Mine

https://aalbc.com/tc/events/event/267-chili-skype-goodbye/

Outsidethebeautybox

https://www.tumblr.com/communities/black-artist-on-tjambler/post/788689832295677952/goodbye-skype?source=share

These are the four spike lee films I will show others and say I like at least with no question. 

• I love four little girls for me Spike's best work
• I like Malcolm X though the cast does brillianlty, and I think his cameo hurts the film
• I like get on the bus, ozzie davis i am a fan of
• I like inside man but he didn't write it

I admittedly am not a fan of the black black urban drama:) Here is my complete take queried by a member of the community. Pioneer1

https://aalbc.com/tc/topic/11705-sinners-evil-cannot-happen-without-your-consenttrue-or-false/#findComment-75027

IN AMENDMENT

I add, when the levees broke

the huey p newton story

With promises of
Your preferred apology
To unlock inside each other
https://www.deviantart.com/whiterosewhispers/art/Fire-and-Ice-1032411242

when that hush of the universe
for the coming and the departed
present myself a garden of irony
eons will pass so inevitably
...
between the lines of my favorite poem
all the lines you trace on my skin
of everything i thought was true
is finally enough to make time
of all the times i twisted into you
https://www.deviantart.com/zoeweems/art/eulogy-of-the-willow-tree-1038699808

IN AMENDMENT

Cento List - enjoy the poetry
https://aalbc.com/tc/search/?q=cento&quick=1&type=calendar_event&nodes=5&updated_after=any&sortby=newest
Enjoy the 2023 Centos
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/richard-murray-centos-2023

Epub link
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/poetry-or-more-1
Epub series 
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/series/richard-murray-short-story-collection

Audiobook link
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobook/the-last-flail
Audiobook series 
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/series/richard-murray-tip-jar-audios

If you really want to follow what I am doing please subscribe to my calendars. I wish I would had used the calendar tool with all my work from the beginning. Like alot of the internet I didn't really think on it when I started, like with many I just started using. Why do we create linearly when a lot of times, what I have to say is repeats from yesteryear. 
Richard Murray's Work Calendar
webcal://aalbc.com/tc/events/5-rmworkcalendar/download/?member=6477&key=9b0dbd4939faea9d5408174d9601d576

or

https://aalbc.com/tc/events/5-rmworkcalendar/download/?member=6477&key=9b0dbd4939faea9d5408174d9601d576
Richard Murray's Community Calendar
webcal://aalbc.com/tc/events/7-rmcommunitycalendar/download/?member=6477&key=9b0dbd4939faea9d5408174d9601d576

or

https://aalbc.com/tc/events/7-rmcommunitycalendar/download/?member=6477&key=9b0dbd4939faea9d5408174d9601d576

SETTING

Long after the fall of the Constellamperor, the last ruler of the whole world, who legend says began the Tactile Virus plague. The planet is broken up into two things. Second , The Urban Commands, self isolating city states, born from a heritage of surviving the ever mutating virus with walls plus fire plus suits. They are self sufficient in purpose, socialist in racial ranking , militaristic in communal structure,  merit based in human relationship. Consummation has a space, Leaders have a space, everywhere else are barracks. All children, Initiates, are raised together. All Initiates get a rearing to gain at least one Utility. A communal structure maintained out of successful habit.  First, The Untouchable World, the lush fertile lands or seas or skies the Urban Commands are dotted in. Where few are mysterious figures who are only known through legends or myths or gossip to Urbaners or Untouchables. Where most are Untouchables, the descendants of species infected by the virus who gained herd immunity but can still spread it with a touch. Most Untouchables live unknown to the Urbaners. A few Untouchables from plants to insects live just beyond the walls of Urban Commands are flow seasonally to said walls.  In this landscape exist Urban Command 259 whose comrades have to maintain their growing city, continue their way of life, defend from the seasonal threats in the Untouchable World.

referral to contest
https://www.deviantart.com/drthomasstockmann/journal/Writing-Challenge-Part-1-World-Building-1204683561

forum post

https://aalbc.com/tc/topic/11724-a-story-for-aalbc-part-1/

FOR Black Artist Of Tumblr

SETTING
It is 1960's Harlem(Black Mecca), New York City. Most businesses in the Black Mecca are white owned. Adam Clayton Powell jr will lead protests to get them to hire black people. Robert F Wagner jr ended Tammany Hall's dominance over the city, Lindsey would witness the murder of Malcolm + MLK . The Five Families had ten years before the RICO act to run the underworld absent federal intervention. Johnson and Johnson in New Jersey and Pfizer downtown Manhattan dominate the pharmaceutical industry. But, a drug has arrived from the underworld of Harlem that has become the drug of choice in the city,generating growing number of tourist. Rich or poor, black or white, twenty somethings or silverhaired, love the drug. The Black Drug Dealers who produce it want to keep the business, but they don't have the resources to expand it. Their local rivals want to help them lose it, but can't afford to sell out. The government through the NYPD wants a bigger cut of the profits, but has to keep it away from the courts. The mob wants to manage its operation, but the family that controls the region hasn't been able to uncover the operation even through bloody means. The pharmaceuticals want to know everything about it, and are willing to spend untold sums to get any services needed to accomplish their task. Those who created the drug want to disconnect the trail to them and remain anonymous, but have to risk being exposed to do so. 

referral to contest
https://www.deviantart.com/drthomasstockmann/journal/Writing-Challenge-Part-1-World-Building-1204683561

Community Post
https://www.tumblr.com/communities/black-artist-on-tjambler/post/788894036062879745/a-story-for-black-artist-of-tumblr?source=share

FOR MidnightHour

SETTING
The house of representative floor of the USA. The president of the USA will make a speech, interrupted. 
Then a dancer will introduce a film the house will watch. The film will play. 
The film involves a chivalric variation of modernity where Burlesque performers battle each other for the votes of the people among two competing crowds. 

referral to contest
https://www.deviantart.com/drthomasstockmann/journal/Writing-Challenge-Part-1-World-Building-1204683561

Community Post
https://www.tumblr.com/communities/midnight-hour/post/788894363535147008/a-story-for-midnighthour?source=share

FOR Film Noir Pigeons

SETTING
The technological capability of machines led to the USA providing Universal Basic Income (UBI) to maintain financial balance with the new technology. China followed. Nuclear Powers: USA/China/Russia/England/India/Pakistan/Israel/North Korea and the European Union(EU) all became founding signatories to the Second Non Proliferation Treaty (SNPT). 
The treaty: allow only the nine nuclear powers[ France through the EU] the ability to have UBI, 
demand the EU put an interminable block on new membership, 
make immigration to or fro plus cryptocurrency activity in the nine founding signatories illegal, 
demand all non founding signatories make UBI illegal in their law,  
accept cryptocurrencies only if pegged to the USA dollar or Chinese Renminbi, 
demand any and all accepted cryptocurrencies are legal to signatories who are not founding signatories,
NYC+ Hong Kong became the only two cities in the world where legal cryptocurrencies by the SNPT can be converted into a currency, no other cities are allowed. Hong Kong can only do Renminbi while NYC can only do US Dollars. Mexico/Saudi Arabia/Singapore/Brazil all became signatories followed by most governments barring Cuba/South Sudan/East Timor. In the founding states, people no longer have to work, real estate/utilities/food are stabilized plus affordable, healthcare is universal.  Government Agent/Athlete/Prostitution/Scholars (The GAPS) are the only official human professions left. In the second signer states, a complex web of cryptomarkets replaced all stock or bond or futures markets. Resources or fortunes are won or lost every second. 

referral to contest
https://www.deviantart.com/drthomasstockmann/journal/Writing-Challenge-Part-1-World-Building-1204683561

Community Post
https://www.tumblr.com/communities/filmnoirpigeons/post/788894707885473792/a-story-for-film-noir-pigeons?source=share

Part 1

https://aalbc.com/tc/events/event/403-community-stories-001-part-1/

Part 2

https://aalbc.com/tc/events/event/407-community-stories-001-part-2/

part 3
https://aalbc.com/tc/events/event/408-community-stories-001-part-3/

Title: Calligraphy Mirror- Kiss of a dagger

Artist: me

Original Posting

https://aalbc.com/tc/blogs/entry/194-richard-murray-creative-table/page/5/?tab=comments#comment-574

EMBED CODE

Animal BFF 

Title: Wantagh's Cat

I hear on the beach the following whisperings
Asunal Oolihkmbuyal
Asunal Wiipongweewal
Wantagh Nzuksew

I made a graphite drawing, developed a poem based on that drawing, and then an ink and then colored the ink. I wanted to use the indigenous language of NYC which is Muscee, of the original inhabitants of NYC, where we get the words Manhattan, Wantagh, Montauk from. 
I do not know Muscee and I can not confirm what I read is correct. But from what I comprehend of Muscee, I translated the following into Muscee

The Waters are Blue
The Rocks are Grey 
Wantagh is Black 

SUBMISSION
https://www.deviantart.com/hddeviant/art/Animal-Best-Friend-Forever-Submission-885747866
ORIGINAL INK
https://www.deviantart.com/hddeviant/art/Animal-Best-Friend-Forever-Original-INK-885748190
ORIGINAL GRAPHITE
https://www.deviantart.com/hddeviant/art/Animal-Best-Friend-Forever-Source-Graphite-885748474

I learned the Muscee from the website the following webpage is a part of
http://www.native-languages.org/munsee.htm

Original Post

https://aalbc.com/tc/profile/6477-richardmurray/?status=1571&type=status

EMBED CODE

INFO FOR PHOTO

• My love @thepinupnoire at the Swann awards 2023 in Paris, at the Automobile club de France, Concorde square.

•• Pic by @thestoryalist

••• Dandy Magazine celebrated its 20th anniversary with an AMAZING event/Gala.

https://thepinupnoire.tumblr.com/post/730999305775824896

if you want your own , I do commissions 

https://www.deviantart.com/hddeviant/commission/Microcalligraphy-signatures-1487995

Complete Information on Calligraphy post

Calligraphy Mirror - Angelique Noire 09/08/2019 - RMWorkCalendar - African American Literature Book Club

Her tumblr archive- really great images and not just of her

https://thepinupnoire.tumblr.com/archive

Her images on her husbands tumblr

https://guillaume-bo.tumblr.com/search/angelique

COMMENTS IN ARTICLE
Fan fiction is a hot button for many professional writers. Broadly speaking, if the fan fiction is written by a non-professional and is non-commercial then it is more likely to be considered fair use, an exception to infringement. However, even if the work is not professional and not commercial, many writers consider fan fiction an infringement.
My purpose in writing this post is to make writers aware that their characters can have individual protections. It is a concept that should be considered when licensing the work, in an option agreement for instance. I have seen requests from producers to option not just the work, but certain characters in the work. Writers need to consider how they want to deal with those requests when they come. You do not need a multi-million dollar franchise to start thinking about it.

I will say one thing first, lawyers always reveal the most interesting legal battles in various subjects. I knew of none of these incidents. Thank you Ms/Mrs Goldman and as always thank you Jane Friedman for sharing. 
I admit I wanted to have my first fan fiction this year and I failed. I like to create something I never did before each year.  But this article made me realize I made two errors. 
My first error was my inability to make a fan fiction. I am an original creator and every time I tried i kept making a world or characters that have no plot connection to the source fiction or characters. Imagine a story supposed to be set in the same world as harry potter but is primarily concerned with a magical detective agency in calcutta during the mughal era where the magicians don't use wands and the plot never goes to europe or the usa or mentions any spells in harry potter or any of the references of the movies or books. Is that fan fiction? or merely fiction that a writer has to say is based in the harry potter world?   
But after this article, I made a second. I didn't put enough thought into the whole activity of fan fiction, especially to work that is not in a public domain. I am glad I failed to continue the use of the world or characters in the material I wanted to make fan fiction for. I still will like to try it. but I will start with a better dialog with the author. that is first 

from

Richard Murray

Are Fictional Characters Protected Under Copyright Law?
July 14, 2021 by Kathryn Goldman

Today’s post is from intellectual property attorney Kathryn Goldman (@KathrynGoldman) of the Creative Law Center.

Jack Ryan, the analytical, yet charming CIA analyst, made an appearance in federal court in Maryland earlier this year. The heirs to Tom Clancy’s literary legacy are fighting over him. Unlike in the movies, he’s not in a great position to fight back.

It all started when Clancy signed the publishing deal for The Hunt for Red October where Jack Ryan made his debut in 1984. In a departure from common practice, Clancy transferred his copyright in Red October to the publisher. A few years later, Clancy realized his mistake and was able to negotiate return of the copyright for the book. He immediately transferred the reverted copyright to his company.

Here’s the crux of the current court battle: When Clancy mistakenly transferred his copyright in the book Red October to the original publisher, did the copyright to the character Jack Ryan go with it? Or did Clancy retain the character copyright? In normal practice, the sale of the right to publish a copyrighted story does not stop the author from using its characters in future works.

If Clancy retained the rights to the character when he signed the initial publishing contract, then the rights that reverted from the publisher would not have included the copyright for the character. The reverted rights Clancy turned around and transferred into his company would not have included the character rights. All of which means that the character, Jack Ryan, is part of Clancy’s estate and not controlled by the company he set up.

Jack Ryan is a valuable character with his own copyright separate from the copyright in the book. Everybody concerned, the owners of the company and the heirs to the estate, wants a piece of him, or all of him. And it’s not clear where Mr. Ryan currently resides.

Fictional characters are not listed in the copyright statute as a separate class of protectable work. There’s no application at the Copyright Office for them. But over the years, the law on character protection has evolved.

Courts have held, in certain circumstances, that fictional characters are protectable in their own right.

This is important because characters with independent copyright can be licensed separately from the stories in which they originally appeared. It’s another way for authors to divide their rights to create multiple income streams. That’s the beauty of copyright. It’s divisible. An author can keep some rights and license others. It’s what Clancy did and his company/estate is still doing with the Jack Ryan franchise.

Not every character can be protected by copyright. Stock characters cannot be protected—a drunken old bum, a slippery snake oil salesman, a hooker with a heart of gold, a wicked stepmother, a gypsy fortune teller, and so on. They are essentially ideas for characters, vague and lightly sketched. Copyright does not give anyone a monopoly on ideas. Protecting stock characters would prevent as yet untold stories from being told. Depriving the world of new stories is exactly the opposite of what copyright is intended to promote—the creation of more stories, more art.

A character must be well delineated to be protected.
It must have consistent and identifiable character traits and attributes so it is recognizable wherever it appears. Think James Bond and his distinctive character traits: his cool demeanor; his overt sexuality; his love of martinis “shaken, not stirred”; his marksmanship; his “license to kill”; his physical strength; and his sophistication. Bond is protected by copyright. The Bond character is identifiable regardless of who depicts him.

Defining the well-delineated character can be difficult. Characters that are central to a story tend to change. They evolve. They are built up throughout the book until they are fully formed in the mind of the reader. Without character transformation there is no hero’s journey, no story. Characters can become more delineated and more protectable over the course of a series of books. Bond developed over the course of 14 books written by Ian Fleming and continues to develop on film.

Characters that are less developed are less likely to be protected. Those characters are less expression and more idea. There’s a gray area that needs to be navigated when balancing the protection for original characters but leaving character ideas in the public domain free for all to use.

Public domain characters cannot be protected
But new characters created from public domain works can be protected. Consider Enola Holmes, the younger sister of Sherlock. The Sherlock Holmes stories have been slipping into the public domain for years now, to the chagrin of the estate of Arthur Conan Doyle. The creative elements of Sherlock Holmes stories that are in the public domain can be used by others to build new stories.

Enola Holmes was introduced to readers in a series of young adult books written by Nancy Springer. Enola does not exist in the Conan Doyle canon; she was created by Springer. She has distinctive traits (high intelligence, keen observational skills and insight, skills in archery, fencing, and martial arts, an independent thinker who defies Victorian norms for women) that combine to make her well delineated and protectable.

Another wrinkle: “The story being told” test
The “well delineated character” is the most widely accepted legal test used to decide whether a fictional character is protected by copyright, but it is not the only one. The other is “the story being told” test. Sam Spade is responsible for this test.

Dashiell Hammett created Sam Spade when he wrote The Maltese Falcon. Hammett licensed the exclusive rights to use the book in movies, radio, and television to Warner Brothers. Hammett later wrote other stories with Sam Spade. Warner Bros. complained that it owned exclusive rights to the character and Hammett couldn’t write about him anymore.

Ironically, the court protected Hammett’s right as the creator to use Sam Spade in future stories by deciding that the character was not protected by copyright. Sam Spade is just a vehicle for telling the story and is not the story itself. He is the chessman in the game of telling the story. It was the story that was licensed to Warner Bros., not the chessman.

A character is protected under the “story being told” test when he dominates the story in a way that there would be no story without him. This test sets a high bar for character protection. To protect the character, the story would essentially have to be a character study. The Maltese Falcon is not a character study of Sam Spade.

An example of character protection using the “story being told test” is the Rocky franchise. A screenwriter wrote a story on spec using the characters Rocky, Adrian, Apollo Creed, and Paulie. The work was considered to be an infringing use of the characters. The characters were protected because the movies focused on the characters and their relationships, not on intricate plot or story lines. The characters were the story being told. The writer could not avoid the infringement touchpoint of substantial similarity when he took the characters and used them in a new storyline.

In summary
Fictional characters can lead a new and independent life completely separate from the original work in which they appear. They are an additional creative asset in a writer’s intellectual property portfolio. There is no straight forward way to register for character protection with the Copyright Office other than as part of the larger work. Authors will be well served to think about protecting the rights in their characters when signing publishing contracts and licensing agreements.

Kathryn Goldman
Kathryn Goldman is an intellectual property attorney and Editor-in-Chief at the Creative Law Center. She represents, writes for, and teaches creatives and entrepreneurs about copyright and content protection, trademark basics and branding, and business building. She can be reached at Kathryn@creativelawcenter.com.

ARTICLE LINK
https://www.janefriedman.com/are-fictional-characters-protected-under-copyright-law/

COMMENT ON FACEBOOK POST 
Wiley Saichek
Jane Friedman My client Chelsea Quinn Yarbro (we ran an excerpt from her book on writing a few years ago) is one of those writers who are extremely protective of her characters and does not grant anyone the usage of her characters in fan fiction, even in amateur publications, not for profit outlets. From her point of view and her lawyers at the times, distribution is a key factor, not whether the infringing fan writer makes any money off of it.
My personal suggestion is if anyone wants to use a character they did not create, ask the copyright holder's permission and respect their decision. I.e. Quinn has written stories in the Holmes universe but got permission from the estate and had rules to follow.
Quinn's most serious case of infringement happened in the 1990s, she wrote two essays about it in a SF publication in 1992. In her case she was asked and said no, and the fan writer wrote it anyway and it ran in a fanzine with a note acknowledging CQY declined permission but they were going to run it anyway and hope she will forgive them. I think they actually used three of her recurring characters.
Many fans and writers disagree with how she handled it, but she has zero sense of humor about it.

