My inspiration for the Darling Spot arose during a writing class taught by Audrey Adkins in early 2021. Society was still at home, and I was grateful to have the time to reconnect with my love for writing. As the isolation carried on, I increasingly craved movement – social dance, to be specific. I am an avid social dancer, and have experienced some of my most joyful, connected moments on dance floors, when strangers come together to move to music by live bands and DJs. Reaching across generations, cultures, and language barriers becomes instantly possible in these spaces – more so than in any other space I’ve experienced.

I share my Darling Spot story as a reflection of my experiences, and as a call to action to focus more deeply on the teachings of the body.

In reflecting further upon the word “darling,” a deluge of memories arise regarding my 5’1” stature. I am no stranger to the ways in which society patronizes women as “darlings.” I claim this space as one in which female storytelling and envisioning is centered. Please go check-out my blog!

And I must acknowledge the South when invoking the word “darling.” I write this to you from my home in Waverly, Alabama. All the places and communities in which I have lived and loved and worked have taught me a great deal. But it is in my moving to the South – a region often overlooked and misjudged – that has afforded me the greatest perspective on the systems at play within this breathtakingly beautiful, yet mixed-up world we inhabit. And there is no other place that colloquially utilizes “ darlin’ ” quite as wittily as the South.