AALBC.com eNewsletter, February 25, 2001 |
African
American Literature Book Club eNewsletter - February 12, 2001
Celebrating Our Literary Legacy!
THE COFFEE WILL MAKE YOU BLACK ON-LINE READING
GROUP
Next Monthly Book Chat Session
http://aalbc.com/discussion/Reading_List.htm
The Coffee Will Make You Black reading group is currently reading "Captain Blackman" by John A. Williams. Our chat session is scheduled for Wednesday, March 7th, 2001, 9:00 PM, Eastern Standard Time. If you have already read "Captain Blackman", and would like to participate in our on-line chat session; please join us in our chat room at http://www.aalbc.com/vchat/.
John A. Williams will join our group for this month�s chat session!
GREAT BOOKS FROM UNIVERSITY PRESSES
There are some excellent books being published by university presses. Here are just a sample of some of the books published by universities across the country.
UNIVERSITY PRESS OF COLORADO
The African American West: A Century of Short Stories
http://www.aalbc.com/books/short.htm
Bruce A. Glasrud and Laurie Champion have compiled a book of short stories written by African American authors and all on the subject of the American West. This remarkable volume includes the work of Rita Dive, W.E.B. DuBois, Ralph Ellison, Langston Hughes, Terry McMillan, Walter Mosley, Mike Thelwell, John A. Williams, Frank Yerby and many others!
UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH PRESS
Classic Plays from the Negro Ensemble Company
http://www.aalbc.com/books/plays.htm
This book includes the full text of eleven plays, including A Soldier's Play, Home, and The River Niger.
SYRACUSE UNIVERISTY PRESS
Spirit and Flame: An Anthology of Contemporary African American Poetry
http://www.aalbc.com/authors/toi.htm
Keith Gilyard (Editor), with Sekou Sundiata
Spirit & Flame celebrates the creativity of the African American poet. This volume, comprising more than two hundred pieces, delivers the artistic and political fervor of new and established black voices around the country - in the oral tradition; in tanka and sonnets; in lyrics that echo the sound of jazz, hip hop, and rap. Heir to the classic Black Fire published in 1968, the book exemplifies modern black aesthetics, bringing together some of the best African American poets of the last decade.
AALBC BOOK REVIEWS
Got to Be Real: Four Original Love Stories
by E. Lynn Harris, Eric Jerome Dickey, Marcus Major & Colin Channer
http://www.aalbc.com/books/gottobe.htm
AALBC.com Review by Thumper
�I was pleased when I heard about Got To Be Real: Four Original Love Stories written by four of our leading AA contemporary authors: E. Lynn Harris, Eric Jerome Dickey, Colin Channer and Marcus Major. I�m even more pleased since I read it and enjoyed the hell out of it. *smile*�
The Dying Ground: A Hip-Hop Noir Novel
by Nichelle D. Tramble
http://www.aalbc.com/books/thedying.htm
AALBC.com Review by Thumper
�I�m going to be honest with you all; after I finished reading, The Dying Ground, I was messed up. It wasn�t the mystery/suspense element of the story, which was excellent. Nor, was it the violence. I was devastated by the emotions and heartbreaks that were left in the wake of Maceo�s obsessive search for Felicia. Tramble did an excellent job, superb, establishing Maceo�s character and his environment and the people that make up his universe.�
Visit AALBC.com to read the rest of these and other reviews
THREE NOTEWORTHY NEW BOOKS
Raising Fences: A Black Man's Love Story
by Michael Datcher
http://www.aalbc.com/books/raising.htm
In Raising Fences, Michael Datcher offers a view of young black men seldom seen in the media-men who long for loving, stable marriages, fatherhood, and homes in safe neighborhoods. In this emotionally raw and intimate narrative, Datcher reflects on his fatherless childhood in inner-city Los Angeles, his attraction to local gangs, his promiscuity, and, at times, his lack of faith. But he also writes of his deep desire-and the desires of other black men he knows-to escape a cycle that deprives children of what they need most and creates empty shells of grown men.
Take a Lesson: Today's Black Achievers on How
They Made It and What They Learned Along the Way
by Caroline V. Clarke
http://www.aalbc.com/books/takea.htm
This inspiring collection of lessons culled from candid, intimate interviews with famous and prominent black achievers features advice on how to get ahead in business-and in life. Contributors include groundbreakers in a broad variety of industries-from investment banking to entertainment to politics-who share valuable advice with people of all ages. From entrepreneurs to corporate stars, the contributor list is outstanding, featuring some of the most well-known and well-respected leaders in the black community, ranging from Ken Chenault, President of American Express, to filmmaker Spike Lee.
On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam
C.J. Walker
by A'Lelia Bundles
http://www.aalbc.com/books/onherown.htm
The daughter of slaves, Madam C. J. Walker was orphaned at seven, married at fourteen and widowed at twenty. She spent the better part of the next two decades laboring as a washerwoman for $1.50 a week. Then � with the discovery of a revolutionary hair care formula for black women � everything changed. By her death in 1919, Walker managed to overcome astonishing odds: building a storied beauty empire from the ground up, amassing wealth unprecedented among black women and devoting her life to philanthropy and social activism.
AN IMPORTANT NEWSPAPER
The KIP Business Report
http://www.aalbc.com/writers/kip.htm
To say The KIP Business Report is merely a newspaper understates their contribution to the African-American community. Yes, they publish an informative newspaper, which caters to an African-American audience, and focuses on the financial markets, business and entrepreneurship. You�ll learn about African-American business leaders, and everything else from minimizing your tax liability to maximizing your returns the stock market.
However, KIP publisher Lloyd Grant and Cynthia Franklin mean a lot more to the community. They host numerous events throughout the year. Including the up coming "SHOW ME THE MONEY" Diversity Venture Capital Conference (April 17th 2001). They also constantly let us know there are many Brothers and Sisters making a significant impact in the financial markets.
If you live or work in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut can get a free subscription. Otherwise the subscription to this business newspaper is $25 per year for 16 issues. Of course, submissions and story ideas from writers are welcome!
CONTEST
http://www.aalbc.com/fun/contest.htm
No one has solved February�s question yet. Perhaps it was too hard. So we gave you an easier one to answer. Win a copy of Until Today!: Daily Devotions for Spiritual Growth and Peace Of Mind by Iyanla Vanzant. February prize courtesy of Simon & Schuster
HARLEM BOOK FAIR
http://www.aalbc.com/events/harlem.htm
When: July 21st 2001, 12PM to 7PM
Where: 135th street between Lenox (Malcolm X Blvd) and Adam Clayton Powell Blvd
Jr., Harlem, USA
At a time when African American participation in reading is at an all time high, QBR The Black Book Review, the national review periodical, TALA (The Africana Literature Archives), and the Community Board 10 Arts and Culture Committee are collaborating to present the annual Harlem Book Fair and Uptown Art Festival 2001. The highlight of the Harlem Book Fair will be panel discussions, performances by spoken word artists, author readings and signings, musicians, storytellers, fiction and non-fiction writers, scores of book vendors, and children�s book authors, a walking tour of literary Harlem
AALBC.com participated last year, and was thoroughly impressed. Visit http://www.aalbc.com/events/harlem5.htm for a report of last year�s event.
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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 and professional writers. There are no membership fees or forms to fill out -- 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