tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9850494908870105132024-03-15T09:47:37.035-07:00ringShoutA Place for Black LiteratureRingShouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428813892533255704noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985049490887010513.post-55404922189931576692011-10-24T07:26:00.000-07:002011-10-24T12:13:52.863-07:00I have been trying to find a good jumping point to bring the Occupy Wall Street discussion to the ringShout blog. There have been so many movements over the past weeks that have spiraled out from the initial Occupy Wall Street movement, but it is the recent group, Occupy Writers, that boasts some well known writers, poets and playwrights - Jennifer Egan, Salman Rushdie and Eve Ensler to name a few - that for obvious reasons I find pertinent to ringShout. To see the full list of writers who have signed on you can go to http://occupywriters.com/. Their statement is very simple: <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">We, the undersigned writers and all who will join us, support Occupy Wall Street and the Occupy Movement around the world." Which seeks to show their presence through solidarity and give more visibility to the movement.</span> <br /><br />Author and journalist, Jeff Sharlet, who started the group, told the Huffington Post, "There are radical writers on the list, but there are also the kind of writers who maybe Bloomberg takes their books with him on a vacation to the beach. We wanted to say 'Look you've been outflanked. The movement draws as much from the people you consider to be your base." Giving the list a cursory glance, I did not immediately find any notable black authors (at least none that I recognized). My stomach did a small flip when I read the name "ZZ" and expected it to be followed by Packer, but instead read the name Claybourne. I have not read this author nor the book that they wrote <span style="font-style:italic;">The Predation Blues</span>, but more power to them. My eyes finally fell on Alice Walker's name, who I most respectfully regard as a type of living ancestor. I was happy to know that she stands in solidarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement, but I would like to see more black authors add their names to the list, if they do in fact support OWS in any capacity. <br /><br />I feel that ringShout, in a way, is doing similar work that Occupy Wall Street is doing, providing a platform of visibility for underrepresented groups (in our case authors) in hopes of promoting discussion, trading ideas and creating a more balanced world - the book world being a smaller but equally vital sphere of society.RingShouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428813892533255704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985049490887010513.post-36257327384215546772011-10-13T11:56:00.000-07:002011-10-13T13:19:19.494-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.indiebound.com/500/975/9781555975500.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 264px; height: 400px;" src="http://images.indiebound.com/500/975/9781555975500.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>
<br />Tiphanie Yanique’s collection <span style="font-style:italic;">How to Escape From a Leper Colony</span> is one of the best short story collections I have read in recent years, and one of my favorites to recommend. The Caribbean plays a central role, and is given new life on the page. Yanique weaves tales that utilize elements of magical realism to viscerally convey the mélange of cultures and identities that make up the islands.
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<br />Tiphanie was generous enough to devote a small window of her time to answer questions for the Greenlight Bookstore Fiction Book Group (held every third Tuesday of every month) that I thought would be nice to share here:
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<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Migration both between the islands and to America and beyond seem to play an important role in many of the stories. Characters often leave to escape their past and return to confront it. Did the colonial history and nature of migration among the islands and from the islands play a role in this? Is it purposeful that there is a dual nature of relationship with the past, that it is both individual and societal?</span>
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<br />Your question goes to heart of what I believe is a major emotional theme for the collection. In general, I'm less interested in the "you can never go home" narrative of migration. This might be because I've come of age in a time when the binaries of tourist and native are less, well, binary. Herman in “Kill the Rabbits”, longs to call somewhere home and when he lands on St. Thomas he believes that he has found his place. A big part of this is that his parents are there and that the woman he loves is there. The people make the place home for him. This is honorable. But he can't escape the history of the place, which is one of American colonialism. In fact, for the Virgin Islands, colonialism is not historical, it is the current reality. This social reality is not one that Herman, despite his personal love for Xica, knows how to manage.</span>
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<br />I'm interested in the ongoing and complex relationship with people and the places they are from or the places where the end up. I don't think there are many things in our lives that are not both societal and individual. </span>
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<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What influenced the author's decision to make religion and faith such important aspects of nearly every story? Was it the islands' own complicated relationship with religion?</span>
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<br />The Caribbean does have a very complicated and rich religious reality. My own personal upbringing was extraordinarily diverse. My high school was at least 25% Hindu but the school itself was Anglican. In my household there were Muslims, Rastafari, Roman Catholics, Evangelical Christians...and that's just the house I grew up in. If I go in to my extended family...hah! It gets wonderfully complicated.
<br />Religion was rarely divisive in my family and friendship groups. When it was, I thought those people were losing out on the beauty of other people. Frankly, I thought the faithful who believed their way was the only way were either not very smart or just assholes.
<br />I know religion has been a real source of tragedy in human history, but somehow I also feel it has been such a great source of beauty and intimacy. I grew up around faiths, so even as a child I saw understanding someone's religion as a way to appreciate that person culturally, romantically, intellectually. I suppose that may be one reason why it plays such a large part in my writing; it's a way for me to build and know my characters.
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<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What about some of the elements of the book? Especially the title story, that seem "tall tale" like. Are these based on folk tales she heard growing up in the Caribbean, or are they largely her own invention? How has she used the stories of the Virgin Island and made them her own in her fiction?</span>
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<br />It would be so cool if I could say that these stories were based on myths I grew up hearing. But alas, it's not that cool. These are largely my invention. However, grandmother, who raised me, was a children's librarian. She was definitely my first and most major story telling inspiration. She was the kind of Granny who read serious/literary books and told allegorical stories. Sometimes her stories were fairy tales she made up, other times she told us stories from her own life--but even those always seems metaphorical, allegorical. Those were her hobbies--reading and storytelling. I've always wanted to write serious books that might feel mythical or allegorical in the telling. She instilled that desire in me.
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<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The book seems to have a extremely complex view of the relationship between parent and child. Mothers and fathers appear to be overbearing and distant at the same time. Was the author analogizing this relationship with any other types of relationships (e.g. native v. colonizer, immigrant vs. new national identity)?</span>
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<br />The Virgin Islands is a colony of the United States. This status makes us one of the few colonies in the Caribbean. Yet, Virgin Islanders have very little interest in political independence. There was even a big song for Carnival with the lyrics: "let them know you're proud to be an American." This is very strange for a Caribbean island! And yet, Virgin Islanders have been fighting, for a generation, to gain native rights. We've been arguing in the news and over dinner tables for decades about who is really a Virgin Islander and what right "those Americans" should have on "our" land. While I cant' say that I was consciously connecting the parent/child relationship with the colonial relationship, I do think that, given the Virgin Islands' unusual colonial reality, it's a useful way to read the text.
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<br />On a personal level, I am very interested in love. I mean, I really believe in love. I'm totally old school over love. I think it's the only thing that ever saves us and I'm really curious as to how it works. I mean romantic love, friendship, familial love--all of it. But I do believe that it all starts with parents. Though both my parents are still living, my grandmother raised me. We were each others special ones and if there is such a thing as soul mate, then she is mine. But I still felt the absence of my biologicals. My own screwy relationship to "parents," along with my curiosity/belief about (for lack of a better term) the power of love has always been a major theme in my writing and likely a major reason I write at all.
