Albany, Georgia is Tahiera’s birth place. She has relatives throughout Georgia from Albany, to Leesburg, to Americus, to Macon and Atlanta. Tahiera’s cousin, Sheila Chatmon Marshall, is the Principal of Albany High School. Her uncles, Archie and Charles Chatmon are coaches at Albany High. Her Aunt Hattie Sibley was her greatest inspiration to write the novel, and Hattie was there for Tahiera when she had place her special needs sister, Gussie Grant, in Albany Health Care. Her Aunt Runell Grant inspired Tahiera to keep looking beyond what appeared to be the impossible when Tahiera and her siblings lost their parents. “My Aunt Runell, and my aunt Hattie are true survivors. I’m looking forward to my book signing in my home town,” says Tahiera.
When Tahiera arrives at the first stop on her Southeast Book Tour, she wants to share words from her heart about what her reasons were for writing this book, and what her journey really means to her, and what it can mean to others. It is important to her to make this known at the very start of her tour, and prior to the expansion of the Southeast tour into the second leg for her national tour. She wants to do this in Albany, Georgia. This is what Tahiera has to say:
“When I come home to Albany, and as I travel throughout the Southeast, throughout this nation, and throughout the world, I will be speaking about the reality of my survival from tremendous abuse and victimization. Come and find out how I escaped from my hostage situation. Come and hear me speak about all that my children and I had to endure. Come and hear me share about how I had to risk my life to set them free. Come and hear about how I survived homelessness, hunger, and abuse. Come and hear about how I endured trials and tribulations by trusting in the Lord. It was faith that brought me through. Come and hear me share poetry that helped me to get through many dangerous nights, trusting only in the Word of God, and knowing that the words of these poems jumped from the pages to set me free”.
“What I have to share is more important than my own celebrity, fame, or fortune. My reason for speaking, and the words I have to say, are not with the intent of me becoming a star. It’s about life. It’s about hope. It’s about forgiveness. It’s about moving on with life. It’s not about Mama. It’s not about Daddy. It’s not about Sister. It’s not about Brother. It is about your faith. It is about you believing that you can do it. You can survive. With faith, you can live the life that God means for you to live”.
Tahiera’s topic will be “I sing in spite of the chains”.
