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AALBC.com eNewsletter - May 26, 2002 |
Celebrating
Our Literary Legacy! |
NEW FROM ONE WORLD/BALLANTINE
Growing
Up X by Ilyasah Shabazz with Kim McLarin
http://www.randomhouse.com/features/growingupx/
Ilyasah Shabazz was only two
years old when her father, Malcolm X, was assassinated. After the tragedy, Dr.
Betty Shabazz, determined to protect her girls from the barrage of media and
press surrounding the life of her husband, gave them a comfortable home and a
private school education. Astonishingly Ilyasah and her sisters knew very little
about the rich heritage that her father had left them. Later, when Ilyasah was
older, she became fully aware of the impact of his contribution to the world.
GROWING UP X reveals little-known details about Ilyasah's experiences as a
member of the Shabazz household, from sibling rivalry to first boyfriends. It
also explores the complex emotions manifest as a result of Ilyasah's education
as a woman of color in predominantly white schools.
Written with great warmth--and featuring
reminiscences of friends, colleagues, and acquaintances like Coretta Scott King,
Muhammad Ali, and Spike Lee--GROWING UP X is a fascinating, first-ever look at a
family many have admired from afar.... and never seen so close. ANOTHER IMPORTANT BOOK FROM
HAKI R. MADHUBUTI From the Preface
Tough
Notes: Letters to Young Black Men
http://authors.aalbc.com/haki.htm
...The most pressing reason for Tough Notes is my personal response to the
hundreds of letters, notes and telephone calls I have received over the years
from prisoners and students -- mainly young black men (many without caring or
existing fathers), seeking guidance and a kind word. This work is for them
and other young men and women systematically locked out of this nation's wealth,
benefits and opportunities.
RECENT ARTICLES AND REVIEWS
AALBC.com publishes scores of articles, books reviews and author profiles
each month. Below is sample of the most recently added content.
Lion's Blood: A Novel of Slavery And Freedom In An Alternate America by
Steven Barnes - Reviewed by Thumper
http://www.aalbc.com/reviews/lions_blood.htm
Steven Barnes, has emerged with one of the best books of 2002, a novel that explores a "what if" question; What if the United States of America had a past where white folks were the slaves and Africans were the slave masters? Lion's Blood: A Novel of Slavery And Freedom In An Alternate America is an epic novel of vision, adventure and the mechanical workings of a society that is based on slavery. Lion's Blood is extraordinary and should be recognized as one of Barnes best novels to date.
The Queen of Harlem by Brian Keith Jackson - Reviewed by Brian Egeston
http://authors.aalbc.com/reviewthequeenofharlen.htm
The Queen of Harlem is the tale of a young man, who gets out of the way of his life by running away from his birthright. Mason Randolph arrives in Harlem from Louisiana, and experiences an epiphany: He realizes that his thus-far pampered life has not produced enough Blackness. He hasn't enough soul. He hasn't the much-needed 'ghetto pass'. Mason quickly abandons his prestigious up bringing of world travel and upper echelon education and takes on a new identity. With the purchase of an instant urban wardrobe, stolen colloquialisms and a new hairstyle, Mason the buppy steps into a virtual phone booth and comes out as �Malik the homie.
Bill Clinton and Black America By Dewayne Wickham, Bill Clinton - Reviewed
by Walter Benefield
http://www.aalbc.com/reviews/bill_clinton_and_black_america.htm
Bill Clinton came to the presidency of the United States inheriting a less than admirable race relations history from his predecessors. What Clinton did to improve opportunities for African Americans, and how the majority of African Americans view the former President is the premise behind "Bill Clinton and Black America� by Dewayne Wickham. Taking a journalistic approach to the question of "Why is Bill Clinton is so popular among African Americans?", Wickham, a journalist and writer interviewed a diverse group of African Americans for the answers.
Oh God!: A Black Woman's Guide to Sex and Spirituality by Dr. Susan Newman
- Reviewed by Paige Turner
http://www.aalbc.com/reviews/oh_god.htm
Sexuality is an extremely powerful force and a very real and large component of everyone's existence. Yet black churches, like most religions through the ages, have urged containing it, ignoring it, suppressing it and denying it. This is like ignoring an elephant sitting at the dinner table. Rather than fostering spiritual enlightenment this attitude has lead to unending frustration and struggle. Thank God that the Reverend Dr. Susan Newman has the grace and chutzpah to drop a bomb on this long ignored issue in her new non-fiction book, Oh God!