FACEBOOK Link
https://www.facebook.com/jane.friedman/posts/10159604823112417?__cft__[0]=AZXv6tqLEho3qt9e6ECOp5g8Bm4JmEefiGUqUC07rvEpR6crPews6VYpt6oZ--49mda_yRlyZRU7ZZzwkjlNy5dcdppQGrPoVf3IqR2fe0CYcoVHMDkNisftkhyxdUO_YtU&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R

Original Post

https://aalbc.com/tc/profile/6477-richardmurray/?status=1572&type=status

PROTAGONIST

Unknown name is a married midde aged man, of the Utility Farmer, many consider the best cook in the command; his wife is a multiutility Farmer+Entertainer, she makes street art. His wife side him have two children. One, a boy, is an Initiate, while the other, a girl, is in the Kindergarten. Their male child's teachers say he is talented in all utilities. While the teachers say their female child has a comforting touch of a healer. He has never ventured outside the Command, nor is he a great fighter. Loyal to the chain of command.

referral to contest

https://www.deviantart.com/hddeviant/journal/Writing-Challenge-Part-2-Protagonist-1212132548

forum post

https://aalbc.com/tc/topic/11728-a-story-for-aalbc-part-2/

FOR Black Artist Of Tumblr

PROTAGONIST
Unknown name is a Black Swede, in his thirties,  who runs a drug dealing outfit in Harlem in Manhattan in NYC in the 1960s. It operates in the domain of the  Genovese crime family of the Five Families. The outfit is making so much money, they have an arrangement with a former local rival, Copeland's gang , to run all the numbers and dice and other gambling in Harlem if they support the outfit when called. The Black Swede know English/Swedish/German/Latin. Fully trust his lieutenants because he has to regardless if he wants. Has ambitions for the outfit but doesn't let ambition deny a modern situation or create a faulty strategy. 
His lieutenants are
A white Swedish former maid he has known for years. Don't know her relationship to Black Swede yet.
Tex and Sug, an old black couple, Tex does accounting for the outfit while Sug is a school teacher, hired by Richard Green, the first Black school chancellor of NYC , hired by Robert Wagner.
Stephanie and Bump- two former rulers of Black underground life in harlem, now silverhaired and a reunited coupe, but financiers to the outfit,and are positively connected to all the churches or other places of worship in Harlem alongside all the community advocates from Garveyites to NAACP members or Black Panthers for Self Defense. 

referral to contest

https://www.deviantart.com/hddeviant/journal/Writing-Challenge-Part-2-Protagonist-1212132548

Community Post
https://www.tumblr.com/communities/black-artist-on-tjambler/post/789288537445089280/a-story-for-black-artist-of-tumblr-02

FOR MidnightHour

PROTAGONIST

Socialist Ama , a burlesque swordswoman. Uses the NYC code of conduct to battle burlesque to acquire the adoration of the most people sequentially,  winning the right for her laws to be implemented. In her early thirties, she is ready to fight. She uses radical burlesque techniques which are fan favorites for the youngest voters. Flamboyant in all things. She uses a foil sword. Performing for socialist causes to finally get their due in the city. 

referral to contest

https://www.deviantart.com/hddeviant/journal/Writing-Challenge-Part-2-Protagonist-1212132548

Community Post
https://www.tumblr.com/communities/midnight-hour/post/789288897647673344/a-story-for-midnighthour-part-2?source=share

FOR Film Noir Pigeons

PROTAGONIST

Unknown name is a cryptocracker, a private detective for crypto cases in a Universal Basic Income (UBI( country. He lives in New York City (NYC) the only city in the world where crypto currencies can be exchanged for dollar currency.  Black man, between late thirties to early forties, unmarried. He lives with his parents in an apartment. He has past experience with a woman, black, late thirties to early forties; she is a female courier from Brasil who makes transaction of crypto currencies into us dollars. His secretary is a woman, black, mocha complexion, married to a scholar who is an ardent supporter of the second non proliferation treaty SNPT for the advantages it will give their children. He drinks tea. For alcohol he likes Hot Sex from Bartender's Trading. He rides a custom Citroen DS Décapotable Cabriolet d'Usine Electrogenic.

referral to contest

https://www.deviantart.com/hddeviant/journal/Writing-Challenge-Part-2-Protagonist-1212132548

Community Post
https://www.tumblr.com/communities/filmnoirpigeons/post/789289180915204096/a-story-for-film-noir-pigeons-part-2?source=share

Part 1

https://aalbc.com/tc/events/event/403-community-stories-001-part-1/

Part 2

https://aalbc.com/tc/events/event/407-community-stories-001-part-2/

part 3
https://aalbc.com/tc/events/event/408-community-stories-001-part-3/

ANTAGONIST

The Untouchable World, the overwhelming majority of the world. It is sparsely speckled by Urban Commands. An expanse that has developed in unknown ways to the Urbaners and because of that has unknown dangers. An expanse that is the home to Untouchables, lineages of many species plant or animal or fungus mutated by the Tactile Virus; said Untouchables are now immune to the Tactile Virus through herd immunity and sometimes make up the landscape, sometimes live in it. The awareness or purpose of Untouchable species are not catalogued, listed, or usually comprehended by Urbaners. The Tactile Virus is carried by all in the Untouchable World and thus makes the Untouchable World dangerous to any who have not been infected which is most Urbaners and every Urbaner of Urban Command 259. The Untouchable world has Roamers, mysterious figures whose identity, allegiance, purposes are usually unknown to Urbaners or Untouchables alike making them a danger to both. 

referral to contest

https://www.deviantart.com/hddeviant/journal/Writing-Challenge-Part-3-Antagonist-1212132850

forum post

https://aalbc.com/tc/topic/11729-a-story-for-aalbc-part-3/

FOR Black Artist Of Tumblr

ANTAGONIST

An unknown middle aged European individual,who is very concerned about exposure,  is watching the events in HArlem for their own agenda. They will use and manipulate or hinder the following set of antagonist to achieve their goal.
The Genovese crime family that governs most of Manhattan, including Harlem, wants control of the new drug from Harlem. It is led by Eboli, the current capo. Eboli has put Lombardo in charge, Lombardo worked his way from soldier to a junior capo. Lombardo has experience working around Harlem. 
Pfizer has a new CEO in John Powers jr and he has constructed a new office downtown Manhattan. Pfizer has taken an economic hit recently and  he wants to regain momentum lost.  He wants everything about the illegal drug in Harlem for Pfizer.
Johnson and Johnson in New Jersey have a new CEO Philip B Hofmann who has started his tenure with success and wants to squeeze pharmaceutical rivals. He wants everything about the illegal drug in Harlem for Johnson and Johnson.
The NYPD have suffered a blow with the end of Tammany Hall by mayor Robert Wagner jr and want a greater cut of the new illegal drug market in Harlem. 

referral to contest

https://www.deviantart.com/hddeviant/journal/Writing-Challenge-Part-3-Antagonist-1212132850

Community Post
https://www.tumblr.com/communities/black-artist-on-tjambler/post/789290107159134208/a-story-for-black-artist-of-tumblr-03?source=share

FOR MidnightHour

ANTAGONIST

Sergeant Erica , a burlesque swordswoman. Uses the NYC code of conduct to battle burlesque to acquire the adoration of the most people sequentially,  winning the right for her laws to be implemented. In her sixties, she is very experienced in managing the biggest contingents of fans in the city, from the financial well to do or law enforcement. She uses a foil. Is a standard performer. Performing to retain the laws she won in a prior Battle Royal. 

referral to contest

https://www.deviantart.com/hddeviant/journal/Writing-Challenge-Part-3-Antagonist-1212132850

Community Post
https://www.tumblr.com/communities/midnight-hour/post/789290513756979200/a-story-for-midnighthour-part-3?source=share

FOR Film Noir Pigeons

ANTAGONIST

An unknown has committed a crime. The potential culprits are:
Someone at the exchange, the only exchange where cyptocurrency can be exchanged for dollars. A teller or the manager. 
Father Pedro, a catholic clergyman who publicly protests the second non proliferation treaty as inhumane. 
A former realtor for the Corcoran group who never recovered the losses from the abrupt move to the SNDT and lives indebted with anger.
A doctor just back from a profitable vacation in the 
The female courier from brazil
the cryptocracker from nyc

referral to contest

https://www.deviantart.com/hddeviant/journal/Writing-Challenge-Part-3-Antagonist-1212132850

Community Post
https://www.tumblr.com/communities/filmnoirpigeons/post/789291414477471744/a-story-for-film-noir-pigeons-part-3?source=share

Part 1

https://aalbc.com/tc/events/event/403-community-stories-001-part-1/

Part 2

https://aalbc.com/tc/events/event/407-community-stories-001-part-2/

part 3
https://aalbc.com/tc/events/event/408-community-stories-001-part-3/

PRAISE

from Remivan [ https://www.deviantart.com/remivan ]

Thank you for this incredibly detailed and helpful "tutorial" on crafting antagonists! While I’m unable to participate in the challenge (as I use AI in my writing process, which goes against the rules), I found the insights truly invaluable.

You’ve given me a new perspective on my story analytics. Some pieces reach tens of thousands of views, yet engagement (likes/favorites) remains quite modest. It made me wonder: could the lack of a strong, well-defined antagonist-driven conflict be a factor? Honestly, I rarely use this trope intentionally—even in real life, I don’t tend to see clear-cut ‘villains,’ just complex human motivations.

But your breakdown—especially distinguishing an antagonist’s goal (their core desire) from their role (actions taken to achieve it, including opposing the protagonist)—was revelatory! I’ll consciously integrate this technique into future stories and tune my LLMs to craft deeper, motivationally grounded antagonists using your guidelines (tying them to the setting, profession, and personal aims).

A question for the tutorial creators or community: Are there specialized frameworks, system prompts, or best practices for writers like me who use AI assistance? Anything to help weave character-building techniques (like antagonist development) into collaborative human-AI workflows to strengthen narrative conflict? I’d deeply appreciate any tips or resources!

Thanks again for this installment—immensely inspiring, even as a non-participant!

https://www.deviantart.com/comments/1/1212132850/5224464795

from Essence Magazine
We are saddened to report that Assata Shakur, revolutionary, activist, and author, has passed away. 
Born JoAnne Chesimard, she rose as a leading member of the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army, fighting for justice and freedom. 
A political exile in Cuba since 1984, her life embodied resistance, resilience, and the unyielding pursuit of liberation. Her legacy lives on in the generations she inspired to stand tall in the face of oppression.
The best way to honor here is with a quote we all should by: 
“It is our duty to fight for our freedom.  It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains.”
Rest in power, Assata.

https://www.essence.com/cuba-says-returning-assata-shakur-us-off-the-table/

Cuba Says Returning Assata Shakur to U.S. Is 'Off the Table' Assata Shakur has been living in Cuba since 1977, when she escaped imprisonment after she was convicted of killing a U.S. state trooper By Taylor Lewis · Updated October 27, 2020 Despite improved relations between the United States and Cuba, Cuban officials have no plans to turn American fugitive Assata Shakur over to the U.S. Shakur, the first woman to be placed on the FBI’s most wanted list, has been at large since 1977, four years after she was arrested on charges of killing a New Jersey State Trooper. However, many believe that Shakur, who had strong affiliations with the Black Panther Party, was framed by COINTELPRO, an anti-liberation government organization. After the shooting, her fingerprints were never found on the gun, and there was no trace of gunpowder on her hands. With the help of the Black Panthers, Shakur escaped prison and fled to Cuba, where she has been living freely ever since. Cuba officially granted her political asylum in 1984, though the United States is determined to see her back on American soil, issuing multiple warrants for her arrest.  President Obama announced in December that the two countries have restored relations, even releasing political prisoners from both sides. But, the chances that Cuba will agree to turn over Shakur are slim. Earlier this week, Gustavo Machin, deputy director for American affairs at the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told Yahoo! News, “I can say it is off the table. There are very serious doubts about that case. We consider that a politically motivated case against that lady.” The U.S. has not responded to Machin’s statement.

https://www.essence.com/assata-shakur-facts-call-return-from-cuba/

8 Things to Know About Assata Shakur and the Calls to Bring Her Back from Cuba By Paula Rogo · Updated October 26, 2020 Every few years, it’s not uncommon to see Assata Shakur’s name back in the news headlines. Shakur is a revolutionary Black icon, whose legend has evolved into making her a patron saint of Black rebellion in the last half-century. The Queens, N.Y, native has been living in Cuba for over 30 years, after having escaped from the prison where she was serving a sentence for allegedly killing a New Jersey state trooper in 1973. 5399089366001 In 2017, President Trump announced that the US would impose new limits on US travelers to Cuba, adding that the US would consider lifting those and other restrictions only after certain changes were made — including returning American fugitives like Shakur. “The harboring of criminals and fugitives will end,” Trump said to Cuba. “You have no choice. It will end.” Cuba pushed back, refusing to hand her over, and adding another chapter to Shakur’s revolutionary life. The island has long been a haven for African-Americans who’ve committed “political crimes” or domestic “terrorism” (In the 1960s, Black Panthers such as Eldridge Cleaver, Huey Newton and Raymond Johnson all spent time in Cuba). A mystic lore now surrounds Shakur, both in her four-decade evasion of law enforcement — she was the first woman to ever make the FBI’s most wanted terrorist list — as well as her proximity to hip-hop royalty — she is step-aunt and godmother to the late Tupac Shakur. Here are eight things to know about her: 1. What’s in a Name? Shakur was born Joanne Deborah Chesimard, in Jamaica, Queens. She changed her name to Assata Shakur in 1971. “The name JoAnne began to irk my nerves,” she writes in her autobiography. “I had changed a lot and moved to a different beat. I didn’t feel like no JoAnne, or no Negro, or no Amerikan. I felt like an African woman. My mind, heart, and soul had gone back to Africa but my name was still stranded in Europe somewhere.” 2. The Revolution Article continues after video. Shakur joined the Black Panthers in the late 1960s while in her 20s, but eventually became disillusioned with the direction of the organization and left. She then became a member of the Black Liberation Army (BLA), another militant Black organization that believed in open resistance. 3. Her Alleged Crimes On May 2, 1973, Shakur and two members of the BLA were pulled over by state troopers in New Jersey. State Trooper Werner Foerster and one BLA member were killed. While police maintain that Shakur is responsible in Foerster’s death, she has consistently denied the accusation. In 1977, Shakur was convicted on one murder charge and six assault charges and sentenced to life in prison. But there is much evidence to suggest the trial was not fair; her lawyer called the trial “a legal lynching and a kangaroo court.” She escaped in 1979 with the assistance of BLA members posing as visitors to the prison. 4. Fidel Steps In Shakur was granted asylum by Fidel Castro in 1984. 5. FBI’s Most Wanted In May 2013, the 40th anniversary of her arrest, she became the first woman ever to be named on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list. There is a $2 million federal and state reward for her arrest. 6. Extradition Over the years, politicians have called for her extradition from Cuba, including Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, and most recently President Trump. 7. ‘She Is Innocent’ Many prominent Black thinkers and leaders have also maintained her innocence. Angela Davis, for example, has said that Shakur is a little threat to the U.S. government: “Assata is not a threat. She is innocent,” she has said. “People really don’t know the details and are not aware of the extent to which [Shakur] was targeted by the FBI and the COINTEL programme.” 8. Hip-Hop Loves Her Shakur is an icon within hip-hop lore, having been cited in songs like Public Enemy’s “Rebel Without A Pause” to Common’s “A Song for Assata.” Being the godmother and step-aunt to Tupac Shakur also adds to her intrigue.

from NewsOne

Activist, revolutionary, Black Panther Party leader and member of the Black Liberation Army (BLA), Assata Olugbala Shakur, has died at age 78, according to her daughter, Kakuya Shakur, meaning the ancestors have gained a fierce warrior in the fight against white supremacy. May she rest in power. ✊🏾

https://newsone.com/6489574/revolutionary-fighter-for-black-liberation-assata-shakur-dies-at-78/

Revolutionary Fighter For Black Liberation Assata Shakur Dies At 78 Black Liberation Party member Assata Shakur, born JoAnne Deborah Byron, has died at the age of 78, according to family members. Source: Delphine Fawandu / Delphine Fawandu Activist, revolutionary, Black Panther Party leader and member of the Black Liberation Army (BLA), Assata Olugbala Shakur, has died at age 78, according to her daughter, Kakuya Shakur, meaning the ancestors have gained a fierce warrior in the fight against white supremacy. Shakur, born JoAnne Deborah Byron on July 16, 1947, in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens, New York, was the sister of fellow Black liberation movement icon Mutulu Shakur, who died in 2023 at 72, and the godmother and step-aunt of late legendary rapper and actor Tupac Shakur, whose mother, Afeni, was Mutulu’s wife. Assata represents one of the most iconic names associated with the Black Panthers and the fight to truly liberate Black people from white overseers. That is how Black American people see and celebrate her. For America, she’s a far more controversial figure, and to many, she’s a notorious criminal who broke out of prison and fled the country after murdering a police officer, an act that kept her on the FBI’s Most Wanted List and New Jersey’s Most Wanted List until her dying day. According to EBSCO Knowledge Advantage, she was the first woman to be placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted List. On May 2, 1973, Shakur and two other BLA members were pulled over on the New Jersey Turnpike by State Trooper Werner Foerster and another highway officer. A confrontation occurred between the officers and Shakur’s group, which resulted in a shootout that left Forrester and another individual dead. In 2019, FBI’s Special Agent in Charge Gregory Ehrie characterized the shooting as “a heinous execution of a law enforcement officer, cut and dry.” “This is without dispute,” Ehrrie continued. Oh, but this certainly has been disputed. In fact, supporters of Shakur have and continue to argue that the trial was flawed, citing a lack of physical evidence and eyewitness inconsistencies, and the history of efforts by law enforcement, including the FBI, to undermine and outright sabotage the civil rights movement and Black power movements. At any rate, Shakur escaped from prison in 1979 and ultimately sought asylum in Cuba, where she lived out her life. As written by our sister site, Bossip: But despite the government’s efforts to silence her, Assata Shakur’s words and work lived on. Her 1988 autobiography Assata became a blueprint for resistance and self-determination, widely studied by activists, scholars, and young people searching for a voice in the struggle. Her life inspired movements like Assata’s Daughters in Chicago, and her name was shouted in protests in Ferguson and across the world. Assata was a human rights activist and freedom fighter who stood in solidarity with oppressed people worldwide — and for that, her legacy will endure. “People get used to anything. The less you think about your oppression, the more your tolerance for it grows. After a while, people just think oppression is the normal state of things. But to become free, you have to be acutely aware of being a slave,” Shakur once said, according to her book, Assata: An Autobiography. In honor of her legacy, here’s the beautiful tribute to Assata Shakur, her story and her legacy, “A Song for Assata,” by Common. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaqXrT9bU10 Rest well, Assata, and be free.

A SONG FOR ASSATA by COMMON
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaqXrT9bU10

https://newsone.com/2436064/angela-davis-fbi-assata-shakur/

Angela Davis: FBI Targeting Assata Shakur ‘Reflects Very Logic Of Terrorism’ [VIDEO] In an interview from 2013, Angela Davis and Lennox Hinds, Assata Shakur's attorney, discuss Assata being added to the FBI's Most Wanted list. Written by Kirsten West Savali Published on September 26, 2025 UPDATE — Friday, Sept. 26, 2025, 11:12 a.m. EST: Assata Shakur joined the ancestors on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025. In rememberance of her life and her work to liberate Black people, NewsOne is republishing this article and video about her being placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted List. In an interview on Democracy Now with Amy Goodman and Juan González, Davis said that the FBI placing Shakur on its “Most Wanted Terrorists” list, the first  woman to be so designated, “reflects the very logic of terrorism.” “It seems to me that this act incorporates or reflects the very logic of terrorism,” Davis says. “I can’t help but think that it’s designed to frighten people who are involved in struggles today. Forty years ago seems like it was a long time ago. In the beginning of the 21st century, we’re still fighting around the very same issues — police violence, healthcare, education, people in prison.” Davis was joined by Lennox Hinds, Assata Shakur’s attorney since 1973 and professor of criminal justice at Rutgers University, who also said the act is politically motivated: “This is a political act pushed by the state of New Jersey, by some members of Congress from Miami, and with the intent of putting pressure on the Cuban government and to inflame public opinion,” Hinds says. “There is no way to appeal someone being put on the terrorists list.” Shakur, formerly Joanne Chesimard, was a member of the Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army, and the first woman placed on the “Most Wanted Terrorists” list. Shakur, the godmother of slain Hip-Hop artist, poet, actor and activist, Tupac Shakur, is only the second person from inside the United States to be placed on the list. In an unexpected move, the state of New Jersey announced it was adding $1 million to the FBI’s $1 million reward for her capture. Though the politically accepted version of events vilifies Shakur, please read below for the facts. Liberation News reports: Shakur was falsely convicted of having killed an officer on May 2, 1973. While driving on the New Jersey Turnpike, Assata, Zayd Shakur, and Sundiata Acoli were stopped by state troopers, allegedly for having a “faulty taillight.” A shootout ensued where one state trooper killed Zayd Shakur, and another trooper, Werner Foerster, ended up dead. Shakur was charged with both murders, despite the fact that the other trooper, James Harper, admitted he killed Zayd Shakur. Assata had been, following police instructions, standing with her hands in the air, when she was shot by Trooper Harper more than once, including a bullet to the back. Trooper Harper lied and said he had seen Shakur reach for a gun, a claim he later recanted. He also claimed she had been in a firing position, something a surgeon who examined her said was “anatomically impossible.” The same surgeon said it was “anatomically necessary” for her arms to have been raised for her to receive the bullet wounds she did. Tests done by the police found that Shakur had not fired a gun, and no physical or medical evidence was presented by the prosecution to back up their claim that she had fired a gun at Trooper Harper. While she was in trial proceedings, the state attempted to pin six other serious crimes on her, alleging she had carried out bank robberies, kidnappings and attempted killings. She was acquitted three times, two were dismissed and one resulted in a hung jury. Shakur was put on trial in a county where because of pre-trial publicity 70 percent of people thought she was guilty, and she was judged by an all-white jury. Without any physical evidence to present, the prosecution had to rely totally on false statements and innuendo aimed at playing on the prejudices of the jury pool against Black people, political radicals, and Black revolutionaries in particular. Finally, after years behind bars, the state secured her conviction for the Turnpike shooting. In 1979, Shakur escaped from jail and fled to Cuba where she received political asylum and has lived ever since. She once wrote, “I am a 20th century escaped slave. Because of government persecution, I was left with no other choice than to flee from the political repression, racism and violence that dominate the U.S. government’s policy towards people of color.” https://youtu.be/ZCuj2pvFPY4?si=iv61Mja2MPAKZy5A It speaks to the hypocrisy of the United States that there are police officers who have not only killed unarmed, innocent people, but are roaming free and lauded for their bravery. Based on the criteria, there are certain police departments who should be characterized as domestic terror cells. But instead, the FBI is going after a 65-year-old revolutionary who isn’t even guilty and — by international law — has the right to seek political asylum. It is amazing — and pathetic — how swiftly the FBI felt compelled to frame the domestic terrorism conversation around a Black revolutionary living in Cuba, instead of two White men from Boston. Timing is everything — and the timing of this travesty of justice speaks volumes. To show your support and say Hands Off Assata Shakur, sign the Change.org here.

