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Extraordinary Women in Publishing a Conversation Hosted by Tori. Tracy Sherrod, the editorial director of Amistad; Yona Deshommes, Associate Director of Publicity at Atria Books; and Cherise Fisher, a literary agent at Wendy Sherman Associates Literary Management. All of these Sisters are have been supportive of AALBC for years and provide keen insight into the publishing industry

I've just created a page where I will compile lists of Top 10 Book Categories. I'm really looking for overlooked, unusual, and creative categories for which to creates lists and the books to go with them. I put a started a category for "Black Girl Hair" and "Steampunk," but am looking for many more along with titles to go with them. I have not shared this project with anyone yet, hopefully some of you out there who read these forums but don't contribute will be moved to share some ideas. Really trying to raise awareness of breather of out literature beyond the regular run of the mill categories. I'll happily include those but I want to make it much broader.

😆 @Pioneer1 Yes Kim Coles also graduated from Brooklyn Tech with me and Troy. Best. High. School. Ever. And yes - haven't you noticed we fight about and agree with each other on the topics dealing with the subject of "Social Engineering"... It's as if you and I both believe that we humans are consistently being programmed and hacked to behave a certain way. Sexuality goes right to the top of the social engineering ! Early Anglos found out how to harness and supress sensuality, sexuality and sensuosity and use it to create super soldiers /killing machines . In short, suppress sexuality you kill creativity and then you can create monsters. @Troy In a way, I agree but how we use our experiences is what's at odds. As a woman, I learned sexual boundaries in the safety of my parents home. When you are under a watchful eye of your caregivers - they let things go but so far. We've seen on social media where at some of parties teenaged boys and girls have gotten drunk and some boys have gone as far as gang raped girls. A lot of times these parties were not chaperoned - and what's worse those children didn't learn boundaries and popped like corks under pressure. Now the girls are scarred -and the boys have to register as sexual offenders for the rest of their life. My friends and I played RCK (run catch and kiss)- as young as 11... by the time we were teens - we knew boundaries. Boys knew sexual contact in varying degrees wasn't off limits because girls liked it too - but we all learned no means no. As society progressed - I guess some parents didn't have time for children anymore. But when I was growing up we all had parents to consult in the absence of our own (for the moment). It did take a village. Most of the kids I grew up with - played kissing games, bump and grinding when we were teenagers, and none of us ended up as sexual predators. When the child learns how to exercise their personal agency it will later serve them as adults. My body and persona doesn't belong to my parents - it's mine. My children's bodies doesn't belong to me or their dad. They learned this from the time they were toddlers. While they were under our care we had to let them determine their boundaries or they would never learn. Or worse, learn when they were older. If you wonder why some women exist in abusive relationships while some women NEVER experience that life;-it's all due to learning. We all have to learn - it just depends on when.

Troy "Harm" many not be the right word. So I can't answer your question as posed. Sure you can, your answer was actually "no"...lol. Because nothing in this video harms children in any way. It may make ADULTS feel uncomfortable if they are around children when it comes on, much like frank sex talk makes parents uncomfortable when their children (of any age) are around....when that same talk wouldn't bother either if they were by themselves. And it all originates from people NOT having honest and frank talks about REAL sexuality to begin with, but instead hiding or ignoring it....suppressing it. And as is often the case, when something is suppressed it comes out with much force and discomfort from being kept into such an unnatural state. dunno man, I can only imagine what the average teenage boy wants to do after seeing this video I got news for you my brutha, the average teenage boy DOESN'T NEED videos like this to get him going....lol. When I was a teenager my erections WORK ME UP like an alarm clock. 　 Look, scantily clad women gyrating in this manner were around when I was a teen too, but you had to go to a strip club to see this stuff. Now come on man, you grew up in Harlem in the late 60s and 70s! Are you telling me all those pictures I saw of prostitutes on the street half naked and every day girls walking around in miniskirts, halter tops, sting tops, and hot pants, braless, ect....was just on television? You didn't see women walking around shaking what their mama gave them in REAL life? I know when I was a kid growing up in the Midwest in the 70s and 80s when it got hot women and girls were wearing clothes about as skimpy as what you see in that video. 　 Yes I remember doing the "Freak," but we were not filiming it and watching it constantly. Did you think the freak was appropriate? I know at least one guy that ejaculated while freaking 　 So while I don't disagree with anything you wrote Mel, I find it hard to believe you would host a party where your teenage daughters were dressed and dancing like that. Would you you let them "freak" or dance "rub-a-dub style" in the basement with the lights off? @Pioneer1 if you are familiar with those dance styles, same question 1. When I was coming up we were doing the same thing but we called it "grinding". White folks called it "dry humping". All it was was having as something as close to sex as you can with your clothes on. 2 . I did grind on a lot of females at parties and clubs and altough I don't remember "busting" in my pants, most of the time I DID feel a little "pre-cum" come out. I'll stop right there rather than get too graphic....lol. 3. Not only did we do this as teenagers but now that I think on it even back in elementary school at 7 and 8 we used to chase girls around getting out "squeeze" on all over them. We called it "hide and go get some". What you're seeing in the video as well as what you saw growing up is African youth behaving the way we NORMALLY behave when nature is allowed to take it's course. Before Caucasians came and influenced our thinking with their prudish anti-sexual religions and philosophies most African and Dravidian societies had "sex cults" where the entire community would come out to have sex with eachother in mass.....nothing to be ashamed of. You can read in the Bible where the Israelites (Caucasians) tried to stamp it out in the different lands they conquered. 4. To answer your question: No. As open minded as I am about the idea, no I probably wouldn't let my teenage daughter do it. Why not? Irrational male over protectiveness. But my decision is an emotional decision, not a logical one. You were a gymnast? I bet you were strong as hell! I've met a few male gymasts and them cats had muscles like wire cables. 　 Mel The dancing in this video is beautiful! And look at all those chocolate young women and men!~ They are beautiful! Not only do I agree with you but I absolutly LOVE seeing attractive and physically fit AfroAmericans be sensual and express their sexuality. I'd much rather see them do THIS than fighting and pulling guns on eachother. I'lll promote Black on Black love over Black on Black violence any day. 　 Alright.....you've been agreeing with me so much lately I'm getting suspicious! What are you up too....lol. BTW...when you say "Kim Coles" do you mean you went to school with Kim Coles the actress from Living Singles?

@Mel Hopkins yes I was beautiful, and as a gymnast the athleticism was not lost on me. Yes I remember doing the "Freak," but we were not filiming it and watching it constantly. Did you think the freak was appropriate? I know at least one guy that ejaculated while freaking (no it was not me 😎). So while I don't disagree with anything you wrote Mel, I find it hard to believe you would host a party where your teenage daughters were dressed and dancing like that. Would you you let them "freak" or dance "rub-a-dub style" in the basement with the lights off? @Pioneer1 if you are familiar with those dance styles, same question.

The dancing in this video is beautiful! And look at all those chocolate young women and men!~ They are beautiful! Thank you for sharing! It reminds me Janet Jackson's "IF" video but with a majority of beautiful black people. And @Troy don't you remember how sensual we were as a teenagers and young adults? Google can't promote what comes naturally - Young people are sensual, curious and carefree with each other. This choreography just communicates this age but with pure athleticism mixed sensuosity and grace.