AALBC.com eNewsletter - January 19th 2006

Read our eNewsletter Archives
Subscribe to This Newsletter

Visit our bestseller's page for a number of different lists, including; Top 500 Books for 2005; The Best & Worst Non-Fiction of 2005; A List of the 1,800 Titles Sold in 2005; and The Bestselling Books for Dec and Nov 2005.

We sell books, from our own inventory, on-line, during book fairs, events and our own AALBC.com Literary Salons.  We also sell books via the Amazon, and Barnes & Noble.com affiliate programs.

We, undoubtedly, sell more books, indirectly.  We've sold hundreds of memberships to Blackexpressions Book Club over the years, and refer visitors to literally hundreds of other authors web sites and on-line retailers like CushCity.com.  Referrals from "Thumpers Picks", our book club reading list and our discussion boards has spurred many off-line purchases.  One of our primary goals has always been to "satisfy readers� book buying needs".

In December of 1997 we sold our first book online.  Since 1997, the number of different titles we have sold has increased to over 1,800 in 2005 -- virtually all by Black authors.   We thank all of our visitors who make their on-line book purchases via AALBC.com.  Your support is sincerely appreciated. 

Thomas Glave
http://authors.aalbc.com/thomas_glave.htm

Glave has taught at the University of Virginia, Cleveland State, Brown, Indiana, and Naropa Universities, and is presently an assistant professor of English and Africana Studies at the State University of New York, Binghamton.  The recipient of numerous fellowships and awards, including an O. Henry Prize for fiction and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Fine Arts Center in Provincetown.  Glave was named a �Writer on the Verge� by The Village Voice in 2000.  Glave's most recent book Words to Our Now: Imagination and Dissent was published in November 2005 by University of Minnesota Press.

Terrie Williams
http://authors.aalbc.com/terrie_williams.htm

Terrie is a social worker by training. She is a public relations professional by her own design. She is a published author, a sought-after lecturer, a dealmaker, a mentor, an executive coach, and a community activist. First and foremost Terrie Williams is a people person�one who cares about other folks and one who passionately believes that we are here on the planet to hold each other up.

Ronald Kuykendall
http://authors.aalbc.com/ronald_kuykendall.htm

Ron currently teaches in the Social Science Department at Greenville Technical College in South Carolina where his research interests are in the area of radical African-American social and political thought. While Social Crisis and Social Demoralization is his first book, he has previously been published in The Journal of Black Studies and The Western Journal of Black Studies.

Queen Latifah
http://authors.aalbc.com/queen_latifah.htm

Born Dana Elaine Owens, but better known as Queen Latifah, the First Lady of Hip-Hop was also the first rapper to land an Oscar nomination, for the film Chicago. She�s already made another ten movies since, including Bringing Down the House, Barbershop 2, Beauty Shop, Taxi, and The Cookout. Queen Latifah has had numerous biographies written about her life,  However her own book; Ladies First : Revelations of a Strong Woman is the story of a kid from the 'hood, making tough decisions and terrible mistakes -- about sex and drugs.

Broadway�s �The Color Purple� Empowers Many by Jamie Walker
http://aalbc.com/reviews/the_color_purple_on_broadway.htm

Walker�s acclaimed, best-selling novel received the Pulitzer Prize and an American Book Award for fiction in 1983. In 1985, Stephen Spielberg (along with Warner Bros. Pictures) turned the book into �an internationally popular film.�
 

As I read Nick Chiles' article, "Their Eyes Were Reading Smut" (January 4, 2006) I was overcome with feelings of d�j� vu.  His words and experiences echoed my own and those of others who have become frustrated by the preponderance of "street lit" in the marketplace.  Yes, this literature has left the tables of urban street vendors, and it has been integrated into African American literary sections in mainstream and independent bookstores. It has taken over the publishing industry.  The question is why?
 