Angela Davis and Assata Shakur's Lawyer Denounce FBI's Adding of Exiled Activist to Terrorist List
https://youtu.be/ZCuj2pvFPY4?si=iv61Mja2MPAKZy5A

In 1987

referral
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/assata-shakur-black-liberation-army-figure-activist-dies-78-rcna233919

THE PROBLEM HUMANITY HAS WITH RICHARD MATHESON'S "I AM LEGEND"

To be honest, the video poster below has flaws. I read "I am legend". MAtheson in the video said the real problem and I amend it is with most of the movies; said problem is,  it isn't his story.

Original Post

https://aalbc.com/tc/profile/6477-richardmurray/?status=1575&type=status

https://aalbc.com/tc/blogs/entry/487-openai-operator/

My , Artist be like, three panel comic
https://www.deviantart.com/hddeviant/art/My-Artists-be-like-886143892

Amidst the hustle or bustle from humanity, if you can focus, and focus some more, you will see an artists, stopping the hustle or bustle for the moment to create can not be stopped for anything

Spider man tutorial 
https://www.deviantart.com/hddeviant/art/My-Tutorial-Spider-man-886143284

For my version, I went through all the steps PAtrick Brown showwcased but in my own way. it is all in one panel and you can see drawing upon former steps for each progression. Not every artists has various pens or pencils or a computer to do these tasks. Most children in humanity have one crayon, how can they make complex drawings, well they can use various draft lines or other techniques to show variance in color, it may not be acceptable in some circles, but it is affordable for all circles. 

Original Post

https://aalbc.com/tc/profile/6477-richardmurray/?status=1577&type=status

EMBED CODE

EMBED CODE

“I Probably Modeled Him on Something I’d Heard on The Wire”
The audiobook industry is collectively squirming through the cultural debate on representation and casting.
BY LAURA MILLER
Twenty years ago, Grover Gardner began narrating a series of comic mysteries whose title character is a white lawyer named Andy Carpenter. In the series—written by David Rosenfelt—Carpenter also has a partner, Willie Miller, who’s a Black ex-con, which means Gardner had to voice Miller too. Back then, he hardly gave any thought to the fact that he was a white narrator voicing a Black man. “I probably modeled him on something I’d heard on television, on Hill Street Blues, or The Wire,” Gardner said. Today, 14 books later, he’s still voicing Willie—but he’s changed his approach. “I’d think very hard about doing that kind of accent now,” he said.
In an era of heightened sensitivity to issues of representation and misrepresentation, it’s no longer acceptable to cast a white actor as a character of color in a movie or TV show. But audiobooks play by different rules. It’s customary now in the audiobook business to try to match a book’s narrator to the gender, race, and sometimes sexual orientation of a novel’s author or main character. Yet most novels feature characters with an assortment of different backgrounds, and this can require narrators to voice characters with identities very different from their own.
When audiobooks first rose to popularity in 1980s, the field was overwhelmingly white. Gardner, who has been an audiobook narrator for four decades and also works as a producer, recalls that, for the first couple of decades of his career, “the whole industry was geared toward middle-aged white businessmen” who listened to “books on tape” while on the road for work. There were hardly any narrators of color, and few female narrators back then, Gardner said. “I recorded Scott Turow’s [1990 novel] Burden of Proof. The narrator of that book is a Latino lawyer,” he told me. “I did it. We did whatever they sent us back then. But I wouldn’t do that book today. You would find a Latino narrator to do it.”
Apart from the amused response to the cartoonish accents Ronan Farrow rolled out when narrating the audio version of his 2019 exposé Catch and Kill, the audiobook world has so far been largely free of the sort of scandals that have triggered reckonings about representation in other creative industries, like magazine publishing and television. This is partly because it’s a low-profile, unglamorous field that doesn’t attract a lot of attention from the press. But many who work in the industry still feel the tensions around casting acutely. Amid a publishing boom in literature by writers of color, nonwhite narrators are being offered more work than they once were. Meanwhile, like most narrators, they find themselves getting asked to voice marginalized characters from backgrounds that bear no resemblance to theirs. January LaVoy, a biracial narrator who identifies as Black, said that cross-cultural audiobook narration is freighted in different ways for white narrators and narrators of color. “For many white narrators, it’s difficult because of fear [of backlash]. For many narrators of color, it’s difficult because of the weight of responsibility.” The industry is grappling with these issues daily. “It’s difficult for everyone,” LaVoy said.
Although some publishers have audiobook divisions, they usually function separately from the print division, and the audio rights for many titles get sold to separate companies such as Brilliance or Blackstone. The producer of an audiobook, who is employed by the publisher, acquires the rights and oversees casting and other big-picture decisions, such as opting for multiple narrators on a novel that often switches points of view.
Michele Cobb, a producer and the executive director of the Audio Publishers Association, told me that she and her colleagues have tried to figure out how they can sensitively ask narrators to provide producers with information about their backgrounds—such as gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability—that can be helpful when casting. Cobb explained that it’s an ongoing challenge to cast appropriate narrators for books by authors of color, while avoiding typecasting. In her own company, which publishes romance audiobooks, “I’ve definitely had authors come back and say, ‘Well, this character is white so I wouldn’t go with a Black narrator,’ ” a choice she feels obliged to respect.
Traditionally, both a director and an engineer, usually both freelancers, work on the recording with the narrator. Director Simone Barros outlined an exhausting list of tasks to me, from making sure the narrator doesn’t skip or add words to researching accurate regional pronunciations and maintaining continuity. “You can get to the last page of the book, and it will mention that a character had a German accent the whole time,” said Barros, speaks with the mile-a-minute lucidness of a person whose job is anticipating every contingency. Barros is of Cabo Verdean descent and identifies as Black.*
In the case of some first-person narrators, such as the one in Charlie Kaufman’s Antkind, an audiobook Barros directed, the book is “written so much within the perspective of the first person that the ethnicity of other characters are specifically heard from the narrator’s perspective of them. More specifically in Antkind, the author’s very point is this shifting, mutable and even unreliable perspective, to shine a light on how too often minority characters go unseen, or only seen or heard through a bias cipher.” But with a book written in the third person, she and her narrator will work up a full voice profile—a cache of recorded dialogue and biographical information—for each speaking character. That way, if, say, a villain appears in a novel’s first few pages only to disappear for several chapters, the narrator and director can remind themselves of what he sounds like. Such profiles are particularly helpful with recurring characters in sequels and series, which may be recorded years later.
In the past, it was largely left up to the professionals behind the scenes to anticipate and head off any problems. Ten years ago, it wasn’t uncommon for a book’s author—the person most intimately acquainted with a title—to have no input at all in the audiobook production. But as audiobooks became a more mainstream and high-profile format, authors began seeking more oversight. Today, writers often get the final say on casting, and are often invited to choose a narrator from a selection of sample recordings and encouraged to provide crucial information about how characters ought to sound. Nathan Harris, a Black writer whose debut novel, The Sweetness of Water, is set at the end of the Civil War, knew the accents of his multiracial cast of characters, who include freed slaves, would be a challenge. “You can go down a very precarious road with how they sound,” he said. “That’s why I didn’t want to do it myself.” His publisher presented him with an audition recording by William DeMeritt. “They told me they could go in all sorts of different directions if that’s what I wanted,” Harris said. “But he just nailed it.”
Over the past few years, the crew of professionals who work on a given book has increasingly been whittled down to a bare minimum, putting greater pressure on narrators’ judgment—even though a narrator, who is in most cases a freelance contractor, doesn’t have much time to carefully screen a book for potential stumbling blocks before agreeing to the job. The exploding demand for audiobooks with the advent of digital downloads and, most recently, an increasing number of home studios built during the pandemic also means that more narrators have ended up doing most of the production work and key decision-making on their own.
Some narrators say they now turn down jobs when they feel unsure about voicing major characters. Cassandra Campbell—narrator of, among other things, Delia Owens’ bestseller Where the Crawdads Sing, a novel featuring several Black supporting characters—recalled narrating the first two in a series of books, which made her the automatic choice for the third. But when she discovered that the third book was told from the point of view of a young Burmese boy, Campbell, who is white, bowed out. “I just didn’t feel comfortable with it,” she said.
A multitude of minor characters can turn an audio book into a minefield for its narrator. Edoardo Ballerini, who was profiled in the New York Times Magazine last year as “a go-to voice for intelligent, subtle but gripping narrations of books,” says he’s now most often asked to narrate books requiring European accents. (His father is an Italian poet, and he was raised in New York.) Still, challenges do arise. “Take a James Patterson book,” he explained. “Let’s say it’s set in New York City and the detective is hard-boiled, an Italian-American. I can do that. His partner is a feisty woman and I think I can handle that.” But then the minor characters start showing up, sometimes slotted into uncomfortably stereotypical roles: “They get in a cab and there’s the cabbie, or they run into a perp who happens to be Black, or whatever it is. You have to voice them as well. And there’s really no way for anyone to say, ‘Well, I’m not going to do this book because there are a handful of lines by an Indian cabbie.’ ”
Meanwhile, many narrators of color—extra-conscious of the weight of representation—find themselves engaging in a lot of extra, unpaid work researching characters and voices that they may ultimately decide they can’t do justice to. Recently, LaVoy bowed out on a title in a children’s series she narrates about a group of middle school students who travel the world with their eccentric professor, encountering mythical creatures from the cultures they visit. “When we did one that took place in the Pacific Northwest,” she said, “we got a Native American linguist from the Muckleshoot tribe to work with me. I felt really comfortable,” she said. “But this one particular book took place in Cuba, and it was very heavily written in Spanish,” a language LaVoy doesn’t speak fluently. When she got to a part where the whole group begins singing the Cuban national anthem, she decided to pass. “They needed someone with a different mouth,” she concluded.
A character’s accent can be an evocation of her origins and identity, but it can also be—as was the case with Apu, the Indian-born convenience-store clerk on The Simpsons, voiced by white actor Hank Azaria—a mocking caricature. (Azaria recently announced that he would no longer voice Apu and expressed a desire to “go to every single Indian person in this country and personally apologize.”) “Actors love to do accents!” Campbell told me. “It’s fun to do vocal gymnastics, but we have had a moment of recognizing that there are certain accents where you’re appropriating someone’s culture.”
The one motto that nearly every audiobook professional I interviewed repeated to me when I asked about their strategies for dealing with accents is “less is more.” Kevin R. Free—a Black theater actor who began narrating audiobooks 20 years ago and has become the voice of both a soap opera–addicted cyborg in Martha Wells’ Murderbot series and of Eric Carle’s iconic picture books (The Very Hungry Caterpillar, etc.)—laughingly recalled reporting for his very first recording session armed with a set of theatrically bold character voices, only to be told by his director: “I don’t want you to think of doing this book as doing a solo show. … There’s no reason for you to go all the way there.”* That holds especially true for cross-cultural accents. If Ballerini feels that “maybe I’m not the right person to give a voice to this particular character, let me just do it as plainly and as simply as I can. I think that’s a general trend that’s happening in the industry.”
Campbell explained that when voicing characters of color, she uses an acting technique that focuses on the character’s intentions rather than on more superficial markers of identity like accent. “What does the character want from the other person in the scene? What is the conflict of the scene? Play that fully without relying on cultural stereotypes.” In Campbell’s recording of Where the Crawdads Sing, she audibly dials the rural North Carolina accents of the Black characters further down than the accents of the white characters they interact with.
Sometimes, however, an accent shouldn’t be underplayed, because it serves a crucial role in the story. That can create conflict with the production or postproduction staff, if they’re not familiar with or sensitive to the cultural context of a book. Barros directed the audiobook of Simon Han’s 2020 novel Nights When Nothing Happened, about a family of Chinese immigrants living in Texas. The wife in the book becomes annoyed when her husband leaves an outgoing message on their answering machine pronouncing the family’s surname as “Chang,” as the Texans around them say it, rather than using the Mandarin pronunciation, which is closer to “Cheng.” When narrator James Chen’s recording went through a postproduction process called quality control, or QC, Barros and Chen received orders for “pickups” (short rerecordings edited into the final audiobook to correct errors) on every instance of the family’s name, instructing them to pronounce it the Anglicized way—as the Texans do. This was, as Barros put it, “not only totally wrong,” but a literal replication of the assimilation that so bothers the main character’s wife. In that instance, the producer backed Barros and her narrator, but that’s not always the case; January LaVoy wincingly recalled the time that, at a director’s insistence, she recorded pickups replacing her correct pronunciation of Latinx with latinks.
Deciding whether to use the Anglicized or loanword pronunciations can be fraught for bilingual performers. Emily Woo Zeller, a Chinese American narrator, has sometimes clashed with directors and QC over whether to Anglicize the pronunciation of words taken from other languages, such as tofu or kung fu. She is also one of the few narrators I spoke with who took the step of contacting the author of a book that she found objectionable. “I won’t name names,” she told me, “but it was a white author,” and the scene involved what Zeller called “misplaced comedy,” in which the author “mixed up Chinese and Japanese culture, and the comedy was about the way characters looked and the fact that wanted to do kung fu and they were Communists.” Deciding “this can’t come out of my mouth,” Zeller brought her concerns to the author, who, she said, was “very apologetic and willing to change it.”
 Hers was an unusual move. Audiobook narrators tend to see their role as strictly interpretative. Their job is to convey the book from the author to the reader in a way that remains true to the author’s intent. This includes texts like classics, books whose authors can’t be appealed to for changes, and books that contain words, passages, and characters that are now deemed offensive. There also remain plenty of contemporary authors who, as Cobb tactfully put it, “haven’t caught up yet,” and narrators will continue to have to figure out how to perform those books.
For Grover Gardner, four decades in the audiobook industry have taught him that “where there’s ignorance, you fall back on the only things that you’ve seen or heard, and chances are very good that, if you’re an older person, you’re drawing on a stereotype.” He’s had to work to transform some of his ongoing roles from vocal clichés into full characters. In the case of the former convict Willie in the Andy Carpenter mysteries, for instance, he has consciously tried to lean less on an exaggerated accent as an actorly crutch. “I’ve tried to focus more on attitude,” Gardner said, “on the real person.”

Correction, June 23, 2021: This article originally misstated that Simone Barros is Black. Barros is of Cabo Verdean descent and identifies as Black.
Update, June 23, 2021: This article has been updated to add additional comments by Barros about the narration and perspective in Antkind.
Correction, June 22, 2021: This article originally misstated that Kevin R. Free began narrating audiobooks five years ago. Free began narrating audiobooks 20 years ago.

ARTICLE
https://slate.com/culture/2021/06/audiobook-narration-race-accents-casting-racism-representation.html?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Lit%20Hub%20Daily:%20June%2022%2C%202021&utm_term=lithub_master_list

How Stories Change When They Move From Page to Voice
Laura Lindstedt on the Different Ways We Read a Book
By Laura Lindstedt, translated by David Hackston
June 14, 2021

To all intents and purposes, a psychoanalyst’s couch is in fact a bed—after all, it lacks a back and armrests. And yet, this item of furniture must be called a couch. Nobody would offload their traumas on a psychoanalyst’s bed unless, that is, they were in a relationship with said psychoanalyst.

In October 2019, I found myself sitting in the Silencio recording studios, headphones over my ears, reading aloud my novel My Friend Natalia, which had been published in Finland six months earlier.

“‘Natalia’ was one of my first clients to lie on her back without prompting,” I read and continued: “When I showed her round my office, which I had rented in an apartment next to my house, I told her about the couch.”
These two consecutive sentences are from the opening chapter of the novel. Reading these sentences aloud irrevocably sprained something in my brain.

When one reads a book aloud as an audiobook, the visual aspects of the text all disappear. Of course, one could read the word couch, which appears in italics, in a slightly different way, perhaps by holding a short, artistic pause before the word. But this is not the same thing. Italics are not the same as a short pause.

The therapist, the book’s narrator, gives the patient the code-name “Natalia.” Under the cover of this anonymity, the therapist then proceeds to divulge intimate details of Natalia’s life to the reader, then at one point removes the inverted commas from Natalia’s name “as I might remove the safety catch from a gun”. When read aloud, this sentence is absurd: the listener cannot hear the inverted commas around Natalia’s name.

*

Let’s be clear: I am very skeptical about the practice of turning works of literature into audio recordings.

If audiobooks become the primary way in which we interact with books, it would be strange if at some point this did not have a direct impact on how people write literary works.
Will writers—either consciously or subconsciously—start writing books so that they sound good when read aloud? The succinct speech between Me (the writer) and You (the reader) works well when spoken aloud, so the current appetite for autofiction is unlikely to dwindle any time soon. A linear narrative, in which we already know (or think we know) something about the end point, is also easy to listen to. For this reason, celebrity autobiographies and so-called true stories make for successful audiobooks.
However, complex narrative structures, shifting perspectives, narrative polyphony, long, meandering sentences and the visual aspects of a text find themselves increasingly under threat from a medium that relies solely on hearing. If linear narrative becomes the only acceptable form of complex literary expression, our thoughts will be the poorer for it. Imaginary worlds and possibilities will shrink because such worlds and possibilities are not “content” that can be detached from “form,” they are not statements, suggestions or questions isolated from their rhetorical devices.

*

That being said, I’m not a militant opponent of audiobooks. To my mind, it is simply important to recognize that there is a significant difference between the printed book and the audiobook. Written material turns into vibration, letters become sound waves. They always come from a concrete source that guides our interpretation, a source that is completely different from the reading process heard through our “inner voice.”

A new element appears between the book and its recipient: a voice that shapes how we receive the text. It is a sound born of a human body in a unique way and that is (generally) readily identifiable as the voice of a man or a woman.

In the audiobook of My Friend Natalia, this unavoidable fact becomes a poetic problem in its own right. Throughout the text, I have scattered conflicting clues as to the sex of the therapist, the novel’s first-person narrator, but I was careful never to define the therapist as either a man or a woman. With certain exceptions, in many languages a writer and a translator can easily disguise or at least avoid the matter of the narrator’s sex. A writer can also play with this ambiguity, as is the case in my novel My Friend Natalia.
Some readers have been convinced that the narrator is a man, others have considered the therapist a woman. Several readers have told me that their perception of the matter changed as they were reading. Readers always read a text through the prism of their own experiences, preconceptions and cultural stereotypes.
For this reason, I wanted to read the Finnish audiobook of My Friend Natalia myself. I am a woman, but because I am the book’s author my voice is above all an authorial voice, and in this way I feel I managed to resolve the dilemma described above.

But my relief was somewhat premature. I was once again forced to confront this matter in early 2021 when Penguin Random House Audio began to produce the English-language audiobook of David Hackston’s translation of My Friend Natalia (W.W. Norton/Liveright).

PHR Audio’s producer kindly sent me a number of audio samples to listen to. All these samples were very professional and of the highest quality, but still they were unsuitable for my novel’s narrator. I started to lose hope. Was it at all possible to find an actor whose voice was neither that of a man nor a woman, a voice that wasn’t too young as it should be a voice that conveys the therapist’s wealth of professional experience? The voice also needed dash of pompous embitterment, stemming from the fact that nobody seems to value the therapist’s subtle genius.

But we were lucky, and eventually we found an excellent voice, that of the actor TL Thompson, who identifies as non-binary and whom I chose as the English-language reader for My Friend Natalia.

Thompson’s voice is characterful, mesmerizing and unforced. To my own ear, Thompson’s voice sounds more masculine than feminine, or perhaps it’s the whisky baritone of an elderly lady. However, the voice is not remotely “gender-neutral,” a voice-type that we tried to look for at first and whose very existence I have seriously begun to doubt. Thompson’s voice made every sentence oscillate between the two. I have not written such oscillation into my novel, let alone a gender-neutral narrator’s voice: the question of the therapist’s identity opens up—if, indeed, it opens up at all—when readers find themselves indulging in assumptions that the text does not affirm.

I can say quite whole-heartedly that I love Thompson’s reading. Yet in the same breath, I must reiterate what I have already said: an audiobook is a different entity from a printed book.

*

For me, the act of interpretation is specifically that of thinking with the book. It requires stops, pauses, flicking through the pages, making notes in the margins. The book takes on markings, layers that are missing from digital products, which are perpetually new.
We can browse with our eyes but not with our ears, as my partner, who works with sound, would put it. The ear is more sensitive to chaos and clamor than the eye. Sound operates like a one-directional timeline, a surge that is hard to control. A detailed auditive perception of a large space is simply impossible.

It is to these very layers that I return when trying to form an understanding of the kind of book I am reading. I can easily locate markings I have made by flicking through a book, even if it is a book I read 20 years ago.

The various temporal strata of my home library provide a shadow story of what has touched me and who I have been throughout my reading life. Last summer I awoke to the immeasurable value of these little scribblings when going through my grandmother’s estate after she died at the age of 100. From the collection of religious books, treatises and notebooks, I saved those in which my grandmother had left some kind of mark—and exclamation mark, a line under a section of text, or a Biblical verse in the margin. These markings reveal not only what touched her and who she was; they also say a lot about where I have come from, what kind of supra-generational reality I carry with me.

