Forthcoming Projects

“I collect my eyes is like letting all your days look over your shoulders. Revealing all your own questions about yourself, your life; wiping the lens of the eye of the significant others that are pieced together, patchworked into your quilt. To become naked, unraveled, one unwraps the hidden gifts, before the mirror, before eyes, all different eyes inside my eyes. Seeing where those eyes have been. To whom those eyes belong. Well, it has been a long time to accept standing, dancing, crying, being freely human in the eye of so many beholders, now, to be baptized, cleansed, to be set free.” —Shirley Bradley Price LeFlore

Lyah and her late mother, Shirley Bradley Price LeFlore, shared deep and honest conversations for as long as Lyah can remember. Shirley was a professor, celebrated poet, performing artist, and a significant figure in the Black Arts movement of the 1960s, specifically as a founding member of The Black Artist Group ( BAG), a noted multi-disciplinary arts organization that boldly stood at the intersection of art and activism, birthed in St. Louis, Missouri. Shirley became the St. Louis Poet Laureate Emeritus, and in having an up-close view of her journey, her daughters were inspired to pursue writing, art, music, and poetry. In the later years of Shirley’s life, she and Lyah’s talks became even more personal, covering themes such as love, motherhood, illness, healing, and death—complex aspects of black womanhood that they explored together before Shirley’s passing in 2019. Now, Lyah is honoring her mother’s legacy with the release of I COLLECT MY EYES…A MEMOIR, A Mother and Daughter’s Spiritual Journey and Conversations about Love, Motherhood, Death and Healing, co-authored by Shirley and Lyah, along with a documentary, I COLLECT MY EYES, produced and written by Lyah.

The book, I COLLECT MY EYES…A MEMOIR, chronicles the remarkable history of Shirley’s ancestors as a Midwestern African American family, deeply rooted in both faith and the spirit world, with ties to southern heritage from slavery to civil rights. It offers a rich and compelling account of Shirley’s life and career. Lyah shares her experiences growing up with such a prominent mother, the challenges of caregiving, and the process of rebuilding her life after a significant loss. A poignant and riveting tribute, I COLLECT MY EYES…A MEMOIR is a heartfelt compilation of memories, featuring personal writings from Shirley, including profound journal entries, unpublished poetry, and other artifacts that unveil secrets, confessions, childhood memories, and bittersweet love notes, all expressed with striking boldness and vivid language.

In support of the book, the documentary I COLLECT MY EYES seeks to document Shirley’s journey from her childhood to her rise as a celebrated poet on both national and international stages. This documentary offers an intimate look at the deep connection between mother and daughter, featuring recorded conversations and interviews. It will explore themes of culture, art, race, and slavery, tracing Shirley’s life through various historic neighborhoods in St. Louis, as well as her childhood time in Mine La Motte and Fredericktown, Missouri, located in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains St. Francois Mountains. Additionally, the film will delve into her travels and work as a poet and performing artist. from Chicago to the New York Tristate area, over nearly eight decades. The close relationship Shirley had with her three daughters is intricately woven into the narrative, highlighting the unbreakable bond Lyah has with her sisters, as they confront the impending loss of their mother, and in time, the celebration of her life.

The book and documentary I COLLECT MY EYES honor Shirley Bradley Price LeFlore’s life as seen through Lyah’s perspective. At the same time, Shirley’s narratives and writings also impart spiritual teachings and values of kindness that will touch people’s hearts.