Seven was born the 7th and youngest child to her father, one of the most notorious hustlers in Richmond, Va. While the number 7 represents God's perfect order, this prolific author's life has been far from perfect.

Born and raised in the Whitcomb Court Housing Project in Richmond, VA, Seven's life has not been a fairy tale. At an early age, she and her mother had the misfortune of discovering the badly decomposed body of her father. To add to this author's pain is the fact that over the next several years, death repeatedly continued to show its ugly head, either tragically or mysteriously claiming the lives of her youngest brother, best friend, nephew, hundreds of close friends and as recent as 2004, her sister, and brother in law. With sudden death claiming the lives of two of the four, of her mother and father's children, Seven admits that she stands alone, because her eldest brother has been in prison for the last 18 years. The author states,

"When I go home, I only have a few people to visit, because most of the people I grew up with are dead, few are in prison, and many are on drugs. It's so depressing, that most of the time; I drive out of my old neighborhood in tears, because I feel like there's nothing I can do to save the people that are left. Also, I don't like going to see my brother in prison. I hate the fact that I have to leave him in that place. Sometimes, I feel alone, not having my brothers and my sister around. Daddy had 7 children in all, by 3 different women. All four of my mom's children, and then I have three half-sisters, whom I love dearly. But, at the same time, I didn't grow up in the house with them, so I'd be lying if I say that my bond with them is as strong as it was to my sister and brother that are deceased, or to my brother in prison. Basically, I'm left here all alone. At least for now, I'm the last one standing, and for those that know anything about the bible, the numbers 7 and 3 are both biblical numbers. So, for me, I believe that I complete my families puzzle. For whatever reason, I believe that I am the chosen one.


When asked about her love of writing, Seven recalls journaling as early as grade school. The author says that as a child, she was writing, and no one knew about it. "I kept it a secret, because I didn't know of anyone else that was doing the same thing, so I didn't think that what I was doing was important. I don't know where this stuff in my head comes from, but this gift has been with me for as long as I can remember. I've always had a passion for beautiful words or slogans. For some reason, I've always been intrigued by the power of words. It may have something to do with the fact that as a child growing up, my Mother used to tell me all the time that I didn't have to fight(physically) she would always tell me that I could whip a person's butt with my mouth(my words). She often reminded me that violence wasn't necessary, unless absolutely necessary!

Seven recounts an experience that she says changed her life. While in her senior year at Virginia Union University, she recalls having to re-take the English essay exam. Having been a fairly good student, appearing on the Dean's List and the National Who's Who Among College Students, not once but twice, Seven recalls having her essay shoved back into her face, as the ultimate shocker. She recants, "I couldn't believe it. When my professor told me that I had to write my paper over, I thought I was going to drop dead and die right there in the middle of the floor. It just didn't make sense to me. Now, don't get me wrong, the professors that taught me at V.U.U, are some of the smartest men and women on the face of the earth. So, it wasn't that I questioned her skills; I just couldn't believe that it was happening to me, because I had always taken pride in my work. I will never forget what the professor told me, she said, "You are now amongst the intelligentsia. Now, do it over!" I remember leaving school and calling a friend to ask her,"Is intelligentsia really a word?" We both laughed but inside I worried, because although I had passed the class with flying colors, there was a possibility that I would fail the essay, and that my life's dream of being a college graduated would be deferred-until the summer. So, on re-test day, I showed up in battle gear, took my seat, thought about my life, my family, my pain, our struggle and immediately I went into soldier mode. I pretended that I was out on my block, and faced with a life or death situation. I imagined someone holding a gun to my head, and screaming at me, "Do or Die!" and immediately, the street in me kicked in and I rocked the hell out of that paper!! I wrote like my life depended on it!

And it did!


Seven is a graduate of Virginia Union University where she received a B.A Degree in Sociology/Criminal Justice. Currently, she is in graduate school, working towards an MPA(Masters in Public Administration). In addition to writing, she is the founder of Teen Talk, a male social group, headed by her teenage son, which addresses the issues facing young people today. She is also the founder of Woman 1st Productions, a support network for adult-poets and spoken word artist. Her upcoming projects include, Write for Life, a social forum where young people meet and share their writings as a means of expression, as oppose to using violence.

Seven is currently a supporter of RAINN (Rape and Incest National Network) and a member of RAINN'S Speakers Bureau. She is also a supporter of The DC Rape Crisis center. She is co-founder of both "Ditto", and "Four Sisters", two separate private support groups for women who have been abused.