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i am the
alexander hardy.
…welcome to my corner
of janet jackson’s internet.
who i am
Extraordinary. Colored. Moisturized.
Oh, hey there.
Who I’m is?
It all started in Hampton, Virginia with a woman named Eddie and a man named Sonny. These days, I edify, proselytize, and signify on pages, stages and airwaves. I’m a writer, dancer, teacher, talker, and lupus survivor. I’m the co-host of The Extraordinary Negroes podcast, which has been featured both in The New York Times and on the first podcast stage at the SXSW Music Festival. As a certified Youth and Adult Mental Health First Aid instructor, I lead trainings in English and ever-developing Spanish that help folks recognize signs and symptoms of someone developing a mental health or substance use disorder and help a person in crisis. I always bring snacks.
And I believe in the omnipotent healing power of a pot of love-filled grits.
I have written for folks like Ebony Magazine, CNN.com, Food & Wine, Very Smart Brothas, Esquire, Courvoisier, The Root, Saint Heron, The Huffington Post, among other outlets. I work to make the world a bit less wack and combat spiritual ashiness as Founder and Creative Director of GetSomeJoy – a creative wellness agency promoting mental and emotional wellness via dynamic storytelling, accessible wellness resources, and live events. My team and I launched SelfCareCheckin.com in the spring of 2018 to share self-care tools and resources to be great(er) at home, work, and school.
I create welcoming spaces where folks can talk about feelings and share their triumphs, tragedies, fears, and favorite childhood movies and coping mechanisms alike. I will wear you out in a Bop It! battle or Sister Act 2 dance-off and I encourage folks to bust their emotions open via a monthly peer-support situation for Black LGBTQ folks in Brooklyn and my Literary Therapy: Writing (for) Your Life workshops. I always bring tissue.
One time, while teaching dance and exploring my Panamanian roots in my mother’s home country, I started a company called Panamerican Languages that trained Spanish-speaking teachers and executives in Panama City to conduct business and conquer the world in English. I did some of my best eating there. You would’ve been proud.
I don’t believe in snow or Delaware.
Be nosy, click around and such.
what i do…
public speaker & facilitator
I talk about feelings, Blackness, wellness, lupus, food, self-care, suicide, the glory of Saint Damita Jo Jackson, First of Her Name, and so forth. I lead workshops on creative and cathartic writing (Literary Therapy), share my journey via talks, and host joy- & wellness-centered events (English/Spanish Youth & Adult Mental Health First Aid, Self-Care @ Work/School, etc.).
joy getter
I work to spread joy and combat spiritual ashiness as Creative Director of GetSomeJoy. Our mission is to promote mental and emotional wellness via interactive storytelling, interactive live & digital events, and accessible wellness resources.
writer & editor
As a wordsmith for hire, I write about rice and lesser foods, feelings & wellness, Blackety Blackness, dastardly non-Blacks, culture, media, and whatever else is on my heart. I be editing, too, though. Don’t sleep.
…see my latest doings along the side 👉🏿
food enthusiast
I am a pro-Breakfast food enthusiast, gravy advocate, and producer of calorie-powered content. I explore my love of food via reviews, copywriting campaigns, consulting, speaking, and event hosting. I’m on a lifelong journey to becoming a legendary ricist. Viva lunch specials.
go getter
I collaborate with creative, community, and corporate partners to produce and host soulful, engaging live events and digital media that promote joy and combat spiritual ashiness. Doesn’t this plantain look amazing?
host & panelist
I bring illumination and levity to difficult discussions and make it look easy.
but mostly, i write…
copy.
8 Ways Getting A New Job
Will Upgrade Your Life
”Securing employment is a big deal. It's a feat worth celebrating, especially in an age when job security is a myth and degrees don't guarantee much beyond, perhaps, insurmountable debt. Contending with unemployment or round upon round of interviews can be soul-deflating, but it's pretty amazing when torment pays off. Here are a few perks that come along with new gig….”
read the rest @ Esquire
culture.
Deeply rooted: What plant fatherhood taught me about caring for myself
When I moved into my new home this past July, it quickly became clear that not even the deepest Steak-umm-stuffed deep freezer or flyest plastic-covered couch could bring joy to a greenery-free residence. So a family of resilient, depression-proof potted housemates was essential to turning this apartment into a sanctuary. They would be proof that I’m doing okay enough to unclench and blossom. The first of the squad were Rita Louise the croton and Sister Mary Clarence the neon pothos, found at Natty Garden II, a Black-owned nursery in Brooklyn.
read the rest @ Mic
cuisine.
Empanadas, Rice, and a Dream Built My Family
Making patties on my own also gives me space to find my own culinary voice beyond Miss Ruby’s enormous shadow. Now, rather than agonizing over whether I’ve nailed her execution or if my dough is as flaky as hers, I decided to use what I’ve learned of the empanada arts to flourish with my own patties. That exploration keeps my emotional Jheri curl moist.
read the rest @ Food&Wine
why I write
Writing has saved my life. It has helped me shed shame and share my truths, trials, and triumphs. It helped me find language and an outlet for my dealings with both white terribleness and Black anger when I needed both. And acquire both deep-fried poultries and new check chasing-based anxieties.
Busting my emotions and perspectives open on the page, whether privately or for publication, has helped me find and flourish in my purpose, extol rice and Saint Damita Jo Jackson, and make sense of our existence in these grits-abusing times.Whether assuming a brand’s voice for editorial or copywriting wordsmithery or waxing poetic on aggressive peppermint soap-sponsored crotchfires, I find joy in recounting history through my lupus-tinted lenses as a mental health-advocating, calorie-positive Halfro-Panamanian🇵🇦 literary homothug.
" French fries do not influence potatoes..." "Every day is '#JanetJacksonAppreciationDay’." "Behind every Sam Whiteout and Rachel Dolezal is a gaggle of Black folks who should love themselves more." "My favorite pastime is definitely eating. If I’m not sleeping or writing, or on MyVidster, it’s definitely all about the meal."
