Cherish Your Hands

One of the greatest tools for my writing are my hands. They are connected to the kinetic energy of my mind, heart, and soul. They are in service to my voice and have dutifully shown up for me professionally for nearly 30 years. But whether wrapped around a pencil, learning the mechanics of writing, or gripped around a pen that pours out my emotions in a journal full of feelings scratched out in ink, my hands have been the doulas to my ideas, desires, and even nightmares.

I owe a great deal of gratitude to my hands, which are always in service to me and my life, even beyond writing. They are right there every day, bathing, eating, caressing, folding, scrubbing, rinsing, wringing, peeling, pouring, stirring, holding, hugging, clapping, steering, pushing, pulling, lifting, clicking, uploading, inputting, listing, writing, typing… Needless to say, I am looking at and using my hands all day.

They are the first purveyors of my voice and a vital tool that I use to bring my characters and stories to life while also aiding me in living my storied life. Given my love and passion for writing, I created the Writers’ Colony to help others of this shared calling find and nurture their creative voices… and their hands.

There is nothing more fulfilling to a writer than a life spent in pursuit of their heart’s desire — but it is an ever-increasing struggle in the modern-day industry that is overly transactional and increasingly less artist-based. In solidarity with the 2023 Writers Guild of America Strike, ITLOM has partnered with the family-owned and Los Angeles-based nail care brand ORLY Color Labs.

Our limited edition collaboration will donate all the proceeds to the Writers’ Colony. At present, the Writers’ Colony is an invite-only endeavor that aims to offer need-based stipends to talented writers in residence so that they may devote all of their 12-week residency to solely focus on transacting with their voice to produce a work that will reflect who they truly are and the stories they want to tell.

The InTheLandOfMara x ORLY Color Labs collection consists of three neutral shades that combine base coat, color, and top coat into one seamless formula. ‘Vintage Vanity’ is a soft, neutral pink that takes me back to my childhood memories in front of my grandmother’s vanity — a cocoon of softness and comfort.

‘Mocha Memories’ is a tone-inclusive medium shade that hints at the Black complexions of the characters I have given voice to. ‘Cloud Cover’ is a soft, summery white that evokes linen tablecloths and blank canvases — the ultimate starting point for inspired creation.

As the Writers’ Colony is about to welcome its Fall cohort of four talented writers — welcomed alongside our Artists in Residence, Anna Malaika Tubbs, Rachel Cargle, and Nakia Stephens — I invite you all to cherish your hands in the name of empowering the plight of the creative, and especially our fellow writers.