Thieves� Paradise by Eric Jerome Dickey - Reviewed by Thumper
http://www.aalbc.com/reviews/thieves_paradise.htm
Every summer I look forward to a new Eric Jerome Dickey novel. This year Dickey delivers one that I absolutely love! Thieves' Paradise is a tight, smart, quick-paced, insightful novel about decisions and their consequences. It is a splendid book.
Anika Malone: A New Voice in Women's Fiction by
Leah Mullen
Reprinted Courtesy of
Writersandpoets.com, LLC
http://www.aalbc.com/authors/anika_malone.htm
"I've found that readers don't care if a book is self-published or not," she said. They're just looking for something good to read." However many bookstores have a different perspective. At first Malone says she had a difficult time getting shelf space, not only because the book was self published but also because she decided to go "print on demand." Nevertheless Malone said she'd keep calling the stores re-introducing her book over and over again. "It was basically about being a pest," she said "you know making sure I was on their minds." Now enthusiastic readers are spreading the word and ordering the book, so as time moves on it gets easier.
A Conversation with the Mann: A Novel by John Ridley - Reviewed by Thumper
http://www.aalbc.com/reviews/conversation_with_the_mann.htm
Not since Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man has a first person narrative novel struck me with such a poignant sense of completeness and satisfaction as John Ridley's new book, Conversation With The Mann. Similar to E. L. Doctorow's Ragtime, or the novels of John Williams, Conversation With The Mann merges fiction and historical events so seamlessly oftentimes I forgot that the title character's life was fictional. The novel is phenomenal and should establish John Ridley as a master of his craft.
You Know Better by
http://aalbc.com/reviews/tinaansa_youknowbetter.htm
Ansa's latest novel, You Know Better, takes place during the weekend of the Peach Blossom Festival in Mulberry. But life is far from "peaches and blossoms" for the Pines women. LaShawndra is an 18-year-old "hoochie mama" whose goal is to dance in music videos. Sandra, her mother, is in agreement that her daughter is indeed a "hoochie mama". Lily, Sandra's mother, is a former teacher, principal and school board administrator, who scour the streets looking for LaShawndra. Over the course of the Peach Blossom weekend the Pines women are gonna encounter some spirits.
Perfect Timing by Brenda Jackson - Reviewed by Tiffany M. Davis
http://www.aalbc.com/reviews/perfect_timing.htm
Brenda Jackson's second full-length fiction work Perfect Timing, is a novel about losing, finding, and maintaining friendship and love. Mrs. Jackson used a high school reunion on a Caribbean cruise to examine the dynamics of three relationships: Mya and Garrett Rivers; Maxine and Christopher Chandler; and childhood friends Mya and Maxine.
Satisfy My Soul by Colin Channer - Reviewed by Thumper
http://www.aalbc.com/reviews/satisfy_my_soul.htm
Colin Channer's sophomore novel, Satisfy My Soul, is extraordinary! It is certainly a novel that deserves to have its praises sung by folks more knowledgeable about the written word than I. Let this serve as a warning to those who prefer their reviews sophisticated, technical and aloof, cause I'm about to get straight up "country" and "down home-ish": Satisfy My Soul is off the hook! I was expecting a good book, but what I got instead was an astonishing novel that examines the intimate relationship of a man who finds his soul mate. Satisfy My Soul certainly left my soul satisfied.
The Black Sleuth by John Edward Bruce - Reviewed by Thumper
http://www.aalbc.com/reviews/the_black_sleuth.htm
Northeastern University Press, in its latest installment of their excellent Northeastern Library of Black Literature series, features The Black Sleuth by John Edward Bruce, a premier black journalist from the late 1800's until his death in 1924. The Black Sleuth was originally published in McGirt's Magazine between 1907 and 1909. Even with its many flaws, and the fact that half of the novel is not concerned with the mystery, or that the mystery never reaches a conclusion, The Black Sleuth is an historical literary treasure, and an interesting read once it gets going.
BUY THREE BOOKS FOR $3
Black Expressions� 3 Books for $3
Choose your 3 books for $1 each, with membership. Your total charges will be
only $3, plus $8.57 shipping and handling and any applicable sales taxes.
