BY DANIELLE ELAINE

I am super excited to share this compilation with you! The soundtrack to Scriptures of Gold was made with you in mind. Each song was chosen to specifically increase your reading pleasure, and create the perfect ambiance. If you come across a song while reading, I urge you to please play the song—it makes the experience  that much better, I promise you. This track list will take you through a series of emotions, and memories as you make your way through these notes, poems and prose assisting you in your shedding process. Just like the book you can revisit these tracks at any time as growth and evolution have no final destination, but are an revolving experience.

Jhene AIko  — “Frequency”

“I’ve always likened this song to a prayer. I chose this song because it’s the perfect piece to set the tone for the entire work, not just Scriptures of Gold, but the inner healing work you’ve committed to do. This song is a prayer of release, and protection, and an affirmation of love, and that is what this book is all about. ”

Oshun — “Solar Plexus”

“I chose Solar plexus because this is, in my opinion, one of the most important chakras. The solar plexus is all about letting your inner light shine, having the confidence to be your authentic self, set boundaries and feeling safe existing as you choose to. This song is another feel good anthem, to uplift your spirit and affirm your healing. ”

Ariana Grande — “MONOPOLY” (feat. Victoria Monét)

“I chose this song because it’s an anthem. Monopoly is a song you play to remind yourself who you are, and what you’ve got to look forward to. Its a feel good song. This is a “talk your shit” type of song, dance in the mirror, turn it up in the car, or your room and know that your end goal is closer than you think. ”

D. Smoke — “Black Habits”

“Literally anything D. Smoke is always a vibe, for this instance i chose Black Habits because looking at the cover of Scriptures of Gold feels how this song sounds, powerful, luxurious, audacious, and proud. These are all the attributes that I pray you cultivate within yourself as you move through the pages of my words. “Everything you are, better believe you all that”, starve that fear, and self doubt and start believing in the good things about you. ”

Tank & Da Bangas — “Interlude (God Push Me)”

“This interlude is short, but powerful. It speaks to the moment you find yourself in right now. The last 6 months of circumstances that brought you to your knees, made you cry out to The Creator, hands stretched knowing, and pleading that this wasn’t it for you. That it COULDN’T be it for you. This interlude is also a prayer, asking for the strength to get through, to keep going. Just like Scriptures of Gold it’s a gentle reminder that not only can you create a whole new life, follow your dreams, and heal but you are REQUIRED to do so. ”

Listen to the playlist below or simply click the link.

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Hailing from New Jersey, Danielle Elaine is prolific writer with a love affair for words. She is a self-published author of the book, Love Letters I Never Sent. Although she specializes in a wide range of poetry, she has gained experience writing for print and online publications such as KONTROL and KONTROL Girl Magazine, MommyNoire, MadameNoire and more. On a quest to pursue a passionate and purpose driven life, Danielle found herself on a journey of self-healing.

Through her rediscovery of crystals, she found herself following universal breadcrumbs to spiritual evolution, energetic growth and healing. Today, Danielle takes comfort in a fluid existence. As a Mother, creator, healer, vessel, she happily greets each day using the spiritual guidance and tools imparted to her. As a healer, and vessel she only seeks to show others, especially women and children, how easily they can free themselves from social shackles weighing down their physical, emotional, and spiritual bodies.

BY GREGORY HEDGEPETH

Songs For People Who Smoke in the Shower 11 is a playlist I created because I like to play music when I smoke in the shower. I cut the lights low, turn the music up and let all the stress of the day melt away. Most of these songs have been played ad nauseam over the past year or so, and although theres no single cohesive theme among them, once you spark your lighter and let the music take you away, I think you’ll immediately get the vibe.

Luniz  — “I Got 5 On It”

“Like most folks my age, I loved this song when I was a kid without even realizing what it was even about. I just knew it was funky as hell and I always yelled the hook at the top of my lungs. The instrumental is straight-up iconic and when I heard how Jordan Peele remixed it for the ‘Us’ trailer, I immediately fell in love with the haunted version as well. It’s simply an exemplary smoke song.”

F.L.Y. (Fast Life Yungstaz) — “Swag Surfin’”

“What can be said about this song that hasn’t already been said across every HBCU over the past decade? When I first heard this jawn, I loved it—but I never imagined it would have the longevity it’s had. Who could have predicted that it would go on to become a quintessential theme song for Black colleges? If anything, I thought it would be one of those joints we would hear years later and kick ourselves for forgetting about it. I seriously hope those dudes eat off this junt forever because it’s become a true classic.”

