Booker T. Mattison is an author and filmmaker who wrote the screenplay for and directed the film adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston's classic story "The Gilded Six Bits," which aired on Showtime. It starred Chad Coleman ("The Wire," "I Hate My Teenage Daughter"), T'keyah Keymah ("That's So Raven," "Cosby," "In Living Color"), Wendell Pierce ("Treme","The Wire," "Ray") and Novella Nelson ("The Antwone Fisher Story"). The Hollywood Reporter said of the film that, "Mattison's direction and feel for her characters match up to Hurston’s sterling piece of fiction...full of atmosphere and strongly developed characters."
Snitch
Click to order via
Amazon
Paperback
Publisher: Revell (May 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0800733967
ISBN-13: 978-0800733964
On May 1st The Baker
Publishing Group will publish my debut adult novel, Snitch. The
publisher is blurbing it this way: A rich read that infuses the reality of
the street with spiritual truth. From the opening chapter to the breathless
final scenes, this novel delivers everything readers expect from a gifted
storyteller: characters, the likes of whom they might never meet, yet grow
to care about, even at their worst; a plot that ratchets up the tension and
suspense; and an interior metamorphosis of thought that offers hope about
the strength of a community that bands together to confront violence and
intimidation.
Lisa Cort's, executive
producer of the Academy Award nominated film 'Precious: Based on the Novel
Push by Sapphire said, It's easier to say "if you see something, say
something" than it is to decide what you will do when your family is
affected. Snitch absorbed me to the point that I felt that my life
and the lives of my family were at stake. It's just that good. Snitch
should be required reading for anyone with a pulse and a conscious.
And
Terrie M. Williams,
author of Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We're Not Hurting and co-founder
& President of The Stay Strong Foundation said, "Like many of us, Andre
"wears the mask" but is convinced that he can just "will himself through"
his inner pain. But his entire world, and the fate of his family, is closing
in on him - fast - so the mask has to come off. Mattison turns a mirror on
our community and takes an unflinching look at who we are. Gratefully, he
doesn't stop there, because the characters in Snitch also show us
what we will become - for better or for worse in a world of change. Full
of suspense that happens organically, Snitch will keep you on edge.
This story will live in your head long after you've turned the last page."
The Editor-in-Chief of the
Journal of Black Psychology, Dr. Kevin Cokley, said that Snitch is,
"A captivating story from start to finish. Snitch is a compelling tale about
the psychic turmoil of upholding the code of the streets. Booker T. Mattison
deftly interweaves psychological themes of depression, anxiety, and PTSD
with the harsh realities of Black urban street life."
Finally, Stephanie Allain Bray, producer of "Hustle & Flow," "Black Snake
Moan," and the forthcoming "We the Peeples" said, "Wow. Good stuff. I loved
the loved the interconnectedness of every character and the powerful, fresh,
black male characters effecting positive change in the neighborhood.
It totally reads like a
movie."
I'm
humbled by this early stir about my book, and because you supported me so
tremendously with Unsigned Hype, my young adult novel, I wanted you to have
an early preview of Snitch. I
hope you'll enjoy it. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you've
done to encourage me in my writing. I trust the portrayals and messages in
Snitch will make you glad you
did!
Unsigned
Hype: A Novel
Click to order via
Amazon
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Revell (June 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0800733800
ISBN-13: 978-0800733803
"A story that anyone growing up in the urban landscape can relate to. . . . A fresh account of life in the streets, in the music industry, and in the home, but most of all in the heart of a young teenager wrestling with what it takes to become a man." --DJ Essence, hip-hop producer, DJ, and CEO of Lamp Mode Recordings
Told from the perspective of ambitious, aspiring hip-hop DJ and producer Tory Tyson, Unsigned Hype takes readers onto the streets of New York and gives them a glimpse into the realities of life on the block. Author Booker T. Mattison knows this world well, having been mesmerized the first time he heard the beats and rhymes of rap in 1979. Since then, he's embraced this world of hip-hop, as a filmmaker and writing and directing music videos that have aired on BET, MTV Europe and TBN.
Tory Tyson may only be in high school, but he knows what he wants out of life: a successful music career. And he's not going to learn about that at school. So when school lets out next month he's not going back. He's finally ready to stop spinning records at parties and start laying down his own beats and the Unsigned Hype music contest is the perfect place to launch his career. But will he be able to handle the fame and fortune he seeks?
The story of Tory Tyson is an inspiring one that pulls back the curtain on the urban young-adult experience, with its fresh voice and true-to-life rendering of the hip-hop world. Capturing the delight of teen and older adult readers alike, Booker T. Mattison delivers an insightful and inspiring story that trumpets hope and is staged to become an anthem for this often misunderstood generation.
Booker T. Mattison also directed, Produced and wrote the film adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston's short story The Gilded Six Bits.
"All
that glitters ain't gold" is the moral of this story of marriage
and materialism in the rural south during the Great Depression.
Matrimony could not have been better for Joe and Missie May
Banks. A year into their marriage they were able to have a home
on the outskirts of town and money saved up for their future,
which included children. That is until Otis D. Slemmons moves
into town, a big shot from the big city who opens an ice cream
parlor. He is a rich, well-dressed, smooth talker unlike any
other man in their small town.
A husband, a wife, and an outsider become interconnected in Zora
Neale Hurston's The Gilded Six Bits.
Total running time for the film is 28 minutes 55 seconds.
Zora Neale Hurston, also called 'Queen of the Harlem
Renaissance' was an acclaimed author, folklorist, poet and
anthropologist. One of the most published women writers in the
30s, she authored more than 50 articles and short stories, four
novels, two books on folklore, an autobiography, and several
plays. She is best known for her novel Their Eyes Were Watching
God. The Gilded Six Bits was her first published work.
Film Stars:
Chad Coleman (The Wire)
T'keyah Crystal Keymah (In Living Color)
Wendell Pierce (Treme')
Novella Nelson (The Antwon Fisher Story)
Original score by Ray Chew
Related Links
Read an Interview with Production Designer Wynn Thomas by
Booker T. Mattison for AALBC.com
http://aalbc.com/reviews/wynn_thomas.html
Booker T. Mattison Website
http://bookertmattison.com/