Directed by Desire: The Collected Poems of June Jordan
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1556592280/ref=nosim/aalbccom-20

Directed by Desire: The Collected Poems of June Jordan gathers the finest work from each of Jordan's ten books of poetry and includes 70 never-before-published poems�a tender, fierce, and innovative series that she wrote during her final years.

As Adrienne Rich writes in her "Foreword":

"June Jordan . . . wrote from her experience in a woman's body and a dark skin, though never solely 'as' or 'for.' Sharply critical of nationalism, separatism, chauvinism of all kinds, as tendencies toward narrowness and isolation, she was too aware of democracy's failures to embrace false integrations. Her poetic sensibility was kindred to Blake's scrutiny of innocence and experience; to Whitman's vision of sexual and social breadth; to Gwendolyn Brooks' and Romare Bearden's portrayals of ordinary black people's lives; to James Baldwin's expression of the bitter contradictions within the republic."

In short, Directed by Desire is a breathtaking overview and the definitive June Jordan volume.

"Today, the legacy of slavery remains etched in our souls. Understanding the role our past plays in our present attitudes, outlooks, mindsets and circumstances is important if we are to free ourselves from the spiritual, mental and emotional shackles that bind us today, shackles that limit what we believe we can be, do and have. Understanding the Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome plays in our evolution may be the key that helps to set us on the path to well-being.� �Read a Review by Kam Williams

Life Is Not a Fairy Tale by Fantasia
http://reviews.aalbc.com/fantasia.htm

"Faith is a legacy for many women in my family, as are the legacies of teen pregnancy, being single mothers, emotional and physical abuse, and poverty.
    We have all survived it because of the church and our powerful belief in God and prayer.

    I have been praising God since I was five years old. I continue to thank and bless Him every day. I could have given up long ago. God has a hand upon my life. God has put me here for a reason. Maybe he has put me here to share what it means to recognize the gifts that God has given you and hold on to them with everything you have.  
    God�s gifts are real.�  �Read a Review by Kam Williams

Mosaic Literary Magazine
http://www.mosaicbooks.com/maginfo.htm

Launched in 1998, Mosaic is a nimble voice exploring the literary landscapes of Black and Latino writers. With a unique blend of contemporary aesthetics, informed essays and profiles, and candid reviews, Mosaic continues its progress towards editorial splendor.

In their short history they have featured such notable writers as Staceyann Chin, Colson Whitehead, Major Jackson, Willie Perdomo, Colin Channer, Roger Bonair-Agard, Sonia Sanchez, bell hooks, and Haki Madhubuti, among others. Subscribe Today

White Rat by Gayl Jones (An AALBC.com Book Club Selection Jan 2006)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0767922131/ref=nosim/aalbccom-20

Originally published in 1977, White Rat contains twelve provocative tales that explore the emotional and mental terrain of a diverse cast of characters, from the innocent to the insane.

In each, Jones displays her unflinching ability to dive into the most treacherous of psyches and circumstances: the title story examines the identity and relationship conundrums of a black man who can pass for white, earning him the name �White Rat� as an infant; �The Women� follows a girl whose mother brings a line of female lovers to live in their home; �Jevata� details eighteen-year-old Freddy�s relationship with the fifty-year-old title character; �The Coke Factory� tracks the thoughts of a mentally handicapped adolescent abandoned by his mother; and �Asylum� focuses on a woman having a nervous breakdown, trying to protect her dignity and her private parts as she enters an institution.

In uncompromising prose, and dialect that veers from northern, educated tongues to down-home southern colloquialisms, Jones illuminates lives that society ignores, moving them to center stage.

AfricaWrites: Heroes, Rituals & Legends
http://www.africawrites.com

"Hello. My name is Patrick Gorham. Please visit my website, AfricaWrites: Heroes, Rituals & Legends. Each month we take viewers on a journey across the deepest interiors of the African continent to rediscover the mysteries, legends and wonder of the African world. It is my goal each month for this website to inspire, uplift, give people a sense of real heroes, fascination in those wonders those yet undiscovered, and to bring back those myths and legends thought forever lost to the pages of history."

