Witnessing History

There are no words to describe how I feel this morning so I'll simply post an email I sent to friends and family after the Iowa primary. We are witnessing history at this moment. Enough said.


Date: Thu, 3 Jan 2008 22:25:58 -0500
From: Me
To: Me
Subject: Primary Results - My thoughts

I haven't sent out one of my voting emails in a while. But, tonight, it feels appropriate I am thinking about my grandmother and what she would think if she were alive today.

When she died, my mom went through a lot of her papers and found some voting slips from the 40's and 50's. See, my grandmother voted in a time when Black people weren't supposed to. She wasn't highly educated or upper class. She was a maid, she caught the bus to the River Oaks area every day and worked in a white woman's kitchen. Voting was important enough to her that she was willing to PAY to exercise her right to vote. Poll taxes were 2.50 and she earned about 5.50 a day at the time. It is because of her that I will never take my right to vote for granted.

I think she's get a kick out of tonight's results. So, I don't care which candidate or party you support... please, support something. Be a part of the political process!

Michael Eric Dyson - Lunch Time Book Signing

Are you in the San Franciso Bay Area??

The Museum of the African Diaspora and Marcus Books present acclaimed public intellectual and bestselling author Michael Eric Dyson. Bring your brown bag lunch and join Professor Dyson for a lunchtime chat and book signing. Mr. Dyson will read excerpts from and sign copies of his latest book, April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King’s Death and How It Changed America.

Michael Eric Dyson was named by Ebony as one of the hundred most influential black Americans, is the author of sixteen books, including Holler if You Hear Me, Is Bill Cosby Right? and I May Not Get There With You: The True Martin Luther King Jr. in

April 30, 2008
12:00 pm – 2:00 pm Salon
Free with Museum Admission

Museum of the African Diaspora
685 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA

The Great Book List - Part 3

2007 - Book List (Partial)

Ralph Ellison For One More Day New England White Diva's Last Curtain Call What a Woman Wants The Measure of a Man Plain Truth My Sister's Keeper 10th Circle The Kite Runner 1000 Splendid Suns The Audicity of Hope T is For Trespass Friends: A Love Story Left To Tell

Red River They Tell Me of Home The Wave The Pact Nineteen Minutes Mercy Picture Perfect We'll Never Tell The Wicked The Known World No Girl Needs a Husband 7 Days a Week Passport Diaries If The Shoe Fits Every Man For Herself

The Great Book List - Part 2

The Original Old Girl wrote a post week that caught my eye. She kept a list of all the books she read in 2007 and shared the list with us. The Original Old Girl has an ecletic list. A little mystery, sci-fi, Christian lit, contemporary fiction... some good stuff.

That posted made me pause. I read a LOT, but I have never taken the time to review what I've read in any given period. So while I compose my own list, what do you think? What did you read last year? Last month even. Check back this weekend for BlackLiterature's Great Book List 2007.

Poem In Your Pocket Day

Calling all poets!

April is National Poetry Month. Help celebrate the first National Poem In Your Pocket Day by selecting a favorite poem and sharing it with co-workers, family, and friends on April 17.

From the Academy of American Poets "Poems from pockets will be unfolded throughout the day with events in parks, libraries, schools, workplaces, and bookstores. Create your own Poem In Your Pocket Day event usingnational ideas below or let us know how you will celebrate Poem In Your Pocket Day by emailing npm@poets.org."

You an find out more at Poets.org

Where Have They Been?

I know. This blog doesn't get updated that often. That doesn't mean I've stopped reading. Lately, I've been wondering what's happened to some of my favorite authors. I thought I would throw the question out to the group. If you know, please share.

BarbaraNeely: The Blanche White series. All I need to say is that I love this woman. Blanche is Black, sassy and determined. By the looks of her website, BarbaraNeely has a LOT of fans who would love to catch up with Blanche White. Check out BarbaraNeely's website for more info.

Gar Anthony Haywood: Author of the Aaron Gunner series and the Loudermilk mysteries. The Loudermilks are retirees cruising the country in their recreational vehice. Joe and Dottie always get their man. Gunner is a LA private eye in an urban, gritty sense.

Valerie Wilson Wesley:
Tamara Haye was The female super sleuth in the mid-nineties. Smart, feminine, cool. It's good to see that she is still around. I would like to know what's happened to Penny Mickelbury, Pamela Thomas-Graham and Eleanor Taylor Bland.

Are you looking for updates from your favorite authors?

The Moments, the Minutes, the Hours

The Moments, the Minutes, the Hours by Jill Scott has just been released in paperback. This book of poetry is broken into sections Evil and Love, Haiku, Thinking, Sistahs, and Poetry for Poets.

