A Paige Full of Advice on Single Life

By Eartha Watts-Hicks

Cordenia Paige is a native of Washington, DC. Hoping to follow the artistic paths of those of the Harlem Renaissance and Black Art Movement, she moved to NYC in 2001, settling just north of Harlem in the Bronx. She now teaches computer skills to 3rd & 4th graders at a Brooklyn independent school. A member of the Harlem Writer’s Guild and Abyssinian Baptist Church, she spends a great deal of time in Harlem, exploring the cultural elements. The Studio Museum, the Schomberg Library, Bikram Yoga East Harlem, street vendors, shops, and lounges are among her favorite locales, as well the myriad restaurants here, offering southern cuisine. For that reason, this author and educator credits Harlem’s influence with the depth and unabashed honesty found in her writings. “Here in Harlem, I’ve met many like-minded, artistic people who share my sensibilities and ignite my entrepreneurial spirit,” says Cordenia.

Cordenia is currently publishing a book entitled: Hundreds of Reason Why I’m STILL UnMarried *Plus: Tips for Flying Solo -or- How to Enjoy YourSelf when you find yourSelf by YourSELF! She shares the humorous & often conflicting “advice” that she’s received, along with a few tips she’s learned while living single in The City. Here is a sampling of The Reasons Why she’s STILL UnMarried:

• I’m not ready!
• He’s not ready!
• There are no good men available!
• There are too many good men to choose just one!
• Too many men are in prison.
• Too many men just got out of prison.
• I’m too opinionated.
• He’s too stubborn.
• I’m too old fashioned.
• Marriage is too old fashioned.

In her tome, Cordenia also offers practical advice about dating safely in the new millennium.

• Email or text images and information on who you’re dating to your closest circle of friends.
• Meet dates in public places until you know them better. (I like to: invite my date to a public gathering of my closest friends before inviting him to my place. Maybe I watch and read too many unsolved mysteries, but it helps to be cautious on the safer side.)
• Trust your instincts.

Cordenia’s first compilation project, Bloggers’ Delight: Stories on Love and Redemption, was released by Firefly Publishing & Entertainment in 2008. Excerpts from her first publication can be read at: http://bloggersdelightbook.blogspot.com. Cordenia’s web presence can also be found at: http://www.capwritez.com and https://www.facebook.com/capwritez. Her latest publication, Hundreds of Reason Why I’m STILL UnMarried, is expected to be released this summer.