Lit for Reading; Book Tribe: Lit Love Journey

Recently I connected with Simona Rae, founder of Lit Love Journey, and the Head of Community Engagement and Outreach for Marijuana Matters DC. Clubhouse has been one force of connection that I am grateful for! As well as the one that connected us, Noirveganista. Through this connection and conversation, I learned about an amazing book tribe- Lit Love Journey. In my chats with Simona, she describes Lit Love Journey (#litlovejourney) as:

“a mashup of the words literature + love + journey but it also means to exemplify being lit– litty for reading.” ⠀

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The book tribe exists as a cooperative group (each member has an equal voice about what is read, the meetup logistics, etc.) to promote and foster reading amongst all, but their target audience is the 25 years old and up. They aim to support local authors and local eateries as the book discussions serve as a kickback for men and women.

I learned from Simona that in April 2021, the book tribe will be incorporating cannabis education into their initiatives. This of course made me happy! But I was also excited about the passion that Simona had in her voice about her why, the tribes why, the importance of connection, the importance of opening a book, etc.

For these types of pieces, I usually write out the Q&A. My information requests are usually by email, or I’m taking extensive notes during the phone call, or if we cannot get our calendars to agree, I email the questions, ask that the answers be typed and sent over or, ask that questions be answered via video and emailed over if typing it out is too time consuming.

For this, the intent was to type out the interview piece but I couldn’t. I couldn’t because reading the text would do this piece no justice. Simona’s passion in the video she sent was too important to dismiss. I am a gifted writer and part of that gift is knowing when to pull back and just let it be.

What I mean is that, some of the best stories, testimonies, information, etc. are raw, real, required expressions and deliveries. Many times, cleaning up, editing, removing, etc. doesn’t deliver the rawness required for certain subject matters. When I watched the video and saw Simona’s eyes twinkle, smile expand from ear to ear, and the passion that elevated her, I knew that the raw video was the best way for you all to hear from her.

And of course, I like for you all to hear from people directly because, though I am gifted, there is nothing like hearing from the people behind the businesses and brands doing some of the dopest things in the plant space.

It’s with such pleasure that I introduce you all to Simona Rae, founder of Lit Love Journey. Please take a few minutes and tune into this video that I’m sure will leave you inspired and with an urgency to join her book tribe.

You’ll hear about: