Library hosts Meet the Author

The life envisioned by former Navasota athlete and author of “Reusable QTips (Advice Never Wasted),” Marquisha (Q) Culbreath, was about signing WNBA contracts - not her own books! Culbreath will share her writing journey and some “aha” moments at Meet the Author Night hosted by the Navasota Public Library, Monday, May 17, at 5:30 p.m.

Ponytail girl

Raised in a single-parent household in Navasota, Culbreath’s days were filled with school, the youth department at Mount Calvary Baptist Church and the Navasota Little Dribblers youth basketball organization.

She said, “Besides being involved in my church youth department, I was singing, I played music, I would speak at church and attend the Bible studies and Vacation Bible School. That and Little Dribblers was my life growing up. Driving through town just now, I reminisced about being the girl with the ponytail on the bike riding through these neighborhoods, that is the gist of my childhood.”

At Navasota High School, Culbreath played in the Rattler Band and on the girls’ basketball team.

She said, “I was on the girls’ basketball team that went to State for the first time in school history so that’s always special to me.”

After graduation from NHS in 2008 and Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Arts in 2012, Culbreath returned to her home turf teaching Physical Education, coaching track, and basketball, as well as Special Education and Language Arts in several NISD schools. Two years ago, she moved to Bryan after accepting a Special Education teaching position at Sam Rayburn Intermediate School. Putting coaching aside, she focused on attaining a Master of Arts in Ministry, to be awarded Saturday, May 15.

The power of language

According to Culbreath, one the major influences in her life was her fifth and seventh grade Language Arts teacher, Mr. William Warren, now deceased.

Culbreath said, “He would always make me read aloud what I wrote. I thought I was being picked on and I hated it. Finally, in the seventh grade, I complained so much that he would make copies and put them in the hallway. It was like, ‘If you’re not going to read it to your 25 peers, I’m going to let the entire school see your writing.’” 

She continued, “Over time, teachers would come up and praise my writing and students would quote it. It was then, as a seventh grader, I learned the power of language and how words can influence people. Mr. Warren is one of the driving forces behind the writing of this book and even teaching Language Arts.” Had Warren just praised her writing ability, Culbreath said she wouldn’t have believed it.

She said, “I would not have because at that time, I was convinced I was going to the Women’s National Basketball Association and I was going to be a basketball star. If you would have told me anything other than that, I would have become your enemy.”

Some health issues revealed Culbreath’s life wasn’t going in the direction she wanted.

She said, “Now I appreciate people like him who taught me that there is more to do with your body, your life and your hands than to shoot a basketball. I will never forget it, and I am forever grateful. If I could change anything about life, it would be that he would know I did this.”

Sharing the wisdom

The greatest influence on Culbreath’s life, however, was her grandmother, Ruth Moore who died three years ago at age 94.

Culbreath said, “She was a massive ball of wit, wisdom, humor and creativity, the most amazing person.”

Citing the Great Depression, the civil rights movement, the bell-bottom days, entrance of hip-hop and the sheer number of presidents, Culbreath said, “She’s seen it all.”

She continued, “When she passed away, I didn’t know how to manage grief. Sometimes there was anger even though she was 94, and you know when they reach that age it’s going to happen, but I still struggled. I wrote about my feelings in this book.”

In the final moments when her grandmother passed, Culbreath said, “I remember looking around the room to take something from that moment in time to always have a tangible piece of her but then I realized there was nothing to grab because it was already inside of me. So, I wrote this book so even when I’m dead, what I got from her is available to anybody who opens the pages.”

Gentle examination

The “Reusable QTips” e-edition was released in February and if Culbreath had doubts about publishing, they were soon put to rest. She received a positive review from a retired English teacher as well as comments from people as far away as New York, California, and Ohio, and from people of all ages motivated by her book to pursue dreams long forgotten.

In the book’s foreword, Marine veteran, Pastor Antwoine Stewart, wrote, “Reusable QTips are firm but they have a cushion that allows you to take the sting of necessary feedback that prompts self-examination, in a gentle way.”

Culbreath’s 34 tips examine finding the right church for you, sons, daughters, racism, pain, mentoring, being offended, accomplishments, and much more.

With typical QTip wisdom, Culbreath said, “We all have something else, greater and more, to do. Start today with what you have. Do what you can with what you have.”

“Reusable QTips (Advice Never Wasted)”is $20 and available for purchase at Meet the Author Night. Acceptable forms of payment are cash, debit or credit card, PayPal, and Cash App.