African American Literature
Book Club eNewsletter - January 7, 2001
Celebrating Our Literary Legacy!
STEP INTO A WORLD - EDITED BY KEVIN POWELL
http://www.aalbc.com/authors/step_into_a_world.htm
The list of contributors to this 470 page masterwork is a
who's who list of young African-American writers - Colson Whitehead, Jervey
Teralon, Edwidge Danticat, Junot Diaz, Ras Baraka, Tananarive Due, John R. Keen
and over 100 other writers under 40 years of age.
Quincy Troupe says, "In a culture where videos, the Internet, and other
high-tech communication is being consumed like the latest mind-altering drug,
how does great literature grow and survive? These writers will answer that
all-important question."
Ishmael Reed adds, "Those of us who pay attention were aware that the younger
generation of black writers was being smothered by the anointment of talented
tenth Divas and Divuses, and their commercial accommodationist 'Fourth
Renaissance. 'This anthology is indeed a breakthrough! It combines the boldness
and daring of hip-hop with the intellectual keenness of a Michele Wallace or a
Clyde Taylor."
Step into a World, is also available for purchase directly from AALBC.com for
$25 (including shipping, handling & tax) you are not likely to find this book
for less anywhere else on-line -including Barnes & Noble or Amazon.com.
A DAY LATE AND A DOLLAR SHORT - BY TERRY MCMILLAN
http://www.aalbc.com/authors/terry.htm
Ms. McMillan's anxiously awaited novel, A Day Late and a
Dollar Short, may be ordered on-line now. The publication date is set for
January 15th 2001. You may also read an excerpt
http://www.aalbc.com/authors/excerpt11.htm
It has been said, 2001 will be "The year of McMillan". Judging by the excerpt
alone McMillan will be raising the bar on the genre she is credited with
starting - perhaps transcending it.
SHADOW DANCING by LOUSIE MERIWETHER
http://www.aalbc.com/books/shadow.htm
"Lusty and gutsy and sexy and true. Louise Meriwether has
written a woman's book which will knock men's socks off. We will all enjoy
Shadow Dancing." -Maya Angelou
"One of the best of the year" -Thumper, AALBC.com
Acclaimed author of Daddy Was a Numbers Runner and the historical novel
Fragments of the Ark, Louise Meriwether now gives us this resonant and revealing
contemporary story about the struggle to love in the shadow of our fears.
A successful writer for BlackSpeak magazine, Glenda Jackson is gifted, dynamic,
and respected in her field. She's determined to take control of her emotional
life. While reviewing a new play at Harlem's innovative Aldridge Ensemble, she
meets the enigmatic director, Mark Abbitt, the driving force behind a
renaissance in black theater.
The charismatic director proves to be as complex as one of his dramas. Haunted
by memories of Vietnam, blind to the manipulations of his ex-wife, Mark is
determined to be a good father to his four-year-old son. If Glenda's not to be
eclipsed by Mark's powerful presence, she must confront her own deep fear of
intimacy to find out if love is enough to heal a damaged soul. Yet against all
the odds, these two remarkable people step into each other's shadow . . .and
begin to dance
POET WILLIE PERDOMO
http://www.aalbc.com/authors/willie.htm
Willie Perdomo is one of the new voices to emerge from the
Nuyorican Poets Cafe. The poems in this debut collection [Pub 1996 Norton] meet
at the intersection of the street and the academy. In a powerful mix of love and
fear, rage and tenderness, verse and prose, the poet invites us to "hang out" in
the 'hood as he bears witness to life in East Harlem. These poems are raw slices
of street served on a fused platter of salsa and hip-hop, Black Spanglish,
letters and songs, invoking prophets, saints, poets, hustlers, basketball
legends. Willie Perdomo is a cutting-edge bard who speaks to the soul of his
generation. (from the book jacket of Where a Nickel Costs a Dime:Poems)
"Yo soy Boricua! Yo soy Africano! I ain't/ lyin'. Pero mi pelo is kinky y curly
y mi skin no es negro pero it can pass"
~Willie Perdomo, from his signature poem Nigger-Reecan Blues
AN IMPORTANT MAGAZINE
QBR The Black Book Review
http://www.qbr.com/
QBR The Black Book Review, published 6 times a year, is
dedicated to, as QBR would say, "Our Lives, Our Words, Our Stories". Between the
covers of this intelligent magazine you will find a veritable treasure trove of
in depth and definitive book reviews. Editors like Kalamu ya Salaam (poetry),
and Linda Trice (children's books) contribute to maintaining this high quality
publication. There is no fluff here.
Founder and publisher Max Rodriguez does not stop with just a print publication:
QBR has recently re-launched their web site at http://www.qbr.com, and has plans
to launch a radio on CD 101.9 in New York City called the QBR Book Beat. Max and
company also hosts the fantastically popular Harlem Book Fair (http://www.aalbc.com/events/harlem5.htm)
and was a major contributor to the success of The 5th National Black Writers
Conference (http://www.aalbc.com/events/nat'l1.htm).
Subscribe to QBR The Black Book Review!
CONTESTS
http://www.aalbc.com/fun/contest.htm
We are back and all caught up with our monthly contests.
There are five opportunities to win. Prizes include the audio book Volunteer
Slavery by Jill Nelson, and audio book A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines
THE COFFEE WILL MAKE YOU BLACK ON-LINE READING GROUP
http://www.aalbc.com/discussion/Instructions.htm
The Coffee Will Make You Black reading group is currently
reading "Blues Dancing" by Diane Mckinney-Whetstone (http://aalbc.com/books/blues_dancing.htm)
Our chat session is scheduled for Wednesday, January 3rd, 2000, 9:00 PM, Eastern
Standard Time. Visit
http://aalbc.com/discussion/Instructions.htm
for more information. If you have already read "Blues Dancing", and would like
to participate in our on-line chat session; please join us.
The African American Literature Book Club's goal is to increase everyone's
knowledge of the richness of African American Literature, satisfy your on-line
book buying needs and serve as a resource for aspiring authors and professional
writers. There are NO membership fees -- just continue reading the work and
sharing your ideas. To learn more about AALBC.com visit:
http://www.aalbc.com/aboutus.htm
Peace
Troy Johnson, Founder AALBC.com
