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Nicole Slaughter Graham

@nicolemsgraham

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Journalist. Boy mom.
4th gen Floridian
Editor & journo @poynter_institute
Editor @realtormag
Casual p/t bookseller @tombolobooks

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Every now and then, we are gifted refuge. For the past 5 years, @tombolobooks has been that for me.

Sometime in 2019, @alsace_dior and I sat across from one another at Casita discussing social media. Maybe I could help out a bit before the store opened? Maybe I could be a bookseller when the store opened? FOR SURE, was my response.

The store opened 6 days before Christmas. We 100% winged it. Not long after, the pandemic hit. We masked up, and Alsace placed blue tape on the floors so we’d know what 6 feet looked like. We’d work 2-3 at a time, filling online orders for books and puzzles. We delivered books by car and bike. We shipped books all over the country. Alsace mailed me an arc from one of my favorite authors while I quarantined for the first time.

Tombolo was my anchor through the tail end of postpartum depression, selling my first home, the last semester of grad school, the most trying parenting stage of my life thus far, the passing of my beloved grandmother and my brother—easily one of the most difficult seasons of my life.

My love of literature has only expanded and the experiences I’ve had in this store will stay with me always. I watched a dear friend sign the first edition of her book in the store. My kids tested out the nook. The bookstore was the venue where I unveiled one of the biggest projects I’ve ever worked on. I’ve met authors of all varieties, talked books with countless customers and my coworkers, worked events all over the city, coordinated partnerships, wrapped hundreds and hundreds of books as gifts…

My path is veering a bit, in a good way.
But damn, some goodbyes are harder than others. Thank you Alsace and Candice, for letting me be a part of the Tombolo story, for giving me the space to share my love of books, to cultivate community, to find sanctuary. Thanks to my fellow booksellers for friendship, connection, nerdiness of all varieties, countless lunches and chai lattes and treats.

Until next time (which will probably be next week, let’s be honest 😂).

#books #readmore #tombolobooks #booksellerforever #ilovestpete #stpetersburgflorida by @nicolemsgraham

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2 years ago

Less than 2 months ago, I reached out to a young man on Instagram. I’d learned of him a few weeks prior, thanks to a friend who’d sent me an article about his incredible achievements in track & field.

I reached out as the mother of a boy who also competed in track and field— a boy who’d had a particularly difficult year.

The three of us had lunch about a week later and this tall, quiet, athletic, intelligent, gentle-hearted young man proceeded to share his knowledge, wisdom, and strength with us. He took my oldest child under his wing, and in just a short time, he’s become part of the family.

@romaine_hjump, your light is so bright. You possess a rare tenacity and dedication that is bound to take you however far you desire to go. I cannot ever repay you for the gift you’ve given our family— the gift of your presence, your joy, your pure heart. Thank you for letting us be a part of your life. I for one, cannot wait to see what the future holds for you, and I know that whatever it is, greatness will follow. With so much love and our deepest joy— congratulations from your bonus family. This is just the beginning for you. We’re always in your corner. You have us to lean on in this life and the next. by @nicolemsgraham

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3 years ago

Work trip to Chicago. Stayed in a swanky hotel with an enviable tub. Saw snow for the first time in my Floridian life. Worked from a proper office (which I must admit, I don’t miss). Ate good food. Caught up with friends. Enjoyed the company and collaboration with my team.

Exactly what I needed (even if I was frantic about the weather before I arrived). by @nicolemsgraham

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4 years ago

I’ve been making a concerted effort to practice presence lately. Yesterday morning, during my meditation, I set the intention to find beauty in the present moment. I went so far as to set alarms on my phone at various intervals throughout the day to remind me to pay attention to where my feet were in that moment.

It worked beautifully. There was a lightness to yesterday. There were multiple moments where I found beauty and joy and gratitude.

Last night, I hopped into my car to head home after some time with friends. I was parked in front of a light in the parking lot, which shown just right through my windshield to illuminate the shadows of the falling rain on my seat.

