Stand in My Window - by Latonya Yvette (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Home, LaTonya Yvette has learned, is not only the physical space we occupy, but also a source of comfort, grounding and transformation. It is a reflection of communal care; a place that can hold and nurture our dreams. In Stand in My Window: Meditations on Home and How We Make It, Yvette shares the important lessons she's learned about creating a meaningful home, and in doing so invites readers to explore how they can do the same. In essays that examine the process of creating spaces that express one's inner joy, Yvette shows how we can make meaning from both the places we've been and the objects that fill our lives. A magnolia tree in the backyard of her Brooklyn apartment at risk of being destroyed; the comforting smell of palo santo wafting through a hallway; a clothesline that recalls the resiliency of ancestors; the childhood eviction notices that prompted deeper explorations of belonging years later-these images and more serve as portals into Yvette's most foundational lessons in love, loss, family, and self-care. In short: home-making. Sharing her design philosophy and the very personal experiences that helped forge it, coupled with beautiful original photographs, in each thoughtfully designed chapter Yvette walks readers through the process of creating a meaningful space by taking stock of one's inner world, personal history, and unconscious narratives about how-and where-we think we should be. At its heart, Stand in My Window teaches us that home truly is what you make of it-in mind, body, soul, and in the lovingly curated spaces we can build for ourselves anywhere"--

Book Synopsis

Through essays with stunning photography, the beloved multimedia storyteller and author of Woman of Color shares the powerful lessons she's learned about creating a home that honors the past and celebrates the future.

"[A] hybrid memoir, featuring beautiful images . . . [Yvette] talks about things like dressing the table, and what hour you gather people around it to eat. It reminded me of the rituals of my grandmother, who maintained them in the face of Jim Crow. We still need those kinds of rituals."--Imani Perry, The New Yorker

"Home is a reflection of what we inherit."

Grappling with the state of the world over the last few years--the global pandemic, climate change, threats to women's rights, constant racial violence--LaTonya Yvette began to contemplate the concept of home. What does it mean to cultivate safety when it is constantly under threat? How can we nurture joy and peace within the spaces where we spend most of our precious time? Who can we turn to for guidance along the way?

In Stand in My Window: Meditations on Home and How We Make It, Yvette explores these kinds of questions as she takes readers through the journey of her own rediscovery of home. In eleven meditative essays, accompanied by 25 beautiful photographs taken over the course of writing the book, Yvette illustrates how the act of homemaking can be revolutionary, liberating--and one of the most powerful expressions we have of self- and community care.

Woven throughout the book is the story of the nearly 200-year-old house in upstate New York that Yvette bought and painstakingly renovated, with the aim of creating a safe space for BIPOC communities. The house--Yvette's ultimate expression of home--provides her greatest lessons. Both visual feast and emotional salve, Stand in My Window demonstrates that home truly is what you make of it--in mind, body, soul, and in the thoughtfully curated spaces we can build for ourselves anywhere.

Review Quotes

"LaTonya Yvette weaves together reflections and photography from some of the sweetest of life's offerings: the intimacy of home, parenting, art, memory, and a glimpse at an interiority that comes across as both sacred and true. It feels like a window, indeed, a generous, three-dimensional portrait--that inspires the reader to reflect on their own sense of home and belonging."--Rio Cortez, New York Times bestselling author of Golden Ax

"[A] hybrid memoir, featuring beautiful images . . . [Yvette] talks about things like dressing the table, and what hour you gather people around it to eat. It reminded me of the rituals of my grandmother, who maintained them in the face of Jim Crow. We still need those kinds of rituals."--Imani Perry, The New Yorker

"Stand in My Window is thoughtful and liberating--full of heart and careful observations that encourage readers to pay attention to both the rhythms of their inner lives and the mundane realities of everyday life. I found myself pausing to take deeper breaths, to meditate on my surroundings and ask myself what is giving me a sense of belonging, where and when do I feel safest and what is bringing me the most joy? This beautiful book is one I will be gifting and returning to."--Aminatou Sow, New York Times bestselling coauthor of Big Friendship

"Stand in My Window is not merely a collection of essays; it is a meditation on the essence of home--a sanctuary shaped by memory, aspiration, and the echoes of generations past. With each page, readers are invited to contemplate the intersections of identity, justice, and the eternal quest for hope. In a world marked by upheaval and uncertainty, LaTonya's book offers solace and inspiration, reminding us that amidst the chaos, there exists a refuge within ourselves--a place to stand in our truth, to reclaim our narratives, and to welcome the journey toward home."--Hawa Hassan, James Beard award-winning author of In Bibi's Kitchen

"LaTonya Yvette's new book, Stand in My Window, is a living and breathing meditation where the author, with great love and care, guides us to think deeply and historically about notions of home, motherhood, the earth, legacy, and experiences of Black womanhood. A bricolage of literary, historical, and personal narratives, this multilayered book is one I will return to again and again as I contemplate my own home and garden, the objects in it and my life and history as a woman who seeks to live and work within an ethic of care."--Lyn Slater, author of How to Be Old

"[LaTonya Yvette]explores the meaning of home in this lyrical essay collection. . . . Her insightful musings brim with quietly radical insight. Readers will be captivated."--Publishers Weekly

About the Author

LaTonya Yvette is a multimedia storyteller who writes the newsletter "With Love, L." Yvette's first book, Woman of Color, was included in an installation of Jay-Z's personal bookshelf for Brooklyn Public Library's Book of HOV exhibit. She also co-authored the illustrated children's book The Hair Book with Amanda Jane Jones. Yvette is the owner and steward of The Mae House, an upstate New York rental property and the home of Rest as Residency, which offers BIPOC families a no-cost place for rest and focus.