Erin mcki nney

This is a portfolio of all my work. I've never boxed myself in. Im not going to start now.

[studylikeknope]

This is a challenge for anyone who enjoys reading and wants to read more in 2021!

If you would like to participate in the challenge, please use the tags #2021readingchallenge and #2021bookclub so that I and other participants can easily see your posts and reblog as much as we can! 

If you want to do the challenge, you don’t have to follow me or anything but a reblog would be nice (in order to spread the post)

These are weekly prompts for every week of 2021. Each week starts with Monday. You can post on any day of the week.

There are two questions per week. You can answer them either in seperate posts or in the same post. Or you can choose to answer only one.

This challenge starts on the first week of 2021, but if you see this post     later, you can start anytime!

If you have any questions, feel free to send me a message or an ask!

ENJOY!

JANUARY Week 1 What is the first book that you are reading in 2021? Do you have a reading goal this year? How many books do you plan to read?

Week 2 Which feminist books do you recommend? Do you have a favorite book series?

Week 3 Which book(s) have you re-read the most? Would you call yourself a bookworm?

Week 4 Which book ended in a completely different way than you thought? Do you prefer fiction or nonfiction?

FEBRUARY Week 1 If the book that you are currently reading had a different title, what would it be? Do you like going to the library?

Week 2 Pick a song that matches the mood of the book that you are currently reading. What are your favorite genres?

Week 3 What are you currently reading? Why did you choose to read this? Do you always finish the book, even if you do not like it?

Week 4 Think about the last book you read. Would you write a different ending? Do you write reviews after reading?

MARCH Week 1  What is your favorite quote from the book you are currently reading so far? If you could live in a book, which book would you choose?

Week 2 What are you currently reading? Would you recommend this book to a friend? Do you prefer paperback or hardcover? Why?

Week 3 What are you currently reading? How do you feel reading this book? Do you lend your books to your friends?

Week 4 What are you currently reading? Do you like the book cover? Do you use bookmarks?

Week 5 What is your favorite book cover ever? Do you take notes while reading?

APRIL Week 1 Who are your top three favorite protagonists? What was your favorite book as a child?

Week 2 What is your all-time favorite poem? Is there a book that you absolutely hate?

Week 3 Tell us about a book you have a deep emotional connection with. Can you read with background noise?

Week 4 What is that one book that you’ve been wanting to read for a long time but haven’t for any reason? Do you like reading thrillers? Do you have a favorite?

MAY Week 1 If you’d give a color palette to the book you read what would it be? Do you have a Goodreads account? Would you like to share it?

Week 2 Think about the book that you’re reading. If you gave this book as a gift to someone, who would it be and why? Do you enjoy audiobooks?

Week 3 Think about the last book you read. What value did you get from this book? What are the 3 books that make you really happy?

Week 4 Think about the last book you read. Did this book teach you a lesson that you will implement in your life? What is your favorite short story?

Week 5 What are your top 3 favorite novels? Do you read biographies? Do you have a favorite?

JUNE Week 1 Think about the book that you are currently reading. Pick a character that would survive a horror movie and tell us why. Have you ever read a banned book? Which one?

Week 2 If you’d associate a dish with the book that you’re reading, what would it be? Do you prefer physical books or ebooks?

Week 3 In the book that you are currently reading, which character is underrated? Which one is overrated?

Week 4 What are some non-English books you’d love to share? What book(s) did you read in one sitting?

JULY Week 1 What’s your favorite quote from a book you’ve read lately? Is there an author that you absolutely hate?

Week 2 Share a first line that’s so funny/horrible/well-written it’s memorable. Which book do you have a love/hate relationship with?

Week 3 What’s a book that you think is brilliantly titled? Are you a poet/writer yourself?

Week 4 Do you think that fanfiction is a valid form of literature? Do you like discussing about books with your family, friends, etc.?