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<br />RingShouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428813892533255704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985049490887010513.post-73778843416330228042011-10-12T09:41:00.001-07:002011-10-12T09:50:47.580-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.nbifestival.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/New-NBIFest-logo_centered090911_375x176.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 375px; height: 176px;" src="http://www.nbifestival.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/New-NBIFest-logo_centered090911_375x176.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />ringShout will be participating in the Festival of New Black Imagination taking place at Long Island University's Brooklyn Campus this Saturday October 15th. For more information on panels, performances and directions you can go to the New Black Imagination's website at http://www.nbifestival.org.<br />ringShout has chosen to feature three short story collections: <span style="font-style:italic;">A Taste of Honey </span>by Jabari Asim <span style="font-style:italic;">You Are Free</span> by Danzy Senna, and <span style="font-style:italic;">How to Escape From a Leper Colony</span> by Tiphanie Yanique. While the authors will not be there to read their own work, wonderful performances from the collections will take place. Leading up to the festival, the books will highlighted here at the ringshout blog. Happy Reading!RingShouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428813892533255704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985049490887010513.post-49928973236416299572011-10-12T08:04:00.000-07:002011-10-12T10:35:36.433-07:00Three Books, Three Performances.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.indiebound.com/077/485/9781594485077.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 256px; height: 400px;" src="http://images.indiebound.com/077/485/9781594485077.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /> Danzy Senna’s collection of short stories, <span style="font-style:italic;">You Are Free</span>, released by Riverhead Books earlier this year provides a window to a bevy of multiracial characters voyaging through an alleged post racial western world, “The election had come and gone, the blackish man was in charge, and the slogan on the bumper –<span style="font-style:italic;">Yes We Can</span>—already had the feeling of some dusty, long-gone revolution.” Senna gives us her take on the multiracial experience in a cultural landscape that has become, in some ways, more level. Meet the Jeffersons. Meet the Cosbys, and the Obamas; forgoing the sass and patterned sweaters, and opting instead for strained marriages and relationships, women questioning their roles as mothers, and, for some, the angst of being middle to upper-middle class - an angle that is rarely portrayed with characters of color.<br />In the story <span style="font-style:italic;">What’s the Matter With Helga and Dave?</span> A nameless narrator and her husband Hewitt hate the Cosbys for this very reason, “Hewitt and I both hated The Cosby Show with a venom and vigor –for its smugness, for the cloying sweetness of the vignettes pretending to be plots, for the surrealism of a rich black family who had no problem integrating into white America.” The narrator and her husband do not necessarily have a hard time integrating into their Los Angeles neighborhood. The are facing life as new parents and later dealing with the strange relationship that develops between Hewitt and their female neighbor, Helga. Race, in much of Senna’s stories, plays a supporting role to the main issues that her characters are dealing with. <br /> <span style="font-style:italic;">In the Land of Beluah </span>, probably the most disturbing story in this book, Jackie works at a temp agency where as the “lightest, brightest and whitest” (she is the product of a black father and white mother) she gets picked for jobs first; where, “Dark-skinned girls were always the last to go, no matter how fast their typing speed.” Jackie's break-up with her boyfriend Kip, who has left her because he claims she is not black enough for him, sets off something in her that can only be remedied through the abuse of Beluah, a stray dog that Jackie has taken in. Beluah, the bitch, as she is repeatedly referred to throughout the story, “The bitch was a mystery. She didn’t look mixed more like some breed that hadn’t yet been discovered,” becomes the manifestation of Jackie's self loathing. <br /> In fact many of the women in these stories carry a degree of self-loathing while their male contemporaries are afforded the luxury of being light-hearted and without the same insecurities. While problematic, it is also understood that these stories are centered around female protagonists and the afflictions that effect women more so than men - though it would have been nice to read more self-assured female characters. <span style="font-style:italic;">You Are Free</span> is a book definitely worth reading. Senna showcases how race is not exactly what it was or what it has been and is believed to be; especially as it pertains to people's lives, and how class and gender can be colored by it. Many of the characters are grappling to find comfort at having attained a certain echelon of social success, among other life's happenings and Senna conveys this through clear, funny and dark writing. She gifts us with complicated themes that should definitely be explored again and again.RingShouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428813892533255704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985049490887010513.post-53248769716223910232011-02-13T22:26:00.000-08:002011-02-18T10:00:31.143-08:00Since You Already Purchase Books...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0buUOInw3pdxn72XhiJND9PuW7URFffjQLKCrs3qW71OciyDYz4LSnriVBfRT-7aXIt7hVyuT7VH2bAXLWujY5bo3234xxaS9hTTdqVpLuBQfPI4F0dtI4I3j6qpLSSi3XjOAwcPC8_ee/s1600/last+blog+post.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 49px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0buUOInw3pdxn72XhiJND9PuW7URFffjQLKCrs3qW71OciyDYz4LSnriVBfRT-7aXIt7hVyuT7VH2bAXLWujY5bo3234xxaS9hTTdqVpLuBQfPI4F0dtI4I3j6qpLSSi3XjOAwcPC8_ee/s200/last+blog+post.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575090052851882594" /></a><br /><br />For all you hungry readers who love to spread literature throughout the lands, here's a concept: Buy a book and have a book donated to a child in need! You already buy books anyway, so why not make it count?<br /><br />Here's some information, directly from the source, about how you can help make a difference:<br /><br />We have just launched a new website, NorthParan.com, that we hope will become a game-changer for black books and for children of color. We believe NorthParan.com is the most comprehensive home for black books and black authors that has ever been compiled on the web. The North Paran plan is simple: For every book purchased on our site, North Paran will donate a book to a child in need. Our slogan is Buy One, Give One.<br /> <br />We know how committed you are to our children and to our community, so we are hoping that you will be moved to join us in this campaign to get books into the hands of as many children in our community as we can. We are asking you to take the following steps to help our cause:<br /><br />1. Forward this message to all the family members, friends and colleagues who you think would be willing to join us in this mission.<br />2. Visit NorthParan.com and purchase a book today.<br /> <br />By spreading the word and making all your book purchases at NorthParan.com, you can help get a book in the hands of every child in our community. If, for every book we bought in 2009, a free book was given to a child in our community, we could have given 4 free books to every Black child under age 10 in America. Let's make that happen in 2011. <br /> <br />Buy One, Give One.<br /> <br />Denene Millner<br />author | columnist | editor | contributing writer<br /><br />Happy reading!RingShouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428813892533255704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985049490887010513.post-18545806367520196182011-02-02T09:44:00.000-08:002011-02-02T09:46:35.215-08:00Winter Reading Land<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6pkbfJEH5n1ZiM_cFnB3GCaBR1LQqZ-gSnkruNGu3hVamxVZb3y6yzhbmDyyh9WQ0L8AxRFfcOg2lSOkegt4T2JedtTRSgPTBQs54UX2tiyFadrdwV_eFB5Z-MLLnWXoRhaPcRRWI46WW/s1600/Farther.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 124px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6pkbfJEH5n1ZiM_cFnB3GCaBR1LQqZ-gSnkruNGu3hVamxVZb3y6yzhbmDyyh9WQ0L8AxRFfcOg2lSOkegt4T2JedtTRSgPTBQs54UX2tiyFadrdwV_eFB5Z-MLLnWXoRhaPcRRWI46WW/s200/Farther.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569150014836144994" /></a><br />As the winter continues to rear its ugly head, I am on the hunt for some new reading material.<br /><br /><br />I've been thinking a lot about friendship, family, love and personal growth lately, and am therefore in the mood to read something that contains some, if not all of these elements.<br /><br /><br />During my search I discovered a book by the title "Farther Than I Meant To Go, Longer Than I meant to Stay" by Tiffany L. Warren. Upon doing some further research, I discovered that it's a national best seller and that this isn't her first book.<br /><br /><br />I'm definitely one of those people who judges a book by its cover, and I am completely sold on this one. I've ordered a copy and I'm waiting for it, but in the mean time I am reading a google books preview of it. I just couldn't wait for it! So far I am completely taken with the story. Since I haven't finished reading the book yet, I'll tell you what I know about it so far:<br /><br /><br />The main character, Charmayne Ellis, is a woman who is very successful in her professional life, but is still hoping to find love. She thinks that her lack of luck in this area has to do with the fact that she is overweight. Feeling desperate and insecure, she rushes into a marriage with a man who may not be right for her.<br /><br /><br />Oh yeah: based on what I've read about the author, God and faith will definitely play a role in this story. I'm not very religious, but a good read is a good read.<br /><br /><br />Happy reading!RingShouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428813892533255704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985049490887010513.post-30364185350750176422011-01-24T21:52:00.000-08:002011-01-24T22:01:21.157-08:00Coffee Rain<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcY4mOiNaRG_hUiDlJyYjQRaEfGaAx9pQq-1aOeFxNpyIIwW7Ofbu8Loj2273AevMt1YU1-1KzjfpmTU2As8E3LcCBCfA-SufukIighYYhARLYcFjSAK1rRErFbrA4ehGvSID3RTq3RN-/s1600/Coffee.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEcY4mOiNaRG_hUiDlJyYjQRaEfGaAx9pQq-1aOeFxNpyIIwW7Ofbu8Loj2273AevMt1YU1-1KzjfpmTU2As8E3LcCBCfA-SufukIighYYhARLYcFjSAK1rRErFbrA4ehGvSID3RTq3RN-/s200/Coffee.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565999334165472930" /></a><br /> I just finished reading a book by Angie Cruz called “Let It Rain Coffee”. It was good. I mean had to finish couldn’t put it down please don’t try to separate me from my book, good. The story, the characters… everything about this book was well crafted.<br /><br />It was so good that I thought it should be added to the ringShout booklist. And then I realized that it was already on the booklist.<br /><br />This story follows Esperanza Colón as she embarks upon a journey from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico, and finally making her way to New York. In a way I think Esperanza Colón is like a lot of people, in that she just wants to live "The American Dream". That makes it difficult for me to hate her completely, even though she does many things that I don’t agree with. This novel has just about the right amount of drama, and I love Angie Cruz’s style of storytelling. <br /><br />Angie Cruz is currently a professor at Texas A&M University and she is at work on her third novel. I am happy to share this read with you because discovering a new, talented voice is the only thing that I enjoy more than finding a beautiful pair of shoes.<br /><br />So check her out. <br /><br />Happy reading!RingShouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428813892533255704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985049490887010513.post-59204140697001521102011-01-07T07:05:00.000-08:002011-01-07T07:41:34.073-08:00Seg-book-gation??<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihoojjs1p4CF9OBFbH6mKNddP9o_yvCSZHnZne25__yT3HRK-9JNdo0f1TG7AW1jaABeXlBfEeHUHZquDibmGiDlP_9_WYxRjVeMUU6gutBZvhTQN5i7MUYrsP5CuR9wBG1Legn49t7UrE/s1600/books.