L O Kari

Today would have been my Granny’s 105th birthday. She lived to be 101, and I miss her every day. But the moments I shared with her and the gems she passed down continue to guide our family. I hope this fills your spirit. “God Is Able,” sung by Essie Holly.

🎉 WE DID IT! 🎉
We officially hit our $6,000 goal — and it’s all thanks to our incredible community of supporters! 🙌🏾

A special thank you to Joe Hertel, father of John Vietnam Nguyễn, whose life and legacy inspired the birth of Stomping Grounds. 💛 After John’s passing in 2012, his friends formed Elephant Rebellion—an activist artist collective that created the Stomping Grounds Open Stage, which grew into the Stomping Grounds Literary Arts Initiative we know today. His energy and purpose continue to guide everything we do.

We still have 5 days left in our campaign, and every contribution will go directly toward supporting youth through art, writing, and music inside the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center (JTDC).

Endless gratitude to our incredible donors — Caitlin Wood, Hatsephi Kushma, Katrina Cortes, Laney Ching, Yangin Shieh, Uran Kabashi, Yoshie Asei, Sara Slawnik, Shereene Manimala, Raymond Thomas, Keisha H, Margy LaFreniere, Lan Ho, Norman Teague, Paula Leland, Jennifer & Penny Ching, Caroline Moss, Calvin Chan, Fausto Lopez, Randy McGrane, Joanne Vena, Sherry Heard, Clare Lindahl, Tyreece Williams, John Gardner, Mari Miller, Mary Jordan, and all of our anonymous supporters! 🖤

🎥

Chicago, you showed up and showed out! 🙌🏾
Thank you to everyone who came to my first book signing for Champagne: Living My Best Life at Connect Gallery on 53rd Street.
Huge thanks to my son DJ L O Kari for holding down the music, Raymond Thomas for the incredible interview, and our host with the most Binkey for bringing the energy and the people!
Much love to my daughter Shebtufi Kushma and my bonus son John for all your help and support — and of course, everyone who came through and bought a book. Because of you, our first stop on the tour was a huge success — only three books left out of fifty!
If you haven’t gotten your copy yet, you can order now on Amazon — and please leave a review after you read it. I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Chicago, thank you for the love — and I’ll see you again soon! ❤️

👉 linktr.ee/crystalwrights4u