When Memories Become Nightmares, the EBook

It's Here: When Memories Become Nightmares is officially an eBook! 📖✨

Welcome back, family, to another update from The Akua Projects. If you tuned into yesterday's Sunday’s Mental Health Check-In, you heard all about my freezing, chaotic Wednesday night stranded at the transit center. We talked about what it feels like when the digital darkness hits and you feel stuck in the cold. Honestly, that feeling of being trapped in a dark space, trying to navigate your way back to the light, is exactly what birthed the project I am so incredibly thrilled to share with you today. I am so excited to announce that my short story collection, When Memories Become Nightmares, is officially being republished and released as an eBook! What started out as a simple midnight exercise to push through my own frustrating writer’s block has evolved into a world that I am so proud of. I wanted to write stories that reflect the women I know and love. In these pages, you'll meet beautiful, full-figured, everyday Black women who are forced to confront the heavy baggage of their pasts. These aren't just spooky tales; they are explorations of the mind. They are about those moments when the things we thought we left behind suddenly demand our attention, and the sheer resilience it takes to face those ghosts down. Here is what you can expect inside: Relatable Protagonists: Plus-size African American women taking the lead in their own complex, thrilling narratives. Mental Health Themes: A raw look at how we process trauma, memory, and anxiety when the past refuses to stay quiet. Psychological Suspense: Twists and turns that will keep you reading late into the night. To my village—thank you for your endless support of The Akua Projects, whether you are buying custom beaded pens from Adorned by Rakia Ari, listening to the podcast, or reading my words. It means the world to me that we get to go far together. You can grab your digital copy of When Memories Become Nightmares right now! https://www.lulu.com/shop/rakia-ari/when-memories-become-nightmares/ebook/product-m26qk2k.html?page=1&pageSize=4 Stay warm, protect your peace, and happy reading. With love, Rakia Ari, The Akua Projects #WhenMemoriesBecomeNightmares #RakiaAri #NewReleaseEBook #DarkFantasy #ShortStories

Philly Winter Night: The Village Survives

 

🎙️ Welcome to The Akua Project’s Podcast Magazine!

Hello, beautiful community! I am your host and creator, Rakia Ari.

If you are listening to the background track right now, you are hearing something incredibly special. This week, I decided to try something completely new: a spoken-word piece I wrote, brought to life with music and voiceover generated by Gemini. This track was born from a recent personal incident—one that shook me, inspired me, and became the beating heart of this entire week’s lineup.

Here is a preview of the journey we are taking together this week:

🗓️ This Week on The Akua Project:

✨ Sunday: Mental Health Check-In We are grounding ourselves with deep, ancestral wisdom. We’ll be digging into two powerful proverbs that have been heavy on my heart:

• "You do not test the depth of a river with both feet." (Ashanti Proverb)

• "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."

✨ Monday: Monday’s Revisit Start your work week with a deep exhale. We are reviving a beloved Mental Health Check-In from the archives of my blog: Breath by Breath, Just Let Go. ✨ Tuesday: Let’s Write a Story Together! My absolute favorite series continues! Bring your creativity, drop your ideas in the comments, and let’s build a beautiful narrative piece by piece.

✨ Wednesday: The Chat Room Let’s talk about it! Come hang out with me in the Substack Chat Room. We will be doing a deeper dive into Sunday’s Mental Health Check-In. Bring your thoughts, your experiences, and your open hearts.

✨ Thursday: The Cabin Getaway Get ready for the newest episode of The Cabin Getaway comic! The visual storytelling continues, and you won't want to miss what happens next.

✨ Friday: Story Time We close the week with an intimate short story written by me. This piece reflects on the recent real-life incident I experienced—the exact spark that inspired Sunday’s check-in and the musical track you are hearing today.

🌟 Become a Founding Member of Our Journey

The Akua Project is more than just a podcast or a magazine; it is a safe space for storytelling, mental health advocacy, and community connection.

If my stories, check-ins, or comics resonate with you, please hit that Subscribe button. Want to go further with us? I warmly invite you to upgrade to a Paid Subscription. Your paid membership directly supports my ability to create these tracks, draw these comics, and keep this beautiful, vulnerable space thriving. As that proverb says: If you want to go far, go together. Let's go far.

Drop a 💛 in the comments if you're ready for the week!

Warmly, Rakia Ari

The difference between a fast leader and a wise leader.

 In business, we often confuse speed with efficiency. We reward the person who has the answer first, even if it's not the best answer.

But a Kenyan proverb cautions us: "A wise man fills his head before he empties his mouth."

Reactive leadership looks like:

• Answering emails in a fury.
• Interrupting colleagues to make a point.
• Making decisions without full context.

Responsive leadership looks like:

• "Let me process that and get back to you."
• Gathering the facts before the meeting.
• Listening to understand, not just to reply.

This week on the Akua Projects Newsletter and Podcast, I have been discussing how "filling your head" prevents the messes that "emptying your mouth" too quickly creates.

Visit for the Full Experience.

Can you survive your own past?

What happens when your favorite memory becomes your worst nightmare?

In When Memories Become Nightmares, I explore the dark intersection of grief, love, and the "ghosts" that refuse to let us go. It’s a global anthology of flash fiction—perfect for reading in the dark. 🌑

SPECIAL OFFER: For a limited time, get the full Ebook for only $1.50 (Reg. $2.99).

This price is available only on the Lulu bookstore.

📥 Download here: https://www.lulu.com/shop/rakia-ari/when-memories-become-nightmares/ebook/product-m26qk2k.html