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559469590737623282" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihoojjs1p4CF9OBFbH6mKNddP9o_yvCSZHnZne25__yT3HRK-9JNdo0f1TG7AW1jaABeXlBfEeHUHZquDibmGiDlP_9_WYxRjVeMUU6gutBZvhTQN5i7MUYrsP5CuR9wBG1Legn49t7UrE/s200/books.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>There's a very interesting article that explores the differences between how books are marketed. More specifically, the focus is African American authors and White authors.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I must admit that this is something that I, as a black writer, have never even considered. I'm so concerned with telling a story that I never actually stop to think about who my stories have the potential to reach. This article raises some very interesting questions. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Just follow the link...</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.examiner.com/publishing-industry-in-washington-dc/seg-book-gation-with-a-new-twist">http://www.examiner.com/publishing-industry-in-washington-dc/seg-book-gation-with-a-new-twist</a> </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Happy reading!</div>RingShouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428813892533255704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985049490887010513.post-32513866464106169252011-01-05T20:59:00.000-08:002011-01-05T21:36:23.763-08:00Happy New Year<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBrrL0Be19US_op-xLbFElgeOGSU88M6wZaP4-Zv-VH30PiYwxELwivAObInyPKsACR5bbzGjz36qvcqcwrfEuQKzcL-5NdDEg2MObUfOE_zgFJ86DBH9sIV3r2Ehie1_4lH0jqjX0lvY/s1600/baby+boy.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 178px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBrrL0Be19US_op-xLbFElgeOGSU88M6wZaP4-Zv-VH30PiYwxELwivAObInyPKsACR5bbzGjz36qvcqcwrfEuQKzcL-5NdDEg2MObUfOE_zgFJ86DBH9sIV3r2Ehie1_4lH0jqjX0lvY/s200/baby+boy.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558942157850049170" /></a><br />Am I the only one who lost 2009 by blinking? It was just here...<div><br /></div><div>In any case, Happy New Year!</div><div><br /></div><div>On that note, brace yourself for some happy reading.</div><div><br /></div><div>Rebecca Walker wrote a piece about various black writers in LA... Follow the link----></div><div><br /></div><div>http://www.theroot.com/multimedia/writing-and-about-la-la-land.</div><div><br /></div><div>Happy reading!</div>RingShouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428813892533255704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985049490887010513.post-13972215629442501242010-12-28T12:05:00.000-08:002010-12-28T12:07:21.469-08:00Celebrate Good Times, Come On!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvuOv7sbjr4b4vXWsceUhmYFD9nm_kyT7fi_okKjTHeW8-cpPG6Ife9O_FBlQveUNOeJp-nL2a2Dlg-E3KDp_X3V9GDfJHYGChjrYtrSv7NbDTls04EXL_23AW59FBEIb8zSsD9KmqjJPl/s1600/Holidays.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555827201256728562" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 108px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvuOv7sbjr4b4vXWsceUhmYFD9nm_kyT7fi_okKjTHeW8-cpPG6Ife9O_FBlQveUNOeJp-nL2a2Dlg-E3KDp_X3V9GDfJHYGChjrYtrSv7NbDTls04EXL_23AW59FBEIb8zSsD9KmqjJPl/s200/Holidays.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><div>It's that time of the year that we've come to know as the "holiday season". Every time you turn around, there's some holiday or another to celebrate.<br /><br />There's Christmas, Chanukah and Kwaanza, New Year... There's something for almost everyone. I don't really celebrate any holidays, but I don't really "not celebrate" them either, if that makes any sense. Case in point: For Christmas I went to my aunt's house for dinner, but I didn't do any Christmas shopping, send any personal (or mass) text messages wishing anyone a Merry Christmas, or really do much of anything that I've been trained to associate with the holiday.<br /><br />I did, however, begin to reflect upon the holiday season as a whole and I did become curious about holidays in general. I started thinking about what I've been trained to think versus what I actually think and thought that I should probably do some reading. So I took to doing a google search for some type of literature that could help me put things into perspective.<br /><br />So far I've come up with two titles:<br /><br />The most interesting title of all is Santa's Kwaanza, by Garen Eileen Thomas. I ordered this at <a href="http://amazon.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">amazon.com</a>. An African American Santa returns to the North Pole after Christmas and he and his family celebrate Kwaanza from the Twenty-sixth of December through the first week of January. A very creative holiday story with fun illustrations.<br /><br />The other title that I ordered is Making Room In The Inn: Christmas Hospitality Through An African American Experience. I could only find this story on one site: <a href="http://www.c28.com/shopping/productdetails.asp?recordid=100229&adid=GBase" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.c28.com/shopping/productdetails.asp?recordid=100229&adid=GBase</a>. This is an Advent study celebrating Christmas traditions from an African American family's perspective.<br /><br />I think the holiday season is great because in this country there are so many places that are closed and there are so many people who get time off from work in order to celebrate. Whether or not you observe any holidays, you can still see family and/or friends just because they'll likely have free time. That's something to celebrate.<br /><br />Happy Reading!</div>RingShouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428813892533255704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985049490887010513.post-76329892094806892372010-12-13T16:49:00.001-08:002010-12-13T17:01:23.045-08:00For Colored Girls??<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv5onG4fsMdge3mx6XcL44tduC1rR8w576ymVhYdFltdD2-EADJljYJA7qY8dh8AzjYhNYqvCBPEFjuJqrMu4VA1dh23sxPmLeB3uhj8qBFyiZmsMDO1FO1it4W8lDfcVraip9REmWn7-T/s1600/coloredgirls.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 135px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv5onG4fsMdge3mx6XcL44tduC1rR8w576ymVhYdFltdD2-EADJljYJA7qY8dh8AzjYhNYqvCBPEFjuJqrMu4VA1dh23sxPmLeB3uhj8qBFyiZmsMDO1FO1it4W8lDfcVraip9REmWn7-T/s200/coloredgirls.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5550335000803857682" /></a><br /><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">I finally had the opportunity to get to the movies and see <i>For Colored Girls</i>. I don't know how to begin to describe how the movie made me feel. I haven't actually been able to decide whether or not I liked it.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">I felt like there were far too many intense issues crammed into a tiny movie. Before I had a chance to really live with and think about anything happening that I felt should have been significant, I couldn't because there was something equally heavy happening in another scene.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Don't get me wrong; the actresses were quite brilliant... Then again, that was to be expected. I confess that I have not yet read the play, but if it is anything like the movie, I'm not sure that I need to read it. I'm going to read it anyway, though.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">The movie left me feeling uneasy and anxious. And I couldn't help wondering why this was supposed to be for colored girls. Yes, all of these situations are things that happen all of the time. But did they really need to be happening all at once? Probably not.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Not to mention I really was not crazy about the way that the men were portrayed in this movie. Everyone has issues, but again, it was too much.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">As I said, I'm not sure whether or not I liked it. I'm leaning towards no, but I'm willing to watch it a second time just to be fair. </p>RingShouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428813892533255704noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985049490887010513.post-55049139585161578012010-12-06T18:22:00.000-08:002010-12-06T18:36:19.326-08:00A Long Way Gone<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinw9q28NtD9BsD6ahDiznmzp3d2dMCwEIdseB81Fcwchlgtm6dRetsTw7284rAffrugiAGhz9UZNR7CcfaUmzAl-HSvwULWUC6TYDXFUn9GtfexKuq0c5DoBTu-mizNBTZu_zMiiDa_9pn/s1600/boysoldier.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 132px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinw9q28NtD9BsD6ahDiznmzp3d2dMCwEIdseB81Fcwchlgtm6dRetsTw7284rAffrugiAGhz9UZNR7CcfaUmzAl-HSvwULWUC6TYDXFUn9GtfexKuq0c5DoBTu-mizNBTZu_zMiiDa_9pn/s200/boysoldier.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547763199812381554" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><p color="initial" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- display: block; ">It was very difficult to choose a book to pass along, but I read an awesome memoir recently. <i style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; ">A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier</i> by by <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1291688482_1" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 2px; border-bottom-color: rgb(54, 99, 136); cursor: pointer; ">Ishmael Beah</span>. From the very first line I am completely invested in the story.</p><p color="initial" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- display: block; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; display: block; ">Beah chronicles his life as a child in <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1291688482_2" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- color:initial;">Sierra Leone</span> and discusses what it was like being a soldier at the age of twelve. I must warn you: there were many instances while reading this book when I had to stop reading because I was overwhelmed. In other words, I cried. A lot. You can read an excerpt by following this link: <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.alongwaygone.com/media/ALongWayGone_Excerpt.pdf" style="line-height: 1.2em; text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(0, 51, 153); outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; "><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1291688482_3" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- color:initial;">http://www.alongwaygone.com/media/ALongWayGone_Excerpt.pdf</span></a> .</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; display: block; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; display: block; ">I'm going to give this book to one of my co-workers who I've started a miniature book club with. I think she'll read it. And you should too.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; display: block; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; display: block; ">Happy reading!</p></span>RingShouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428813892533255704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985049490887010513.post-20762370437920857432010-11-29T21:59:00.000-08:002010-11-29T22:27:18.629-08:00Buy a Book By a Black Author Month??<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjumerYIp1YaLpIK1LrcIiDvS-ToPC2TloICGxQhsex6GWfZV_0WIcyC4xVHFrF4Udct9ZCckYsk2zs5pIv_HtcGaFdqRM4yrCwsNX_XN-nNE3wr3_paCAgHRbufpQohCxVK2-3h_ZV2LoC/s1600/Black+author.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 172px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjumerYIp1YaLpIK1LrcIiDvS-ToPC2TloICGxQhsex6GWfZV_0WIcyC4xVHFrF4Udct9ZCckYsk2zs5pIv_HtcGaFdqRM4yrCwsNX_XN-nNE3wr3_paCAgHRbufpQohCxVK2-3h_ZV2LoC/s200/Black+author.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545225450140783474" /></a><br /><p style="margin-bottom: 0in">While reading a blog (<span style="color:#000080;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="http://welcomewhitefolks.blogspot.com/">http://welcomewhitefolks.blogspot.com/</a></u></span></span>), I discovered that December has been designated as “National Buy a Book By a Black Author and Give it to Somebody Not Black Month.” My first thought was, “awesome!” My second thought was “why didn't I come up with that?”</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">I read about how the idea came about (<span style="color:#000080;"><span lang="zxx"><u><a href="http://welcomewhitefolks.blogspot.com/2008/11/buy-book-for-somebody-white-this.html">http://welcomewhitefolks.blogspot.com/2008/11/buy-book-for-somebody-white-this.html</a></u></span></span>) and I must say it is pretty clever. I'm always happy to share a good read with my friends, so I thought that this idea was particularly interesting. After all, how many non-ethnic reads have been passed on to me? It dawned me that I was being a little selfish by not sharing.