A Journal Lovers Paradise
Here at the Drama MaMa Bookshop we believe in the written word. Whether these written words come together in order to pass down priceless information or simply to keep us organized as we go about our day, we know that there’s magic in every stroke of your pen. So whether you are embarking on a new journey, creating a world that's all your own, planning a better tomorrow or just being mindful of today. We're here right along with you. Offering you a boost of encouragement and a ton quality. Choose us and explore the pages of the past or create the pages of tomorrow… with a little bit of Drama and a lot of love.
OWNER & OPERATOR
Alisa L Brock
My earliest childhood memory is of my tiny hands scribbling shapes on to paper and pretending they were words. Writing has been a part of my life since I can remember and journaling is a practice that was passed down by my mother who has documented over 40 years of her life on to paper. In my early years, my writing journey was filled with transparent expressions of the things I was not allowed to say and the feelings that were muffled by adults that couldn't handle the questioning of traditions they swore never to question themselves. My safe place, my haven, has always involved paper and ink.
As time progressed, I fell in love with black women who authored books and plays that spoke to the nature of my existence. I sat in libraries and bookstores for hours and checked out books I eventually had to sneak into my fairly strict and religious home. In the wee hours of the night, I would escape into this melanated dialogue until I fell asleep and dreamt of being one of those authors one day.
As time progressed and I grew into womanhood, my journaling style, thoughts, Ideas and dreams did as well. I started to write about the past. I started to unbottle the trauma and the different ways it had been making an appearance in my life. And as I grew and evolved, along the way, I shared this evolution in my art and with communities of other women and youth who needed to know that they weren't alone in their experiences.
Some time in 2014 as I began to read old journal entry, after old journal entry. I started to recognize the creating I had been doing in my own life. I saw thought patterns repeat themselves and ideas live and last longer than they probably should have. I saw that I used this journaling tradition to release so much, that I forgot to share my joy and use it as a tool to manifest my own dreams. After this realization, I made a promise to myself that I would write my own joy. And when I did, when I chose to make the desires of my heart the focal point of my journal practice, my life started to change for the better. I had found my super power.
Two years later, I found myself outside of my friend Lydia's apartment watching strange men carry her body out in a large black bag. I called her landlord and requested he do a wellness check after not hearing from her for some time... and it turned out that we were too late. On my walk home... numb from shock of losing the person who taught me my value and worth, someone who inspired my enthusiasm to dream and dream big.
I got to a home filled with bookbinding tools and supplies, I had just purchased with the intention of making one journal for myself. In my grief, I cried and binded my way into healing and unexpectedly into a business. I started to stamp affirmations that resembled how I wanted to feel and quotes I that I could stare at a be inspired by. This practice helped me and it is my goal to use it to help others in this same way.
I want people to feel inspired when they see my books on desk, coffee tables and bookstore shelve. I want users of my journals to actualize their goals and dreams and I want them to feel motivated, and healed in some way. And it is my hope that however you choose to explore your journal practice, that it is and will always be for your highest good.
Peace & Love