K-OS — “Sunday Morning”

“If you ever worked in retail where they played the same songs over and over inside your store then you can probably relate to how I came across this jawn. Back when I worked at Foot Locker, they would play this joint like every 90 minutes and it quickly became one of my favorites. It’s a chaotic song that still comes off smooth somehow. Once the new CD came in for us to play inside the store, I almost didn’t want to switch it out because I still hadn’t gotten tired of it yet.”

Frank Ocean — “Pyramids”

“Back in my Tumblr days (if you know, you know), I don’t think there was an album I listened to more than ‘channel ORANGE.’ And of all the songs off that record, there was nothing that got more plays that “Pyramids.” I’m sure it wasn’t even close. It was like nothing I’d ever heard before and it inspired a lot of my writing at the time and sometimes even now (just about all the details surrounding the strip club from my New Lorraine series is based on it). It just doesn’t make any sense how dope Frank was on this jawn.”

frank ocean [pyramids] from nabil elderkin on Vimeo.

Wale — “The Need To Know” (feat. SZA)

“I always thought Wale was a genius for using Seinfeld on ‘The Mixtape About Nothing’ and ‘The Album About Nothing,’ especially on this particular song. Jerry and Elaine discussing a friends-with-benefits situationship is one of my favorite episodes and Wale incorporated this clip perfectly. Plus, I dig SZA on the hook. She really complements this song well.”

The Foreign Exchange — “I Wanna Know (Live)”

“I love the OG version of this song, but the live version is just SOOOOOOO much better. Everything abort the instrumentation to the actual singing to Phonte’s banter at the end with the audience just makes you feel like you were actually there. The original is one of my favorite FE joints, but I prefer this version so much more (which is saying a lot because the original is spectacular). What’s crazy is I almost left it off the tape, because I got the name confused somehow.”

Listen to the playlist below or simply click the link.

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Gregory Hedgepeth is the editor-in-chief of Vital Narrative Press. You can follow him on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Feel free to follow on all three. Or maybe just two. Yeah, two’s probably good — he’s not that interesting. Gregory Hedgepeth is also the author of MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT SUNRISES, THE YEAR THAT ANSWERED and A COLLECTION OF ECHOES. BUY THAT SHIT.

BY CHI CHAVANU ÀSE

We asked Chi Chavanu Àse to curate a Spotify playlist for her first novel, Journey To Ghana And Other Stories and she selected 25 incredible songs featuring Beyoncé, OutKast, Green Day, Missy Elliott and Leikeli47.

“I picked some of these songs because they were fast-paced and contributed perfectly to an action book. There are some fight scenes in the book and some of these songs connect directly with the energy.”

— Chi Chavanu Àse

Leikeli47  — “F**k The Summer Up” (feat. Biker Boy Pug)

“This is what I picture playing when Usi introduces her family and herself. She describes everyone’s physical appearance and abilities. It’s overall and very gangsta ass moment.”

Beyoncé — “Hold Up”

“Nanyamaka just found out that the husband she presumed to be dead was hiding out in a community, surrounded by new lovers. In front of the children she has a brave face, but internally she is hurting. Beyoncé swinging the bat in this music video perfectly describes how she wants to tear shit up.”

Bone Crusher — “Never Scared” (feat. Killer Mike & T.I.)

“This is totally a fight song. When hearing this song, I personally want to get thrown out the club, only to act a fool outside.”

Brockhampton — “ Infatuation”

“Nanyamaka is in love with her wife Siya. When they are together the love and infatuation radiates everything they touch.”

OutKast — “B.O.B.”

“OutKast is literally one of the greatest rap duos period. This song is not only a masterpiece, but I envision Nanyamaka fighting in the Great War, with this song playing in the background.”

Twista — “Adrenaline Rush”

“Usi points out that her mom fights best when she is running off pure adrenaline. This song taps into that adrenaline, just listening to it.”

Rihanna — “Bitch Better Have My Money”

“Usi witnessed someone get a beat down from her mother, when they tried to stiff her on a trade. This was a defining moment for Usi in terms of demanding respect.”

Aminé — “REEL IT IN”

“Honestly, this song just makes me want to twerk LOL”

Lil’ Jon and The East Side Boyz — “Bia, Bia”

“This is a fight song. This song is a direct war cry, and should always be seen as such.”

