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Tavis Smiley, founder and publisher of SmileyBooks, hosted a reception October 2, 2007, in New York City to introduce his new company president, Cheryl Woodruff, and to celebrate his company's newly acquired list of authors, including Iyanla Vanzant, Dr. Cornel West, Tom Burrell, and Eleanor Hinton Hoytt of the National Black Women's Health Imperative.
 

Tavis Smiley Announces The Launch of Smiley Books
 
Click here to see video slide show or to obtain photos embedded in above video

In the past decade, Smiley's unique contributions have transformed the American media landscape, placing his remarkable imprint on television, radio, print, Internet, and digital media. This year, Smiley moderated the historic All - American Presidential Forums broadcast live on PBS. He has also been the driving force behind The Covenant with Black America. President Bill Clinton, in his #1 New York Times bestseller Giving, waxes enthusiastically: "I can't begin to do justice to The Covenant movement, to the power of its inspiration, instruction, and examples ... I believe Smiley has given us a model for how to organize other groups with common challenges for action in America and across the world..." Smiley has also been a leader in nationwide community outreach, sponsoring on-going community forums, town hall meetings and symposiums, and a national college program called the Talented Tenth HBCU Tour.

Smiley has written and edited a dozen books that reflect his life and his vision for America. As Bob Herbert wrote in his New York Times column, "[Tavis Smiley] is trying to do nothing less than generate a movement among black Americans that will 'help make all of America better.'"

Video Slide Show of Photographs taken during reception hosted by Tavis Smiley in NYC.
 
Photos include authors Iyanla Vanzant, Cornel West, Charlie Rose actress Ruby Dee; dancer Carmen de Lavallade; author Walter Mosley; author Terry McMillan; dancer Judith Jameson; chairman and founder of Essence Communications Inc., Edward Lewis

A foray into book publishing was a natural extension of the Tavis Smiley brand. In early 2004, SmileyBooks was formed in a partnership with Hay House. Like each of Smiley's endeavors, his book company came with a mission: "to empower our readers to achieve personal fulfillment and to become agents of change through the principles of love and service." Initially, the expectation was for SmileyBooks to publish titles written and inspired solely by Tavis Smiley, but the company has since expanded its vision, anchored in part by its 2007 New York Times bestseller, The Covenant in Action. This companion volume to the #1 New York Times bestseller The Covenant with Black America serves as a springboard for the company's ambitious plan to publish and support books by major authors on topics that will appeal to a broad spectrum of readers. Offerings on the upcoming list range from works by perennial New York Times bestsellers to first-time authors.

Smiley's established media acumen as a broadcaster, philanthropist, and intergenerational leader has helped to raise the bar for a national dialogue in America. The company will be enriched by Smiley's love for books, his passion for service, and his unique ability to inspire audiences to take a stand and get to work. In partnership with Hay House, SmileyBooks will be aggressively promoted and marketed on the Internet, through the airwaves, to book clubs, in blogs, by word of mouth, and through digital outlets.

SmileyBooks is a co-publishing venture with Hay House, an international leader in self-help and motivational publishing, based in Carlsbad, California. Hay House is the publisher of New York Times bestselling authors Louise Hay, Wayne Dyer, Sylvia Browne, Suze Orman, Tavis Smiley, and Immacul�e Ilibagiza. SmileyBooks titles will be published in hardcover, trade paperback, and digital media. SmileyBooks is based in New York City.
 

Legends: Rare Moments and Inspiring Words
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by the Editors at Smiley Books, Foreword by Tavis Smiley

Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Smiley Books (February 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1401924050
ISBN-13: 978-1401924058
Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 8.9 x 0.8 inches

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�Would America have been America without her Negro people?� � W. E. B. Du Bois

America I AM: The African American Imprint, a national traveling museum exhibition, was conceived by award-winning broadcaster and bestselling author Tavis Smiley as a one-of-a-kind multi-media experience that chronicles the distinct history of African Americans. This beautifully conceived companion volume addresses the central theme of the exhibition, posed by W. E. B. Du Bois: "Would America have been America without her Negro people?" Through exceptional photographic images and penetrating words, America I AM Legends captures the dynamism of 78 legendary African Americans, highlighting the indelible imprint each has made on the United States and the world. A statement illuminating a unique aspect of each iconic figure� made by the legend or by someone carrying on their legacy today�portrays the vision and contribution of each subject.

Whether black artistic genius, athletic excellence, political leadership, or the struggle to hold America true to its promise, each legend reminds us that America would be unrecognizable without its African American imprint. America I AM Legends takes us on an unforgettable journey to the heart of the American experience.

 

Hope on a Tightrope: Words and Wisdom
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by Dr. Cornel West

Hardcover: 246 Pages, illustrated (Includes a free CD)
Publisher: Smiley Books (November 1, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1401921868
ISBN-13: 978-1401921866
Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 6 x 1 inches

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The New York Times best-selling author of Race Matters and Democracy Matters offers open-hearted wisdom for our times in this courageous collection of quotations, speech excerpts, letters, philosophy, and photographs that reflect the profound humanity that fuels the passionate public intellectual. In a world that seesaws between unconditional love and acceptance and blind hatred and exclusion, Hope on a Tightrope will satisfy readers in search of deep wells of inspiration and challenge that marries the mind to the heart.

This gift book features an original CD that highlights Dr. West's outstanding spoken-word artistry. His August 2007 CD release Never Forget: A Journey of Revelations that featured collaborations with best-selling artists Prince, Jill Scott, and Andre 3000 topped the charts as Billboard's #1 Spoken Word album.

 

Tapping the Power Within: A Path to Self-Empowerment for Women
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by Iyanla Vanzant

Hardcover: 128 pages
Publisher: Hay House (August 15, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1401921884
ISBN-13: 978-1401921880

Book Description
The 20th anniversary edition of Iyanla Vanzant's first published work offers a powerful path to self-empowerment based on the revitalization of one's spiritual and ancestral roots. Written with Vanzant's signature healing stories, this classic guide to uniting the will with the spirit teaches that only you have the power to make a change for the better. From basic breathing and meditation techniques, setting up a home altar, connecting with ancestors and guardian spirits, to the extraordinary power of forgiveness, Tapping is a perfect companion on the way toward the real you. This edition also contains the author's new �What I Know Now� commentaries and an original CD. Iyanla's debut spoken word album In the Meantime: The Music That Tells The Story was a # 1 Billboard Gospel bestseller.