ARTICLE
https://lithub.com/how-stories-change-when-they-move-from-page-to-voice/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Lit%20Hub%20Daily:%20June%2014%2C%202021&utm_term=lithub_master_list

New works from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s archives will finally be published, starting next year.

By Dan Sheehan
June 23, 2021, 11:21am

The publishing giant HarperCollins has reached an agreement with the estate of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to acquire world publishing rights to the late Civil Rights leader’s entire archives—a collection which contains some of the “most historically important and vital literature in American history.”

As reported by Publishers Weekly earlier today<  read below  > , the mega-deal gives HarperCollins world rights “to publish new books from the archives across all formats, including children’s books, e-books, audiobooks, journals, and graphic novels in all languages.”

Given the significance of the books in question, it seems strange that a deal like this one wasn’t made sooner, but this is welcome news nonetheless.

More welcome still is HC’s assertion that it will hire a dedicated archivist to oversee the project, and “engage prominent Black scholars, actors, artists, performers, and social activists to help bring Dr. King’s works to life.”

Way back in 1958, HC’s predecessor company Harper & Brothers published Dr. King’s very first book, Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story, which detailed the 1955–56 Montgomery bus boycott and described the conditions of African Americans living in Alabama during the era.

The first MLK titles to be published by HC are scheduled to drop in January 2022, to coincide with Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

ARTICLE
https://lithub.com/new-works-from-dr-martin-luther-king-jr-s-archives-will-finally-be-published-starting-next-year/

HC Inks Deal with MLK Jr. Archives
By Rachel Deahl | Jun 23, 2021

In an agreement with the estate of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., HarperCollins has acquired world publishing rights to the archives of the civil rights leader. The publisher said the collection features some of the "most historically important and vital literature in American history."

Judith Curr, president and publisher of HarperOne Group, negotiated the deal with Amy Berkower, president, Writers House and agent for the King estate; and Eric D. Tidwell of Intellectual Properties Management, manager of the King estate. The deal gives HC world rights to publish new books from the archives across all formats, including children’s books, e-books, audiobooks, journals, and graphic novels in all languages.
HC said it plans to hire an archivist who will oversee the material in the archive and make it "available to all HarperCollins editors globally." HC added that it intends to "engage prominent Black scholars, actors, artists, performers, and social activists to help bring Dr. King’s works to life."

HC also has history with King. A predecessor company to HC, Harper & Brothers, published King's first book, Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story, in 1958.

All current his King titles, including those published by Beacon Press, will continue to be publishing by their current rights holders.

“We are thrilled to be the official publisher of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s archives,” said Curr in a statement. “We view this as a unique global publishing program."

The first King titles to be published by HC are scheduled to drop in January 2022, coinciding with Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

ARTICLE
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/book-deals/article/86731-hc-inks-deal-with-mlk-jr-archives.html
 

SOURCE ARTICLE
Kobo Emerging Writer Prize, Books for Palestine, and an Intro to Booktok: This Week in Book News
https://kobowritinglife.com/2021/06/25/kobo-emerging-writer-prize-books-for-palestine-and-an-intro-to-booktok-this-week-in-book-news/

Original Post

https://aalbc.com/tc/profile/6477-richardmurray/?status=1579&type=status

Watching chirping robins, and drinking chai.
Men of science understandably dismiss
The lonely dead barely see through the veil,
https://www.deviantart.com/white-rose-brian/art/Night-of-the-Lonely-Dead-1039093444

 I’m cured by what kills,
while alone with my thoughts,
My alleviation?
You called me malicious,
https://www.deviantart.com/xyron7777777/art/Inconsistency-1039624776

IN AMENDMENT

Cento List - enjoy the poetry
https://aalbc.com/tc/search/?q=cento&quick=1&type=calendar_event&nodes=5&updated_after=any&sortby=newest
Enjoy the 2023 Centos
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/richard-murray-centos-2023

Epub link
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/poetry-or-more-1
Epub series 
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/series/richard-murray-short-story-collection

Audiobook link
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobook/the-last-flail
Audiobook series 
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/series/richard-murray-tip-jar-audios

If you really want to follow what I am doing please subscribe to my calendars. I wish I would had used the calendar tool with all my work from the beginning. Like alot of the internet I didn't really think on it when I started, like with many I just started using. Why do we create linearly when a lot of times, what I have to say is repeats from yesteryear. 
Richard Murray's Work Calendar
webcal://aalbc.com/tc/events/5-rmworkcalendar/download/?member=6477&key=9b0dbd4939faea9d5408174d9601d576

or

https://aalbc.com/tc/events/5-rmworkcalendar/download/?member=6477&key=9b0dbd4939faea9d5408174d9601d576
Richard Murray's Community Calendar
webcal://aalbc.com/tc/events/7-rmcommunitycalendar/download/?member=6477&key=9b0dbd4939faea9d5408174d9601d576

or

https://aalbc.com/tc/events/7-rmcommunitycalendar/download/?member=6477&key=9b0dbd4939faea9d5408174d9601d576

On the red side, party of abraham lincoln today, you have the old idea that the market always provides. So the idea is, taxpayer dollars are not needed cause the market will provide, and if it didn't it will when applicable. This is what I call the black panther argument. yes, Disney made Black Panther, but Disney also knows that the modern circa 2020 black populace globally has billions of dollars, thus the financial revenue capable to provide from black film goers warrants a 99% black film in casting/writing/direction et cetera. And Coogler to his credit in Black Panther 2 and Sinners has brought Indigenous creatives along for the ride.  The red side like the idea that whether the market doesn't support or does support an entertainment, it is an even thing. 

On the blue side, party of andrew jackson today, you have the old idea that the usa has an imbalanced marketplace based on centuries of blockading by white male christian heterosexual immigrants to the indigenous/black/female/muslim/asian/lgbtq/or other. And that has created a modern audience that has been engineered to desire or accept certain qualities of entertainment that can not be undone through the marketplace. Sequentially, avenues are needed that allow entertainment that doesn't fit the norm from 1492 or even 1176 or even the 1960s to be viewed or accessed and since the USA majority in the past caused the imbalanced marketplace, their descendants plus the descendants of those killed/terorrized/enslaved by the historic majority should all be willing to pay. 

I have always said that black people with money in the usa historically but definitely in modernity have never navigated their two simultaneous goals well. They want to make money aside any and all other fiscally wealthy people in this white designed system in the usa While supporting plus improving the black community in the usa. They tend to do decently in the former and terribly in the latter. But the usa has a financial debt to the indigenous to the descended of enslaved that is priceless, can never be paid, so at least it can put a down payment. 

ARTICLE ELEPHANT

Marjorie Taylor Greene often errs, but not about defunding public broadcasting | Opinion
The uncomfortable reality is that NPR and PBS have long since outlived their utility. Now the federal government is simply paying for content whether taxpayers support it or not.
Cameron SmithColumnist
april 3rd 2025 5pm ct

When U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, makes a pronouncement, I brace for impact the same way I’d prepare for a car or train wreck.

Her bombastic style might be popular with MAGA voters, but it’s frequently a distraction from Republican governing priorities. Occasionally, even the loudest voices land on a truth worth considering.

This time, she’s right − the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) should be eliminated.

For years, conservatives have argued that taxpayer dollars should not be used to fund media CPB outlets like National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) because of their politically biased programming and leadership.
To date, Congress has largely avoided those arguments as yet another round of culture war bickering.
NPR's past statements show clear partisanship
In recent testimony before Congress, NPR’s CEO Katherine Maher admitted concern when confronted with the allegation that 100% of her editorial board − 87 members − are registered Democrats. Notably, she did not dispute the allegation.

Regrettably, Maher’s prior public comments have become a political lightning rod.

In 2016, she lamented Hillary Clinton’s use of the terms “boy and girl” as erasing language for non-binary people. In 2020, Maher referred to President Donald Trump as a “deranged racist sociopath.” In a 2022 TED Talk, she infamously stated, “our reverence for the truth might be a distraction that’s getting in the way of finding common ground and getting things done.”

Maher’s political views are quite liberal and particularly well established in spite of her apparent amnesia about the same during her congressional testimony.
It doesn’t matter.

American CEOs with political hot takes are a dime a dozen. The main difference between Maher and her executive peers is that most CEOs run companies which aren’t funded by the American taxpayer. When the person leading a publicly funded media entity openly speaks like a political activist, the premise that NPR offers an unbiased, fair approach to programming doesn’t hold water.

Shockingly, that doesn’t really matter either.
Broadcast landscape has changed as consumer habits have
The CPB shouldn’t exist at all. The First Amendment enshrines a free press to hold government power accountable. A government-funded media apparatus, no matter how unbiased it claims to be, cannot credibly serve that end because political masters hold the financial reins. Government must be able to communicate to the public, but CPB is inherently state programming masquerading as a typical media outlet.
Defenders of NPR and PBS will argue that CPB provides essential programming that wouldn’t otherwise survive in a purely commercial media landscape. That might have been the case in the era of three television networks and a handful of AM radio stations, but the world has changed. The explosion of digital media has shattered any legitimate claim that we need government-funded television or radio to ensure diverse perspectives and high-quality journalism.
Americans today have more media choices than ever before. Streaming services, podcasts, YouTube channels, and independent news sites provide content precisely tailored to every conceivable interest and ideology. If a viewpoint or niche deserves an audience, it can and will find one without taxpayer dollars propping it up.

Testifying with Maher, Alaska Public Media’s Ed Ulman claimed public media may be the only option for rural emergency broadcasts. "We provide potentially life-saving warnings and alerts that are crucial for Alaskans who face threats ranging from extreme weather to earthquakes, landslides and even volcanoes," he said.

While such communications are indeed essential, we have countless ways of providing them which don’t justify the existence of a federal media bureaucracy. Elon Musk’s Starlink comes immediately to mind as a radically more efficient solution for emergency communications than CPB’s $500 million annual cost.

NPR and PBS can survive without the government's dime
Others will contend that NPR and PBS produce valuable content beyond public communications, such as educational programming and cultural shows. The reality is that PBS doesn’t own most of its iconic programs. It secures the rights to run them through acquisition deals. If these programs are truly valuable, the content-hungry modern media marketplace would certainly air them.

Take "Sesame Street," once the flagship defense of public broadcasting, for example.

In 2016, HBO secured rights to first-runs of the popular children’s program with episodes running on PBS several months later. At the end of 2024, Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of HBO, opted not to renew the Sesame Street deal. One of the most memorable shows of my childhood is presently homeless. If PBS’s most venerated show can’t find market traction, what does that say about how much Americans value CPB content?

The uncomfortable reality is that NPR and PBS have long since outlived their utility. Now the federal government is simply paying for content whether taxpayers support it or not.

Pulling the plug on CPB funding wouldn’t “silence” NPR or PBS. They could continue to operate with private donations, subscription models, or sponsorships − just like every other media outlet struggling today.

In a free society, the press should hold the government accountable, not be an extension of it. That’s the principle that matters here. And it’s why, despite the messenger, Greene’s argument to eliminate the CPB merits strong consideration.

USA TODAY Network Tennessee Columnist Cameron Smith is a Memphis-born, Brentwood-raised recovering political attorney raising four boys in Nolensville, Tenn., with his particularly patient wife, Justine. Direct outrage or agreement to smith.david.cameron@gmail.com or @DCameronSmith on Twitter. Agree or disagree? Send a letter to the editor to letters@tennessean.com.

URL
https://www.tennessean.com/story/opinion/columnists/2025/04/03/public-broadcasting-funding-marjorie-taylor-greene/82764143007/

I sent a letter to the Tennesseean in reply
letters@tennessean.com

Richard Murray, 
PO Box ~

07/19/2025

Dear Editor
I reply to the quality of ("Marjorie Taylor Greene often errs, but not about defunding public broadcasting" , April 3rd 2025)

I have never seen anyone who suggest programs of similar or better quality than that of PBS make a list to said programs. If I want to see a documentary as good as "The Civil War" or "The Vietnam War" by Ken Burns outside CPB/PBS where do I go? If I want to see a documentary about a financially impoverished , populationwise impotent population like "Alaska's Vanishing Native Village" by Frontline outside of CPB/PBS where do I go? 
The best way to prove that the private media market has the same quality programs isn't to say they exist, but to list them. And if you can't list them, then one can only assume they don't exist in the private media market.

I am black and I have heard my entire life from whites who live in New York City, that the marketplace is the answer to everything. It always has the solutions or will have the solutions. Now even though Nat King Cole couldn't get sponsors with more viewers than any other show in the usa in the past... in modernity , streaming services or cable networks that are advertised as black owned exist. So,  Cameron Smith's argument is , why can't a Black owned cable network or streaming service host a show like Finding your roots by henry louis gates jr. and if it fails there, if fails. For Indigenous or Black people the centuries of being blockaded by whites to fiscal activities/market activities in the USA were market manipulators. In the USA, the problem with modernity is the past didn't arrive today in a ship of opportunity. One group, white christian heterosexual men through the power of the gun, obtained all the opportunities so no industry in the usa today has the centuries of business ownership or labor participation it should had by Indigenous/Blacks/Women/Asians so it is malformed in modernity. The CPB/PBS/NPR allow for what was lacking for centuries to have a small outlet in modernity and I argue since whites killed the native american, enslaved the black american, the taxpayers on whole who are mostly white shouldn't be opposed to paying for an imbalance their forebears made that gives them more opportunities than others today.

IN AMENDMENT

I said let me find a list of black owned media networks, or supposedly black owned. 

LIST OF SUPPOSEDLY BLACK OWNED STREAMING SERVICES
https://www.kweli.tv/livetv
https://allblk.tv/ (no live stream)
https://vimeo.com/user50164403 (Afrokids on vimeo)
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0TLvo891eEEM6HGC5ON7ug (youtube from Afrokids)
https://www.brownsugar.com/?ref=blog.obws.com
https://www.oprah.com/app/live-tv.html
https://www.youtube.com/c/SLAYTV/featured (youtube channel for lgbtq+)
https://www.afrolandtv.com/
https://urbanflixtv.com/pages/new_catalog
https://urbn-tv.com/?ref=blog.obws.com

LIST OF SUPPOSEDLY BLACK OWNED CABE NETWORKS
https://watchimpact.com/
https://tvone.tv/
https://aspire.tv/
https://www.bouncetv.com/
https://theafricachannel.com/
https://www.ssn.tv/
https://www.revolt.tv/
https://www.youtube.com/@mycleotv

IN AMENDMENT 2

Looking at them briefly, most of the content is: 

• gossip shows(sport gossip or entertainment gossip or music gossip)
• situational comedies (which I nearly despise, it is very rare that I like a situational comedy)
• soap opera or telenovela(another I can't stand)
• religious (christian pastors)
• black genre films (comedy or the urban gun)

I have got to find a space to become a better commercial writer to black people

ARTICLE DONKEY

Opinion - Here's why Republicans hate public broadcasting so much
Patricia Aufderheide, Common Dreams
July 18, 2025 12:00PM ET
Our public radio and TV stations are in grave peril, and with them the unique services they perform for our communities.
By the end of day Friday July 18, we’ll know if Congress has clawed back the money it already gave to public broadcasting, through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, or CPB. (The House will decide; this is your moment to call your representatives to ask them to support their public radio and TV stations, and to join — for free — Protectmypublicmedia.org.) Even if that money stays protected, though, public radio and TV will continue to be attacked.

I’ve studied public broadcasting here and around the world for 40 years. And I serve on the board of directors of the taxpayer-funded Independent Television Service, which coproduces a lot of the documentaries you might see on public TV. So, of course, I think it’s an important part of our media in America. But I think you probably do, too.
You might know public broadcasting through your local TV or radio station, both private nonprofits. Or you might know it through the services many such stations depend on for daily, high-quality, award-winning programs: National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Both of them are private nonprofits that make, select, and bundle programs for public stations.

Either way, you’re in good company. PBS and NPR are the most trusted media brands in the United States. Half of PBS viewers depend on PBS for news and information, including more than half of people who identify as “extreme conservatives” or “extreme liberals.” NPR’s news is trusted by more than half of those who have heard of it. Americans trust public media news and public affairs much more (by half) than they do commercial mainstream media.

Public stations, like those in Oklahoma, are the ones to issue emergency warnings in time of crisis. Kids learn about job opportunities from CPB’s American Graduate: Jobs Explained series — supported among others by Iowa, Tennessee, and Arizona public broadcasters. In rural Eureka, California, the public station carries program for the local indigenous communities. In south Texas, KDET provides distance learning for kids whose first language is Spanish. ITVS documentaries have brought you inside stories from small towns like Medora, Indiana; Taft, Oklahoma; Norco, Louisiana; and Huslia, Alaska.

American taxpayers contribute, overall, about 15% of the budgets of public radio and TV stations — a percentage that’s usually lower for the bigger, more urban stations, and higher for smaller, rural stations. Alleghany Mountain Radio and KTNA in Talkeetna, Alaska for instance depend on federal funds for about two-third of their budgets. Last year CPB’s budget was $535 million. (For comparison, military marching bands cost the American taxpayers more than $300 million a year.) The rest comes from us as individual donors, from private and corporate foundations, and from local and state taxes.

So it’s not big funding and cutting it would make no dent in the deficit. But it’s critical funding; it’s the money that leverages all the rest of it, and that provides the stability to be able to do the work year after year.

The people who designed public broadcasting — and that included a lot of people, from the late Bill Moyers as an aide to President Lyndon Johnson, to military experts and educators — were worried about how government funding could become censorship. So they created CPB as a private nonprofit, not as a government agency. That is why the Trump administration cannot fire its staff or its board.

CPB and local stations all have First Amendment protection against government interference. And that is why the Trump administration cannot tell them what to program or which services, like NPR and PBS, to use. The designers required Congress to give CPB its budget two years in advance, to protect against political shenanigans. That is why Congress has to vote to claw that money back.

What public broadcasting’s designers created is unique in the world — most countries’ public broadcasting is just a mouthpiece for government. In the U.S., public broadcasting plays a unique role in our media diets as free, reliable, and trusted information, a connection to local communities, and a daily example of the essential role of shared public knowledge in democratic life.

If it goes, we won’t get it back.

So far, public broadcasting has weathered political attacks, which didn’t begin with this administration but have reached a new high with it. But it has only done so by depending on its users—you and me—to come out and show their support. Right now is the time to call your representatives, and to join Protectmypublicmedia.org. (Protect My Public Media makes it super-easy to connect with your reps.) We all have something to lose.

Patricia Aufderheide is professor in the School of Communication at American University. She is a board member of the Independent Television Service.

URL
https://www.rawstory.com/corporation-for-public-broadcasting/

But story wise I think it is good Miles Morales , a black white character, the black spider man , can't be in the mcu for a simple storytelling reason. Mile s Morales whole storyline is dependent on the multiverse. 
If you take the multiverse out of miles morales story, you literally have a cheap colored version of peter parker's storyline with alot of infinitely repeated non white european characters in white written or white based fiction. 
Black self righteous father law enforcer who speaks of the community he lives in unending negative ways
Spanglish speaking mulatto latina who blurts out in spanish whenever she is angry and always has a moment of dancing and continues the tired tradition of the black mom in white media beforehand

And I am very happy Black Superman didn't happen. I can't stand black superman, or any black white character. so many black people have actually written black characters. Even though storm was written by a white man which is clear to see, at least her and Nubia are originally supposed to be black. But... please spider man/superman, please stop this. 

Glad the miles morales movies made money, very glitzy, glammy, not great story. And I hope part 3 makes the most, but I am not a fan of these. 
Blood Syndicate from Milestone 

Saint Mary MAgdalene- the catholic saint day is the 22nd of july, i say she warrant better, what is your craft to her?  