Choose from A SONG FLUNG UP TO HEAVEN by Maya Angelou, THIEVES' PARADISE by Eric
Jerome Dickey, ADDICTED by Zane and many more titles. Click the graphic
here or at the top of the AALBC.com homepage
http://aalbc.com
LITERARY EVENTS CALENDAR
http://www.aalbc.com/events/
Our literary events calendar allows visitors to learn about up coming African American literary and cultural events. Visitors may post information on their own events and include a link back to their web site. If you don't have a web site AALBC.com can build one for you, for a nominal fee (often for free depending on the timing of the event and our work load).
Upcoming Events Include:
Free Cave Canem Readings
May 31, 2002
Cave Canem and The Studio Museum in Harlem present Reading Romantic, in
conjunction with the Studio Museum Black Romantic art exhibit. Curated by Cave
Canem Fellow Holly Bass, featured readers will be faculty member Tim Seibles and
fellows Jarvis Q. DeBerry, Patricia A. Johnson, and Cherise Pollard. 7 p.m. 114
West 125th Street, New York NY. Free.
June 24
Cave Canem presents co-founders Toi Derricotte, Cornelius Eady, and 2002 faculty
members Marilyn Nelson and Ntozake Shange in a reading at the Kingswood
Auditorium, Cranbrook Schools. 7:30 p.m. 39221 Woodward Avenue, Bloomfield
Hills, Michigan. Free
June 27
Cave Canem and The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History present
a reading by Cave Canem 2002 faculty members Elizabeth Alexander, Nikky Finney,
Yusef Komunyakaa and Al Young. 7:30 p.m. 315 E. Warren Avenue Detroit, Michigan.
For more information, call (313) 494-5858
About
Cave Canem: Committed to the discovery and cultivation of new voices
in African American poetry. Cave Canem's programs have expanded
from a summer retreat to include regional workshops, a first book prize,
annual anthologies, and readings and events in major cities around the
United States. We are a national community of emerging and established
poets, a family of black writers who create, publish, perform, teach,
and study poetry, and support each others� work.
www.cavecanempoets.org.
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is a magazine for people who are passionate about books. It celebrates the
reading life. With author profiles, trend stories, excerpts, essays, and more,
Book
covers the stories behind the stories on the shelf.
For a limited time get a
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http://www.aalbc.com/writers/writers1.htm
African American Authors Helping
Authors, Inc.
Announce Winners in the 1st Annual AA-AHA Inc. SPA Contest:
In the fiction category is Althea Christina Hughes, author of Walking The Line. Non-fiction winner is, Marvin V. Arnett, author of Pieces From The Crazy Quilt. And the small press winner is Moore Black Press.
AA-AHA, an organization of authors and literary enthusiasts who strive to help new authors, support established authors, and pave the way for aspiring authors will host the First Annual Self-Published Awards (SPA) on Friday, May 3, 2002, from 7-10 pm at the Langston Hughes Library in Queens, New York.
For more information visit http://www.aa-aha.org
AALBC.com Sponsored Discussion Boards
Visit Thumper's Corner, our general discussion board read and share ideas about our literature and culture. http://cwmyb.com/wwwboard/
Visit the Poetree, our poet's discussion board. Share your poetry, read fresh new works, learn about events and much more http://www.aalbc.com/poets/
CONTESTS
New AALBC contests have been posted
http://fun.aalbc.com/contest.htm
HARLEM BOOK FAIR VENDOR APPLICATION
http://aalbc.com/events/HBF02VendorApplication.pdf
The Harlem Book Fair will take place on July 19th and 20th. Hosted by
QBR The Black Book
Review, the national review
periodical, TALA (The Africana Literature Archives), and the Community
Board 10 Arts and
Culture Committee; The 2002 Harlem Book Fair promises to be the largest
and best yet. Any one wishing to host a table or booth to sell books or
promote their work at this event should fill out and return the application
linked here
http://aalbc.com/events/HBF02VendorApplication.pdf
BUY AALBC.com MERCHANDISE
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your support for AALBC.com and African American
Literature by purchasing AALBC.com branded merchandise.
Your purchases help further our goal of promoting African American
literature and authors. All of the merchandise offers a full money back
guarantee and arrives in a few days.
Peace,
Troy Johnson,
Founder AALBC.com
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