I was mesmerized by it for a moment. I found such beauty in the way the shadows fell upon the gray leather of my seat. Once I realized that I was just kind of staring at my seat with a small smile on my face, I became embarrassed by my own wonder. It felt uncomfortable to be filled with joy from something so seemingly insignificant. And then I realized that this is what presence is. Finding the wonder amid the chaos of daily life. From the day we were born we are socialized to produce. To meet milestones. To grow and to learn and to do. It doesn’t leave much time for wonder it doesn’t leave much time to just be. And quite frankly, I’m kind of done with it. So for now, presence is the practice. Slowing down is the practice. by @nicolemsgraham

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4 years ago

Resist grind culture. Make rest the center of your life. Give into this meticulous love practice. Heal yourself and make space for others to rest.

If you haven’t listened to @glennondoyle’s podcast interview with @thenapministry’s Tricia Hersey, do it right now (and then lay down or sit in a hammock or say no to something). Link to the podcast episode is in my stories. by @nicolemsgraham

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4 years ago

Photo dump from my 6 days in Indianapolis.

This season of life has been trying in ways I could not have imagined. And in the midst of it all, threads of joy and muted-but-present shreds of hope. I needed (more than I knew) a moment away to just be.

I am eternally grateful for friends like @elyse_jacqueline who open their homes and instantly make you feel like part of the family. Little did we know we were such kindred spirits! 📚✒️🏡☕️👩🏻‍🏫

What I did not expect in Indianapolis though, was to witness a place in which I could envision my family— thriving, accepted, at peace, happy. Life in Florida as a bi woman with a multi-racial family feels suffocating at times. Even a little hopeless in the moment. But those days in Indianapolis showed me that there are places we can live accepted, needs met, mental and physical health tended to and supported. Places where family is at the center of life. Where education includes the social and the emotional. Where neighborhoods mirror the people who make up the interior of my home. I wonder who we might become in such an environment.

I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know that I’ve seen an inkling of bright possibilities that we didn’t know existed. What’s to come isn’t yet clear, but it is filled with renewed promise. by @nicolemsgraham

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4 years ago

When your SIL went to culinary school and has cake skills 🤌🏼😍🤤 by @nicolemsgraham

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4 years ago

Posting my unfiltered, 35-year-old self on this grid because it’s been over a year since I’ve done so and much has changed.

This is a season of reclamation. by @nicolemsgraham

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4 years ago

Watch long enough and you’ll see the clouds float on by 🌤 taken in Saint Petersburg, Florida by @nicolemsgraham

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4 years ago

I’ve spent the last month transitioning into a new role as an editor at REALTOR® Magazine. I’ll oversee a few sections of the digital magazine and manage the Young Professionals Network blog… and let me tell you, the young people in the industry are on fire.

I’ve just returned from my first major conference, which was hosted in Washington D.C. It was everything I’d hoped for. Productive. Fun. Fulfilling. I met the team I’ve been working with (since 2016!) in person for the first time. I met people I’ve interviewed for stories. I met people that I will interview in the future.

I spent an extra day frolicking around one of my favorite cities, despite the wind and rain.

My closest friends and family know that I’ve been in a bit of a holding pattern for a few years now… probably since I had Ashton. I’ve been floundering a bit, feeling a bit lost. The liminal space is unnerving sometimes. It sometimes lasts much longer than we’d like. I fought it, at first, then begrudgingly accepted it, and finally leaned into it—with very little grace, I might add.

And now, it seems I’m emerging on the other side. There’s more to be revealed. There are things that still feel off-kilter. But this new role and these people… I’m lit up with hope and creative energy. I can’t wait to see what unfolds. by @nicolemsgraham

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4 years ago

Art in downtown Phoenix ❤️ by @nicolemsgraham

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5 years ago

A random kid who went to elementary school with Gabriel took this picture and sent it to one of Gabriel’s high school administrators.

I have no idea who it was, but I am so grateful for that kid.

These teenage years are something else… They’re filled with frustration, fun, infuriation, pride, confusion, laughter, exasperation, love, joy.

All seasons of parenting are filled with these things, but I’m finding the teenage years to be the most saturated in the extremes. These years are much easier than the baby, toddler, and preschool years in many ways for me. They’re also more difficult in others.

I look at photos like these though— brief seconds frozen in time— and I’m reminded that it doesn’t matter how hard the days and nights are. It doesn’t matter what he does or doesn’t do. There are a million moments of love. by @nicolemsgraham

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5 years ago