STORY

Mary Magdalene a little after dawn, in a simple road in the roman empire, recalls her life, and her love.

https://www.deviantart.com/tlacuilopilo/art/Mary-Magdalene-portrait-Maria-Magdalena-333225591

She remembers being the daughter of a craftsman, who was also a successful merchant. People from Egypt to Phrygia sought the wares of Magdala. But while most Jewish girls with her fortune thought of marriage. She sought betterment, she sought activity, she sought a better world.

https://www.deviantart.com/maoliquiao/art/In-suo-nome-528460920

And then her awakening when mercury, the ancient spirit of messages was furthest from the sun in the sky or closest to humanity, she went into the synagogue and proclaimed to the men, standing where women do not, breaking the mechitza barrier. The men felt humiliated, felt belittled, felt they had been dirtied by her presence. The men did not try to listen to her words, try to listen to her wisdom. They only saw a woman who was wrong, and cast her out of the synagogue and threw stones. But she did not die. She was not killed.

https://www.deviantart.com/riekiedp/art/Mary-Magdalene-121544723

Some did not throw stones because they knew her father, some did not throw stones because they knew her, and a strong body was enough to crawl back to her home. Her father was worried. He knew the village will look on her suspiciously and will want to control her life. He told her she must go, to be free, from the eventual persecutions that will come toward her. He knew fully well; he could not protect her when he was away from all harms. And so, she left Magdala. On the road, she met another Mary, many jewish women were named Mary, but this woman was quiet. Her husband was a craftsman and she was delivering a craft to a friend. She saw the Mary from Magdala and her spirit seemed familiar. The older Mary went over to the younger and they talked. The younger Mary talked about a vision she had of a future without boundaries, absent the shackles that bind humanity. The elder Mary asked the younger Mary if she wants to talk to others who may listen. The younger Mary said yes, as they embraced.

https://www.deviantart.com/rmarwdraws/art/Mary-and-Mary-Magdalene-847094143

The elder Mary spoke to the inn keep who knew her husband and said to tell her husband she will not be back, but she is safe. Over the next few weeks, Mary Magdalene became well known amongst the disenfranchised or abused women of Palestine. She even was able to communicate to her father who supported her quietly. One day a woman asked, what will all this talk do when we have to go back to the men who abuse us. Mary Magdalene asked elder Mary, is it possible, these women can go to her home on the way south, free from the Jewish rules, in Egypt or beyond. The elder Mary agreed. When the two Mary arrived at the elder Mary's home, they were accompanied by forty women, and a sunlight. A sunlight that can waken anyone from any sleep. Mary bathed in the light, still, and saw a man.

https://www.deviantart.com/springergirl07/art/Mary-Magdalene-172730760

He did not need to speak, but his walk seemed so gentle. The elder Mary told Mary Magdalene, this man is her son, Jesus. Mary Magdalene knew this man's calling. She realized what he can do. In a world where men cannot accept leadership from a woman, she saw a man who can, while giving men the face they need to be led a better way. And she gathered the woman in the sunlight with Jesus as the elder Mary watched, and her husband, Joseph, beamed with pride. From town to town, the women of Mary Magdalene spread the gospel or good news of Jesus. Where lepers were isolated, Mary and her women healed or comforted and Jesus was said to do it. Where people were said to be dead, Mary and her women tended them back to life and Jesus was said to do it. When men did not fish properly, Mary and her women, worked the nearby seas aiding the fisherman, and Jesus was said to do it. Mary had watched her movement grow. From one woman, to two women, to a group that threatened the order of things for the Jewish priests. Over time, men like Judas, became part of Mary's apostles, telling the other women, let those without sin cast the first stone. But other men came, at the behest of the jewish priest. Twelve of them came, who knew Jesus was not the miracle worker gossiped or rumored, but it was Mary Magdalene who needed to be stopped. Mary spoke with Jesus and told him, if he rejects these men it will destroy his image and all the work they have done. Thus, Jesus accepted these new apostles and though they tried to corrupt Jesus with gold or positions, he never wavered from the path Mary gave him, for he and Mary were already one in spirit, done beyond a temple/synagogue or place of worship. A simple ceremony under the sun. In desperation the twelve agents of the Jewish Priest, abducted Jesus and put him in the position of a Jewish murderer paying the roman guard to allow the switch. Mary tried to find him; her network unable to access the roman prisons. And then she heard a rumor that a jewish murderer had boasted he was freed for Jesus in a bar. Mary then realized what had happened. But it was too late. When she saw Jesus crucified for another man's crimes, she knew it was a sign.

https://www.deviantart.com/dinahmite64/art/The-Eternal-Salvation-Through-His-Passion-598224678

She thought a caring, honest, loving man could be the face of a movement of women. But as she watched his bleeding body, she knew, that asked too much of him. Her father's kindness saved her from stoning the first time. Jesus's love saved her from death the second time. She must have cried all night. The next morning, Jesus's mother woke her. She wanted to know where her son was buried. The two Mary's went to the tomb and Mary Magdalene held her stomach and touched the stone covering the tomb. Suddenly, she had a feeling. And when she turned, she saw her husband. It was like the first time she met him. His mother cried and Mary Magdalene hand embraced his, and she had an epiphany.

https://www.deviantart.com/eldidechabo/art/Jesus-Mary-Magdalene-MSPaint-135772731

The two Mary's went back to Nazareth and spread the final gospel, that Jesus was resurrected. The twelve spies weeks later, checked to see if the tomb was empty... and it was. They went to Nazareth to confront either Mary or Joseph but none were there. They had left. The twelve searched and searched and eventually found the male member Judas. He tried to find a woman like Mary to start a new group, with him in the role of Jesus, but was unsuccessful. The twelve tortured Judas but he either did not know or was strong enough to not say the location to any member of Mary Magdalene's sect. The twelve eventually became the originators of Christianity, using remnants of what they experienced, pieces of a true movement to create another, all the while in awe to what they knew.

... while Mary seeing the child between her and Jesus running to her end her remembering

https://www.deviantart.com/tlacuilopilo/art/Mary-Magdalene-portrait-Maria-Magdalena-333225591

And, she smiles, in a new town, far from palestine, or the twelve spies, in the outskirts of the roman empire.

... today, few know the truth of Mary Magdalene, the movement she started, or its times. But, the children of her enemies cannot even deny, she was gifted, she had spirit. And, for now, that is enough, for tomorrow will be brighter, and it will shatter all lies with truth.

...

...

Hope you enjoyed reading

If you like more of my stories check out the gospel of joseph

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/gospel-of-joseph

or other stories in my Short story collection series

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/search?query=Richard Murray Short Story Collection&fcsearchfield=Series&seriesId=014c67c4-d29d-584e-ada0-62c0fa015714

Or poetry in my poetry or more series

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/search?query=Poetry or More&fcsearchfield=Series&seriesId=06baba96-5af5-5d24-9b8a-f06360287dc9

And I am on Bookbub

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/richard-murray-16885e64-6c28-459e-bf5f-45c7d458ce49

My blog

https://aalbc.com/tc/blogs/blog/29-richard-murray-hearth/

SCENARIO

Habshi 89 was tasked by a Leader to send a message to another in an Urban Command outside, risking the Untouchables (mutant humans/plants/insects/fish) + Roamers outside. A logister confirms the farming can survive his absence. His wife, Santos 45 is already a Rearer to another and Habshi 89 will be on his journey so another , Hippo 21, will be the Rearer to their eldest male child. The protagonist meets in the antagonistic environment outside potential antagonist: a Courier looking to make his utility a failure, a Courier acting as a Rearer to a child ( unprotected ) acting as an Initiate, a Roamer merry and kind who has a secret life in the environment, a Mutant Human trying to restart their life after a tragedy, a mutant girl who can swim in water, plus various others, through various trials to reach the other Urban Command in the Untouchable World.

forum post
https://aalbc.com/tc/topic/11738-a-story-for-aalbc-part-4/

Challenge post
https://www.deviantart.com/drthomasstockmann/journal/Writing-Challenge-Part-4-Short-Story-Scenario-1219372706

FOR Black Artist Of Tumblr

SCENARIO
The Harlem drug dealing outfit, led by the Black Swede,  has to survive attacks, spies, coercion , from illegal lords of the Genovese Crime family, law enforcers from the NYPD, private agents from giant pharmaceutical firms Pfizer plus Johnson and Johnson, and a deadly secret opponent bent on retaining their privacy or secrets. He is only aided by his small but effective group of allies or friends who don't want to give up this industry, for various reasons.

Post
https://www.tumblr.com/communities/black-artist-on-tjambler/post/789913236685438976/a-story-for-black-artist-of-tumblr-04?source=share

Challenge post
https://www.deviantart.com/drthomasstockmann/journal/Writing-Challenge-Part-4-Short-Story-Scenario-1219372706

FOR MidnightHour

SCENARIO
After ruckus in the House of Representatives a film is shown with current events. Sergeant Erica battles Socialist Ama, two burlesque swordwomen,  in a burlesque battle royal, winner take all, both representing two dominant sides in the city. One wins and their legal framework dictates city law per the rules, and then the reality of their path comes to fruition and their fate meets a turn.

post
https://www.tumblr.com/communities/midnight-hour/post/789913371381235712/a-story-for-midnighthour-part-4?source=share

Challenge post
https://www.deviantart.com/drthomasstockmann/journal/Writing-Challenge-Part-4-Short-Story-Scenario-1219372706

FOR Film Noir Pigeons

SCENARIO

 He has past experience with a woman, black, late thirties to early forties; she is a female courier from Brasil who needs his help on a transaction of crypto currencies she is handling. An unknown has duplicated a crime of five years ago but the suspect back then is currently dead.  Who did it? 
 

post
https://www.tumblr.com/communities/filmnoirpigeons/post/789913501940514816/a-story-for-film-noir-pigeons-part-4?source=share

Challenge post
https://www.deviantart.com/drthomasstockmann/journal/Writing-Challenge-Part-4-Short-Story-Scenario-1219372706

Part 1

https://aalbc.com/tc/events/event/403-community-stories-001-part-1/

Part 2

https://aalbc.com/tc/events/event/407-community-stories-001-part-2/

part 3
https://aalbc.com/tc/events/event/408-community-stories-001-part-3/

As some know I love architecture and the Sans Souci Palace+ Citadelle LAferriere in Haiti was built by the last King of the Haitians, Henri CHristophe. Both were designed by a scottish engineer to my knowledge, but the name escapes me. Both were financed by the Kingdom of Haiti which is circa to the north half of Haiti today. You have to comprehend the reasons why Haitians couldn't design it themselves. Lack of experience. Architecture truly demands experience to slowly build up the styles or qualities. Every single human community does this. But, Haiti wanted these things now and couldn't wait so they needed an outside designer. In defense, after built haitians under Henri Christophe kept it up and knew how to, it was after the King died that many things fell apart. 

Sans Souci + CItadelle Laferriere
part 1
https://aalbc.com/tc/blogs/entry/474-architecture-sans-souci-palace-citadelle-la-ferriere/

part 2
https://aalbc.com/tc/blogs/entry/488-architecture-sans-souci-palace-citadelle-la-ferriere-part-2/

part 3
https://aalbc.com/tc/blogs/entry/489-architecture-sans-souci-palace-citadelle-la-ferriere-part-3/

part 4
https://aalbc.com/tc/blogs/entry/490-architecture-sans-souci-palace-citadelle-la-ferriere-part-4/

The Renaissance Theater of Harlem is one of the few, secular [meaning of the larger world not areligious or absent spirtuality, not solely holy or solely personal , sometimes the word sacred is used but that is a misnomer] buildings and the only one I know of in NYC, financed/designed/operated by black people originally. I rephrase, no other building for the masses,a non private residence I can think of in New York City was originally financed[who paid to make it]/designed[architecture plans]/operated[who used it when completed] by Black people. 

The Renaissance Ballroom is that. I have searched for years to get the plans , I will one day. 

Renaissance Theater part 1 (when I get the plans a part 2 is coming)
https://aalbc.com/tc/blogs/entry/491-architecture-renaissance-theater/

Vertner Woodson Tandy made two residences and one church in New York State of note all were financed by Black people. The two residenced by Madame CJ Walker. The church by its flock. 

Vertner Woodson Tandy part 1(St Phillips CHurch+Villa Lewaro+Madame CJ Walker Townhouse; when i get the plans to each, a part 2 is coming)
https://aalbc.com/tc/blogs/entry/492-architecture-vertner-woodson-tandy/

While Clotel + La Mulatra do well for Germanic[based on the german: english, Dutch] + Latin[languages based on latin: french/spanish/portuguese] America. I want to know of a similar work by a Habshi for India. I have more research to do.

LA MULATRA (english version is at the bottom of the linked post)
https://aalbc.com/tc/events/event/414-le-mulâtre-from-victor-séjour-two-versions-split-by-an-essay/
CLOTEL
https://aalbc.com/tc/events/event/413-clotel-or-the-presidents-daughter-a-narrative-of-slave-life-in-the-united-states-by-william-well-brown/

referral from 

Book Review Request: THE BLACK RUSSIAN & THE SERPENT'S STING by Vladimir Alexandrov - Black Literature - African American Literature Book Club

article 1
https://www.rbth.com/literature/2013/04/17/the_black_russian_a_gripping_journey_from_mississippi_to_moscow_25129.html
article 2
https://blog.oup.com/2015/02/frederick-bruce-thomas-african-american-imperial-russia/
wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Bruce_Thomas

Frederick Bruce Thomas, c. 1896, Paris

Black Cowboy day- In the USA , National Cowboy day is july 25th so I say, give this day to art, text full of imagination for the black cowboy  

STORY

The world seem dark, stepping hooves are still audible. A hand lift the veil of unending night into a day aside a rodeo troop.  

“What did I tell you about walkin around when the horses are about with your hat down?” : speak a visibly mature female in an honest rodeo rider gown, gentle while luscious smile absent lipstick, smooth chocolate skin reflecting the light in the day; the little girl she is speaking to shrug her shoulders.  

“Come on Candace”: speak another female troop member. The little girl, a third candace height or width with hair in a bun while some mud is in her face, look about the troop getting ready.


“hey, Emae , be good ok and when we finish the afternoon show I will tell you a story from any card you want”: and Candace get on her horse, in front of the troop. Emae look to Candace horse.  

“Jambalaya, please take care of Candace”

The horse look down to Emae and winkle both nostril. Emae walk around the march and take something from her back pocket; it seem to be a card set. Suddenly, Emae drop the card set with a shimmy.  

“Beebee!”: Emae shake her head while picking up the remaining fallen card. Beebee sit in the railing and Emae eventually join her.

“Why do you take your cards out Em, I keep mine safe”

“Cause Candace always gives good information on any one I choose in various times, I must be ready”

“I don’t have that one, who is that”



“This is Nat Love, my sister said he once jumped off of the Rio Grande Western Railway to catch a horse that was possessed by a vengeful spirit.”

“you and your stories”: but Beebee listen.  

“All are true!, the train was taking magical native american items from Mesa Verde, Colorada to Salt Lake, and from there to New York and go cross an ocean to Finnyland”

“Well that explain the horse’s anger”

“Yep, the horse was trying to cause an avalanche on the mountain side, but Love waited for it, climbing outside the train cars to the front of the train, and jumped on it, using his years of experience. No one in the company saw him wrassle a horse before. And he and horse tumbled aside the mountain. He was so tough. He saw the spirits in the horse and asked them what was wrong as he rode the bucking beast. GO CANDACE!”

Beebee cheer. And, Emae continue talking as they watch.  

“… backflip it Sara!… well, the spirits spoke to Love and they said, they don’t want to leave thier home. Love realized what needed to be done. The ancient spirits needed another vessel. But with so many spirits in need, the horse wasn’t enough, so Love made a bargain with the spirits. He will offer his body if he fail to return all the spirits to their ancestral home… eventually the train reached Salt Lake and with the spirits help, he acquired a set of horses, more than enough to hold all the spirits with room to spare and he escorted them back to Mesa. My sister said she will tell me how he fought the ghost panther, an ancient enemy of the spirits who tried to stop them from going home”

“hmm, I got to get him, I like that one, Ohhh! I love that one”



“You got a boyfriend!”

Beebee punch Emae on the arm and continue: “My pa always dress up as him for harvest. Do you know about him?”

EMae shake her head negatively.

“Ned Huddlestone, later Isome Dart, was a thief of the range. He stole thousands of cattle in his lifetime, selling them illegally”

“A real dangerous one”

“Yes, but his early years proved he had a bright future ahead. During the War Between States, he aided hungry Confederate soldiers while freeing enslaved blacks in Arkansas. What whites didn’t know was he was a double agent, thus the two guns he always sported the rest of his life, one for the northerners and one for the southerners. One time, a wicked whitey named Nathaniel Price tried to undo his plan. He was a union soldier whose family once owned Ned. So he tried to stop his switches of food for people. Whenever Ned got boxes of food, he would organize with the Whispers Road”

“Oh I love tales of the Whispers Road”

“As you know, the Whispers Roads communicate by marks on trees or homes, but only the members know the places that are meant to be, but after the slaves reached Ned’s location he placed them in the boxes and prepared them for their journey. That is when Nathaniel Price came. He thought with Ned’s back turned he couldn’t attack him. But, Ned both guns ready, but unsure to which could hit, had to try both. He was in front of a old unused hearth in the shed and waited. Nathanial said to him- I got you know nigger, I will take these messages to the union back to their southern masters and their agent will be undone.”

Beebee then got off the rail and took a pose facing it and continue: “agent, I am no agent to the north or south, my only goal is freeing my people, by any means necessary- and Ned faster than lightning, took a half step forward with one foot, half step backward with another , turned his torso ninety degrees and unleashed both guns and shot them, the two bullets hit off the old hearth, the southern bullet hit a wooden wall somewhere, but the northern bullet reflected straight on to Nathanial Price and through his scheming heart. ”  

Beebee then start to walk slow or bowlegged like and continue: “well well, said Ned, it seems you are union after all, well no matter”, and Beebee made gestures with her hands like guns spinning before being holstered and then made a stylish pose. Emae clapped, shaking her legs in the rail. Beebee joined her back on the rail smiling at her successful telling.

They both then cheered seeing a trick and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon show.  

Later, Candace is refresh after the afternoon show and meet Emae at a table: “How is Beebee?”

“She’s fine, you were great out there, we will be better than you and Sara one day”

“of course you will, you better”: and Candace smile at Emae, and hand her a breakfast.  

“Thank you … ”

“I know, I know, ok, pull the one you want me to talk about… ok… yes, this guy was Bass Reeves”: and Candace give the photo back to Emae.  



Candace continue, while she sit and eat an apple: “I never told you about him, well, Bass Reeves was a student of a Black Seminole family, led by their matriarch, Llorando Camino, she was a granddaughter to Osceola and chose to lead the Black Seminoles”

“I know about them”

“yes”: Candace smile:“… the Black Seminoles who were allowed to stay in the territory, while, as you know, the majority of the Black Seminoles followed Jonas Caballo to Mexico and true freedom. Anyway! She taught Bass many things, which she learned in a life fighting US army, bandits, drunkards or any in between, in close combat or the range. After the thirteenth amendment, he left since he didn’t have to worry about being enslaved again, with his skills first and the law second… you want more, well , you better eat and not just look at me talk… he eventually became a us marshall, you see, in the indian territories, many criminals tried to hide and murdered many native americans over the years. Bass never forgot his teacher and helped protect the lands from vile outsiders, one was called Jimmy the Breaker Stone. He came from a family of murderers for hire in europe, known for using their hands to murder people. Jimmy Stone escaped from law enforcers and went into the territory. He was in a cave, only one way in or out, but it had a small break of light inside where it was under a mountain and had a garden in it alongside a stream of water, allowing for food or survival. No one dared go into the Stone Cave as it was known. In the dark, who could face this raw killer. But, Bass Reeves was trained to fight absent the light. He went into the cave with a rope and no gun and three hours later, Jimmy Stone was being dragged out, hogtied. The other law enforcers never forget the face Stone gave Bass, but the words were more potent, The Justice of the Dark… good, nearly finished eating, well I will get ready for my evening show, do you want to wait for me or go back home with grandpa?”

“You please”: say Emae with sandwich in the mouth. Candace shake her head and continue: “alright… have another card ready for the road”: and Candace leave Emae at a table.  

Later in the evening, Emae is playing a game on her mobile video game player in the passenger side of the truck while Candace drive them home, smiling.  

Emae react to something outside.  

“Just thunder and lightning Emae”: calmly say Candace.  

“Its so big”

“Ahhh , so you are afraid of thunder and lightning like that”

Emae shake her head in confirmation. Candace pull out a card from her shirt pocket and Emae interest rise. Emae take a flashlight out of her carry bag.  



“This is a luxury edition card”

“yes, and who is that”

“Will Pickett, bill pickett bill pickett”

“good… do you know how he bull dogged the white buffalo?”

Emae shake her head in ignorance while smiling.  

Candace continue: “do you even know the white buffalo? ”

Emae ask: “Is it a buffalo with white skin?”

“You haven’t been reading the legends book… well, The White Buffalo is not white, it is a buffalo from the spirit world that comes through a gateway made through storms, whenever a storm occurs over these lands, The White Buffalo can come through, all electric”

“Like Storm of the Xmen”

“Right, but with a body made of electricity and the legends say, if he can get through the gateway a storm will persists until he returns… well, one day, all the ranchers heard of a brewing storm. It was growing between Oklahoma, texas, arkansas and louisiana. Every day getting bigger and bigger. Natives said the White Buffalo is free, he must return to his world. But they were prepared to move as they always have been from ancient times. Ranchers complained about the growing storm destroying their livelihoods. Pickett knew as a ranchhand, he will lose pay and didn’t have anywhere to go. So asked a friend Sam Tootall, to help him speak to the Elders and see if he can help. The Elders agreed to see him and told him that The White Buffalo must agree to go back into its world. With so many of the native people murdered they are unwilling to risk their strongest and will leave as in the past. Pickett comprehended and rode a horse to the center of the storm. While the thunder and lightning was a vibrant symphony, the wind was relatively still, at first Pickett thought it wasn’t there but after patiently waiting he cognized a buffalo shape that will appear at times. He had no weapon but he galloped on his horse in a circle within a white brilliance and when he finally caught a moment where his stride, the buffalo’s motion were in synch, he leaped off his horse and grabbed The White Buffalo by the horns. Pickett’s horse immediately left and the Buffalo bucked upwards as if any piece of sky could be its ground and Pickett held on in the clouds and back near the ground again and again, some Natives recall their forebears saying they saw him in the sky russling lightning. Pickett was getting tired and The White Buffalo seemed to have no end of energy. Pickett then noticed inside the mouth of the White Buffalo seemed more solid and he chose to bite on its tongue. The White Buffalo spent wildly but Pickett held on and rasstled him to the ground. The eyes of The White Buffalo were incredulous. Pickett merely smiled and met his gaze, they seemed to speak without words, and pickett let go of the legendary life form and watched as it went through the gateway, and ”

Emae yawn with sleepy eyes.  

