On our latest Story + Rain Talks podcast, our cover star, Cleo Wade, details the freedom that comes with being a poet. She’s someone who has always had a notebook with her, or napkins she’d write on, napkins with notes she’d often share with friends. Releasing two long-awaited books within one year, Cleo shares how she came to birth her November 2023 release, Remember Love. Feeling moved to write for this moment in time, the author and activist tells us she was interested in the ways in which we can claim and reclaim ourselves to live at a pace that she describes as deeply human, and NOT at the speed of wifi. We discuss her May-release children’s book, May You Love And Be Loved, and how the most important thing she aims to convey in her books for children is that we raise a generation of kids that asks them to go see the world and to know that “we’re all in this together”. Along with a discussion about her artist parents and first intro to poetry, the New Orleans native says she was raised in part by the city itself, a place where its bon vivant inhabitants work in order to pay their bills, so that they can go to Mardi Gras. On the episode, Cleo describes her dedication New Orleans’ really specific way of living, a way of living she follows everywhere. We get into friendship, and how it has been the “gold” of her life. We talk about the importance in not living in idea-phase, about what work in the world of fashion has taught her, why her husband has been a huge source of inspiration. We tapped Cleo for her some valuable thoughts on social media and what her role on her platforms has been. We discuss favorite things, how to be a friend to yourself, and much more.