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in">Since this idea is super cool, I decided to begin the search for the perfect book to buy for one of my non-black friends. I love the advice given on the blog: “<span style="font-family:Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size:100%;">w</span></span><span style="color:#161616;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size:100%;">hite people already know about Toni Morrison, so please choose something else besides </span></span></span><span style="color:#161616;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><i>A Mercy.</i></span></span></span><span style="color:#161616;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: normal">” I'll let you know which book I decide on.</span></span></span></span></p> <p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal"><span style="color:#161616;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I would encourage you to do the same. Sharing is caring... Happy reading!</span></span></span></p> <div> </div>RingShouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428813892533255704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985049490887010513.post-19441423235438615812010-11-22T22:33:00.000-08:002010-11-22T22:37:54.280-08:00Thanksgiving Already? Oh My!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0GLJKXBtwnGls6dHFNMNjoaA3o7S04m9Dz-1kqjvc_GwFKWEq8lAG4DKcqxEG3mqnbQgh98pPkLK8MP0de06UuFZRJQY9uf_fL9QbxLtqjvqYsU4vAN3r4n8LDow-IKb9NI-gnybMPxja/s1600/boneappetite.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 207px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0GLJKXBtwnGls6dHFNMNjoaA3o7S04m9Dz-1kqjvc_GwFKWEq8lAG4DKcqxEG3mqnbQgh98pPkLK8MP0de06UuFZRJQY9uf_fL9QbxLtqjvqYsU4vAN3r4n8LDow-IKb9NI-gnybMPxja/s320/boneappetite.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542630633837580466" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><p color="initial" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- display: block; ">I can't believe that this year is practically over already! Didn't it just get here? It's that time of year when the markets are crowded, the temperature is dropping, and retailers are trying to sell you dreams of happiness if only you purchase this product at this amazing deal.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; display: block; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; display: block; ">But more importantly, it is the week of Thanksgiving. I tried to think about what exactly that means to me. I came up with a lot of ideas, like a day to eat as if preparing for a famine, or a day to fight some random lady at my local super market because of her evil plot to buy out the entire pie crust section. Or maybe it's just an excuse to have some free time from work and spend time with the family you never have a chance to see. Or maybe, just maybe it actually is about giving thanks for everything that you feel lucky to have.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; display: block; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; display: block; ">Everyone has a different take on what exactly this holiday means, if they believe that it means anything at all. For some, it really doesn't matter because Thanksgiving is just another day. Like it or not, it comes every year if you live in the United States. For others, Thanksgiving day is the best day of the year. Others still can take it or leave it.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; display: block; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; display: block; ">In the eighth grade there was an ongoing contest where the principal would come up with a topic and students had the opportunity to submit their writing based on the topic. I entered the Thanksgiving week contest; the topic was <i style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; ">The First Thanksgiving. </i><span style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- font-style: normal; color:initial;">I don't exactly remember every detail of the story that I submitted, but I do remember the basic story line: Thanksgiving was a holiday founded in Haiti by my family and it somehow made its way to the United States. Even back then, my Thanksgiving philosophy was that it can be whatever you want it to be. For me, Thanksgiving day will be a day of writing, being happy about being so loved, and purchasing a book that will make me happy (but only if I get it at an amazing price).</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; display: block; "> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; display: block; "><span style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- font-style: normal; color:initial;">Happy Thanksgiving and happy reading!</span></p><div><span style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- font-style: normal; color:initial;"><br /></span></div></span>RingShouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428813892533255704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985049490887010513.post-92047702630578636092010-11-18T19:49:00.000-08:002010-11-19T17:52:11.837-08:00What Donna Hill told Eisa<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3eXDAxEMaGPcMU0bmg2r9F-VbkUAp4FrfxEyxO8mGA2p_mRVi_8WoyqvsIzjHuBYRyVo7WFF4nRtkDUVJvOmxiDvzEogM1TFdR4DCjdEBlJrhgf2dSYQhHDxAbuE9I5u1asp6JujuDKi/s1600/dh.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5541108098194751554" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3eXDAxEMaGPcMU0bmg2r9F-VbkUAp4FrfxEyxO8mGA2p_mRVi_8WoyqvsIzjHuBYRyVo7WFF4nRtkDUVJvOmxiDvzEogM1TFdR4DCjdEBlJrhgf2dSYQhHDxAbuE9I5u1asp6JujuDKi/s200/dh.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><div>Eisa Ulen also interviewed best selling author Donna Hill. See what she had to say:</div><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div><a href="http://eisaulen.com/blog///index.php/2010/11/11/interview-with-bestselling-author-donna-hill-about-what-mother-never-told-me">http://eisaulen.com/blog///index.php/2010/11/11/interview-with-bestselling-author-donna-hill-about-what-mother-never-told-me</a></div><br /><br /><div>Happy reading!</div></div></div>RingShouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428813892533255704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985049490887010513.post-73135650217771296232010-11-18T19:07:00.000-08:002010-11-18T19:48:30.682-08:00The National Book Awards<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmpsWodeYPMpbUdMaIEo2930s3WIsX-ivrZaWo0q7CuTP5p1uMFhOsZhkQQLNxONOy6Dpg5S-dHh-9ElD2LgsUtQWnNu5MFGketoBG8zsH4vLsGf9TTQvoFw5Axyye7nAQDHmXCucjhx1/s1600/nba.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 50px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5541102513746386178" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipmpsWodeYPMpbUdMaIEo2930s3WIsX-ivrZaWo0q7CuTP5p1uMFhOsZhkQQLNxONOy6Dpg5S-dHh-9ElD2LgsUtQWnNu5MFGketoBG8zsH4vLsGf9TTQvoFw5Axyye7nAQDHmXCucjhx1/s320/nba.jpg" /></a><br /><div><br /><div>Eisa Ulen interviewed a few of the finalists in the "Young People's Literature" Category. Among them, Rita Williams-Garcia, author of <em>One Crazy Summer</em> and Walter Dean Myers, author of <em>Lockdown</em>.<br /></div><br /><div><div><div><div><div></div><div>Read the interviews by following this link:</div><br /><div></div><div><a href="http://nationalbook.org/nba2010.html">http://nationalbook.org/nba2010.html</a> </div><br /><div>Scroll down to the "Young People's Literature" section and click on "Interview".</div><br /><div></div><div>Happy reading!</div></div></div></div></div></div>RingShouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428813892533255704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985049490887010513.post-81167521717437270422010-11-15T11:02:00.000-08:002010-11-20T16:08:34.620-08:00Things Black Girls Do<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzA4RDqvVvwlt4vDWTa7kRE6wKPDaZ3hfEXoyFTAIWIfcMUakH_NAKEVJEqrJED7fsBTdkOQ0zjq6dRxi5Bw3GFxnn8zleEd2rnIMnLwrsBSJ0OUSvHUnbzJ8cNwERfRPPCd27koJ-3ZYC/s1600/imeverywoman.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 138px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzA4RDqvVvwlt4vDWTa7kRE6wKPDaZ3hfEXoyFTAIWIfcMUakH_NAKEVJEqrJED7fsBTdkOQ0zjq6dRxi5Bw3GFxnn8zleEd2rnIMnLwrsBSJ0OUSvHUnbzJ8cNwERfRPPCd27koJ-3ZYC/s200/imeverywoman.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539861345838566850" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPYRBho_2whiojy4cE5YE_38CLLtq0iiD4LGThlvf5yUY3WdTqBB_DcH24ExTnCpQoyDTKonPM_XFsm3yB0d2-bsE99TZ_sncUg8tHCreoYum7SnVLJS9oW_Aw6mLQBqiy6lgs0x-pJQ4V/s1600/imeverywoman.jpg"><br /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- display: block; color:initial;">While checking Twitter the other day, I noticed that the number 2 trending topic was “things black girls do.” I don't know how to begin to describe the shock and disgust at some of the things people had to say about how they perceived black girls. It was as if every negative stereotype I've ever heard was resurrected and re-tweeted.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- display: block; color:initial;"><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- display: block; color:initial;"> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- display: block; color:initial;">My first reaction was to try to counteract the negativity with positive tweets of my own. But let's face it: there's no way that one person could out tweet millions. So I've decided to dedicate this blog post to celebrating something positive that black writers do.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- display: block; color:initial;"><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- display: block; color:initial;"> </p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- display: block; color:initial;">In my endless quest to find encouragement through literature, I recently stumbled upon a book called <i style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; ">I'm Every Woman: Remixed Stories of Marriage, Motherhood, and Work </i><span style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- font-style: normal; color:initial;">by</span><i style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; "></i><span style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- font-style: normal; color:initial;">Lonnae O'neal Parker. By sharing personal stories and lessons she learned as a mother, a black woman and a writer, Parker's words left me feeling as if she really is every woman and that I could be too. In a society where women often assume many different roles, it can be very overwhelming. Kudos to Parker for using her words to give inspiration.</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- display: block; color:initial;"><span style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- font-style: normal; color:initial;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- display: block; color:initial;"><span style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- font-style: normal; color:initial;">Which books or stories inspire you?</span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- display: block; color:initial;"><span style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- font-style: normal; color:initial;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- display: block; color:initial;"><span style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- font-style: normal; color:initial;">For more information about Parker and her book: </span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- display: block; color:initial;"><span style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- font-style: normal; color:initial;"><br /></span></p><p color="initial" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- display: block; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><a href="http://scs.georgetown.edu/departments/11/master-of-professional-studies-in-journalism/faculty-bio.cfm?a=a&fId=1088" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" style="cursor: pointer; color: rgb(59, 89, 152); text-decoration: underline; ">http://scs.georgetown.edu/departments/11/master-of-professional-studies-in-journalism/faculty-bio.cfm?a=a&fId=1088</a> </span></p></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;font-size:13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;font-size:13px;">You can even email her or friend her on Facebook:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Email: oneall@washpost.com </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;">Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=573087684 </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"> </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; line-height: normal; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;"><br /></span></span></div>RingShouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428813892533255704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985049490887010513.post-47720315220620071182010-11-08T17:46:00.000-08:002010-11-08T18:31:05.145-08:00Black Literature, Where Art Thou?