Candace continue: “you like the story… yeah, good, well, Pickett watched the White Buffalo go past its gate and I will tell you how Pickett was given a task by The White Buffalo later to save its child from the Red Cougar later, pleasant dreams”

Candace watch Emae nodding while sleep, and drove home.

…

Sunshine bath Emae in her bed. Suddenly, she get up and exit her room, and run down stairs.  

“They are gone for today, Candace said she will bring you to another show later, but she is proud you spent all day with her yesterday”: say an elder female voice in a kitchen, sounds of frying food reverberating. Emae look downward. A male elder speak: “Get washed up Em, and come down for your morning meal”

“ok Grampie”: Emae walk slowly up the stairs.

Fresh, Emae sit down reverse her grandparents. She look to a younger photo of her grandfather.  



Emae grandfather turn to the wall and smile:“ are you looking at me Em?”

Emae shake her head in confirmation and say: “yes Grampie”

“Good times, good times”: and he look back to the wall and see another photo.



He continue while looking at his wife: “your grandmothers, father did not like me you know Em”

“Here we go!”: say the Grandmother.  

“I am telling it like it is”

Emae smile while eating porridge with fruit in it.

“I wish I could persuade you to not listen to him Em, but I am fully aware that his storytelling ways is part of the myth telling gene in this house”

The Grandfather wink at Emae and say:“Em knows truth when she hear it”

“ok, Hector, convince me, of your truthtelling”: and the Grandmother smile, arms in a fold.  

“See it all began when I first met Mr Lemon, I thought it was funny, calling Mr Lemon, Mr Lime when he got angry, but I didn’t realize that his experiences with various citrus were on the adventurous or personal side because of his father Bob Lemon…”

And, Emae sat eating her fruit porridge listening to her Grandfather tell a story to her side her Grandmother.
…

Thank you for reading, if you want to read more of my work read below
Bookbub
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/richard-murray-16885e64-6c28-459e-bf5f-45c7d458ce49
AALBC
https://aalbc.com/tc/blogs/blog/29-richard-murray-hearth/
Poetry or More Audiobook
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/search?query=Poetry%20or%20More&fcsearchfield=Series&seriesId=06baba96-5af5-5d24-9b8a-f06360287dc9
Visasiki Audiobook
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/search?query=Visasiki%20Series&fcsearchfield=Series&seriesId=965aea81-4e13-53fe-8bc8-22fcb6d28a39
Short Story Collection
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/search?query=Richard%20Murray%20Short%20Story%20Collection&fcsearchfield=Series&seriesId=014c67c4-d29d-584e-ada0-62c0fa015714

https://aliciamccalla.com/collections/the-sentinel-superhero-vigilante-collection

alternative LINK

good post alicia, you are rocking it, and I will only add, when an author reaches a certain level of popularity, they have enough fans and e energy arund those fans that they can be more sporadic, more blunt because they have so many followers, it builds on itself enough, your correct.

they don't understand
the inevitable
and never quite
the inevitable
https://www.deviantart.com/writingbubble/art/NaPo2024-2-1039619236

'Love' is coming out of my mouth,
as we both see just where this goes.
or pull you from other men.
the neglect just made you wetter.
Hungry, like I’m the main course.
https://www.deviantart.com/xyron7777777/art/Trysts-1039922151

IN AMENDMENT

Cento List - enjoy the poetry
https://aalbc.com/tc/search/?q=cento&quick=1&type=calendar_event&nodes=5&updated_after=any&sortby=newest
Enjoy the 2023 Centos
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/richard-murray-centos-2023

Epub link
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/poetry-or-more-1
Epub series 
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/series/richard-murray-short-story-collection

Audiobook link
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobook/the-last-flail
Audiobook series 
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/series/richard-murray-tip-jar-audios

If you really want to follow what I am doing please subscribe to my calendars. I wish I would had used the calendar tool with all my work from the beginning. Like alot of the internet I didn't really think on it when I started, like with many I just started using. Why do we create linearly when a lot of times, what I have to say is repeats from yesteryear. 
Richard Murray's Work Calendar
webcal://aalbc.com/tc/events/5-rmworkcalendar/download/?member=6477&key=9b0dbd4939faea9d5408174d9601d576

or

https://aalbc.com/tc/events/5-rmworkcalendar/download/?member=6477&key=9b0dbd4939faea9d5408174d9601d576
Richard Murray's Community Calendar
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or

https://aalbc.com/tc/events/7-rmcommunitycalendar/download/?member=6477&key=9b0dbd4939faea9d5408174d9601d576

My intial reply to the video

nina simone was a polymath... the problem with black people when we gather in public is, for events meant for music or community, march on washington/summer of jazz/ jazzmobile/million man march/black film festival.. black people don't produce violence. But, we do produce violence when the tipping points are reached. ... I disagree with both of you. I don't think the lack of media outlets wanting to display the Summer of Soul is a shame. Ownership matters folks. You both mentioned how Gil Scott Heron or the Last Poets were not on the bill. But that was and is part of the problem. White people own media outlets that allow all spectrums of the white community to speak. Name me one Black owned media outlet that serves five unique black segments in the black community? Yes, my parents remember that concert. To be blunt, Harlem has a long history of similar events. That famous photo at Duke Ellington's house is not a joke. Harlem between the 1920s -1970s had the greatest collection of black entertainers for a region in any city in the usa. The recording of the concert was a surprise for my parents. ... Don, no one is a complete encyclopedia:)

Someone somewhere in the internet stated the Black community ended the great era of Black Music in the 1970s, I oppose that position. The following is my reply

We didn't end it. All musical eras end. To be blunt, the black community in usa had many great musical times after the war between the states. The st louis/to harlem slide jazz era. The big band era. The R&B initial era. Motown. Many great black songwriters in each of those eras. We didn't end , we changed. Black people in the usa's music changes as we change. The reason why we made the blues is cause right after the war between the states, many of us had a sadness, a blue mood. When we started growing more financially positive, actually getting whites to allow us to own businesses or get paid to do ork while still being nonviolent <not saying all black people wanted that but I comgress>, we turned the blues into rhythm and blues. After world war II when the black community oddly enough had large financial growth for individuals, we created rock and roll from R&B which is from the Blues. We created Funk as a blues version of the motown sound. Where motown was manicured black music for the white audience, in the same vein as scott joplin's minstrel music, which he did alongside his ragtime works. Ragtime was in my view, a piano version of jazz, which was started with horned instruments in new orleans.  Jazz progressed from the northern expansion. Starting from the storyville's of new orleans to St Louis, to Chicago to HArlem, to every bar from Shanghai to Berlin to Rio de janeiro to calcutta to Cairo all around the earth, jazz was played at one time, a rare achievement for one art form. So much so that colleges throughout humanity teach jazz. Many surviving jazz musicians were able to financially survive being the first jazz teachers in schools where only white jazz teachers may exist today.  No, black music changes as black people change. House Music comes from the urban black community, which in the vein of funk fuses all the many prior musical forms from Blues or Jazz. But with a larger technological capability than Funk, which began using tech in unique ways for music. We didn't end it. Today you can hear way too many excellent black blues musicians under 50, black jazz musicians under 50. White owned media companies dominate the industry and they prefer pop music, which is hat Motown or the Ragtime was. All three are intended to appeal to mass audiences, be good to sell. All three evaded or try to evade cultural friction. So, all is good, the black musical heritage lives in the black community for me, and continuous to grow or change, becoming more global, having more linguistical width than in the past, more cultural variance. All is good. 

Movies That Move We video Review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L1bNVo8gYU
 

Original Post

https://aalbc.com/tc/profile/6477-richardmurray/?status=1587&type=status

Coloring pages and examples of them colored. The bottom illustration is one of the coloring pages.

If you like my work, I wouldn't mind a tip 
https://www.deviantart.com/hddeviant/subscriptions?tier=82-902770076

My Gallery of Inks
https://www.deviantart.com/hddeviant/gallery/47013691/comic-coloring-pages

COOL POSTER

“A bewitching, thrilling and vibrant novel that had me enthralled with every twist and turn.”—Jennifer Saint, New York Times bestselling author

Buy Now
Masquerade is an “immersive, one-of-a-kind story” (People Magazine) set in a reimagined 15th-century West Africa that explores the true cost of one woman’s fight for freedom and self-discovery, and the lengths she’ll go to secure her future.

Loosely based on the myth of Persephone, O.O. Sangoyomi’s Masquerade takes you on a journey of epic power struggles and political intrigue which turn an entire region on its head.

This paperback edition includes an unpublished, previously cut scene with author commentary and a reading group discussion guide.
 

BUY THE BOOK OR LEARN MORE

https://aalbc.com/books/9781250904317

Tia Jackson's First Episode is LIVE!

Click here for EPISODE ONE: https://aliciamccalla.com/blogs/serial-fiction-event

post
https://www.tumblr.com/communities/black-artist-on-tjambler/post/790534296765071360/stone-protectors-troll-sea-captain?source=share

I chose mullein cause it can grow in caves easier than the others , which is where troll species lives. 

List Herbs you can smoke
https://tripsitter.com/herbs-you-can-smoke/

Herbs that you can smoke that are sweet not narcotic are
Cinnamon: Adds a rich flavor to the smoke, but can be harsh; mix with other herbs for a milder effect. 
Chamomile: Known for its soothing properties, it can be blended with other herbs for a pleasant smoke. 
Marshmallow Root: Offers a sweet flavor and is often used in herbal blends. 
Mullein: A soothing herb that can be mixed with other herbs for a unique smoke experience. 

Herbs that you can smoke which are savory not narcotic
Calendula: A bright yellow flower that can be smoked for its uplifting scent. 
Rose Petal: Known for its sweet, floral aroma, it can be a pleasant alternative. 
White Sage: Offers a light smoke with a neutral flavor and is often used for relaxation. 
Dania: A herb that can be smoked for its calming effects. 
 

Reggae Night
written by La Toya Jackson+ Amir Bayyan
Lyrics

Yeah, man, Reggae night You live and you love So turn on your light Make it shine bright Now listen to this Jam it Reggae night We come together when the feeling's right Reggae night And we'll be jamming till the morning light Mmm, hmm, oh, oh Penny Reel just called Got to get my things, got to catch this ride Got to look my best Cause I know they'll be mashing it up tonight Mmm, hmm, oh, oh Reggae night We come together when the feeling's right Reggae night And we'll be jamming till the morning light Mmm, hmm, oh, oh You will find it happens only once a year So don't miss out on this session here, oh There'll be people coming from the North and South and East and West So you better look your best, man Now lightning strikes at eight So you better not be late For this rub-a-dubbing, rockin' Jammin', fun, fun loving, yeah Reggae night We come together when the feeling's right Mmm, hmm, oh, oh Reggae night And we'll be jamming til the morning light You will find it happens only once a year So take advantage of this festive cheer Make we bring we family And let's tell some friends And everyone will have a jam, jam session Ooh, yeah Comin' out Ribbit Very nice style Ram it Oh ohoh Reggae night Oh ohoh Reggae night Oh ohoh Reggae night Oh ohoh Reggae night Oh ohoh Reggae night Oh ohoh Keep on rockin' down Oh ohoh Reggae night Oh ohoh Reggae night Reggae night We come together when the feeling's right Mmm, hmm, oh, oh Reggae night And we'll be jamming till the morning light Mmm, hmm, oh, oh Reggae night We come together when the feeling's right Mmm, hmm, oh, oh Reggae night And we'll be jamming till the morning light Mmm, hmm, oh, oh Oh ohoh Reggae night Oh ohoh Reggae night Oh ohoh Reggae night Oh ohoh Reggae night Oh ohoh (Ram it, jam it) Oh ohoh (Whoo, yeah, yeaht) Oh ohoh (Hoo) Oh ohoh (Yeah)...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3Uh24QiJUI

Sufferin in the land
written by Jimmy Cliff
Lyrics

(Jimmy Cliff) Da-da-dai-dai, da-da-dai, da-da-dai ... Suffering in the land It is plain to see we're in a terrible situation Sufferin' in the land Nearly half of the world on the verge of starvation Sufferin' in the land And the children are crying for more education Sufferin' in the land Let's singin' Da-da-dai-dai ... Suffering in the land The rich get richer and the poor get poorer Sufferin' in the land Everything's gettin' higher and the time gettin' tougher Sufferin' in the land They're making guns and bombs to set the world on fire Sufferin' in the land I'm singin' Da-da-dai-dai ... Suffering in the land, Lord Da-da-dai-dai ... Suffering in the land

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1h6OR60dBk

Many Rivers to Cross
written by Jimmy Cliff
Lyrics

Many rivers to cross But I can't seem to find my way over Wandering, I am lost As I travel along the white cliffs of Dover Many rivers to cross And it's only my will that keeps me alive I've been licked, washed up for years And I merely survive because of my pride But the loneliness won't leave me alone It's such a drag to be on your own My woman left and she didn't say why Well, I guess I have to try Many (many) rivers to cross (rivers to cross) But just where to begin? I'm playing for time There'll be times (many) I find myself (rivers to cross) Thinking of committing some dreadful crime Yes, I got many (many) rivers to cross (rivers to cross) But I can't seem to find my way over (I've got) wandering, I am lost (many rivers to cross) As I travel along the white cliffs of Dover

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjW5f7i5EwE

You Can Get It If You Really Want
written by Jimmy Cliff
Lyrics

You can get it if you really want You can get it if you really want You can get it if you really want But you must try, try and try Try and try You'll succeed at last Hm-hm-mm Look here Persecution you must bear Win or lose, you've got to get your share Got your mind set on a dream (oh) You can get it, though harder they seem now You can get it if you really want You can get it if you really want You can get it if you really want But you must try, try and try Try and try You'll succeed at last I know it Listen Rome was not built in a day Opposition will come your way But the hotter the battle you see (oh-oh) It's the sweeter the victory, now You can get it if you really want You can get it if you really want You can get it if you really want But you must try, try and try Try and try You'll succeed at last You can get it if you really want You can get it if you really want You can get it if you really want But you must try, try and try Try and try You'll succeed at last (You can get it if you really want) I know it (You can get it if you really want) don't I show it? (You can get it if you really want) so don't give up now (You can get it if you really want) Keep on trying

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg7qsW8qboE
 

The Harder They Come
written by Jimmy Cliff
Lyrics

Well, they tell me of a pie up in the sky Waiting for me when I die But between the day you're born and when you die They never seem to hear even your cry So as sure as the sun will shine I'm gonna get my share now, what's mine And then the harder they come The harder they fall, one and all Ooh, the harder they come The harder they fall, one and all Well, the oppressors are trying to keep me down Trying to drive me underground And they think that they have got the battle won I say forgive them Lord, they know not what they've done 'Cause, as sure as the sun will shine I'm gonna get my share now, what's mine And then the harder they come The harder they fall, one and all Ooh, the harder they come Harder they fall, one and all And I keep on fighting for the things I want Though I know that when you're dead you can't But I'd rather be a free man in my grave Than living as a puppet or a slave So as sure as the sun will shine I'm gonna get my share now, what's mine And then the harder they come The harder they fall, one and all Ooh, the harder they come Harder they fall, one and all Hey, the harder they come The harder they fall, one and all Hey, the harder they come The harder they fall, one and all Hey, the harder they come The harder they fall, one and all

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vyoVstgJgE

Wonderful World, Beautiful People
written by Jimmy Cliff
Lyrics

Hey, yeah, wonderful world, beautiful people You and your girl, things could be pretty But underneath this, there is a secret That nobody can repeat Take a look at the world And the state that it's in today I am sure you'll agree We all could make it a better way With our love put together Everybody learn to love each other Instead of fussing and fighting Cheating, backbiting Scandalizing and hating Baby, we could have a Wonderful world, beautiful people You and your girl, things could be pretty But underneath this, there is a secret That nobody can repeat, yeah you know Man and woman, girl and boy Let us try to give a helping hand This I know and I'm sure That with love we all could understand This is our world, can't you see? Everybody wants to live and be free Instead of fussing and fighting Cheating backbiting Scandalizing and hating Yeah, we could have a Wonderful world, beautiful people You and your girl, things could be pretty But underneath this, there is a secret That nobody can repeat Yeah, yeah, now Talking 'bout the Wonderful world, beautiful people You and your girl (taking 'bout you), things could be pretty (taking 'bout me) Wonderful world (taking 'bout me solely), beautiful people (apparently someday) Wonderful world (we all could do), beautiful people (end with singing) Wonderful world (have a little bit of now), beautiful people (do what you can) Wonderful world (have a little bit of now)

https://youtu.be/zCJYl9Irayk?si=2HM0EF6e05Ww_fN6

THE HARDER THEY COME

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzCv8-AJywc

Directed by Perry Henzell Written by Perry Henzell Trevor D. Rhone Produced by Perry Henzell Uncredited: Chris Blackwell Starring Jimmy Cliff Cinematography Peter Jessop David McDonald Franklyn St. Juste Edited by Reicland Anderson John Victor-Smith Richard White Music by Jimmy Cliff Desmond Dekker The Slickers The Maytals Production company International Films Inc. Distributed by New World Pictures Release dates 5 June 1972 (Kingston, Jamaica)[1] 1972 (VIFF) 8 February 1973 (United States) Running time 109 minutes[2] Country Jamaica Languages Jamaican English Jamaican Patois Budget J$400,000[3] or $150,000[4]

Jimmy Cliff was in a film called Club Paradise 1986 directed by Harold Ramis aka Egon from Ghostbusters
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Club_Paradise

Ramis said, "We thought Club Paradise had a good chance at the box office. But we were the fourth Caribbean comedy out that year, and none of them did any business. The casting ended up being diametrically opposed to what was intended. It was intended for Bill Murray and John Cleese, with Bill as the laid-back guy and Cleese as the over-the-top guy, and we ended up with Robin Williams and Peter O'Toole, with O'Toole as the laid-back guy and Robin the over-the-top guy. The polarities shifted, and it was probably not as interesting or as solid as it might have been if Bill and Cleese were there."

00:04 simple myths- writing a great book is going to make you successful. you have to market books or no one will know it exists.
00:09 having money isn't mandatory to make money, he uses an example of an author who is collaborating with more people , focus on what you can do. and remember investment isn't surefire. 
00:10 Dale ask, how can you put your book out there?
00:11 Tara says, know how to market your book
00:11 Dale, figure out your elevator pitch, put something you can say in one to two sentences. 
00:13 Dale, you can find your elevator pitch in reviews. 
00:14 Tara ask Dale about publishing widely, and he responds. Dale, I wouldn't say publishing wide is the best for all authors, he wants to reach more readers, and pay day can be nice and a certain company wants that but he wants to reach out. if a company is showering money on you and makes it worth your while it should be cood. If you can get four iterations of your book: paperbook/ebook/audiobook
Wie publishing is about accessibility. He doesn't know any paper based does give exclusivity.
Ebooks/ Print books- paper or hardcover/audiobooks
00:18 Hardcover is still being bought
00:20 don't let personal bias influence. 
00:23 his biggest why is to live life on his own terms to spend time with his wife and cats. he ask other artist, why are you doing this? He is doing this so he doesn't need to be shackled to a 9 to 5 job
00:25 Tara adds a lot of people talk about writing books, very few people do it. 
00:27 Tara ask what are social media myths ? Dale answer, you don't need social media, you don't. You need great marketable books and an email list. if you are going into social media to sell books, it may be a long hard road. if you are getting to connect to more people online, what your books are about, that is where it is going to win. you want a thousand fans in one spot. He says exceptions. You have booktok, in TikTok. He has sees some videos and they are terrible but they are selling. But alot of their success came up with consistency over a long period of time. He is over 120,000 on youtube, he has been working on nine and a half years. Second communicate, don't just say, buy my book. 
00:31 Dale was asked about faceless social media, authorsscale.com  . believe in what your speaking, put yourself in a mirror. 
00:35 Tara says pick up the social media route you enjoy
00:37 What are your take on interviews? Dale answers, a majority of interviews from people reply believe in your work and never give up. He feels it is free coaching.
00:38 do you have any advice for someone not on a podcast? yes, podcast always are looking for guest. and if you don't know, search. And go and listen to the podcasts, you will filter out some, and do you want to associate with this podcast brand. and lets be honest, all podcasts aren't worth being on. use podcast guest .com use the free version, they give a podcast newsletter, ctrl-f search and type author, if nothing delete the email. Find out where readers are congregating. 
00:42 Tara believes it is always easier to be the interviewer than the interviewee. and if you are shy on camera, being an interviewer is the best thing to gain confidence. 
00:43 Tara remembers her first podcast, on zoom, and she left abruptly. 
00:45 Tara asked, what you wish you knew at the beginning, she remembers ebooks importance? Dale says I wish someone had said you will not won it all ever., He remembers the founder of Kobo who then got a degree, and Dale remembers Mark saying, i just want to learn more. 
00:47 Dale is asked what will you do first if you don't do anything else. 
00:49 Dale said to different content. See what leads to a click. 
00:51 Dale suggest subject lines shouldn't be generic. attention get. pay attention how you interact with that email. He may look at Tara's July Update. 
00:52 segmentation is important but if you want more engagement, segmentation is more important. 
sender reputation matters, your email gets in spam box by yahoo or other email servers by response of people
00:55 Dale said, study what other's are doing. https://www.authorscale.com/ was cool. 
00:57 Dale will be at author nation in Las Vegas in the first weekend of November.  his next book launches in august. 
URL
https://www.kobo.com/kobo-writing-life/blog/kwl-live-q-a-busting-indie-publishing-myths-with-dale-roberts

audio

https://www.tumblr.com/richardmurrayhumblr/791603876662001664/written-by-richard-murray-hddeviant-biround

pdf

https://www.deviantart.com/hddeviant/art/Biround-Mornings-1229347827
Crliterature challenge
https://www.deviantart.com/hddeviant/journal/August-Birthday-Writing-Challenge-1222529726

forum post
https://aalbc.com/tc/topic/11753-where-are-they-now-farmer-ted-sixteen-candles-deviantart-august-birthday-literature-challenge-winners-will-get-prizes/

Audio

https://www.tumblr.com/richardmurrayhumblr/791612681299869696/where-are-they-now-farmer-ted-sixteen-candles
CRliterature challenge
https://www.deviantart.com/hddeviant/journal/Where-Are-They-Now-Farmer-Ted-Sixteen-Candles-1216942649

forum post
https://aalbc.com/tc/topic/11753-where-are-they-now-farmer-ted-sixteen-candles-deviantart-august-birthday-literature-challenge-winners-will-get-prizes/

my comment
excellent video, I concur, judgement of faithful comparison is used negative. Yes, religion is the problem, the thing read again isn't sacre sanct. To your point, the echo chamber structure of the modern world wide web, and how people collaborate in the echo chambers, makes the solitary read more enjoyable to those who desire an echo chamber more than the collective art construct of films where varied voices one does not want get a say. Where would King Arthur rule if not for adaptation?