AUGUST Week 1 Do you like non-fiction? Which non-fiction genre do you like reading the most? How do you organize your bookshelf?

Week 2 Have you ever gotten really into an assigned reading for school? (fiction or nonfiction) Do you like reading romances? Do you have a favorite?

Week 3 Have you ever read a book with a side character you think deserved to be the main character? If so, who was it? What is your favorite memory with a book or story?

Week 4 What is the one book you think one should at least read once in life? What is the one book you would never recommend to anyone?

Week 5 What book got you into reading? Do you like detective novels? Do you have a favorite?

SEPTEMBER Week 1 Can you remember the first book you’ve read? What was it? What was the most surprising thing you learned from a non-fiction book?

Week 2 What is your favorite book written in your native language? Think about the book that you’re currently reading. Would you like to be a character in this story?

Week 3 What is your favorite book written in a language except from your native language? Who is your favorite couple from a romance book?

Week 4 Have you ever had a truly awful experience with a book? What was it? Who is your least favorite character in the book that you are currently reading?

OCTOBER Week 1 Can you separate the book from its author? Think about the book that you are currently reading. Would it make a good movie?

Week 2 What book do you find worse than its movie adaptation? (If there is any) Think about the book that you are currently reading. Did you like it immediately or did it take some time for you to get used to it?

Week 3 What book made you cry many times? Do you take a look at the reviews of a book before/after reading?

Week 4 Who is your favorite villain? Think of all the books you’ve read. Which character would you like to be friends with?

NOVEMBER Week 1 Would you read a fanfiction about the characters of the book that you are currently reading? If you were to add a character, story, scene to the book that you’re reading, what would it be?

Week 2 What are the 10 books you would take with you if you ended up on a stranded island? Do you like rereading? Why/why not?

Week 3 Who are your top 3 favorite authors/poets? Do you read with your friends or family? Or do you like reading alone?

Week 4 Do you have a favorite place to read? Do you read any self-help books?

Week 5 Do you snack while reading? What do you eat/drink? Do you like reading on a hot summer day or a cold winter day?

DECEMBER Week 1 What was your favorite fairytale as a child? What is your favorite fairytale now?

Week 2 Which author would like to meet? What would you ask them?

Week 3 What is your favorite classic that you have read this year? Do you read theatre plays? Do you have a favorite?

Week 4 This year, were you able to read books from authors with different nationalities/sexualities/identities? What is the best book of the year for you?

[septaout]

august 23th 2919 — i’ve read a bit of on beauty which i’m still very much enjoying, this book is really good. i also got the bell jar in the mail and i am the happiest, just look at that edition! I’m glad I decided to wait to get it *.* anyway, gotta go back to reading :)

[erinmorganmcki1]

Focusing on yourself is the best thing you can do!

Can’t wait to share my reads.

[erinmorganmcki1]

“Objects”

Oil painting on canvas board

[erinmorganmcki1]

“The move to hide aging is sort of sad. But it’s a wonderful thing to celebrate our aging”

[erinmorganmcki1]

“You want to fly, you have to give up the shit that weighs you down”

[erinmorganmcki1]

“ Just the Begining of a Bad Day”

Oil Painting

12x16 Canvas Paper

[erinmorganmcki1]

A S H L E Y 

[erinmorganmcki1]

Fabulation

Fabulation is a creative reimagination of the past. Adding “afro” to this idea (afro-fabulation)  is to understand it as a creative reimagination of the black body’s past. Kara Walker creates multiple works exemplifying the idea. Kara Walker creates silhouettes of antebellum past and has them acting out the myths of slavery. We call these things that she understands to be true in her heart about slavery a myth because it is not based on hard evidence. For example, she could recreate a slave raped by a black man, but it is no one in particular, and even if it was there is no way to know what happened. Therefore, she is left with her imagination to complete her images.  This sense of leaving unknown information to be interpreted creatively can contribute to Fanon’s idea of triplication. According to Fanon, when a black body is in triple, they not only carry the weight of their awareness but of their ancestors as well. It becomes more than just an “I’m black, somethings wrong with” feeling to an “I carry the weight of my ancestors and what does it truly mean to be black” feeling. But when a black person enters the thought process that happens during triplication, they begin to imagine what their ancestors did and who they were because up to a certain point they don’t know who they were.