Green Day — “Holiday/Boulevard Of Broken Dreams”

“Through their long journey, many times they wanted to give up. “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” easily contributes to their bleak situation.”

Jay Rock — “WIN”

“Where do I begin...? This is one of my favorite songs because it’s hella inspirational. My last semester of grad school I was depleted. I would play this song before going into work... because it was necessary.”

Chance The Rapper — “DRAM Sings Special”

“Throughout the entire book, each story centers on a person with unique abilities. Each person is striving to find out where they fit in, and how to use their powers for the greater good.”

Dreamville — “Down Bad”

“Usi and family encounters a man named Jakoob who won’t leave her mom alone. Nanyamaka allows Usi to fight only because the men Jakoob travels with have no special abilities. This is the song that fits best with everyone whooping ass!”

Jazmine Sullivan — “Forever Don’t Last”

“After Nanyamaka comes to terms with her husband’s betrayal, she is able to start healing. This song personally taps into feelings on change, and out resistance to change.”

Listen to the playlist below or simply click the link.

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Chi Chavanu Ase is a science-fiction/fantasy author who was first introduced to sci-fi by her mother at an early age. Often sent to her room for misbehaving, she would curl up in a blanket with one of her mother’s books which subsequently ignited the spark that would fuel her love for literature. She initially began writing and performing poetry at the age of twelve. Over time, she began to notice how difficult it was to find books that she could associate or identify with the characters, given the lack of representation. Thus, it became her greatest desire that little Black children would see themselves represented in every genre, especially sci-fi. Her first book, Journey to Ghana and Other Stories, focuses entirely on the Black experience. Likewise, it is her desire to continue writing stories and producing literary work that Black people can see themselves represented in. Chi currently resides in California with her fine-ass husband and amazing children.

BY GREGORY HEDGEPETH

Songs For People Who Smoke in the Shower 10 is a playlist I created because I like to play music when I smoke in the shower. I cut the lights low, turn the music up and let all the stress of the day melt away. Most of these songs have been played ad nauseam over the past year or so, and although theres no single cohesive theme among them, once you spark your lighter and let the music take you away, I think you’ll immediately get the vibe.

UGK  — “Int’l Players Anthem” (feat. OutKast)

“I have no idea how this didn’t make it on one of the first nine volumes, but do I even need to explain how incredible this joint is? Four classic verses from four classic MCs (not to mention it’s arguably Three Stacks’ best and most memorable). This is one of those songs that makes me light up as soon as it starts. I HAD to start number ten off with this one.”

Dr. Dre — “Keep Their Heads Ringin’”

“This is one of those Dre songs that I always seem to forget about for some reason, but it’s such a dope track. Dre’s production is flawless here.”

Kem — “Love Calls”

“This song always reminds me of my wife because we’ve been wanting to see Kem in concert for several years and haven’t had the chance yet. It’s just such a beautifully performed song—it forces me to slow down for a moment and really get in tune emotionally.”

Tupac Shakur — “Picture Me Rollin’”

“This joint reminds me of my little brother Jamal because back in the day, even though “All Eyez On Me” is one of my all-time favorite albums, I always used to skip over this song until he put me on. “I got keeeeeys... coming from overseeeeas!” is still my favorite part.”

Rick Ross — “Nobody’s Favorite” (feat. Gunplay)

“One of my all-time favorite songs is Gunplay’s “Blood On The Dope” (peep SSS3 if you haven’t heard it for some reason) because of the pure energy on the song—not necessarily because of the lyrics. But this shit here? THIS SHIT RIGHT HERE NIGGA?! Gunplay MURDERED this verse. Dude continues to be highly underrated and Ross does what he always does on this type of track.”

Listen to the playlist below or simply click the link.

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Gregory Hedgepeth is the editor-in-chief of Vital Narrative Press. You can follow him on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Feel free to follow on all three. Or maybe just two. Yeah, two’s probably good — he’s not that interesting. Gregory Hedgepeth is also the author of MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT SUNRISES, THE YEAR THAT ANSWERED and A COLLECTION OF ECHOES. BUY THAT SHIT.

BY TERRY CLARK

We asked Terry Clark to curate a Spotify playlist for his book, None But The Righteous, and he selected 34 incredible songs featuring Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, Miles Davis and Stevie Wonder.

You can listen to the entire soundtrack below or on Spotify.

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None But The Righteous is available here.