IN AMENDMENT
I always try to see what a fellow artist is trying to do. Even in movies I dislike the most,  like cw fields birth of a nation, which is an adaption, i see what fields wanted to achieve. And although I don't like the book either, I comprehend the author's arguments or points as an artist should to any other artist work. If anything my negative issue isn't adaptations but forced reboots. Never continuing a story, always rebooting is tiresome for me. I think stories can be changed or repaired in their storytelling quality through continuing the story.... I have given myself time to think and when I think on Songs of the South from disney, which is an adaption of uncle remus tales from chandler which itself is an adaption from spoken folk tales from black people. I don't care for the variation of the stories, or the uncle remus character but the movie wasn't created to be enjoyed black people. The film was designed to get white kids to enjoy and comfort white parents. It wasn't meant for nonwhites who at that time didn't have the fiscal potency of today. ala Disney making Black panther in modern times. 
ANOTHER COMMENT
@marocat4749  I think for some making howl not an "ugly duckling " hurt. many enjoy  that in the books aside of the hatter women's more strong willed natures as a group. It is only teased in the film. But I enjoyed the books+ the film. I like what they did with the witch of the waste in the film.Miyazaki to his defense doesn't like the all bad or all good characters... and lastly, while the castle is a smoke stack in the book, i enjoy the flying frog in the film 

But a monster I am, let it not be said.
So a vigilant statue I remain
Warm and full of dreams.
https://www.deviantart.com/midn1ghtink/art/The-Importance-of-Being-Jack-NaPo24-7-1039850067

wishing I am not in the very town I had
none of my seventeen-year-old worries seem to
wished to escape.
https://www.deviantart.com/starrystarrysky7267/art/departure-1039901996

IN AMENDMENT

Cento List - enjoy the poetry
https://aalbc.com/tc/search/?q=cento&quick=1&type=calendar_event&nodes=5&updated_after=any&sortby=newest
Enjoy the 2023 Centos
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/richard-murray-centos-2023

Epub link
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/poetry-or-more-1
Epub series 
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/series/richard-murray-short-story-collection

Audiobook link
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobook/the-last-flail
Audiobook series 
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/series/richard-murray-tip-jar-audios

If you really want to follow what I am doing please subscribe to my calendars. I wish I would had used the calendar tool with all my work from the beginning. Like alot of the internet I didn't really think on it when I started, like with many I just started using. Why do we create linearly when a lot of times, what I have to say is repeats from yesteryear. 
Richard Murray's Work Calendar
webcal://aalbc.com/tc/events/5-rmworkcalendar/download/?member=6477&key=9b0dbd4939faea9d5408174d9601d576

or

https://aalbc.com/tc/events/5-rmworkcalendar/download/?member=6477&key=9b0dbd4939faea9d5408174d9601d576
Richard Murray's Community Calendar
webcal://aalbc.com/tc/events/7-rmcommunitycalendar/download/?member=6477&key=9b0dbd4939faea9d5408174d9601d576

or

https://aalbc.com/tc/events/7-rmcommunitycalendar/download/?member=6477&key=9b0dbd4939faea9d5408174d9601d576

MY COMMENT

The Exodusters tried that, but had resistance from two groups. 

first whites from north /south/east/west who burned/killed/terrorized their towns out of existence

second blacks who were more willing to suffer the challenges of integrating with whites in the south or north to make mixed towns than the challenge of segregating from whites[their plantations/their cities/their states in the south or north] to the territories of the west that would become states.   

And it wasn't a divide and conquer scheme from that split blacks, our enslaved forebears were never united in the first place,  it was the problem black people had before the usa or brasil or haiti or mexico was founded. Black people whose forebears were enslaved by whites to the american continent original relationship to the americas doesn't provide a positive foundation to the americas.  and that is a heritage black people of the americas have alone. But it is a heritage that yields to different cultures. 

whereas whites (of europe or asia or elsewhere)have a unity based on the fact that over 90% of whites forebears came as willing people. So their is a collective idea of making a new home for yourself that binds into one culture. 

but black peoples enslaved forebears didn't want to come and most didn't, the reality is, black people enslaved forebears who made it to the american shoes are an extreme minority of their populace who was forced to leave africa. To restate, 90% of our enslaved forebears home is the atlantic ocean, from those who died on the boats which is majority plus those who jumped off the boat which is another minority. So if you me or anyone whose forebears were enslaved want to truly know where a majority of our forebears final residence was, it isn't the usa or haiti or brazil , it is the atlantic ocean. Become a citizen of the atlantic ocean. 

Now of course, most humans can not become citizens of the sea, our bodies are meant to be on land BUT, what this means is all paths we descended of enslaved choose beyond the atlantic ocean are merely acceptable options. Black DOS want to be president? fine. go to live in africa?  fine. go to live in a black country in the caribbean ? fine. make a black city in the usa? fine. all are acceptible, for the only true home of black dosers forebears is the atlantic ocean. so.... 

you stated what blacks should have concentrated on doing? 

Do you see? our forebears situation made us the only peoples in the american continent unattached, unbounded to these lands. This hurts our unity but also allows for our individualism. This is what I try to convey in this very forum, that so many of you guys don't see. You each want a culture, something grown, that is a  complete communalism that isn't justified based on our heritage, what we carry. 

Black DOSers are a people who have a unique heritage in the usa or the greater americas or including asia. Our forebears mostly died before they could land on new shores, so none of these new shores: brasil/usa/india are truly our homes. And sadly, the motherland, africa isn't our home because time never keeps a place the same. No where in africa is what our forebears were forced from. 

I end with something I tend to do in this forum, ask black people why don't they find like minded black people and go their path.

@umbrarchist why don't you live in a black town in the usa? you don't know anyone else black willing? I can't believe that. You can't find anyone else black willing? I can't believe that. 

I accept Black people whose forebears were enslaved are free to truly do what they want based on our forebears unfortune, and though it has taken years, I accept it as a positive. I tell my friends offline who talk about being american so much, why don't you run for office? why don't you become a member? 

I will repeat what I have said here many times. 

When I hear a black person offline say, we need to kill the whites. I say to them, find the other black people who also want to kill the non blacks and I hope you kill them all.  

When I hear a black person offline say, we need to embrace our citizenship to the usa . I say to them, find the other blacks who want to embrace the citizenship of the usa, and I hope you guys become presidents/ governors /mayors/ and unite all the humans in the usa in a functional plus honest peace.

When I hear a black person offline say, we need to have our own towns in the usa. I say to them, find all the other blacks who want to make their own towns in the usa, and I hope you guys make new towns/cities/and eventually becomes states with a level of self sufficiency or prosperity better than any can imagine. 

When a black person says they want something support them, if through nothing else but encouragement. You are not obliged to follow them or join them cause you may want other, and that is a heritage of Blacks. But stop preaching, stop debating, stop arguing, stop proselytizing. 

If a black person is suggesting something push them to do it, find other blacks that are willing to do the same, and if you are willing to do the same join in, but if you are not willing encourage. 

That is what we lacked circa 1865 and now. We Black whose forebears were enslaved keep trying to be other blacks or the non blacks. They are not us. A majority of our forebears who were enslaved are in one place, the oceans. We have no ties from the past to any of these places, so we are free to make them ourselves. Let's embrace that challenges, but let us also enjoy the advantages of it. Our forebears will not mind us being happy , no matter what we do. 

THE URL

https://aalbc.com/tc/topic/11752-whites-only-planned-communities/#findComment-75320

One way or another, Americans have to deal with the West and its glorious, sordid, sadistic past…we fought lawnessness to create an even more lawless law, one that excused and perpetuated genocide. Even today, this gun-obsessed nation that we love remains mired in a dilemma centered on pistols and rifles with romantic ties to our murderous past. We love Westerns. We learn everything from Westerns and yet learn nothing from them. We continue killing ourselves in an unconscionable way…That's why when I had the chance to play Doc Holliday, I grabbed it.
Val Kilmer, I'm Your Huckleberry (2020)

In 1983, Rolling Stone featured a playful “Beach Day” photo shoot with the Star Wars cast to promote Return of the Jedi.
Shot at Stinson Beach, California, Carrie Fisher posed in her iconic Leia bikini alongside Darth Vader, Ewoks, and others.
Photographed by Aaron Rapoport, the shoot brought a lighthearted, beachy twist to the galaxy far, far away.
It captured Carrie Fisher’s charisma and gave fans a rare, fun look at the cast outside the movie’s epic tone.

Malika: Warrior Queen transports viewers to 15th-century West Africa, where Queen Malika must defend her vast empire from internal betrayal and external threats, including the formidable Ming Dynasty. This film masterfully blends historical elements with fantasy, featuring dragons, mystical relics, and epic battles. Malika’s journey, shaped by leadership, loyalty, and resilience, offers a fresh take on the fantasy genre, set against the rich cultural backdrop of Africa. Its stunning animation and complex characters make it a standout in African animation.

https://youtu.be/2N80qcVvzUU

2. Emeka’s Money (2020)
Produced by: TNC Africa

Emeka’s Money tells the story of Emeka, a well-meaning man whose journey from complicity to integrity highlights the devastating effects of corruption. As Emeka becomes aware of the cost of unethical leadership, he takes a stand for justice and change. The film’s animation brings to life the socio-political issues facing many African nations, offering a powerful message on integrity and the pursuit of a better society.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhPNw-bH0Hw

3. Sade (2019)
Director: Yemi Morafa
Produced by: Sade Productions

In Sade, a young girl and her family adopt TEJ, an extraordinary dog with mysterious abilities. As news of TEJ spreads, powerful forces seek to capture him, leading to an adventure filled with suspense and heartwarming moments. This film explores themes of loyalty, courage, and the bond between humans and animals, wrapped in a charming and imaginative animated package.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1f7mey6NLM

4. Iwájú (2024)
Produced by: Kugali Media & Disney

Set in a futuristic Lagos, Iwájú is a groundbreaking sci-fi series that delves into issues of class disparity, social justice, and technological innovation. With comic-style animation, it presents a vision of a vibrant African metropolis where tradition meets the future. The series is a testament to the global appeal of African stories and the growing influence of African creatives in animation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mB5efZKWIrU

5. LadyBuckit & The Motley Mopsters (2020)
Director: Adebisi Adetayo
Produced by: Hot Ticket Productions

LadyBuckit & The Motley Mopsters follows a self-absorbed young girl who is transported to a magical world where she encounters quirky, lovable characters that change her life. The film’s whimsical narrative and vibrant animation make it a delightful adventure for young audiences, while its underlying themes of self-discovery and transformation resonate universally.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNCxGlQzrTI

REFERRAL
https://africanfolder.com/nollywood-animation-movies/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BLACK BOOKSTORES OFFICIALLY LAUNCHES TO CHAMPION BLACK LITERARY CULTURE

Sacramento, CA (August 4, 2025) — Inspired by the legacy of the country's first Black-owned bookstores and the remarkable individuals behind them, the official launch of the National Association of Black Bookstores (NAB²) took place today. As a first-of-its-kind national organization, NAB2 has been built to unify, elevate, and empower Black-owned bookstores across the country.

NAB² is a nonprofit collective created to promote literacy, amplify Black voices, and preserve Black culture by increasing the visibility, sustainability, and impact of Black bookstores and booksellers. The organization represents a powerful step toward creating long-term infrastructure and collective advocacy for one of the most vital cultural cornerstones of Black America.

“For decades Black bookstores have been the connective tissue in communities across the nation. Many of us have talked for years about the power of collective action and now, with the founding of NAB² we have the ability to institutionalize policies and practices that will allow for the further growth and flourishing of these important institutions”— Blanche Richardson, Founding Board Member and Owner, Marcus Books

The organization’s inaugural board includes trailblazers from some of the country’s most historic and impactful Black bookstores. Many of these are now being led by third, fourth and fifth generation family member bookstore owners including Marshall’s Music and Books (Jackson, MS), Hakim’s Bookstore (Philadelphia, PA), Marcus Books (Oakland, CA), and Source Booksellers (Detroit, MI). NAB²’s multi-tiered membership model invites bookstore owners, professional booksellers, and at-large industry allies, authors, publishers, and distributors, to join in shaping a national agenda rooted in equity, culture, and commerce.

“My mother, Mother Rose, founded and ran Underground Books in Oak Park. My involvement in the National Association of Black Bookstores is deeply personal. It’s a way for me to honor her legacy and ensure that the stories, voices, and spaces she cherished continue to thrive,” said Kevin Johnson, Founder, National Association of Black Bookstores.

The core priorities of the organization are as follows:
 

1. Elevating the Black bookstore community by offering professional resources, increased visibility, and a strong network of support;
2. Expanding representation in the bookselling industry by supporting long-term financial sustainability and growth;
3. Leveraging economies of scale to benefit both current and future Black bookstores and booksellers;
4. Serving as a collective voice for Black bookstores through advocacy and public engagement;
5. Educating the public about the rich history and enduring legacy of Black bookstores in America.

Structured with a full board of directors, advisory board, and general membership body, NAB² plans to convene virtually and in person throughout the year, with key events slated during Black Lit Weekend in New York (August 15–16) and the Sacramento Black Book Fair (September 12–13).

For more information, to become a member, or to support NAB2, visit www.nab2.org or follow @nab2blk on social platforms.

About the National Association of Black Bookstores (NAB2)

The National Association of Black Bookstores (NAB2) is the first and only national organization dedicated to empowering Black-owned bookstores and booksellers. Founded in 2025, NAB2 exists to promote literacy, amplify Black voices, and preserve Black cultural heritage by strengthening the visibility, sustainability, and impact of Black bookstores across the United States. Through advocacy, education, strategic partnerships, and a unified membership network, NAB2 supports Black literary spaces as engines of community, commerce, and cultural change. Learn more at www.nab2.org and follow @nab2blk on social platforms.

Media Contact:
Pristina Alford
Alford & Co. Public Relations
pristina@alfordandco.com

USE THE FOLLOWING QRCODE TO SHARE TO ANY BLACK BOOKSTORE YOU KNOW TO SIGN THEM UP

URL

https://aalbc.com/tc/topic/11761-national-association-of-black-bookstores-officially-launches

My reasoning was to help the adult art group. 

https://aalbc.com/tc/blogs/entry/493-malhwie/

Growing up in the home of my parents I had from a child 1800s Black Literature. and I read it and it shaped my thinking towards media. One of the reasons why I don't get excited about white fiction largely is because I was raised with a more honest comprehension of Black Fiction, which most black people when children are not. And to be blunt, not sacred but secular. One of the things I realized as an adult is how religious many black homes are. Christianity/ISlam/Judaism/Buddhism/Vodun/Yoruba or other, Black people tend to be raised in a faith based home, so alot of literature involving Black people tend to encircle faith based living so relibious text/spiritual text/self help/biographical books... but fiction tends to not be on the shelf. I figured in the African American Literary Book club someone should place public variants of work that is freely available but indicative of Black People in the 1800s or before. 

Negro Spirituals + Work Songs [Originally Predating the USA, the modern form comes from the circa 1865 variants of either, as whites successfully eliminated most record of black life from being created or if it was created]
https://aalbc.com/tc/blogs/entry/498-negro-spirituals-work-songs/

Bars Fight 1746 from Lucy Terry
https://aalbc.com/tc/blogs/entry/348-bars-fight-from-lucy-terry/

Hope Of Liberty 1829 + Poetical Works 1845 from George M Horton
https://aalbc.com/tc/blogs/entry/485-george-m-horton-remembering-juneteenth/

Le Mulâtre 1837 from Victor Séjour 
https://aalbc.com/tc/blogs/entry/495-le-mul%C3%A2tre-from-victor-s%C3%A9jour-two-versions-split-by-an-essay/

Clotel 1853 from William Well Brown
https://aalbc.com/tc/blogs/entry/496-clotel-or-the-presidents-daughter-a-narrative-of-slave-life-in-the-united-states-by-william-well-brown/

The Garies and their friends 1857 from Francis Johnson Webb
https://aalbc.com/tc/blogs/entry/497-the-garies-and-thier-friends/

Blake 1861 from Martin Delaney
https://aalbc.com/tc/blogs/entry/494-weekly-%C2%A0anglo-african-and-%C2%A0the-pine-and-palm%C2%A0-excerpts-from-1861%E2%80%931862blake-or-the-huts-of-america-a-tale-of-the-mississippi-valley-the-southern-united-states-and-cuba-from-martin-delany/

Shuffle ALong 1921 from Eubie Blake [Yes not 1800s and not the earliest Black stageplay, I have a book of early black stageplays, it hasn't been made electronic, but ]
https://aalbc.com/tc/blogs/entry/478-my-search-for-shuffle-along/

NOTE: the following are in my personal collection and I haven't seen their contents publicly available. 
Les Cenelles [interesting essay: https://64parishes.org/entry/les-cenelles ; a book on the gens de colour : https://www.gutenberg.org/files/20554/20554-h/20554-h.htm ]
Every Tongue Got To Confess [Collected by Zora Neale Hurston , a very informative and fun read, exposing many fables and tales of Black people pre war between the states]

AMENDMENT: an interesting read
Spiritual Folk songs about the USA  [ https://www.gutenberg.org/files/59884/59884-h/59884-h.htm ]
 

https://mydocubox.org/

In partnership with THE WHY, DOCUBOX EADFF is calling on filmmakers across the continent to pitch short documentaries (5–15 min) that explore freedom, from your perspective, in the context you know best. Political, personal, social, economic, or environmental — all interpretations are welcome.

With democracy and individual freedoms under increasing pressure, this series is part of a global effort to spotlight the many lived realities of what freedom looks like, feels like, or is still being fought for.✊🏽✨

From grounded reflection to bold perspective, we’re looking for 6 clear, compelling narratives — anchored in voices you’re well-positioned to share, with real connection to the people, places, or moments at their core.

Call Details:
🔹 $7,000 USD production grant
🔹 Online Story development lab
🔹 5-day Physical Editing Lab Mentorship in Nairobi (Dec 2025)
🔹 Global distribution via THE WHY Foundation

***Deadline: 12 August 2025***

“To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” — Nelson Mandela 💫

If your story questions what freedom is, or isn’t , in your context, we want to hear it.