[erinmorganmcki1]

S T A Y. G O O F Y. 

[erinmorganmcki1]

[erinmorganmcki1]

Sound

The sound in the film is what most audiences tend to pay the most attention . Whether the sound is Diegetic or Non-Diegetic can sometimes make a difference in the mood of the film. Diegetic sound is sound that is coming directly from the source within a film. The nondiegetic sound is when the source of the sound has not been incorporated in the film, for example, a narrator or background music. Sometimes these two types of sound can overlap/be combined. All three of these examples are in the film Cadillac Records. The movie is being told by Willie Dixon as the narrator. He narrates the story of Cadillac records incorporating the business side and the drama. Even though Willie is not seen at this point in the film, the audience feels that they have a character they can trust. He is comfortable in giving us this sensation of truth and support the narrative. Willie’s voice is nondiegetic until he is introduced in the film. After being introduced, it goes back and forth from him telling the story and him being in the story. His character is the only one who doesn’t get involved in scams and drama. Willie as a character is trustworthy, honest, and wise. He is characterized like this on purpose because if he is a narrator, he is supposed to be all knowing, which often the narrator is viewed as the god of the film, and even after watching his character it gives you more reason to trust him like someone would with their religions god.          Not only is there a narrator but, Daniel Martin incorporates music within the film also to tell the story, which makes sense because the film is about a record label. Martin gives us times where the music is in the scene coming straight from the source like when Leonard Chess is working in his bar and Muddy Waters comes in to play. Watching the performances in the film allows us to know precisely how the characters personalities are incorporated in their music, how they affected their audiences and gave viewers a sense of being present in the film. That is what is known as diegetic sound.          Martin also uses, more than once, both of these techniques in one scene. A troubling character in the film, Little Walter, performs his song My babe in the recording booth after hearing about a death in the family. Martin uses this song to go back and forth showing how the song rose to number one on the charts, Walters true character, and depicting how the men in the business cheated on their women (juxtaposing with the song that clearly states multiple times “my babe don’t stand no cheating”). As a viewer, we can conclude that the rise to fame happened fast for Little Walter because this scene is fast paced and we have multiple sounds coming from the film (dialogue, music, and narration) slightly giving a hint of chaos. All of this sound can also be seen as a foreshadowing to Little Walters fall because usually when something happens too fast, the end isn’t too far behind. So whether the sound is direct or indirect, it can add immensely to what is felt while watching a film.

[erinmorganmcki1]

