Stephon, the Writer
Stephon, the Writer
To reckon and imagine. To bear witness and mobilize language for battle. I write for the people who survive in a world that would much rather we did not.
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Below is my blog.
In the Works
My forthcoming novel, Whisper Park, is a sweeping, intergenerational story set in mid-century Texas that follows the powerful Williams family as they navigate grief, legacy, and the quiet rebellions that shape a life.
After the lynching of Walter Sumter, St. Joseph III- heir to the family’s vast estate- must confront his heart break, the weight of his lineage, and a generational secret that reshapes everything he believes about home.
Blending a classic Southern Gothic with an intimate queer Black lovestory, the novel weaves together memory, inheritance, and the enduring force of a love that refuses to be buried.
I am welcoming conversations with agents and editors as the manuscript continues develop.
Authenticity as Anchor: A Reflection on Teaching, Community, and Becoming One of DC’s Best Yoga Teachers
Everything I have done, everything I am doing, and everything still unfolding is because of God’s grace and guidance.
To God be the glory for all He has done — and all He will continue to do.
Pressing Forward: On Ancestry, Tradition, and the Collective Journey Toward Freedom
Our charge remains the same:
To get as many of us free, healed, and whole as possible.
Forward. Together.
May we continue.
May we press on.
May we move forward — with intention, with gratitude, and with each other.
You Don’t Need All the Time It Took Them: On Readiness, Purpose, and Becoming a CBC Power 100 Honoree
If you’re wondering where to start, start here:
Trust what’s already in you.
Trust where God placed you.
Trust that readiness begins the moment you say yes.
Get Up and Become: A Year-End Reflection on Faith, Integrity, and the Long Road Toward Who We’re Called to Be
Becoming is never a flower bed of ease. Choosing to stand in the sun—choosing truth, choosing purpose, choosing to keep your charge—is a daily act of courage.
Leading This Community Is My Greatest Joy
We’ve proven that yoga does not need to be a “good vibes only” practice. Instead, it can be a fierce battleground for imagining and building a world far more just, more compassionate, and more aligned with who we are called to be.
Fighting Forward: Finding Gratitude Amid Uncertainty as an Entrepreneur
I don’t know what’s to come. The future feels overwhelming, but I remind myself that I am not yet overcome. My hope and prayer are that this moment will pass, and the seeds I’ve planted will yield a harvest of abundance—not just for me, but for the community we are building.
In gratitude, other emotions—fear, doubt, exhaustion—can also coexist, but they do not define me. For all of us standing on the bridge between what was and what could be, may we keep our heads high. The defeat has not defeated us. The loss has not lost us.
The Power of Community in Times of Challenge
Community is more than a gathering of people with shared identities or common interests. It is a declaration of commitment, a pledge to be each other's keeper, to pursue justice for all people, and to recognize that our destinies are woven together. We are each other's harvest, bound by a shared purpose to uplift, support, and stand resolute in the face of adversity.
The Promise of Democracy and Our Collective Responsibility.
Despite this understanding, I choose to live in hope. I strive to engage in the struggle alongside my community, seeking those spaces where we can experience true freedom, healing, and wholeness. That is why I cast my vote for Kamala Harris in her bid for the presidency—not because I expect her to solve all our problems, but because we are each other's hope.
Mapping the Wilderness: Reflecting on Faith, Resilience, and Gratitude
This past year has tested me in ways I could never have anticipated. There were times when faith felt like the only thing holding me up, times when I needed others to help carry the weight, to hug me through the hurt, and to remind me that I am worthy of the love I try to share with the world. And as challenging as it was, I made it through. I was held, cared for, and loved, and I was reminded, over and over, that faith is not something I can only speak of but something I must live in.
Reflecting on Purpose and Legacy: Doing the Work with Courage and Integrity
At the end of it all, when the final sentence has been written and the last page is bound, one question remains: did you do your work? And not just any work—did you do it with courage and integrity? Did you infuse it with your unique style and presence, honoring the people and traditions that shaped you? Did you carry out each action with the future in mind, creating a legacy for those who will come after you?
Honoring My Uncle's Legacy: A Story of Resilience and Community
Every day at The Clearing Community Center, I strive to build a world where people can live in fullness and freedom—a world that my uncle would be proud of. This story, his story, is my “why.” It’s the reason I push forward, even in moments of despair. My uncle’s memory lives on in everything we do, and we continue to build this vision of community and justice with his spirit as our guide.
Finding Community and Healing on “The Other Side of It” at The Clearing
To everyone who steps into The Clearing, you’re not just visitors—you become part of this family, part of the journey we’re building together. My heart is full of gratitude for each of you, and I know that as we continue to show up for each other, peace, love, joy, justice, mercy, and compassion will always be with us.
Train, Resource, Empower with BFWC
God doesn’t do the same thing twice.
Each day it’s a new set of miracles, signs, and wonders.
Each moment is another declaration that God is good all the time.
Community.
Beyond shared identity and deeply rooted in shared politic and character. Community challenges convenience— demanding us to honor values, to confront and correct.
Women in Hip Hop: Full Body Flow.
For this last week of my music and movement program— I’m honored to flow to a playlist through the times honoring Women who Rap. This full body flow will build off of the last few weeks and empower us to find the layers where we are most free, healed, and whole.
Hymns, Hips, and Hamstrings
For Week Three of my Black History Month: Music and Movement Program, I’ve crafted a hips and hamstring focused class to the sounds of those good ole church hymns. Music, just like movement, has the ability to make clear of what was never available to us.
I miss the Amen Corner
I miss the feeling of being on the altar; in the church where I first saw the light, but because they’ve freed me: my being is now the altar.