Paper Curls
& Peanut Earrings
A Memoir by Christola Phoenix
My memoir, in progress, “Paper Curls and Peanut Earrings” is a coming of age memoir set against the backdrop of Harlem, N.Y. in the 1950s, ‘60s, and ‘70s. It’s my journey as a teenage mother triumphing over some of life’s adversities to complete my education in pursuit of my dream to be a nurse.
As a young poor girl who roamed the streets of Harlem, I admired the Nurses from Harlem Hospital who strutted along Lenox Avenue in their blinding white uniforms, and navy blue capes draped on their shoulders. Their nursing hats perched on their heads like a crown- they were regal.
Christola as a young girl.
About the Author
I was born, bred, roasted, and toasted in Harlem, New York
I am a lifetime resident of the Harlem Community.
I’m a retired Registered Nurse. My entire nursing career of thirty-four years was at The Harlem Hospital Medical Center, the same hospital where I was born.
Upon retirement, I began my writing journey at The Gotham Writers Workshop. I received my Associate Applied Science Degree in Nursing from The Borough of Manhattan Community College in 1978, and my Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from The City University of New York in 1982.
I love walking in Central Park - It’s spiritual for me. I’m a really, really good cook. I love old-school music of the 1970s. I still play my albums of Sarah, Ella, and Nancy on a portable record player.
I’m a GG (great grandmother).
Awards & Residencies
2022
MILLAY ARTS Residency
2020
NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellow of
Nonfiction Literature
2019
HEDGEBROOK Residency
2018
VONA Residency
2017
BREAD LOAF KATHERINE BAKELESS
Scholar in Nonfiction
2017
Finalist - Still I Rise Grant for Black Women Writers
Public Readings
June 2020
Barrier Free Living: Still We Rise - LGBTQ Event
August 2017
Bread Loaf Writers Conference
April 2017
Sugar Hill Creamery - Harlem, New York
Publications
May 2022
The Lotto Line , published on Audacity blog
February 2018
Excerpts from my memoir , published in Alternating Currents - The Coil.