Applying Jeffrey's Ideas To Mental Health

     In The visible Cripple (Scars and Other Disfiguring Displays Included) Mark Jeffrey's, professor and professional author, claims that it is better to mask disabilities in pictures to present oneself as what is culturally accepted as usual. Jeffrey's illuminates this idea with anecdotes of his past and introducing the philosophy constructivist epistemology. He uses family stories and pictures to establish credibility with his audience as well as using indirect emotional appeals. Full of strange and exciting things, Jeffrey's was bound to tug at a few hearts. The first thing that was strange and stuck out is that this was a family of “cripples” already and they chose to have another one. Maybe it wasn't mentioned because the author was young when his brother was adopted, or maybe it wouldn't have fit into the outline of the story, but it's hard to  imagine an adoption agency wanting to give this child who will need a lot of help and assistance to a family with more than one disabled person. That seems like such a financial strain. Then it was interesting that Jim never had a desire for legs and also that his mother kept pushing him to feel “normal.” Throughout the story, it would appear that there is a tug-of-war game between comfort and conformity. Is it better to separate the two in the time of need like Jeffrey's family or should you pick whether you are going to always conform to societies expectations or be comfortable with your disability no matter what?          The standard way of thinking about a disability would be a physical disability or a disability that is visible. For example, the limitation in Jeffrey's story was a physical disability; his brother had amputated legs. My paper would like to compare and contrast Jeffry's arguments pictures with a disability that can be visible and one that can be hidden. Although Jeffrey's does not say so directly, he assumes that physical disabilities are more susceptible to pity and misunderstandings than mental health issues, because physical disabilities are easier to spot.            As an illustration, there is a picture of two of my little sisters and me. I was in the nine, Leslie two, and Jordan one. I was in this afterschool program called the prodigy where kids would express themselves through various arts. My chosen pathway was dance. My mom wanted me to take as many pictures with my sisters as possible that year because it would be the last year they lived with us. More to the point my sister Leslie, who was two at the time, is autistic. A child cannot be diagnosed with a mental health issue until a certain age, but as my mother had suspected, she has autism. Madison, on the other hand, was just a very ill impressed child until about the age of three. I say this to explain further why neither one of them were smiling in the picture, just me. Jeffrey's would be happy about this idea of unity and bond between the two younger sisters. To him the photograph makes it appears as though I was only excited because it was my night and they were too young to understand my joy and excitement. This also would be the reason that this is one of the last few moments that Leslie wouldn’t be looked at differently from Madison or anyone else for that matter. Jeffrey's would be proud of my family for making this conformity last as long as it did.            On the other hand, what happens when applying his ideas to a picture where the issue is mental health. The image I am choosing to use for this experiment is a picture of me before my homecoming dance senior year. In the picture, I was still seventeen, and I am wearing a style inspired by Nicki Minaj, Beyoncé, and a girl I saw on my Pinterest. At the time it was hard for me to find something to wear because I had gained 43 pounds and was two sizes bigger than I was used to. Either way, in the picture I am smiling and am seemingly excited about my night and where it would take me. Even though my night was not bad, it was not great either. This was just the beginning of my long battle with depression. Like Jeffreys believed one should do I hid my emotions so that I could have a great picture to look back at and one my mother would be proud to post on Instagram.            Although I agree with Jeffrey's that there are a time and place for certain personal expressions, I have to disagree that it is in the best interest for everyone. His ideas are in the best interest for the majority, and sadly, in this case, the minority is what matters. Applying his supporting concept of constructivist epistemology ( the humane way to look at a subject versus looking at the situation objectively. ) the opposite direction of him, I can make the argument that ordinary people aren't healthy but people who lack disabilities. Of course, many people will disagree with this idea of promoting limitations and making disabled people feel better. Sadly, there continues to be this comprehensive view that disabilities need to be fixed people with them should conform to the rest of society.  

[erinmorganmcki1]

I do consider myself part of black history. -Mary J Blige

[erinmorganmcki1]

There’s not enough time to be disrespecting...Life is too short. -Mary J Blige

[erinmorganmcki1]

I know who I am. I am not perfect. I’m not the most beautiful woman in the world. But I’m one of them. -Mary J Blidge

[theblackoutofficial]

Happy Black History month!

We’ve been working on something special and are so excited to announce that we’re partnering with Tumblr to bring the best of Black excellence straight to your dashboard. How is this February different from the usual BHM celebrations? This time around, we won’t stop on the last day of February. We and Tumblr are committed to shining a light on the Black community throughout this entire year. This is #BlackExcellence365.

Our goal for #BlackExcellence365 is to the showcase the importance of diversity in Black history, present, and future. The Black community is not monolithic. It is a pan-African community, one consisting of a myriad of ethnic identities from African-American, African, Caribbean, Latinx, etc. Blackness encompasses different religions, sexual and gender identities, socioeconomic statuses, and more. Celebrating these identities and their successes is what #BlackExcellence365 is all about. We’ll be doing this by showcasing the continuous achievements of and contributions by Black people in history, science, music, art, media, social impact, fashion, gaming, poetry, and so many other areas of prominent cultural and historical importance.