Apply now via link the in bio or via submission.mydocubox.org

#WHYFreedom #Docubox #AfricanFilmmakers #OpenCall

I finished the Maple Story MApleize me contest entry. Enjoy the coloring pages to my entry, if you are part of my email newsletter. If you go for it, you still have a solid day in time, please share. Here is the link to my entry. 

https://www.deviantart.com/hddeviant/art/Me-Maplelized-758393673?ga_submit_new=10%3A1533699970 

For the record, the following link is to my original informing to the contest https://aalbc.com/tc/blogs/entry/194-richard-murray-creative-table/?page=4&amp;tab=comments#comment-437

Original Post

https://aalbc.com/tc/blogs/entry/194-richard-murray-creative-table/page/4/?tab=comments#comment-439

EMBED CODE

motionless horror
covering the wall
made of decay and desire
your love
in  the emptiness of silence
https://www.deviantart.com/lorian-aindal/art/Honeycomb-Delight-1039551796

blooming in me with beautiful tenebrae
I drag it out to commit atrocities
swallowing the light with toothed jaws
selection from  ivers of misguided paths
https://www.deviantart.com/lorian-aindal/art/Tenebrae-1040045927

IN AMENDMENT

Cento List - enjoy the poetry
https://aalbc.com/tc/search/?q=cento&quick=1&type=calendar_event&nodes=5&updated_after=any&sortby=newest
Enjoy the 2023 Centos
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/richard-murray-centos-2023

Epub link
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/poetry-or-more-1
Epub series 
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/series/richard-murray-short-story-collection

Audiobook link
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobook/the-last-flail
Audiobook series 
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/series/richard-murray-tip-jar-audios

If you really want to follow what I am doing please subscribe to my calendars. I wish I would had used the calendar tool with all my work from the beginning. Like alot of the internet I didn't really think on it when I started, like with many I just started using. Why do we create linearly when a lot of times, what I have to say is repeats from yesteryear. 
Richard Murray's Work Calendar
webcal://aalbc.com/tc/events/5-rmworkcalendar/download/?member=6477&key=9b0dbd4939faea9d5408174d9601d576

or

https://aalbc.com/tc/events/5-rmworkcalendar/download/?member=6477&key=9b0dbd4939faea9d5408174d9601d576
Richard Murray's Community Calendar
webcal://aalbc.com/tc/events/7-rmcommunitycalendar/download/?member=6477&key=9b0dbd4939faea9d5408174d9601d576

or

https://aalbc.com/tc/events/7-rmcommunitycalendar/download/?member=6477&key=9b0dbd4939faea9d5408174d9601d576

A Seventeenth Witch

It was a quiet morning, in an eighth seventeenth

Miss Sarah, a witch, had a really long day

A witch, that she is, that she is

The clouds full from night dings, all seem calm underneath

Miss Sarah, wait an encounter, in the street

A witch, that she is, that she is

A tree crack begin a sing, mashes like titans teeth

Miss Sarah, now no human feet, but purring

A witch, that she is, that she is

A girl cry, I am falling! shouts from anger bequeath

Miss Sarah, know hands weave cruel from the lightning

A witch, that she is, that she is

Cat shade, spells from lightning cling, in nights eighth seventeenth

Miss Sarah, four legged, know where the light land

A witch, that she is, that she is

Through parks, dodge wild cans, running, past bright cars underneath

Miss Sarah, absorb the cruelty fore the street

A witch, that she is, that she is

Boom! she leap side hot white bling, she fall on concrete teeth  

Miss Sarah... feel wet licks and a quiet warmth

A witch, that she is, that she is

Eyes open to soeur earrings, We Won! now eighth eighteenth

Miss Sarah, in the pawed coven, knew the price

A witch, that she is, that she is

A teen wait for a purring, cause her mother bequeath

Miss Sarah, in her daughter's arms, now home, safe

A witch, that she is, that she is

No image through tweet will bring, witch pride last seventeenth

Miss Sarah, side sisters, saved all, quietly

A witch, that each is, that each is

If you see a black, purring, rubbing, please don't seethe

Miss Sarah, or sister maybe, just friendly

A witch, that she is, that she is

from
Richard Murray

If you want to enjoy more poetry from me, consider the following work
Poetry or More - Audiobook series

Poetry or More- complete text only

https://aalbc.com/tc/blogs/entry/261-good-news-blog-stories-through-a-year/page/2/?tab=comments#comment-943

Info 

Cat Nights begin on August 17th - display any text or art concerning cats. <Cat Nights begin on August 17. This term harks back to the days when people believed in witches. A rather obscure old Irish legend said that a witch could turn herself into a cat eight times, but on the ninth time (August 17), she couldn’t regain her human form. This bit of folklore also gives us the saying, “A cat has nine lives.” Because August is a yowly time for cats, this may have prompted the speculation about witches on the prowl in the first place. Also, nights continue to get longer. Cats, crepuscular creatures, are nocturnal hunters. Their superior night vision means that the nights belong to them

CITATION

https://www.almanac.com/fact/cat-nights-begin-the-term-cat-nights-holiday

My Wellington Wells We happy few postcard entry is set. Do you know the references? The competition still has time to submit if you are interested.

https://www.deviantart.com/hddeviant/art/Summer-Bank-Centennial-PostCard-Wellington-Wells-758711598?ga_submit_new=10%3A1533870702

Original Posting

https://aalbc.com/tc/blogs/entry/194-richard-murray-creative-table/page/4/?tab=comments#comment-441

EMBED CODE

6. “Claudine” (1974)  - directed by a nonblack man, and I like Claudine
10. “Carmen Jones” (1954) - based on a nonblack theatrical play
21. “Richard Pryor: Live in Concert” (1979) How do you lump a live comedy show next to a fiction? 
22.  “Shaft” (1971) - story written by a white man
31.  “Glory” (1989)- written directed and financed by whites 
32.  “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (2018) - a black version of a white character
63.  “Black Orpheus” (1959) based on a white mythology, directed by a white man... and I like Orfeu Negro

The Oldest is 
50. “Within Our Gates” (1920) , personally happy 35.  “The Emperor Jones” (1933)  made it, fewer black people know Paul Robeson today, which is telling cause Paul Robeson more than Malcolm or Martin or many other Black men was a Black man of many talents registered by whites
But within our gates is placed 50... the thing about white movie list is white movie list go reverse, the oldest get preference on top, the youngest go to the bottom. Within Our Gates is not better than the Heat of the Night... ok. 

And for me, to see Black Girl from Ousmane Sembene is ok, but , Emitai or Ceddo alone are better than most of the movies on this list. I will be blunt, Black Girl is good but Emitai or Ceddo are top 5 based on story and quality. And then the damn princess and the damn frog made it... and I don't see any films from India, a number of Indians from India are Kalo's/Habshi/Blacks , And a film from Kemet/Egypt I recall about a cleaning woman, a Nuba and has what I call a mamluk friend, whose husband goes to jail but he kills a man who hurt his wife while in jail... nahhh this list.  I am not your negro is beneath friday ok I am glad 57.  “Sonkofa” (1993) and 29.  “Watermelon Man” (1970) and 90.  “Daughters of the Dust” (1991) made it , cause some of the films many black people haven't seen or heard of. 

  
86.  “Bamboozled” (2000) is a criminal entry for me and the The Blood of Jesus 1941 from SPencer Williams not being on is a criminal absene for me. 

They show fun facts and say Sidney poitier is in six films, well let us list them
26.  “A Raisin in the Sun” (1961)
37.  “Lilies of the Field” (1963)
43.  “In the Heat of the Night” (1967)
69.  “To Sir, With Love” (1967) for the record the black writer of the book hated this movie, anyway
85.  “Uptown Saturday Night” (1974) the first of the cosby poitier triology
95.  “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” (1967)

this is Rich's best six sidney poitier films
A Warm December 1973
Buck and the Preacher 1972
For Love of Ivy1968
The Long Ships 1964
Paris Blues 1961

And then Denzel WAshington is in more than any other thespian. Ok, but lets look at the top three with a Denzel Washington movie up there
1. “Malcolm X” (1992)
2. “Black Panther” (2018)
3. “Do The Right Thing” (1989)

And as a writer, who mostly writes original stories,  inspired from a wide swatch of Black fiction, including before the 1900s, I see these three films as indicative of the commercial problem for a black writer like me. 
The first film is a biopic, I despise biographies ninety nine percent fo the time. Do I love Brother Malcolm, son of a Garveyite, best male black leader in the 1900s ... 100% do I think he's biopic from spike lee should be higher than fifty ? no.  But it makes sense, black people in the usa in particular are a boring peoples. We like soap operas/telenovelas/cheap drama... biopics are that, cheap dramas. Malcolm's life can be read and important points known, seeing the dramatized version is really just that. 
Black panther, written by a non black originally, produced by a non black firm to gather modern black movie going dollars which are bigger than ever before. ok... I still love Milestone better than DC or Marvel and... my favorite comic in Milestone comic is blood syndicate but ok.  Black people love black white characters either black characters that are phenotypical versions of non black characters or black characters that come from non black imaginations. I tend to write neither. 
Finally... Do the right thing... nice cast, godo scenes but what is it really? Urban Drama, when you see the power series, which is financially very profitable, you see Do the right thing. The intro to Do The Right THing has a dance sequence by a mulatta woman. The end is a neutral ending with a reconciliation amidst or within an imbalanced or uneven city, that being New York City. The idea is a neutral embrace of the usa, black pride to grow but integrated peace to live aside the non black determined. Very statian but I am not so sure how many black people in the usa in the past or now, truly believe that path, but simply abet it because of impotency.

But I have experience with these things. For me, what matters after looking at a list is how it was made. Who voted? Yeah ok, somebody made a list, that is nice, but how was it constructed, who voted?  I didn't vote, the village didn't vote. Most times in the usa list of the best are always made by a group that doesn't reflect all or even evenly. And that is whether black or non black. 
I went to the team page and see two people, so these two people made this list, that explains everything. 
https://blackmoviehalloffame.org/our-team/

And then I finally saw the following

https://blackmoviehalloffame.org/the-critic-lists/

Black Critics made this list, ok. Black Film Critics/judges like most film judges have a huge bias based on their employer or their own personal taste and all of these critics are based in the usa , applying themselves to a list of a globally existing thing like Black film so ok. I comprehend. I get the 100 and it is fine. It isn't indicative of the black populace, but should be titled, the BLACK STATIAN FILM CRITICS 100 BEST BLACK MOVIES

IN AMENDMENT

I wish they would had not made a list. That would had been better in my view. Stop making lists, stop trying to tell people what is best or what is better. Stop trying to make complex histories in the arts or away from the arts structured in some order of supposed value. I see this in AALBC all the time, people post their views and want to rank , which I sadly have done as well. But, I try to not do it, and if I owned or managed a supposed Black organization I will spend time making something that makes all black people feel welcomes, equal. For example, instead of a all time black 100 list, why not a map. 

Why not a map of films involving Black people, not black films, films involving Black people, which includes Black Films (produced by/directed by/writtenby /starring mostly black people) plus non Black Films (produced by /directed by/written by/starring mostly non black people).

In this way, it can grow and all are equal. 

If anyone is willing to make map these films  for fun, and join me, just send me a message. Let's have fun. 

I end with , I hope the renovation of the theater in misouri goes well, it will be done February 28th 2026 , but I am not a fan of Afro Americana, and I find the placement of black things away from the black geographic distribution of black people in the usa states is... saddening. 

I will be blunt, the black populace in the usa should have only three locals for all things: New York City/Los Angeles/New Orleans... New York city for the north east which includes the northern south (maryland/virginia) and the north center (detroit,chicago, cleveland)

Los Angeles for the west coast blacks as the black populace in the usa has a huge gap in its geographic distribution.

New Orleans for the confederate south and neighbors(missouri/tennessee/texas /florida/carolinas)

Kansas City come on, that isn't a black center, look at this map. Black people can live anywhere in the usa today, it doesn't mean the black populace is centered everywhere, come on. It can't be for most black people when it isn't at a central point.

Missouri doesn't even have a majority black county

I wonder how many Black children will be able to make the trip to the Black Movie Hall of Fame outside Kansas City?

REFERRAL
https://aalbc.com/tc/topic/11758-the-100-best-black-movies-ever/

COMMENTARY

https://aalbc.com/tc/topic/11758-the-100-best-black-movies-ever/#findComment-75435

interview
https://www.instagram.com/worldyoyocontest/p/DMseSGwIbPw/?img_index=3

his yoyo
https://yoyorecreation.jp/team/243

https://www.tumblr.com/filmnoirfoundation/788438887805681664/in-case-you-missed-out-latest-episode-here-you?source=share

my thoughts

00:04:23 a new latin film noir, cool 00:09:16 First time i heard a cat with wheels, but glad to know it isn't work. 00:16:50 great story from Mueller's late friend on restoring a negative reel of a sweet smell of success. His friend mike said it was a ten mont job, twenty three reels a second. I am glad someone said AI does not think. I keep saying that. Interesting point, AI allows you to see what is soulless from what is not. 00:25:14 great story on how a writer divulged the weakness of chatgpt and learning models 00:28:38 is paul muni's I am a fugitive from a slave gang the first film noir? Mueller responds, it was part of a movement, a studio specific warner bros. socially conscious movement. But an outlier, because a movement were not started. He calls a film the first film noir, because of the copies that come after it. Hammett + bogart made the maltese falcon noir, and it was the first. 00:32:23 Glenn ford in ransom and rage, are they noir? Mueller says "ransom" feels like a thriller more than noir. Neither have seen "Rage". Spike did a version of high and low with denzel Washington. [ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_and_Low_(1963_film) ] glenn ford was valuable to the studio for his versatility. fox had dana Andrew, Columbia had glenn ford. 00:45:$6 Was Bogart dubbed in the harder they fall? o cause bogart was available 00:48:15 what great voices in film noir or not well known? Barbara Stanwyck, Dan Duryea [ jon lovitz did a dan Duryea in Saturday night live ] The reason why so many had distinctive voices was nearly all actors back then came from radio so they were used to using their voice. Today he says today most actors don't have distinctive voices. A clip of tom cruise will not work out. Because of his one scene in glengarry glen ross , Mueller will know Alec Baldwin's voice 00:53:34 The legacy of constantin bakaleinkoff? The bakaleinkoff's were a musical family from Russia. constantin conducted the la symphony. Roy Webb wrote a lot of the scores but constantin conducted many. Out of the past is a roy webb score but constantin conducted it. In the 1950s musicians had a strike and that partly was the problem with the studio system, each studio had an orchestra. You will not see an rko movie from the 1940s without bakaleinkoff,but you sometime see his brothers. 00:58:40 why hasn't "to the ends of the earth " not on home video, 1948 with dick powell? It is a Columbia picture. warner bros owns the rko library. Columbia, now Sony, don't do much in putting out blue ray's. 01:01:00 Movie spoilers past and present viewing habits and audience attention? Mueller says why are movie goers today so different from movie goers in the mid 1900s. What distinguishes a genre film that plot. The only thing that makes something genre. Literary fiction doesn't have to have a plot. The difference of moviegoers is the why people went to the movies. PEople in the past went to the movie theaters for the theaters not the movie. In the late 1950 people saw enough films to get judgemental. And going to the movies became something people cared about and you wouldn't go in the middle. Alfred Hitchcock convinced theaters not to let anybody in when the movie started. A grindhouse is a theater where movies are running non stop. Intricacies exist, Audiences changed. and then when television came in, movies had to be special, and became grander. Now film movie goers have brought phones into theaters and scorcese said he will not go to theaters cause modern movie goers don't respect or pay attention. Some movies note audiences not to spoil. Great story on David fincher saying fuck em to those who haven't seen, the film being "Seven". Good point on how hard it is to trick audiences. Good point, how sinners will be revealed to most today. Mueller says the shining trailer is his favorite. [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAE7dNurHR4] Blumhouse is terrible at trailers. Mueller says with breaking bad or twin peaks, or better call saul, where it is not designed to binge. To create following for people to talk about shows, what will happen next. 01:22:54 cocktail recipes the vesper martini mueller does it differently 01:25:45 Tony Curtis she remember seeing TOny Curtis in "three act tragedy"

Bound at Noir City with Jennifer Tilly
https://www.tumblr.com/communities/filmnoirpigeons/post/788540569269026816/academy-award-nominated-actress-jennifer-tilly?source=share

3:36 Tilly wasn't allowed to Ad lib by the Washowski's. 4:59 Tilly is funny. 6:23 Roger Ebert loved Bound early and it is a cult classic now. All you need is a man a woman a locked room and a weapon... and a crazed psycopath who just yells his lines. 8:50 great story on equal opportunity, no one wants to see Joey character. Delaurentiis didn't want joey, joe pantoliano. 14:53 Great story from Tilly on how she first met Gershon in Bound. 17:41 Jennfier tilly admitted Joe pantoliano courted the Wachowskis and tilly said she should had did likewise so we could be in the matrix. 20:00 Tilly is raw, she is a great guest, Mueller doesn't have to do anything but let her talk. Tilly said her sister runs around in important movie memorabilia. 24:39 The guy got paid extra money by the screen actors guild. 25:41 gershon and tilly talked about the shoe sale at barney's 28:19 nice description by Tilly to how the washowski's made the love scene between her and gershon as one shot film, being directed all the way. 33:13 Gershon brought Tilly tequila + chocolates for the scene. 38:30 great point by Tilly and a sequel to Bound. 42:19 Mueller is right, he has never done less and the sign language man never worked harder, than with Jennifer Tilly

her websites
https://nomarketforthatbook.com/about-ruthie-and-no-market-for-that-book/
https://www.audible.com/author/Ruthie-Bowles/B0BVMWBX1J?msockid=365e31650f74658e0ff6276d0e6a6431

THOUGHTS time indexed

00:04:00 Ruthie tells a great story about entering the industry 00:06:00 question, through your time in the industry, do more or less writers want audiobook narrators who are famous actors? 00:07:00 Tara ask, how did you get involved? Ruthie answered, She saw a book , ten ways to get paid to read. Ruthie knew it was oversimplified. In 2019 she had her first audio narration gig while she still worked as a marketer. She outsourced her sound engineering and she still works with him. And she recorded in her office, at first. 00:11:00 Ruthie answered, through your time in the industry, do more or less writers want audiobook narrators who are famous actors? Not a huge consideration in the indie space, mostly in the traditional space. A famous actor will need to transition and may not be able. 00:13:00 Tara, How do you work with author? Ruthie asked, sometimes author don't know. But they can hear something and they feel it. 00:16:00 Tara, do you jump into a book series? Ruthie, she hasn't had an experience jumping into a long series. She has to notice where other people took characters. But she comprehends she is 00:19:00 Diversitymatters ask, How long would it take to do 200 page book and what is the cost? 9,300 words is industry standard for one book, so word count , and then you have to break up your book. She aims for an hour finished hour work a day. She has her fees on her website. $300 per finished hour. So you will not pay me to one to three hours. Usually when you work with an audio engineer you are paying for finished product. 00:23:00 Tara, what is a sensitivity reader? She tends to give feedback on work to see if their are problematic characterizations. But not to knock down but to work to improve the manuscript to see ways to increase the quality of the story. 00:27:00 Tara, how will it work out? Ruthie says, I will refer to things written, but sit with it. Writers have to breath when they get a sensitivity review. She doesn't have authors schedule the call until after they get the report. And remember the intention of the sensitivity reader. 00:30:00 Tara, can you tell us about your company, there is no market for that book? Ruthie, in her experience people in chat on line say, no market exist. Tara, in her experience, all genres have a market. Ruthie, Alot of her work wasn't equitably accessible. You choose what you want to do and do what you can. She wanted audio rights. The community talsk about the things they need and want, and she want to fill those needs and wants in the industry. 00:37:00 Tara, what are other challenges facing marginalized authors. Ruthie, publishing has a big realm. Marginalized authors are less likely to get marketing space. So she wants to know who out in the industry. Marginalized authors may not have variety for who may get to narrate their book. publishing houses find it hard to find marginalized narrators because they usually don't want it. 00:43:00 Tamara morgan, Can you speak to partnership with respect to royalties? Ruthie, she was a reduced PFH rate and we split the royalties 50/50. She was first but now she knows another who is doing it. 00:47:00 Tara, what about the future of collaboration in audiobooks? Ruthie, there is a growing desire to hear stories. Most of the authors she know likes to be artist of the written word. But, as a narrator, she is an artist, a voice artist. and she performs from that place. Do we have enough audio book narrators for all the books? no, but we have enough actors or others to be narrators. So now is a critical turning point. But her friends love her work. 00:52:00 Tara, do you have any advice for authors who want to build a brand and be aunthetic? Ruthie, if you don't anchor what is true to you, you will blow every which way. In terms of brand building, dont' start with what you present, but what is important to you. You have to show up for this on the good days and the bad days. If you only think of the facade on the bad days you will not show up. If you are being authentic to anyone, you have to be authentic to you. Radical authenticity, concentric circles of trust. The cool people will get the things that will ruin my brand. She tries to be the genuine thoughtful human being, it isn't about false positivity, but it is about showing up as the person in my soul. And that will be the standard her company is upheld to. When people trust is what you mean in what you say. controversies you don't have to speak to. If you are doing the work, it will be evident, and that turns into a brand in what you are saying is what you are presenting. 01:00:00 Tara, what more from you? Ruthie, she has a book on kobo plus. She has a story in an anthology, and a pink horror story. 01:03:00 Tara, what are you audiobooking now? Ruthie, the imaginary book festival. Calling In, how to make change with those you would rather cancel. She enjoys it. For anyone who agrees there can be a lot of good on the internet but don't want to engage in certain things, read this book. question, are sensitivity readers hired for making editions of old famous books?