This is not your typical coffeehouse spoken word poetry. Enjoy!

Product Description

Writing poems and keeping journal since 1991, Jill Scott now shares her personal poetry collection in The Moments, the Minutes, the Hours. Praised for her earthy, honestly erotic, soulful and very real lyrics, Jill Scott explores all the flavors of life, love, and self.

Of her music, Jill offers: "It's music. It's experiences. It's vulnerability. It's honesty. It's being a woman---an African American woman. Being a daughter, a sister, a grandchild and a Godmother. It's life. It's deeper than what I know. It's bigger than what I can see. I guess it's a dive into the human spirit." And the same will come forth in this never- before-seen collection of her poetry.

Pearl Cleage: Seen It All & Done the Rest

If you enjoyed Baby Brother's Blue or Babylon Sisters, you will enjoy Seen It All & Done the Rest; Pearl Cleage's trip back to Atlanta's West End.

For Josephine Evans, home was on the stages of the world where she spent thirty years establishing herself as one of the finest actresses of her generation. She had a perfect life and enough sense to live it to the hilt, but then a war she didn’t fully understand turned everything upside down, thrusting her into a role she never wanted and was not prepared to play. Suddenly the target of angry protests aimed at the country she had never really felt was her own, Josephine is forced to return to America to see if she can create a new definition of home.

Josephine struggles to reclaim her old life even as she scrambles to shape her new one. Hoping her friend Howard Denmond is as good as his word when he promises to engineer her triumphant return to the European stage, Josephine sets out to increase her nest egg by selling the house her mother willed her, only to find the long-neglected property has become home to squatters who have no intention of leaving.

But an unexpected reunion with an old friend offers Josephine a chance to set things right. As unscrupulous land developer gets serious about her plan to tear the community apart, Josephine finds herself playing the most important role of her life, showing her neighbors what courage really is and learning the true meaning of coming home.

A Letter From Karibu Books

STOP THE PRESSES.

Karibu Books is closing and I am shocked! Karibu was a place I visited when I made it to the DC area. A store after my heart, they had cool books, book signings and a cool vibe. It was a community, one that is missing in many parts of our country.

Hopefully, the closing is the result of management/ownership differences (as has been reported) rather than the business going under. Let's hope that Karibu is able to resurect itself.

If you are in the greater DC area, inventory is 50% off until Feb 10, 2008


-----------------
January 22, 2008

Dear Karibu Customers,

After 15 years of service within the Washington, DC metropolitan area, Karibu Books, a Black bookstore chain will be closing its doors. We sincerely thank each and every one of you for your patronage and support. We are optimistic that our mission to empower and educate through a comprehensive selection of books by and about people of African descent will continue to resonate within the communities we proudly served.

Since 1993, we have been blessed to help thousands of local, regional and national authors share their incredible stories of faith, hope, love, peace, politics and race. We can’t begin to express our gratitude for the countless authors who have graced our six stores and enriched our customers’ lives.

We will be closing our Security Square (Baltimore, MD) and Forestville locations on Sunday, January 27. The remaining locations, Bowie Town Center, The Mall at Prince Georges and Iverson Mall will close on Sunday, February 10. Our Pentagon City store is already closed.

Effective immediately, all inventory at all locations will be 50% off. All fixtures will also be available for purchase on February 10. See individual store managers for more information.

Again, we respectfully thank you for your loyalty, laughter and love.

Sincerely,
Simba Sana
CEO
Karibu Books

BookGiveAway: New England White

Quite a few people have been waiting for Steven Carter to release a follow up to his first novel, Emperor of Oean Park. New England White was released this summer to great reviews. If you haven't read it yet, here is your chance to win a copy!

BlackLiterature.com is giving away 2 copies. Visit the link, enter the contest and wait to win.

Happy Father's Day!

When I was a little girl, my mother worked swing shift. She dropped me off at the babysitter's house in the afternoon and my Dad picked me up in evenings. I remember eating dinner and watching TV in the evenings with my father before I went to bed. I learned that my Dad was great for horsing around and he could cook too!

Later my mother worked an early shift and it was my Dad who got me ready for school in the mornings. I learned that my Dad was pretty good at doing girls hair and could pick out clothes for me to wear. At some point, we set a "date night". My Dad took me out to dinner every Friday night from the time I was 3 or 4 until I did my own thing in high school. He taught me that I was special.