BY GREGORY HEDGEPETH

Songs For People Who Smoke in the Shower 9 is a playlist I created because I like to play music when I smoke in the shower. I cut the lights low, turn the music up and let all the stress of the day melt away. Most of these songs have been played ad nauseam over the past year or so, and although theres no single cohesive theme among them, once you spark your lighter and let the music take you away, I think you’ll immediately get the vibe.

Cozz  — “Knock Tha Hustle (Remix)” (feat. J. Cole)

“Cole’s last verse really stands out to me here when he spits about his survivor’s guilt in relation to his brother with these lines: “My flesh and blood, hauled off to the cell/I search for heaven as I see him getting lost in this hell/Headed for coffin or jail/To never try is the ultimate fail/But love is wanting more for someone than they want for themselves/Deep/I guess I love a lot/Because the more I do my thang, the more I feel the guilt and shame, that my brother’s not.””

Freddie Gibbs — “Crime Pays”

“Madlib’s production on this song (like everything else off Bandana) is goddamn flawless. I want him and Freddie Gibbs to make music together forever. I seriously can’t get enough of it. Gibbs has been my favorite artist of the last couple years not named J. Cole or Kendrick Lamar and this is one of his most stellar records. ”

Sunshine Anderson — “Lunch Or Dinner”

“Sunshine Anderson attended North Carolina Central, so every time I hear this song, it reminds me of that for some reason. This is one of those fly, flirty songs that always hits. ”

Action Bronson — “Baby Blue” (feat. Chance the Rapper)

“I wrote a poem years ago called “Minor Inconveniences” which always reminds me of Chance’s verse here (obviously his version is way better, but I always loved to perform it nonetheless). Action always makes music I fuck with even though I rarely think of him as one of my favorite rappers. I’m not sure how that works out.”

Mos Def — “Ms. Fat Booty”

“Mos has so many cerebral songs that educate and inform and make you think. And then there’s this jawn which is just a song about a girl with a nice ass he met one time that turned his world upside down. We’ve all been there before, amirite? This song always slaps and just shows how effortlessly Yasiin Bey does this rapping thing. ”

Royce Da 5’9” — “Overcomer” (feat. Westside Gunn)

“This was one of those rare times when I saw the video for a song before hearing the audio by itself, and almost immediately after it started, I knew it was going to be the first song on SSS9. Everything about this song is incredible from Gunn and Royce’s flows to the beat changes to the usual lyrical shenanigans. Royce’s verse literally starts off with: In search of right/like the birth of Christ/Breakin’ every generational curse in life/Perverse concise/make sure the verse is right/Return who adverse to the Earth/Make sure that my hearse is white.” C’mon man. I need more Royce and Griselda on records together.”

Thundercat — “Dragonball Durag”

“Just fucking listen to it. That’s it. That’s the tweet.”

Listen to the playlist below or simply click the link.

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Gregory Hedgepeth is the editor-in-chief of Vital Narrative Press. You can follow him on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Feel free to follow on all three. Or maybe just two. Yeah, two’s probably good — he’s not that interesting. Gregory Hedgepeth is also the author of MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT SUNRISES, THE YEAR THAT ANSWERED and A COLLECTION OF ECHOES. BUY THAT SHIT.

BY GREGORY HEDGEPETH

Songs For People Who Smoke in the Shower 8 is a playlist I created because I like to play music when I smoke in the shower. I cut the lights low, turn the music up and let all the stress of the day melt away. Most of these songs have been played ad nauseam over the past year or so, and although theres no single cohesive theme among them, once you spark your lighter and let the music take you away, I think you’ll immediately get the vibe.

Juvenile  — “Ha”

“There’s so many quotables in this song. You know a joint is going to be dope when it starts off with “That’s you with that bad ass Benz, ha/That’s you that can’t keep your old lady, ‘Cause you keep fuckin’ her friends, ha.” Juve pretty much introduced the world to Cash Money, and even though “Back That Azz Up” is the more memorable song, it’s obvious this song lives off its own merits. Whenever this jawn comes on, I have to turn it up to an ignorant volume.”

Phil Collins — “In The Air Tonight”

“Okay, so let’s be honest—there’s simply not a better drum break than the one featured here. Period. As far as I’m concerned, the first 3:41 are just there to get you to the drums. Fuck Phil Collins for making such a perfect build. I don’t think there will ever be another song with so much built-in anticipation.”

