I read from some old... and new poetry as I unpack a bit of wisdom gifted to me by way of my Father who cautioned me one day: "What you doing for a living... ain't what you are supposed to be doing with your life Youngblood." In the age of the Great Resignation people are coming to the realization that being minimized in the workplace is not the norm, but more important...

In Episode 16  - I read directly from a 2014 essay:  "A narrative of not being ready yet."  Our best laid plans always have a mind of their own. It was in the aftermath of a car accident where a seat belt saved my life nearly 10 years ago. An event that served as one of the critical sparks in helping me find some redemption against the serial acts of betrayal that I committed agains...