AALBC.com welcomes 350,000 to over half a million visitors each month.  There are few, if any, other web sites with the ability to attract so many people who have a keen interest in books written by or about African-Americans.

In additional to being "The Most Popular Web Site Dedicated to Black Books";  AALBC.com is one of the most popular Black web sites of any genre.  AALBC.com's traffic rank compares favorably to a site like Essence.com that has very similar demographics. 

Look for the "Advertise on this site" link found at the bottom of many AALBC.com advertisements.  Click the link and you'll be able to purchase ad space on AALBC.com through Google's Adsense Program.  Just another easy and cost effective way to advertise your business or book on AALBC.com.

Click here to learn how: https://adwords.google.com/select/OnsiteSignupLandingPage?client=ca-pub-7755914545527196&referringUrl=http://aalbc.com/authors/&hl=en&gl=US

To harvest literary excitement among teens and emphasize the vital connection between reading and writing, Barbara Summers, in association with Graphia/Houghton Mifflin, is sponsoring the Open the Unusual Door Essay Contest. Nothing is more fascinating than true life stories, says Barbara Summers, what's yours?

A first, second and third prize of $500, $300, and $200, respectively, will be awarded to the most compelling and best written essays by young people from ages 13 to 18. For more information on how to enter, visit http://www.opentheunusualdoor.com/contest.htm.

For any questions or comments, email contact_info@opentheunusualdoor.com.

Casa Frela Gallery is honored to remember Amadou Bialo Diallo
http://casafrela.gourdom.com/gallery/diallo

Casa Frela Gallery celebrates the life of Amadou Diallo with an art exhibition of paintings and photography. The exhibition commemorates the sixth anniversary of the death of Diallo on February 4, 1999, as a result of police brutality stemming from racial profiling. Ten artists have created ten paintings about Diallo�s life, death, and contributions. Featured artists like Eric Alugas, Katrina Jeffers and many more.. Photographer Jim Carroll has contributed 20 poignant photographs of Amadou Diallo�s funeral procession. The exhibition runs at Casa Frela from Saturday, February 4th through Tuesday, February 28th. Please join us for the opening reception on Saturday, February 4th from 3-8pm. 

(AALBC.com will be present for the opening reception on Saturday, February 4th from 3-8pm.)

AALBC.com Discussion Board Commentary on "Their Eyes Were Reading Smut"
http://www.thumperscorner.com/discus/messages/1/8893.html?1136597432

"I've got a hell of a lot to say on this subject. Why can't we just be black writers and not tear each other down? I mean I'm not happy that a groupie with a pen is the talk of the literary world, but I'm not going to knock her hustle. There is a place for all kinds of books. What we as black authors need to do, is educate the general public and each other. We need to stick together. And we need to like someone else said, promote ourselves by any means necessary. If your work is all that, then get off your butt, and into the streets and put it into the hands of people who need it. This is a business. You better handle your own business, because no one will hype you better than you can hype yourself".  �Metasmith
 

Oprah's Book Selection a fraud?
http://www.thumperscorner.com/discus/messages/1/9218.html?1137429981

"I'm sure many of you have heard by now that Oprah's pick of A Million Little Pieces has been labeled as a fraud. Book frauds always seem to spark good discussions on the board.  Does the author's half-truths change the impact of the words?" �Brian_egeston
 

A Question for Zadie Smith fans
http://www.thumperscorner.com/discus/messages/1/8793.html?1136309884

"I just read a review in a recent issue of "Atlantic" magazine wherein the reviewer stated that White Teeth, Zadie Smith's first novel, was in fact a hodgepodge of styles she clipped from different writers. In fact, the reviewer stated that Smith herself has advanced this view of the book in a self review.

This book was a literary bombshell--people far and wide were holding up Smith as the Great Black Hope of Literature--is the reviewer correct?" �Chrishayden

Authors introduce your book to thousands of AALBC.com visitors for free; I encourage you to mention your book on our discussion boards: http://www.thumperscorner.com/discus you can include a graphic and even link to your web site.