Daria Burke presents OF MY OWN MAKING, in conversation with D. Watkins

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Join us in Remington to celebrate Daria Burke's new memoir Of My Own Making! Daria will be in conversation with Baltimore author D. Watkins (We Speak for Ourselves; Black Boy Smile).

ABOUT OF MY OWN MAKING:

We are not defined by our origin stories. We choose who we become.

Daria Burke’s childhood growing up under the shadow of an absent father and a mother debilitated by drug addiction was marked by neglect and poverty. Despite these fractured beginnings, she forges a triumphant path out of Detroit and into fashion’s C-Suite. After ten years of therapy, she believes her healing journey is complete.

When she discovers a photograph of the car accident that she believes altered the course of her early life, Burke is forced to confront the parts of her childhood she had avoided. This discovery sparks a four-year immersion into neuroplasticity, epigenetics, the impact of adverse childhood experiences on early brain development, and ultimately, why some of us remain stuck in past trauma while others experience post-traumatic growth. She dives headfirst into an exploration of her trauma, grappling with the enduring grip of the past on the present and the mind's influence over the body.

More than a story of personal triumph, Of My Own Making is a soulful and scientific exploration of the power to shape one's destiny. In facing the stark reality of her past, Burke reminds us that every moment demands a choice, and that we owe it to ourselves to reparent our inner child and reclaim the lives we deserve.

Burke’s lyrical account of a life lived with courage and intention offers an empathetic and hard-won perspective on the nature versus nurture debate and the power of acceptance. Part memoir, part methodology, it is a fearless rallying cry inspiring us to excavate and examine the stories that define our lives. Ultimately, the narratives that we craft with our own hands are the only ones that matter.

Of My Own Making is available for purchase at greedyreads.com!

Daria Burke is an award-winning business leader, board director, investor, speaker, and advisor. Her creativity and impact have been recognized by Women’s Wear Daily, AdWeek, Forbes, Vogue, Teen Vogue, the CFDA, Town & Country, the Cut, and NYLON Magazine. She has written for Fast Company, The Huffington Post, Black Enterprise, and has appeared on The Melissa Harris-Perry Show on MSNBC, Philly Speaks, and numerous podcasts. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan and a Master of Business Administration from the New York University Stern School of Business. She lives in Los Angeles and East Hampton.

D. Watkins is the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of The Beast Side, The Cook Up, Where Tomorrows Aren’t Promised, Black Boy Smile, andWe Speak for Ourselves, which was a One Book, one Baltimore selection. He is Editor at Large for Salon. He is featured in the HBO documentary The Slow Hustle and is a writer on We Own the City, an HBO miniseries from David Simon. His work has been published in the New York Times, New York Times Magazine, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, and other publications. He is a college lecturer at the University of Baltimore and holds a Master's in Education from Johns Hopkins University and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Baltimore. Watkins’ awards include the BMe Genius Grant for dynamic Black leaders, the City Lit Dambach Award for Service to the Literary Arts, the Maryland Library Association’s William Wilson Maryland Author Award, and the Ford’s Men of Courage award for Black male storytellers. He was also a finalist for a 2016 Hurston Wright Legacy Award and The Cook Up was a 2017 Books for a Better Life finalist. He is lives in Baltimore, MD with his wife and daughter.