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguP5Dq2_eaah6eRD8EkP0WUIj-kLYTcc0HunCA1G-O2pGBafzYZhw32cd5RiUVMVM6BQaptbaIwjvH-3aSakr9sEt6wrreAZbfdL7aBRejhyCt1CSF5Zx6cP-4DHL7TFFSU4ekpi5xjSek/s1600/images-1.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 188px; height: 140px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguP5Dq2_eaah6eRD8EkP0WUIj-kLYTcc0HunCA1G-O2pGBafzYZhw32cd5RiUVMVM6BQaptbaIwjvH-3aSakr9sEt6wrreAZbfdL7aBRejhyCt1CSF5Zx6cP-4DHL7TFFSU4ekpi5xjSek/s200/images-1.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537371291707614402" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- display: block; color:initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; line-height: 15px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-size:small;"><i><b>After a hiatus, we're back to further the conversation around black literature. To that end, we'd like to introduce our guest blogger: Edithe Norgaisse, a recent college graduate and emerging African American writer who has agreed to lend her voice to our blog on a regular basis. Below is her inaugural post. We welcome your feedback!</b></i></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- display: block; color:initial;"><br /></p><p color="initial" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- display: block; ">I tried reading a novel that is a currently a best seller and realized that I was forcing myself to read it. If a million people think that it is a good book, it just has to be! I thought if I just kept reading it would get better; but it didn't. It wasn't that this book was particularly terrible. The problem was that I could not for the life of me relate to any of the characters. No matter how much of that story I read, there was no way I could never really escape into the novel.</p><p color="initial" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- display: block; "><br /></p><p color="initial" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- display: block; ">And then it happened. While shopping in Brooklyn I walked past a man selling <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1289266853_0" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- color:initial;">urban books</span> for a price so reasonable that I couldn't afford not to buy them. Urban books! Feeling like a child in a toy store, I ran to his table.</p><p color="initial" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- display: block; "><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; display: block; ">I became increasingly disappointed after realizing that most of the titles available consisted of either raunchy erotica or a comedian turned “relationship expert”. But the type of stories that dominated the table (and that I was informed sold best) were more or less created equally: a young attractive materialistic woman + a young man who happens to be the top drug dealer during the height of the crack epidemic = a story of true love and dedication. A few stories that I tried skimming were so poorly punctuated that I couldn't help but feel offended by the complete disrespect to the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1289266853_1" style="line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline- color:initial;">English language</span>.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; display: block; "><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; display: block; ">Where are the stories that represent the average black woman? Where's the real black literature (the good stuff)? Is there really nothing worth writing about other than selling crack or how to keep a man? As a writer who is still crafting her voice, it is imperative that I have the type of literature that I can relate to.</p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; display: block; "><br /></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; line-height: 1.2em; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; outline-color: initial; display: block; ">So I'm happy about ringShout's dedication to celebrating black literature. Most of all, I'm especially ecstatic about the book list. Happy reading!</p><div><br /></div></span>RingShouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428813892533255704noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985049490887010513.post-11069279801197881552010-04-11T20:49:00.000-07:002010-04-12T15:16:14.022-07:00Make 'em Laugh<a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/images/dyn/cover/?source=9780385527989&height=300&maxwidth=170"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 170px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 259px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.randomhouse.com/images/dyn/cover/?source=9780385527989&height=300&maxwidth=170" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://www.austinchronicle.com/binary/dbba/books_readings1.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 453px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.austinchronicle.com/binary/dbba/books_readings1.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div>We are pleased to bring you another salon after our successful <em>Push/Precious/Erasure</em> salon back in December (we hope that some of you used our <a href="http://ringshout.blogspot.com/2009/11/push-precious-percival-pafology-diy.html">salon kit </a>to have your own!). We felt like we needed a little levity after the sorrowful <em>Push </em>so this time we've embarked on a salon with two sharply funny and insightful new novels: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385527993/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0385527985&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0KG90JV51Y04K2HK55KS"><em>Big Machine</em> </a>by <a href="http://www.victorlavalle.com/">Victor LaValle</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/God-Says-No-James-Hannaham/dp/1934781401/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271044491&sr=1-1"><em>God Says No</em></a><em> </em>by <a href="http://www.jameshannaham.com/">James Hannaham</a>. We wanted to offer some tools that we hope to use--and that you can use too--if you'd like to discuss these books--and the notion of humor in African-American literature--with some of your friends wherever you are.<br /><br />First up: <a href="http://www.guiltandpleasure.com/admfiles/upload/54.pdf">Salon 101</a>. Detailed tips to throw your own salon, courtesy of <a href="http://www.guiltandpleasure.com/">Guilt and Pleasure </a>.<br /><br />Here's an essay about <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/22/books/review/22beatty.html">African-American humor </a>by Paul Beatty to create a lens to view the novels through (It's from his book, <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hokum-Anthology-African-American-Paul-Beatty/dp/1596911484">Hokum: An anthology of African-American humor</a></em>.)<br /><br />And here's a bit about each writer: Victor on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_LaValle">Wikipedia</a>, an <a href="http://www.unitedstatesartists.org/Public2/Stories/Fellows/VictorLaValle/index.cfm">interview </a>with him, and a piece from the <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203517304574304274003899240.html#articleTabs=article">Wall Street Journal</a>. And if you want to hear from him, check out this <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113465172">NPR</a> interview.<br /><br />Here's James in <a href="http://www.salon.com/books/int/2009/07/01/god_says_no/index.html">Salon</a> and a review from the <a href="http://austinist.com/2009/07/29/god_says_no_book_review.php">Austinist</a> (James got his MFA from the University of Texas in Austin.) And here's a sample of the kinds of <a href="http://www.pfox.org/diary_exgay_man.html">online "ex-gay" testimonies that inspired the novel. </a><br /><br />So check it all out and have a salon of their own--and if you want to spread it out, just do one book at a time! We'll let you know when the podcast of the event is up on the <a href="http://www.pen.org/">PEN</a> website.</div></div>RingShouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428813892533255704noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985049490887010513.post-66985032989257387722010-04-09T08:05:00.000-07:002010-04-09T08:13:15.919-07:00Mosaic Literary Magazine Provides Lesson Plans for Educators<a href="http://www.thedefendersonline.com/2009/08/19/street-lit-kindle-and-the-exotic-other-interview-with-mosaic-magazine-founder-ron-kavanaugh/">Ron Kavanaugh</a> of <a href="http://mosaicmagazine.org/index.html">Mosaic Literary Magazine</a> asked me to write lesson plans for educators who are interested in utilizing the books reviewed in each issue. For free down-loadable copies, click <a href="http://mosaicmagazine.org/lesson-plan.html?utm_campaign=New%20Mag%2C%20Teacher%20Programs%2C%20Free%20Downloads%20%26%20Facebook&utm_content=eisaulen@aol.com&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_term=here">here</a>. And while you're on the site, <a href="http://mosaicmagazine.org/subscribe.html">subscribe</a> to this very important literary magazine - one of the few left that focuses on the work of Black writers.<br /><br />Joy!<br /><br />EisaRingShouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428813892533255704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985049490887010513.post-7284978084835562502010-02-23T08:11:00.000-08:002010-02-23T08:29:42.864-08:00(Re)Making Malcolm: Manning Marable on Alex Haley, the Autobiography, and Writing Truth<p style="margin: 1em 0pt 3px;"> <a name="10" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,Sans-Serif; font-size: 18px;" target="_blank" href="http://kalamu.posterous.com/info-the-undiscovered-malcolm-x-stunning-new"></a></p>Please scroll down for an important interview. Thanks to Kalamu for spreading the word. Everything below comes form his NeoGriot Listserv (http://kalamu.posterous.com/):<br /><br />*****<span></span><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.democracynow.org/shows/2005/2/21">February 21, 2005</a><blockquote class="posterous_long_quote"><div> </div> <div class="story"> <h2 class="segment">The Undiscovered Malcolm X: Stunning New Info on the Assassination, His Plans to Unite the Civil Rights and Black Nationalist Movements & the 3 ‘Missing’ Chapters from His Autobiography</h2> <img class="storyimage" src="http://i3.democracynow.org/images/story/12/1512/MalcolmManning.jpg" alt="Malcolmmanning" /> <div class="intro"> <p>On this the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Malcolm X, we spend the hour with historian Manning Marable who has spent a decade working on a new biography of Malcolm X. He is one of the few historians to see the three missing chapters from “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” that he says paint a very different picture than the book with Alex Haley and Spike Lee’s film. Marable has also had unprecedented access to Malcolm’s family and documents that shed new light on the involvement of the New York Police, the FBI and possibly the CIA in Malcolm X’s assassination. Manning today called on the federal government to release all remaining classified documents on Malcolm X. [includes rush transcript]</p> </div> </div> <div> <div class="segment_options"> <p> </p> <p style="padding-top: 14px;">40 years ago today on February 21, 1965 Malcolm X was shot dead as he spoke at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem. He had just taken the stage when shots rang out riddling his body with bullets. Malcolm X was 39 years old.</p> </div> </div> <p>At his funeral, the actor and civil rights activist Ossie Davis hailed Malcolm as “our Black shining prince.”</p> <p>Today commemorations are scheduled across the country.</p> <p>In New York, the Center for Contemporary Black History and the Institute for Research in African-American Studies at Columbia University are sponsoring “Malcolm X: Life After Death—the Legacy Endures” an educational forum and radio broadcast. The program will be chaired by historian Manning Marable, founding director of the Institute for Research in African-American Studies.</p> <p>The historic Abyssinian Baptist Church is also hosting a national commemoration of Malcolm X with Percy Sutton, Sonia Sanchez, Haki Madhubuti, Dr. James Turner, Gil Noble, Rev. Herbert Daughtry and M-1 of Dead Prez.</p> <p>Later this year, the Audubon Ballroom is scheduled to reopen as the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Education Center on May 19 on what would have been Malcolm’s 80th birthday.</p> <p>Meanwhile Columbia University professor Manning Marable is working on a major new biography on Malcolm X. Marable has already spent 10 years researching the book which is tentatively titled “Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention.”