There’s a quiet thrill in my chest that I haven’t felt in a while—not the caffeine-induced kind (although the new espresso machine in my apartment definitely deserves its own love letter), but the real, deep-belly kind that comes when something you’ve nurtured in private finally blooms in public. Japa Chronicle has officially taken on a…
Part 2 of An Ode To Words Unspoken. Written to reflect a day in the life of Timi Waters.
When Ronke traded Lagos for Chicago, she exchanged her literary dreams for a barista’s apron. Now, one year after losing her Nigerian publisher and her hard-earned money, she steams milk by day and stares at a blank screen by night. The American dream? More like American disillusionment.
But in the quiet hours between shifts, when Chicago’s skyline glitters with possibilities just beyond reach, Ronke’s words begin to flow again—honest, raw, and uniquely hers. As she navigates the space between two worlds, neither fully Nigerian nor American, she discovers that some stories take time to brew.
A poignant tale of creative resilience, immigrant ambition, and the quiet courage it takes to write yourself back to life—one page, one cup, one hope at a time.
This is Part One of an ongoing story article written to reflect a day in the life of Timi Waters.
There’s a reason we get lost in stories. They have this sneaky way of wrapping themselves around our hearts, pulling us into worlds we never knew existed, letting us be real. I mean, who doesn’t love a good story? Whether it’s a grandmother reminiscing about her wild youth, a book that makes you ugly-cry at…