Mya — “Best Of Me, Part 2” (feat. Jay-Z)

“I’m probably in the minority here, but the OG version of this song is actually way better than this one. In fact, Mya had a lot of dope hits around the time this dropped. That being said, Jay’s feature is better than Jada’s, so it gets the rub here. It’s hard to top a verse that goes: “Talking you got a man, okay ma... and?/That’s high school making me chase you around for months/Have an affair, act like an adult for once.” Back in my more nefarious days, I definitely pimped that line a time or two.”

Bryson Tiller — “Exchange”

“This might be the perfect I-need-my-ex-back-in-my-life song, so if you’re trying to get your ex to give you another chance, this is the one to keep in mind. This is also when Bryson was at the top of his pen. I’m kinda ready for a new project from dude because I really enjoyed that first album a lot. That “you got my soul” at the end always hits me right in the feels too.”

Miguel — “waves (Remix)” (feat. Travis Scott)

“I’ve been a huge Miguel fan for a minute, but surprisingly I wasn’t a huge fan of the original version of this song for some reason. Travis Scott definitely added *something* to the remix, but Miguel is still very much the star of the song. That subtle tempo/beat change just makes all the difference.”

The Internet — “Special Affair”

“The Internet is CRIMINALLY underrated, and in my opinion, this is one of their all-time best songs. I remember listening to this just about every day during the summer of 2017. I actually just realized this album is almost five years old—which is wild to me, because I still play it like it just came out. The lyrics are real slick and the production is A-1. I really can’t say enough good things about this song. It’s pretty much perfect.”

Listen to the playlist below or simply click the link.

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Gregory Hedgepeth is the editor-in-chief of Vital Narrative Press. You can follow him on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Feel free to follow on all three. Or maybe just two. Yeah, two’s probably good — he’s not that interesting. Gregory Hedgepeth is also the author of MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT SUNRISES, THE YEAR THAT ANSWERED and A COLLECTION OF ECHOES. BUY THAT SHIT.

BY GREGORY HEDGEPETH

Songs For People Who Smoke in the Shower 7 is a playlist I created because I like to play music when I smoke in the shower. I cut the lights low, turn the music up and let all the stress of the day melt away. Most of these songs have been played ad nauseam over the past year or so, and although theres no single cohesive theme among them, once you spark your lighter and let the music take you away, I think you’ll immediately get the vibe.

Soul For Real  — “Every Little Thing I Do”

“Everybody knows “Candy Rain.” It’s a certified classic. And because of that, a lot of people try to claim Soul For Real as a one-hit wonder... but I say fuck that noise. This was their second single and it just never got enough play as far as I’m concerned. Even all these years later, I don’t understand how Soul For Real wasn’t a bigger act. RIP Heavy D.”

J. Cole — “False Prophets”

“If there’s one beef I wish would finally come to fruition, it would be a full-blown battle between Kanye and Cole. Musically, I think it would be one of the best rivalries we’ve seen in a long time—but alas, it’s probably not happening anytime soon since I’m sure they both have better things to do. That being said, Cole did his thing on this joint and even though it didn’t fit the album release at the time, I’m glad he still put this out because it’s one of his best songs. The beat seems so minimal, and as always, Cole raps over it effortlessly with lines like “So he grows out of control/Into the person that he truly was all along, it’s startin’ to show/Damn, wonder what happened/Maybe it’s my fault for idolizing niggas, based off the words that he rappin’.” Cole’s introspection is always one of my favorite things about his style of music—asking us to question rappers that we idolize is one of those lessons that should always stick with us.”

Total — “Can’t You See” (feat. The Notorious B.I.G.)

“This song just never gets old. I feel like you can throw this on at any time and folks will still dance and sing it word for word. When I was younger, I was definitely drawn to Biggie’s verse more, but as I’ve gotten older, the ones from Total have had way more impact. Man, Bad Boy has so many hits like this that are still super hard 20-30 years later.”

Monie Love — “It’s a Shame (My Sister)”

“One random night a few months back, I watched Class Act (a classic film from the 90s featuring Kid & Play) for the first time in a while. And while I watching, I started to realize that I’d completely forgotten about all the great music featured in the movie and on the soundtrack. This joint by Monie Love is the best of the bunch (although “Housecall” by Shabba Ranks and “I Wanna Love You” by Jade slap hard too).”