</p> <p>Today Professor Marable joins us in our Firehouse Studios to discuss the legacy of Malcolm X as well as some of his new findings.</p> <p>Marable has said “Malcolm X was potentially a new type of world leader, personally drawn up from the ’wretched of the earth into a political stratosphere of international power. And telling that remarkable, true story is the purpose of my biography.”</p> <p>Marable’s research has raised new questions about The Autobiography of Malcolm X which was written with Alex Haley. Marable has also examined un-redacted FBI files which provides new insight into the role of FBI and the New York Police Department in the assassination of Malcolm X</p> <p>We will be joined by Professor Marable in a moment, but first we begin with the words of Malcolm X recorded a month before he was killed. In January 1965 he gave a speech entitled “Prospects for Freedom.”</p> <ul><li><strong>Malcolm X</strong>, speaking in January 1965 giving a speech entitled “Prospects for Freedom.” Courtesy of the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.pacificaradioarchives.org/">Pacifica Radio Archives</a>.</li><li><strong>Manning Marable</strong>, one of America’s most influential and widely read scholars. He is Professor of History and African-American Studies at Columbia University, and founding Director of the Institute for Research in African-American Studies. He has been working on a new biography of Malcolm X for more then ten years. It will be published by Viking in 2008.</li></ul> <div class="red_box"> <h3><a name="transcript"></a>Rush Transcript</h3> This transcript is available free of charge. However, donations help us provide closed captioning for the deaf and hard of hearing on our TV broadcast. Thank you for your generous contribution.<br /><strong><a target="_blank" href="http://www.democracynow.org/contribute/donate_money">Donate</a> </strong> - <a target="_blank" href="http://www.democracynow.org/cart/add_donation?donation[type]=amt&donation[amt_selected]=25">$25</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.democracynow.org/cart/add_donation?donation[type]=amt&donation[amt_selected]=50">$50</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.democracynow.org/cart/add_donation?donation[type]=amt&donation[amt_selected]=100">$100</a>, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.democracynow.org/get_involved/donate"> More...</a></div> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> We will be joined by Professor Marable in just a moment, but first we begin with Malcolm X himself in words recorded just a months before he was assassinated. It was January 1965, he gave this speech entitled “Prospects for Freedom.”</p> <blockquote> <p><strong>MALCOLM X:</strong> When this country here was first being founded, there were 13 colonies. The whites were colonized. They were fed up with this taxation without representation. So some of them stood up and said, liberty or death. I went to a white school over here in Mason, Michigan. The white man made the mistake of letting me read his history books. He made the mistake of teaching me that Patrick Henry was a patriot and George Washington—wasn’t nothing non-violent about old Pat or George Washington. Liberty or death was what brought about the freedom of whites in this country from the English. They didn’t care about the odds. Why, they faced the wrath of the entire British Empire. And in those days, they used to say that the British Empire was so vast and so powerful, the sun would never set on it. This is how big it was, yet these 13 little scrawny states, tired of taxation without representation, tired of being exploited and oppressed and degraded, told that big British Empire, liberty or death. And here you have 22 million Afro-Americans, black people today, catching more hell than Patrick Henry ever saw. And I’m here to tell you, in case you don’t know it, that you got a new–you got a new generation of black people in this country, who don’t care anything whatsoever about odds. They don’t want to hear you old Uncle Tom handkerchief heads talking about the odds. No. This is a new generation. If they’re going to draft these young black men and send them over to Korea or South Vietnam, to face 800 million Chinese. If you are not afraid of those odds, you shouldn’t be afraid of these odds.</p> </blockquote> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> Malcolm X, a month before he was assassinated. It was January 1965 at a speech he gave in New York, sponsored by the Militant Labor Forum. This is Democracy Now! We’re joined by Professor Manning Marable, one of America’s most influential and widely read scholars, professor of history and African American Studies at Columbia University, founding director of the Institute for Research in African American studies, again working on a new biography of Malcolm X. Welcome to Democracy Now!</p> <p><strong>MANNING MARABLE:</strong> Thank you. It’s always great to be here.</p> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> It is great to be with you. Why don’t you summarize for us—I mean, you have been studying Malcolm X for more than a decade now–what you think are the most explosive findings and then throughout the hour, we will tease them out and talk about them.</p> <p><strong>MANNING MARABLE:</strong> I think that Malcolm X was the most remarkable historical figure produced by Black America in the 20th century. That’s a heavy statement, but I think that in his 39 short years of life, Malcolm came to symbolize Black urban America, its culture, its politics, its militancy, its outrage against structural racism and at the end of his life, a broad internationalist vision of emancipatory power far better than any other single individual that he shared with DuBois and Paul Robeson, a pan-Africanist internationalist perspective. He shared with Marcus Garvey a commitment to building strong black institutions. He shared with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a commitment to peace and the freedom of racialized minorities. He was the first prominent American to attack and to criticize the U.S. role in Southeast Asia, and he came out four-square against the Vietnam War in 1964, long before the vast majority of Americans did. So that Malcolm X represents the cutting edge of a kind of critique of globalization in the 21st century. In fact, Malcolm, if anything, was far ahead of the curve in so many ways.</p> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> We’re going to break and then when we come back, we are a going to talk about <em>The Autobiography of Malcolm X</em>, the missing chapters, and where they are, which you have got a chance to see excerpts of.</p> <p><strong>MANNING MARABLE:</strong> That’s right.</p> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> We’re going to talk about how the autobiography was written, and the F.B.I., their relationship with Alex Haley. We will talk about these things and more in just a minute.</p> <p>[break]</p> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> We spend the hour today on Malcolm X, today the 40th anniversary of his assassination. Our guest is Columbia University Professor Manning Marable, writing a biography of Malcolm X, and also the editor of the magazine <em>Souls: A Critical Journal of Black Politics, Culture and Society</em>. The winter 2005 issue, photograph of Malcolm X on the cover, and that’s what the whole issue is devoted to, with a major article by Professor Marable. Let’s talk about <em>The Autobiography of Malcolm X</em>.</p> <p><strong>MANNING MARABLE:</strong> Okay. The—most people who read the autobiography perceive the narrative as a story that now millions of people know, and it was—it’s a story of human transformation, the powerful epiphany, Malcolm’s journey to Mecca, his renunciation of the Nation of Islam’s racial separatism, his embrace of universal humanity, of humanism that was articulated through Sunni Islam. Well, that’s the story everybody knows. But there’s a hidden history. You see, Malcolm and Haley collaborated to produce a magnificent narrative about the life of Malcolm X, but the two men had very different motives in coming together. Malcolm did—what Malcolm did not know is that back in 1962, a collaborator of Alex Haley, fellow named—a journalist named Alfred Balk had approached the F.B.I. regarding an article that he and Haley were writing together for <em>The Saturday Evening Post</em>, and the F.B.I. had an interest in castigating the Nation of Islam, and isolating it from the mainstream of Negro civil rights activity. So consequently, a deal was struck between Balk, Haley and the F.B.I. that the F.B.I. provided information to Balk and Haley in the construction of their article, and Balk was—Balk was really the interlocutor between the F.B.I. and the two writers in putting a spin on the article. The F.B.I. was very happy with the article they produced, which was entitled, “The Black Merchants of Hate,” that came out in early 1963. What’s significant about that piece is that that became the template for what evolved into the basic narrative structure of <em>The Autobiography of Malcolm X</em>.</p> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> Did Alex Haley know about this relationship?</p> <p><strong>MANNING MARABLE:</strong> There is no direct evidence that Haley sat down with the F.B.I. Nevertheless, since Balk was the co-author of the piece and it was Balk who talked directly with the F.B.I.—</p> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> Did Haley know—</p> <p><strong>MANNING MARABLE:</strong> One can assume that Haley was involved in it.</p> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> Did Haley at least talk to Balk about—did he know about Balk’s relationship with the F.B.I.?</p> <p><strong>MANNING MARABLE:</strong> One can assume that Haley did because Haley and Balk co-authored the piece, traveled throughout the United States together and collected material together to form an article that they co-authored. It would be highly unlikely that Haley did not know.</p> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> Then the writing of the autobiography, Alex Haley and Malcolm X’s relationship. How did they do it?</p> <p><strong>MANNING MARABLE:</strong> Over a period of—</p> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> And why did Malcolm X choose him?</p> <p><strong>MANNING MARABLE:</strong> Over a period of about year-and-a-half, Malcolm and Haley agreed to work with each other. They met usually after a long business day that Malcolm put in very tired. He would get there at about—either at Haley’s apartment or they would meet at then Idyllwild Airport at a hotel, and Malcolm would be debriefed by Haley. He would talk, Haley would take notes. Malcolm had a habit of scribbling notes in small pieces of paper that Haley would surreptitiously pick up at the end of their discussions. Malcolm’s objective was actually to reingratiate himself within the Nation of Islam, that because he had emerged by the early 1960s as a very prominent figure outside of the N.O.I., there were critics within the organization that were saying to the patriarch of the N.O.I., the Honorable Elijah Mohammad, that Malcolm planned to take over the organization, which was not true. But nevertheless, Malcolm felt that if he could make a public—a prominent public statement to show his fidelity to the Honorable Elijah Mohammad that that might win him back in the good graces of the organization. But there were internal critics, sharp critics, who were very opposed to him, and who were very—some of them were members of Elijah Mohammad’s family, such as Herbert Mohammad, Raymond Shareef, who was the head of the Fruit of Islam, the brother-in-law of—the son-in-law of Elijah Mohammad. They isolated Malcolm X and kept him out of the newspaper of the organization <em>Mohammad Speaks</em> for over a year, which is kind of curious. He was the national spokesperson of the N.O.I., and he wasn’t represented in their own newspaper for over a year. Haley’s objective was quite different. Haley was a republican. He was an integrationist. He was very opposed to black nationalism. His objective was to illustrate that the racial separatism of the N.O.I. was a kind of pathological or a kind of—it was the logical culmination of separatism and racial isolationism and exclusion. He wanted to show the negative aspects of the N.O.I.