Here’s a peek at just some of the things you can expect to see from @action (unless otherwise indicated!), Tumblr’s official blog for social impact:

February

2/4 — Artist Spotlight: Artist Jessica Spence - @jessmyart

2/7— MAKERS Conference livestream - @makerswomen - with:

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, Ciara

CEO & founder of Times Up, Lisa Borders

Actor, Producer, Entrepreneur, Jada Pickett Smith

Founder and CEO of Backstage Capital, Arlan Hamilton

2/11 — Artist Spotlight: Photographer Josef Adamu - @josefadamu

2/18 — Artist Spotlight: Artist Pea the Feary - @peathefeary

2/20 — “My Black Is Beautiful” livestream, a panel discussion featuring NaturallySheIsDope, Kennedy, Tarynn, Kahlana Barfield Brown, Minda Harts, and Ashley Akunna, streaming on @action at 6 p.m. ET.

2/25 — Artist Spotlight: Artist and Filmmaker Asaph Luccas - @asaphluccas

March

#BlackExcellence365 video series, a round-table discussion of important issues in the Black community. March’s theme is Black Girl Magic: The Importance of Black Women’s Work in the Media.

June

#BlackExcellence365 video series X #TheBlackout: Content & Conversations Surrounding the Black LGBTQ+ community

August

#BlackExcellence365 video series X #TheBlackout: Music in the Black Community

December

#BlackExcellence365 video series X #TheBlackout: Mental Health in Communities of Color

Are you ready? We’re ready. Stay tuned to @action - Tumblr’s official blog for social impact, for the latest news, features, and community highlights. ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽

[staff]

Oh, yeah. #BlackExcellence365 is here, and who better to help us usher it in than the people behind @theblackoutofficial? The Blackout has spent years cultivating a community of people who make it their mission to own their Blackness by redefining what Blackness means to them.

Be sure to follow both @theblackoutofficial and @action to stay on top of the latest #BlackExcellence365 news all year long.

PS, our Black History Month stickers are back!

Slap ‘em on your selfie, throw ‘em on your GIFs. They’re in the app right now, and so easy to use.

[erinmorganmcki1]