Dark Lo — “Ripped Apart” (feat. Benny The Butcher)

“Benny has my favorite lines on this one with “Nah, I ain’t jumping on no bandwagons/In the yard doing pull-ups ‘til my hands calloused/Fendi belt, but my pants sagging/All my lil’ mans flagging/Look like my watch took dance classes.” Dark Lo’s adlibs at the end are wild hilarious to me though. ”

Listen to the playlist below or simply click the link.

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Gregory Hedgepeth is the editor-in-chief of Vital Narrative Press. You can follow him on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Feel free to follow on all three. Or maybe just two. Yeah, two’s probably good — he’s not that interesting. Gregory Hedgepeth is also the author of MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT SUNRISES, THE YEAR THAT ANSWERED and A COLLECTION OF ECHOES. BUY THAT SHIT.

BY GREGORY HEDGEPETH

Songs For People Who Smoke in the Shower 6 is a playlist I created because I like to play music when I smoke in the shower. I cut the lights low, turn the music up and let all the stress of the day melt away. Most of these songs have been played ad nauseam over the past year or so, and although theres no single cohesive theme among them, once you spark your lighter and let the music take you away, I think you’ll immediately get the vibe.

Wu-Tang Clan  — “Triumph” (feat. Cappadonna)

“I can’t think of many songs that start off with a harder verse than Inspectah Deck’s “I bomb atomically/Socrates’ philosophies/And hypotheses can’t define how I be droppin’ these/Mockeries/Lyrically perform armed robbery.” Every verse is incredible, but I still get hype off those first few bars.”

Kendrick Lamar — “Alright”

“This jawn is like the new Black National Anthem. Every time I hear it, I instantly feel better, Blacker and more inspired. There’s not much I can say about this song that hasn’t already been said.”

Young Gunz — “No Better Love”

“When I was younger, this jawn really had me wanting to be in a relationship. When it comes to rap love songs, this is honestly one of the best versions of the genre. I don’t think this is Young Gunz’s most famous joint (most folks seem to be more familiar with “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop”), but it’s definitely their best song in my opinion. And damn what happened to Rell? He killed the hook on this.”

Action Bronson — “Durag vs. Headband” (feat. Big Body Bes)

“I’ve had the Blue Chips 7000 album downloaded for a minute and completely forgot about this song until I saw the video on an episode of “Fuck, That’s Delicious.” It’s typical Bronson music (which is a good thing), and like most Action joints, Big Body Bes has the best adlibs: “Make sure you spread my blood on a BMW... Albanian style! I wanna die by machine gun!!!””

Westside Gunn — “Summer Slam 88”

“If I’m not mistaken, this was the first song that really got me on the Griselda wave. Gunn is my least favorite of the triumvirate, but this is one of my favorite joints of his that doesn’t feature Conway or Benny. And the roody-poo snippet at the beginning with The Rock is still hilarious. ”

Snoh Aalegra — “I Want You Around”

“This is one of those songs that reminds me of my wife every time I hear it. I’m not very talkative most days, and even if I don’t have a lot to say, her mere presence is always more than enough. Snoh Aalegra perfectly encapsulated that feeling with this one.”

Listen to the playlist below or simply click the link.

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Gregory Hedgepeth is the editor-in-chief of Vital Narrative Press. You can follow him on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Feel free to follow on all three. Or maybe just two. Yeah, two’s probably good — he’s not that interesting. Gregory Hedgepeth is also the author of MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT SUNRISES, THE YEAR THAT ANSWERED and A COLLECTION OF ECHOES. BUY THAT SHIT.

BY STAFF

We asked Darlene Campos to curate a Spotify playlist for her book, Heaven Isn’t Me and she selected 20 incredible songs featuring R.E.M., The Killers, U2, The Smiths and Mumford & Sons.

“This playlist is complied of songs I listened to on repeat in high school and early college days, but some of them are songs I stumbled upon while writing HEAVEN ISN’T ME. Frightened Rabbit’s song titled “Dead Now” was blasting in the background each time I wrote Elysian’s panic attack scenes.

Each one of these songs inspired Heaven Isn’t Me as a whole, some of them a tad bit more than others. I hope you enjoy these tunes as much as I did while creating this story.”

— Darlene P. Campos

You can listen to the entire soundtrack below or on Spotify.

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Darlene P. Campos earned her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Texas at El Paso. She also graduated from the University of Houston with a BA in English-Creative Writing and a minor in medicine and Social Studies. She is from Guayaquil, Ecuador, but currently lives in Houston, TX with her husband David and an adorable pet rabbit named Jake. Her website is www.darlenepcampos.com. You can support her work here.