"You're the strong one and you have to be. Take care of each other, remember one hand can't clap." As a child, Dylan Ward enjoyed her father's anecdotes more than fairy tales. While navigating the intimate relationships of her teenage years into her twenties, she relies on his wisdom more than ever. Her dad's voice guides her through each vignette as she copes with betrayal, assault, infidelity, loss and love. Struggling through the muddy waters of her womanhood, she finds herself hanging from the threads of men who never knew how to love her anyway. Inevitably, Dylan learns that life is not always as beautiful as a Caribbean sunset or as dark as the New York skyline on a rainy day. If any of this sounds familiar to you, it should because... She's Your Daughter Too
About the Author: Tassika Lisa Lloyd is a writer from the Bronx, NY born to parents who migrated from St. Kitts/Nevis. Spending much of her childhood split between the Caribbean and the U.S., she made sense of the two worlds through writing. She continued writing well into her adulthood penning Virgin Fingertips, a microscopic lens on her twenties. The blog, which documents turbulent relationships, the dynamics of womanhood and a multitude of personal essays and poems garnered the attention of readers from all over the world. After creating five years' worth of content, Tassika dove deeper into the complexities of her culture and subsequently authored her first novel, She's Your Daughter Too in 2013. The reflective novel is an ode to her late father, a collection of his teachings meant to help her navigate life without him. Upon its release, Tassika stepped away from personal blogging and began to explore different facets of storytelling. She filmed a documentary highlighting the effects of cancer and exposed the reality of survivor's remorse. That same year she started Kisses for Cancer, a fundraising and volunteer opportunity for cancer research and awareness programs. In 2014, she launched the Be the Better Man Campaign, a football tournament shedding light on health disparities in African American men. These projects ignited a philanthropic passion in her as well as repurposed storytelling altogether. Most recently, Tassika created When Pens Collide, an interactive forum for writers which allowed their readers an inside look into their writing process. This raw display of artistry sparked progressive dialogue about the importance of storytelling from Black women in a world that often makes no room for us. Covering topics like sexual assault, mental health, breast cancer, spirituality, and love, When Pens Collide served as a safe space for 9 of the best storytellers on the Internet to share their stories without the shield of their computers. In the meantime, the Temple University graduate is currently the Social Media Specialist for a national health organization creating campaigns that have reached over 7 million people worldwide. Very much inspired by the longevity of the late Dr. Maya Angelou, Zora Neale Hurston, and many other writers of color, it is her wish to encourage women to share their stories and help them develop the tools to do so. Tassika truly believes that youth development rests on their ability to express themselves through storytelling.