‘s ideology, Yacub’s history, and all of the ramifications of racial separatism that he felt were negative, and that Malcolm, being as charismatic as he was, a very attractive figure, nevertheless, he embodied these kind of negative traits. Haley felt he could make a solid case in favor of racial integration by showing what was—to white America—what was the consequence of their support for racial separatism that would end up producing a kind of hate, the hate that hate produced, to use the phrase that Mike Wallace used in his 1959 documentary on the Nation of Islam. So, the two men for very different reasons came together. What is striking is that from almost from the very beginning of certainly by September and October of 1963, as the book was being constructed, that Haley was vetting—asking questions to the publisher and to the publisher’s attorney regarding many of the things that Malcolm was saying. He was worried that he would not have a book that would have the kind of sting that he wanted. He was also concerned, to use Haley’s phrase, about the purported anti-Semitism of Malcolm X, and so he began to rewrite words or passages in the book without Malcolm’s knowledge. And Haley, in his own—this is prior to emails—Haley had a tendency to write even more frequently and voluminously to his agents and his editors than he did putting pen to paper in his own books. So that one finds in Haley’s archives, or the archives of Anne Romaine, who was going to be his biographer until her tragic death in 1995, one finds a copious series of notes from Haley to his editors and attorneys regarding the construction of the autobiography itself. He wanted to steer the book to accomplish his political goals, as well as Malcolm’s goals.</p> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> Now, Professor Marable, you went to the Haley collection.</p> <p><strong>MANNING MARABLE:</strong> That’s right.</p> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> Can you talk about that experience and how difficult it is, really, to get original information about Malcolm X, and the Haley example is just one.</p> <p><strong>MANNING MARABLE:</strong> That’s right. One of the striking things about doing research on Malcolm X, and I believe that most Malcolm X researchers could tell you their own stories, is that there’s this paradox of the absence of critical information. Malcolm X is a person who has inspired—he has been the muse of several generations of black cultural workers, artists, poets, playwrights. There are literally a thousand works with the title Malcolm X in them. There are over 350 films and over 320 web-based educational resources with the title Malcolm X, yet the vast majority of them are based on secondary literatures, that is, not on primary source material. In the case of Alex Haley, Haley’s material is located at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, primarily. But there are a whole series of elaborate steps that one has to—has to encounter in order to even begin to do research. There’s an attorney. If you want to photocopy material from that archive, you have to get permission from the attorney beforehand. You have to name the exact pages you want to photocopy before you can photocopy them. So that there are a whole series of steps. You can only use a pencil rather than a pen to copy down material, etc. It’s a laborious process, and it takes a long time just to do a small amount of research. Fortunately, Anne Romaine, who was appointed by Haley just before his death to be his own biographer—</p> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> She was a folk singer?</p> <p><strong>MANNING MARABLE:</strong> That’s right. A folk singer and a skillful historian, even though she was not formally trained in the field. She collected her own parallel archive to Haley, and without Anne Romaine’s archive, which is also at the University of Tennessee—well, I should—let me put it in a positive light, with that archive, we have gained extensive knowledge about how Haley and Malcolm actually worked and how the book, the autobiography, was constructed. The raw material for chapter 16, a lot of that material, is actually in Romaine’s archives, not in Haley’s, which is interesting.</p> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> Hmm.</p> <p><strong>MANNING MARABLE:</strong> That’s right. But what is most interesting about the book is that as I have read it over the years, something—something was odd to me. It’s like—you know, Malcolm broke with the N.O.I. in March 1964, and in that last 11 chaotic months, he spent most of the time outside of the United States. Nevertheless, he built two organizations in the spring of 1964. First, Muslim Mosque Incorporated, which was a religious organization that was largely based on members of the N.O.I. who left with him. It was spearheaded by James 67X or James Shabazz, who was his chief of staff. Then secondly was the Organization of Afro-American Unity. This was an organization that was a secular group. It largely consisted of people that we would later call several years later Black Powerites, Black nationalists, progressives coming out of the Black freedom struggle, the northern students’ movement, people—students, young people, professionals, workers, who were dedicated to Black activism and militancy, but outside of the context of Islam. There were tensions between these two organizations, and Malcolm had to negotiate between them and since he was out of the country a great deal of the time, it was rather difficult for him to do so. It seemed rather odd that there’s only a fleeting reference to the OAAU inside of the book that’s supposed to be his political testament. I wondered about this. It seemed like something was missing. Well, as a matter of fact, there is. Three chapters. Those three chapters really represent a kind of political testament that are outlined by Malcolm X, and to make a long story short, they’re in a safe of a Detroit attorney by the name of Greg Reed. He purchased these chapters in a sale of the Haley Estate in late 1992 for the sum of $100,000. Since that time, no historian, or at least I suppose I’m the exception, very few people have actually had a chance to see the raw material that was going to comprise these three chapters. The missing political testament that should have been in the autobiography, but isn’t.</p> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> And what is he doing with them?</p> <p><strong>MANNING MARABLE:</strong> Well, they’re sitting in his safe. And, I guess the conundrum—I’m not an attorney or a person who does intellectual property—but my understanding of the situation is that he owns the property, but he doesn’t own—he owns the physical texts of these chapters, but Mr. Reed does not own the intellectual property, the content of these chapters, so he cannot publish them.</p> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> Is this the same attorney Reed who is involved with, perhaps, a lawsuit to do with Rosa Parks?</p> <p><strong>MANNING MARABLE:</strong> That’s right. It’s the same one, with the trial with the hip-hop group that’s based in Atlanta, and Gregory Reed—.</p> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> This is Outkast?</p> <p><strong>MANNING MARABLE:</strong> That’s right, with Outkast. In fact, I was even—I think even Reed sent something to me asking me to be a—to give testimony in this trial, which I promptly said, thanks, but no thanks.</p> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> It’s because Outkast used in their music, they use Rosa Parks’s words, her own voice?</p> <p><strong>MANNING MARABLE:</strong> That’s right.</p> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> How does the family of Rosa Parks feel about this?</p> <p><strong>MANNING MARABLE:</strong> I cannot really say. I just know what I have seep on the media. I know that they weren’t very happy about this.</p> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> Happy about—</p> <p><strong>MANNING MARABLE:</strong> About Greg Reed’s representation, but—</p> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> So, he’s not representing them.</p> <p><strong>MANNING MARABLE:</strong> Well, again, I cannot really characterize what is going on with that lawsuit, because I’m not really a party to it.</p> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> Now, you are the only historian who has seen excerpts of the attorney Reed, the three chapters that he has in his safe?</p> <p><strong>MANNING MARABLE:</strong> I cannot say that for certain.</p> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> One of the few.</p> <p><strong>MANNING MARABLE:</strong> One of—I could say that very few people have seen it. Reed, after a series of conversations—Reed said he would allow me to see this. This was about two years ago. I flew out to Detroit. I asked when could I come over to the office, and he said, no, let’s meet at a restaurant, which struck me as rather odd. We met at a restaurant. He came with a briefcase, and he opened the briefcase and he showed me the manuscripts. He said, I’ll let you take a look at this for about 15 minutes. Well, that wasn’t very much time. I was deeply disappointed, nevertheless, in that 15 minute time, looking at the content, because I’m so familiar with what Malcolm wrote at certain stages of his own life and development, it became very clear that there’s a high probability he wrote this material sometime between August or September 1963 to about January 1964. Now, this is a critical moment in his development. In November 1963, he gives his famous message to the grassroots address in Detroit, which really kind of marks off the real turning point in his own development. But I would argue that equally important is a brilliant address he gives in Harlem in mid-August of 1963, which actually is one of my favorite addresses by Malcolm, which actually is superior in my judgment to the message to the grassroots address, where he lays into a critique of what then is being mobilized, the march on Washington, D.C., the pinnacle of the civil rights movement. Malcolm envisions a broad-based pluralistic united front, which is spearheaded by the Nation of Islam, but mobilizing integrationist organizations, non-political organizations, civic groups, all under the banner of building black empowerment, human dignity, economic development, political mobilization. He’s already envisioning the N.O.I. playing a role cooperatively with integrationist organizations. I believe that if we could see the chapters that are missing from the book, we would gain an understanding as to why perhaps—perhaps—the F.B.I., the C.I.A., the New York Police Department and others in law enforcement greatly feared what Malcolm X was about, because he was trying to build a broad—an unprecedented black coalition across the lines of black nationalism and integration. And in way, it presages 30 years ahead of time, the Million Man March.</p> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> Professor Marable, we have to break. When we come back, I want to ask more about the chapters and also about the assassination of Malcolm X, 40 years ago today.</p> <p>[break]</p> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> Our guest is Professor Manning Marable of Columbia University, and long time now writing the biography of Malcolm X, which I see has just been bought by a publisher, and is going to be coming out in few years.</p> <p><strong>MANNING MARABLE:</strong> That’s right, with Viking Penguin. That’s right.</p> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> More on these three chapters, what you saw in the restaurant, and then let’s talk about the assassination of Malcolm X.</p> <p><strong>MANNING MARABLE:</strong> Alright. I think that Malcolm was envisioning, even while he was in the Nation of Islam, a black nationalist progressive strategy toward uniting black people across ideological, class lines, denominational religious lines, Christians, as well as Muslims, to build a strong movement for justice and for empowerment. And I think that that is what frightened the FBI, and that is what frightened the CIA. That is what they had to stop, and if one thinks about it, those listeners and our viewers who know the history of COINTELPRO, the counter intelligence program of the FBI that occurred in the 1960s and 70s, that in 1965 or 6, that J. Edgar Hoover wrote an infamous memo called the Black Messiah Memo. He said, “We must stop the rise of a black messiah.” That was the concern that the FBI had more than anything else. Either Malcolm or Martin could have played the role of a unifier, but it was—Malcolm as long as he remained within the Nation of Islam, talking to the converted, he did not represent a fundamental threat to the American government. But when he began to talk about uniting the very fractious civil rights movement, when he talked—when he began to negotiate with people like A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin and Martin and others, keep in mind that several weeks before Malcolm’s assassination, he went to Selma, Alabama. Dr. King was imprisoned during the mobilization. He went to Mrs. King, and he told Coretta that, you know, that even though we’re very different people, that we’re really about the business of the same struggle. We just use different tactics. And I want you to understand, and I want you to convey to your husband that I deeply respect what he is doing. So, Malcolm had a clear vision and an understanding that we were—that he was a part of a broad freedom struggle. As his vision became more internationalist and pan-African, as he began, especially in 1964, after seeing the example of anti-colonial revolutions abroad and began to articulate and incorporate a socialist analysis economically into his program, he clearly became a threat to the US state.