About

Hi, I’m Twanna [bio]. I’m a writer and sexual & reproductive health advocate. FUNKY BROWN CHICK® chronicles my life. My first book, a memoir, is in production. I also write for the web, newspapers and print magazines as well as contribute chapters to others’ anthologies. Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of my family, ex-boyfriends, employers or others.

I started FUNKY BROWN CHICK® in 2005 after I ditched a safe, stable life in Illinois’ bosom to leap into the big unknown called NYC. I took a risk. I jumped. And, I landed right on my ass. Mice in my apartment. Dates with a guy who “showed” me he doesn’t wear underwear. Unemployment. A rendezvous with a man who told me he wanted to piss in my mouth. Somehow, I survived it all.

In the beginning, I wrote pseudo-anonymously as “funkybrownchick” to openly express myself without fearing judgement. I linked my name, face and words a year later when I penned a dating column for Nerve. (Granted, even when I didn’t use my full name, people — like magazine editors who wrote checks for freelance articles — still knew “Twanna A. Hines” was “funkybrownchick.”)

I’m bolder now. I simply assume all past boyfriends, high school pals, future lovers, employers, church members, family members and anyone else with an internet connect can read what I write. Doesn’t mean they SHOULD; it just means they can. I’m okay with that. I’m proud of work because it honestly depicts who I am. Older, outdated content is/was/might be an accurate representation of who I was at the time. I’m growing. Changing. Evolving. I’d be lying if I said I had my life all figured out. Though, I now realize: No one interesting does.

 

Please note, FUNKY BROWN CHICK® is, and always has been, a site for adults. In alphabetical order, a few sites for teens and young adults seeking info about human sexuality include Bedsider, GirlsHealth.gov, NYCLU’s Teen Health Initiative, Planned Parenthood,  Scarleteen, Sex, Etc., SexReally, and StayTeen.org.