My experience during my residency at Baldwin for the Arts was beautiful. During my residency I read, I ate, I worked out, I wrote, I walked, I rested. But for me the experience began even before I arrived. It started with being chosen and learning that I had been chosen. Being chosen provided a validation that I needed. I am a writer with the frailties that can come with a need, at times, for external validation. Having received several residency rejections, being chosen to be a BFTA Fellow told me that I am worthy of time and space to focus on my craft, which is an immeasurable gift. Couple that with the team of people that supported me in the experience, including Ms. Moné Dixon-Sabio, Ms. Alcina, Ms. Linda Villarosa, and Chef Felicia, and that led to just feeling held, supported in a way that I have not experienced. The gift that Ms. Jacqueline Woodson has created for artists, particularly Black, queer artists like me, is a gift that is greater than the sum of its parts. I hope to be back in Brewster again, whether as a returning BFTA Fellow or as a writer sharing her art with other artists on the campus of Baldwin for the Arts.