I was so happy to open the Zoom link and see not only the faces of my peers but also the faces of the seniors we had visited with twice before. After moving back home, there were many things I was sad to leave behind but the experiences gained from this class were high on my list. So having another chance to connect with everyone felt very special and brought a lot of light into my life.
I had the lucky opportunity to hear Patricia Powell share this first chapter of Balm Yard last semester in a literature class and it was really interesting reading it and hearing her share it again, this time from a completely different lens. The first time I read it I paid very little attention to the main character’s age, but this second time I felt I could understand the story and its characters on a deeper level. I love hearing fiction authors talk about their work, and this meeting was no exception.
What stood out to me in particular was the discussion around mother – daughter relationships. While I think of my own relationship with my mother often, her mother died before I was born so I don’t know much of their relationship. It was really eye-opening to hear people talk about their own relationships with their mothers and/or daughters in reference to the story, particularly when talking about the idea of following in our mothers’ footsteps. It definitely made me look inward to my own life and think more deeply about my actions and future goals.
This discussion also made me think a lot about the idea of destiny, and destiny fulfillment. I think it’s something that comes up in a lot of different stories, especially the more traditional “hero” stories and in fairytales. I really appreciated this new look on what destiny could mean and what it could look like to “fulfill one’s destiny” in a modern, more relatable world.
Coming to Age 