My Dad is smart!! When I complained about homework, it was my Dad that taught me that math should be easy. "There are only 2 things you can do in math and that's add and subtract." I've never forgotten how smart I felt after that advice. I'd brag to people about how my Dad was a genius!

When I learned how to drive, my Dad taught me on his stick shift. He said that if I learned how to drive that, he'd know I could drive anything.

My dad bought my first car and helped my shop for my second. He drove me to college when I left home and brought me back more times than he or I would like to acknowledge. ;-) He makes awesome BBQ and the best smothered porkchops when I come home.

Fathers don't get the same "props" as mothers but they are just as important. My father has sacrificed for me and I am so proud of him. I wish that every child could have what I've had in my father and I hope that one day my children will be blessed by having such a wonderfull man as their grandfather.

I don't know if he'll read this, but even if if doesn't, I want the world to know. I love my dad!!

Happy Father's Day, Daddy

Happy Graduation

This time of year always brings me back to a Sunday afternoon at the Paramount Theater in Oakland a few years(ahem) ago. A few hundred folks in gold caps and gowns celebrating their biggest acheivement in life thus far. Yes folks... high school graduation. You're excited, you've been "big man" on campus for the last year and hopefully, you're looking forward to college.

The Black Girl's Guide to College Success is a great resource for young women getting moving on to the next step in their academic career. Moving away from home or even going to college period can be a huge adjustment. The university doesn't call home and tell your parents if you miss too many 8am classes. You failed your first midterm? It's up to you to get back on track. The chapters about studying daily, maintaining a high GPA, getting a mentor and relationships are priceless. And the author also reminds the reader to have fun. College can be one of the best time's in a young person's life. You can explore your interests, join a new club, change your hair. I became a vegeterian one semester.

The Black Girl's Guide to College Success would make a great graduation gift for any young woman graduating from high school. My only complaint would be where is the guide for young men?

What's up next? Father's Day.

The Untelling

I recently joined a new book club and the first book was on the reading list was The Untelling. I joined the Tayari Jones fan club last year, so I was more than happy to read it for the third time. If you are looking for an author to watch, add Tayari Jones to your list.

Synopsis:
When Ariadne was nine, she lived through a car crash that killed her father and baby brother. The tragedy left the surviving members wounded by rage and guilt. At 25, Aria has done her best to establish a normal life for herself, living in Atlanta and teaching literacy to inner-city teenaged girls. For the first time, she has people who love her and in whom she can confide. When she discovers that she may be pregnant, Aria is seduced by the promise of a normal family. Then everything changes in ways she never anticipated.

Books From My Childhood

I saw a post on an author's blog recently that posed the question: What are some of your favorite books from childhood. It made me think. Geeze, what are the books that I loved. So I made a list, and I'm wondering if kids are still reading these or not.

1) Nancy Drew Books
I loved the fact that there were 60+ books in the series and I wanted to read each and every one of them. My girlfriends remember the row of yellow books above my desk. Eventually, I grew out of this phase but I was obsessed with making it through the series for 2-3 years.

2) Where The Wild Things Are
This is a classic. I believe it started off as a bedtime story. Later, I would read t in bed, under the covers with a flashlight... The pictures alone are worth the price of the book.

3) Whistle for Willie
I'm a child of the seventies. This is one of the first books I remember that featured people of color. I couldn't whistle, but I wanted a sausage dog like Peter's! I wanted to live in a city like Peter's! I practiced spinning like Peter!

Are these books still popular? Do kids still fall in love with them? What are you favorites?

My New Blog!!

Although I'm a huge lover of books and reading, my background is in technology - specificaly, web technologies. Blogging has been a hot for the last year or two but I've been resistant. Why? I didn't think that end users would remain interested in someone's random rants and ramblings? I figured the blog would go the way of the message board. And, while I read EVERYTHING, I've never considered myself to be a strong writer. Give me a piece to edit, and I'm your woman. Show me a blank piece of paper and I suffer from performance anxiety.

Recently, I've come across a few author and book blogs that impressed me. Tayari Jones, Danyel Smith and Angela Henry have great blogs. I pick up tidbits about the publishing industy from Felicia Pride(The Back List) and Lawrence Ross. Not just miscellaneous ranting, but insightfull commentary from interesting people. So now, I have a list of blogs that I check out on a daily basis.

So I'm sticking my toe into the ever growing "Blog pool". I'll share my favorite reads, hot topics and yes -- some of my own rants and raves. Instead of sending out email to my crew with my thoughts, questions, political commentary, I'm going to post them here on my blog. Let's see what type of feedback I get. Who knows, maybe with time, I'll lose the performance anxiety and become a better writer.