</p> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> And explain how events led to this day, 40 years ago, the assassination of Malcolm X.</p> <p><strong>MANNING MARABLE:</strong> I believe that the evidence will show that there was not so much a conspiracy, but a convergence of interests with three different groups that had an interest in eliminating his voice and his vision. The first group, obviously, is the NYPD, the New York Police Department. They had their own red squad, which was called BOSS, the Bureau of Special Services. They had managed to infiltrate Malcolm’s organization and the nation of Islam. And, of course, the FBI. There were over 40,000 pages of FBI documents of which only about half are currently available to scholars and researchers. I think that this 40th anniversary of the assassination is a good opportunity for us to say that now is the time to declassify all FBI material on Malcolm X. There really is a need for us to challenge the US government for its refusal to open up its own archives 40 years after the death of Malcolm. All of that material should be made available to all researchers and all scholars and to the family of Malcolm X. So that—I believe that the FBI clearly was concerned, wanted to monitor and disrupt Malcolm wherever possible. Gene Roberts, one of Malcolm’s chiefs of security, was an NYPD undercover cop. He later went on to bigger things by being a disruptive force inside of the Black Panther Party. So, that’s one element. A second element was the Nation of Islam. Lynwood X, who was one of the leaders of the New Jersey mosques of the Nation of Islam, was at the Audubon Ballroom sitting on the first row. He came in early to observe the events on the 21st of February. He was taken aside by Benjamin 2X, close associate of Malcolm and also Reuben X, Reuben X Francis, who was the chief of security. Lynwood said he just wanted to check out what Malcolm had to say. But my sense is that perhaps his role was more complicated than simply that of a bystander. We know from Talmadge Hayer, one of the men who carried out the assassination, who was shot by Reuben X as he tried to flee the Audubon after shooting Malcolm X, we know that Hayer confessed years later to his Imam in prison that there had been a walk-through a week prior to February 21st at the Audubon Ballroom. So, there was deep knowledge on the part of members of the Nation of Islam regarding the planning, in sight of the OAAU and the Muslim Mosque Incorporated regarding the events at the Audubon. They knew when they were going to be there, they knew what the schedules were. How did they know this? Well, in part because they had informants inside of the organization, and in part because, obviously, they had information that hardly anybody else had. They also knew something else clearly, that on the day of the assassination, and here we get to the third group—I think the third group are elements within Malcolm’s own entourage. Elements within Malcolm’s own entourage, some of them were very angry with some of the changes that had occurred with Malcolm. One source of anger, curiously enough, was that—was the tension between MMI and OAAU, that the MMI, the Muslim Mosque Incorporated, these were women and men who had left the Nation of Islam out of loyalty to Malcolm, but then Malcolm continued to evolve rapidly. He never renounced and never stepped away from a strong commitment to black nationalism and black self-determination. That’s absolutely clear if you do any analysis of his speeches. But what is clear is that he incorporated within the framework of black nationalism a pan-Africanist and internationalist perspective. In doing so, he began to reassess radically earlier positions sexism and patriarchy. He began to break with notions of sexism that he had long held as a member of the Nation of Islam, and began to advance and push forward women leadership in the OAAU. MMI brothers were very resistant to women such as Lynn Shiflet and others who emerged as leaders within the OAAU, so one of the tensions that occurred was around gender equality and gender leadership inside of Malcolm’s entourage.</p> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> Then, that day, there was the presence, or lack of presence, of the NYPD.</p> <p><strong>MANNING MARABLE:</strong> That’s right. The NYPD was ubiquitous. They were always around Malcolm. Whenever Malcolm spoke, there would be one or two dozen cops all over the place. On this day, the cops were nowhere to be seen. The cops later explained that they had been pulled off the Audubon in order to go across the street. Normally, they were in a command center on the second floor adjacent to the large ballroom in the building. On this day, there were only two cops at moment of the shooting inside of the building, but they were as far away as possible from the site of the ballroom. The man who actually apprehended Talmadge Hayer, the only shooter who was shot at the site, Thomas Hoy, was actually driving by by accident. So, clearly, they had been pulled off the case.</p> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> He was an off duty cop.</p> <p><strong>MANNING MARABLE:</strong> That’s right. Why did the cops disappear quite literally? Then there were other kind of curious things. There was a complete failure of protection of the principal. The MMI brothers, who provided security for Malcolm had been trained by Malcolm himself that inside of the Nation of Islam, whenever there is a diversion, you protect the principal. The principal, in this case Malcolm, clearly was not protected on February 21st. First off, nobody was checked for weapons as they came in. Now, of course, people know that over the last several months prior to February 21st, 1965, the OAAU and MMI tried to get away from the old practices of checking people at the door for weapons. They wanted people to feel more comfortable. But the guards themselves did not carry weapons. Now, Malcolm’s home had just been firebombed a week before. The guards didn’t carry weapons. Malcolm had insisted that the guards not carry firearms that day. I have asked James Shabazz, I’ve asked other people who are members of the OAAU, Herman Ferguson and others, what led to that disastrous decision? James Shabazz said to me with a shrug, you just didn’t know Malcolm. Malcolm was adamant, and that whatever Malcolm wanted, that’s what we just did. But I said, this is highly irresponsible considering that there were death threats that were constant, that there was FBI surveillance and disruption, and that none of you carried weapons? Well, that’s not quite true, because we later learned from unredacted FBI files, that we have discovered and that we have archived in the municipal archives here in the city of New York, that there were at least, according to the district attorney, at least three undercover cops who were at the ballroom that day. We know one of their names. We know that—</p> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> What’s his name?</p> <p><strong>MANNING MARABLE:</strong> Well, we know that Gene Roberts, who was depicted giving mouth to mouth resuscitation to Malcolm—</p> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> We only have a minute.</p> <p><strong>MANNING MARABLE:</strong> Was an undercover cop, but who were the others? Two of the three men, who were imprisoned, Norman Butler and Robert 15x Johnson, convicted and given life sentences, I’m absolutely convinced were innocent. The real murderers of Malcolm X have not been caught or punished. I think that now is the moment for us to rededicate ourselves to learning the truth about what happened on February 21st. The place to begin is to make all evidence public, and we have to begin with the federal government, and the FBI.</p> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> Dr. Manning Marable, I want to thank you very much for being with us.</p> <p><strong>MANNING MARABLE:</strong> Yes.</p> <p><strong>AMY GOODMAN:</strong> Professor Marable is writing a biography of Malcolm X that will come out in a few years, has a major piece in his magazine, <em>Souls</em>, a critical journal of black politics, culture and society. Tonight, we’ll be at Columbia University talking more about his investigation. Thank you very much.</p> <p><strong>MANNING MARABLE:</strong> Thank you, Amy.</p> <p> </p> </blockquote> <div class="posterous_quote_citation">via <a target="_blank" href="http://www.democracynow.org/2005/2/21/the_undiscovered_malcolm_x_stunning_new">democracynow.org</a></div>RingShouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428813892533255704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985049490887010513.post-89437945948333263032010-02-06T15:07:00.000-08:002010-02-06T15:53:25.969-08:00So What IS street lit, anyway?When literary writer Zetta Elliott found out that Library Journal wanted to review her book <span style="font-style: italic;">A Wish After Midnight</span> for a "Street Lit" column, she said "No, thank you."<br /><br />But rather than stay mad, she decided to learn more. She had a dialogue with the reviewer, a librarian who has strong views about what this controversial genre is and what it isn't.<br /><br /><a href="http://zettaelliott.wordpress.com/2010/01/25/what-is-street-lit/">Check out</a> their conversation. It may surprise you.RingShouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428813892533255704noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985049490887010513.post-25405838296763827362009-12-03T08:16:00.001-08:002009-12-03T08:17:38.279-08:00A classic re-issuedCheck out this reissue of <a href="http://www.veryshortlist.com/vsl/daily.cfm/review/1420/Book/once-upon-a-time-in-america/"><em>The Black Book</em></a><em>. </em>It's a key classic everyone should know--and just in time for the holidays!RingShouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428813892533255704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985049490887010513.post-55851753609671800682009-12-03T05:23:00.000-08:002009-12-03T05:32:31.887-08:00We're proud of herOkay, we've gotta blow the horn a little for one of our own: Bridgett Davis's story, <em>Lagos, </em>adapted from her novel in progress, is in <a href="http://www.narrativemagazine.com/">Narrative</a> magazine. You can read it <a href="http://www.narrativemagazine.com/issues/narrative-backstage/lagos">here</a> for a modest donation. Yay, Bridgett!RingShouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428813892533255704noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-985049490887010513.post-72530496935771889532009-12-02T20:51:00.000-08:002009-12-02T21:07:00.695-08:00Black book bluesBernice McFadden raised an interesting and troubling question in her blog a couple of weeks ago. Here's what she had to say.<br /><br /><div align="left"><em>You may not know me, or my novels, because I am a member of a growing band of African-American writers of literary fiction who are slowly disappearing..... I don't rightly know why publisher’s market fiction written by African-Americans ONLY TO African-Americans - but it has become common practice. And by doing this, they've placed all AA authors in one box forcing them to compete for the attention of ONE audience.<br />The word that has been coined to describe what is happening to AA writers is: Seg-Book-Gation</em></div><br /><div align="left"><em></em></div><div align="left">You can read the an article about her post <a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/trends/segbookgation_in_publishing_144019.asp">here</a> and her whole letter <a href="http://www.5minutesforbooks.com/2086/seg-book-gation/">here</a></div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left">'Round the same time, Virginia DeBerry posted <a href="http://twomindsfull.blogspot.com/2009/11/open-letter-to-oprah-winfrey-from.html">"An Open Letter to Oprah</a>" on her blog, lamenting similar problems. Clearly, something's going on out there and it's not good. Yes these authors want to sell copies of their own books--all us authors want that--but they are touching on a problem that is pervading the industry right now. Don't want to just sit and cry but do need to think about where we go from here--and hey, Oprah's going off the air in two years. She ain't gonna save us. </div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left">So what will? Thoughts? </div>RingShouthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01428813892533255704noreply@blogger.com0