Gentrification

Have you ever heard of the lost village in New York City? Many people walk all over and around the village every day. This lost village, Seneca village, was thought to be the first community functioned by African Americans. Andrew Williams, an African American, purchased the first three lots that would become Seneca Village for one hundred twenty-five dollars. Williams helped build the village from his house to his (where he would marry his wife in the backyard) to the first church (All Angel’s Church). He and Sara would raise their three children in this up and coming neighborhood they called home, where the Irish and Blacks would eventually get along even though both ethnic groups faced mental and physical discrimination. Andrew Williams had open arms for the Scott O’Neal family the day they wanted to come into town and helped build their houses after they were forced to move out of Yorkville. O’Neal’s bakery was torn down to construct the Croton Distributing Reservoir. Williams consoled O’Neal in his time of grief, reassuring him that it was safe in Seneca as long as they stayed united. Then one day all the families received a thirty-day notice (and two hundred dollars) to leave their homes for the bettering of the city. Central Park was born. What is the word that makes the middle and lower class residents cringe, have economists on the fence, and politicians happy? Gentrification. Gentrification is used to displace low-income residents, and it increases crime rates on surrounding neighborhoods/counties by renewing and rebuilding, which has more negative impacts than positive, socioeconomically and politically.          The history of renewal is best understood through close examination of multiple cases. According to the person who coined the word, “One by one, many of the working class quarters have been invaded by the middle upper and lower…once this process of ‘gentrification’ starts in a district it goes on rapidly until all or most of the working class occupiers are displaced and the whole social character of the district changed” (Ruth Glass). Looking down the history of Gentrification in the United States no much good has come from the advances. Shortly after the Vietnam War, the city of Boston wanted to make some breakthroughs. They created new factories for jobs and built new apartments, without acknowledging the lower income neighborhoods who could not afford these higher taxes on rent. As a result, the combat zone formed, full of high crime, mostly drugs, and prostitutes. A Harvard football star ended up on the wrong side of town that night and was murdered. The city did not pay attention to the high crime, and so they lacked police force in that area. Thanks to Brown vs. The Board of Education segregation in public schools is non-existent. Brown was a little black girl who was not able to go to a school because of discrimination even though it was closer to home. Her and twelve other families filed a case against the board of education and were granted access to this school. Now there is a more natural way to deal with wanting your child into a better school, gentrification. As gentrification rises school rezoning increases shown in cases like Shawn v. Reno and Shelba County v. Holder. There are plenty of claims about how these adverse effects are not intentional and that the end goal is to improve the area. Whether or not these effects are intended or not they happen and have continued to occur in the U.S.          As gentrification continues to displace low-income residents, this affects the socioeconomic status and interactions with others. Georgia State is a university but also a major company. The school has bought almost every building surrounding Woodruff Park, like the Sun Trust building. The school makes Atlanta more of a campus instead of a city. The only affordable housing downtown for the lower and middle class are provided to college students. The same thing has happened to midtown Atlanta. For example, I lived in Atlanta for three years. When it was time for my mother and me to move because of a pest issue, we couldn’t. My mother was a teacher and are considered higher middle class, but we could not find any reasonably priced apartments for her income that would allow me to go to Grady High school. So instead I attended Tucker High. When I lived in Candler Park that would let me stay at Grady the neighborhood salary average was $76,354.The average income is now $143,918 (point2homes). Due to the home improvements some made, others were forced or preferred to move. I have witnessed five new homes built, and two remodels on my old street alone since 2012. The neighborhood has become more luxurious over the years, and it used to be cozy with a lived-in kind of feeling. The split between white collar and blue collar jobs in this neighborhood had been close to a 55:45 ratio. Now it is closer to a 70:30 split expecting to be even closer to an 80:20 in five years. It is not hidden that a lot of blue collar jobs tend to have more minorities employed, that is just history. There has always been a social divide in major cities, and the neighborhoods that are being transformed are historically black or surrounded by traditionally black communities: Kirkwood, Edgewood, and Reynoldstown border Candler Park, Inman Park, and Decatur. Simply economics will show that if ten new houses built in each one of these "white collar" neighborhoods that the average home price for old houses will go up at least $15,000. The more demand for larger homes, in safe communities, in a high school district the more family size homes and upgrades that will be built. After this, the average home price may have increased at least4.5% up to 12.3%. Since parts of Edgewood is in the same zip code as Candler Park the tax dollars for those homes will increase, causing families that cannot afford those taxes to move.          Although there were probably two apartments that were affordable, it wasn’t worth it because when you pay for a place to live, you are also paying for the neighborhood. The two homes me and my mother had to choose from were in higher crime areas than we were accustomed to. If this could happen to my family, imagine how many other families continue to go through the same things. No person should have to sacrifice safety to be able to go to the same school. (Plan to place facts/research done on the politics, inflation, and how school systems are affected). In the end, we moved to Tucker, Georgia, a pleasant little suburbia on the outskirts of Decatur. We soon saw with the increases in nice expensive neighborhoods in Atlanta; the more crime spread to cities near us like Clarkston and Lawrenceville.          Gentrification is used to displace low-income residents, and it increases crime rates on surrounding neighborhoods/counties by renewing and rebuilding. Does this process help cities grow? Yes. Does this process lower unemployment? Yes. Has this process divided major cities into white collar blue collar? Has this process diminished the diversity of races as well as income? Has this process got rid of suburbia? Has this system made it harder for the low-class citizens of major cities to receive a better education as well as other opportunities? Yes.