Today we’d like to introduce you to Chenoa hARTherapy Murray.
Hi Chenoa, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
As an avid traveler and lover of all things culturally diverse, joining the U.S. Peace Corps was the perfect opportunity for me. From 2015-2017, I served in a rural Zulu village as an HIV/AIDS Community Health Peace Corps Volunteer in Limehill, South Africa. As an African American woman, I was thrilled to go to South Africa because I was convinced that I would be accepted in the Motherland. Much to my dismay, this was not the case. Upon arrival in my village, I struggled to learn IsiZulu, the local language. If I spoke in English, my native tongue, oftentimes a bystander would point in disdain and say things like “stop speaking the language of the oppressor” and “you’re insulting the Ancestors, so speak your mother tongue!” This caused a great deal of tension and I was ostracized from much of my Zulu community for the first nine months in South Africa until I could gain decent command of IsiZulu. Although my host family and organization were very welcoming, I often sat in silence because few people would talk to me in the community.
This period of quiet was the best thing to ever happen to me! Quite often in America, we are preoccupied with protesting and letting our voices be heard. While this is inherently a good thing, a common result of this is no one listens to anyone! I had the luxury of silence and solitude with God those first nine months and I turned to writing; that’s when my inaugural poetry book, “Whites Only,” was born.
I observed the strength and resiliency of a country recovering from Apartheid and I wrote about it. I learned of the tumultuous history of Limehill village, witnessed the generational consequences of such a place and I wrote about it. I watched the prowess of the praying “Gogos” [“Grandmothers”] and I wrote about it. I marked the cultural diversity clashes that happen in such a population cornucopia found in places like South Africa and America; I wrote about that as well. I reflected on my own life’s journey and included pieces of it in the book too. I arrived in South Africa as a Public Health Professional and returned home an Author. That quiet period changed the trajectory of my entire life!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I phoned my mother via What’s App from my South African home to complain, “I have written all of this poetry but I don’t know who’s going to listen to me recite it!”
“Well, if it bothers you that much, just write a book already.”
“Mother, you know I don’t know how to write no book.”
“NOBODY does! Just Google it like everybody else!”
Oh my goodness, my mother! I struggled with Imposter Syndrome for about five good seconds until I had this exchange with her in January 2016. The next struggle I overcame was a lack of publishing funds. To raise money, I performed my poetry in various places throughout South Africa hosted by Creatives to Creatives and also at numerous venues once I returned to the States. Thanks to an incredible fan base, I was able to secure more than $2,400 in funding by running a successful Kickstarter Campaign in 2018. “Whites Only” was published shortly thereafter in 2019.
It was funny, though, because, as many first-time authors do, I made the mistake of thinking the book would sell itself. HA! I sold a grand total of 2 books that first year… TWO BOOKS!! Honestly, that was a lightbulb moment for me. I thought if I can sell two books without doing ANYTHING, what would happen if I ACTUALLY DID SOMETHING to sell this book? Fast forward to the year and a half, I spent Team Driving 18-wheeler trucks across America with my fiancee, Patrick, to finance our life together. Whenever we would have a short break in a new city, we would Uber to any local bookstore we could find and I would tell them the incredible story of “Whites Only.” I would talk to anybody that would listen about this book and we were able to get the book into five bookstores across the country while traveling as truckers during that time (we just secured the sixth bookstore this month!). Ten percent of book proceeds go towards Scelukukhanya Home Based Care, the non-profit organization I was working with while I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Limehill, South Africa.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
As a Writer and Author, I have the blessed opportunity to tell stories in a myriad of creative ways. My poetry is God-sent and gives life to dead situations, especially when I perform my work on stage for diverse audiences. I enjoy writing content for podcasts and love creating copywriting material for companies.
But I am most proud of my philanthropic lifestyle. I am the Founder of Singukukhanya Dream Centre, a nonprofit dedicated to linking artistic youth of Limehill, South Africa, with opportunities they have been excluded from due to the pangs of Apartheid. Although we are in our infant stages of the center, serving others has always been my personal modus operandi. By living a life of service, you never die; you live on forever through the lives you touch. What a blessing! I thank God everyday for my life.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Bob Proctor of the Proctor Gallagher Institute has incredible material to help you achieve your dreams. I absolutely love his programs! Anytime I can get my hands-on work by Maya Angelou, Paulo Coelho, India Arie or Sade, I am always encouraged and inspired to create further.
I also make it a point to read the work of other writers whose style is completely different from mine. This helps to expand my mind and free me from any fixed ways of writing. People like John Betjeman, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, and Ann Hood are just a few of my favorite go-to writers I draw from to help polish my writing. Museum and art gallery visits are a must for me to stimulate my creative process. Lastly, I do some of my best work while watching Golden Girls. Yes, Golden Girls!!
Pricing:
- “Whites Only” – Paperback. $9.99
- “Whites Only” – Kindle. $4.99
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @chenoa.murray
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chenoa.murray
- YouTube Channel Name: @Chenoa Murray
Image Credits
Creatives to Creatives Patrick Gregory Daniels
