Word Lovers

@Troy, yes, it's a publication. It's linked to http://taniscawilson.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Knowing-Why-Education-Matters.pdf. 

My apologies for the delayed response. 

On 12/31/2019 at 11:33 AM, Guest Christie Sever said:

Would it surprise you to learn that every American 12-year-old I’ve asked, does not know what the term “apartheid” means?

 

As I made author presentations to middle-schoolers about my first historical fiction book, I questioned the students about their familiarity with apartheid.  Their innocent ignorance of the topic of apartheid inspired me to write my second book.

 

“The Magic March” follows the adventures of all-American twins, Izzy and Joe, who time-travel to South Africa in 1976.  Joe has waited until the last minute to write a school report on Nelson Mandela, and plans to interview him in person.  The twins have many adventures with wild animals before finding their way to Johannesburg to meet Mandela.  An older boy from Soweto befriends them as they learn about life under apartheid.  They take part in the youth protest of June 16, 1976. 

 

 

For more information, please visit my website, childrenoftheworldbooks.wordpress.com

 

Thanks!

 

Christie Sever

Hi Christie, 

We got it--thanks for sending. 

Dear Indie Authors, 

Word Lovers Book Club is publishing its last issue for the 2019 and want to promote your book! A few authors thought this was too good to be true, but it is good and true. Part of our mission is to help promote indie authors free of charge. Email us at wordloversbookclub@gmail.com. Send us an image of  your book and your website address. 

Hi Troy, 

I'm actually in contact with my local NAACP, but they have not been very responsive to emails and phone calls. Do you have a contact for how I can acquire tickets to attend this event?

Hi Rolanda, 

I am a member of Word Lovers Book & Literature Club, and we review books. Please post link to your book's info. 

On 8/2/2019 at 4:05 PM, Guest Kathy Forbes said:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Loves-Journal-Kathy-Forbes/dp/8417102310/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1KI6T23XIAUOI&keywords=loves+journal+by+kathy+forbes&qid=1564779702&s=gateway&sprefix=loves+j%2Caps%2C602&sr=8-1

 

Please check my story, Black Breakout author looking or an opportunity to shine

Hey, thanks for sharing. I will check it out. 

On 8/5/2019 at 2:18 PM, Dr Sonya Okoli said:

Hello!

Check out this great book for parents of college bound High School students. Totally needed and necessary as 90% of college admissions conversations/bloggers/book etc are not only written by the majority BUT those who have never stepped foot on the administrative side of Higher Education. But "Yours Truly" has 

 

link: https://parentingforcollegebook.lpages.co/drsonya/

 

 

Thanks for sharing. I'll check it out. 

Nice cover. Please keep us (Word Lovers) posted on the book release. 

On 6/27/2019 at 9:10 AM, Troy said:

Ok I'll work on a query (a web page) that displays self-published literary fiction, by genre, from the past three years. I'll keep you posted.

 

In the meantime, I see you've taken advantage of the information shared by authors here. AALBC can not possibly review all the book review requests we receive, so I'm happy to see more platforms emerge. 

 

 

Thanks a bunch! That'll help us out alot. We're glad to help with the reviews :-)  

23 hours ago, Troy said:

Neither of my grandfathers could read or write. My father did not go to college. I went to college and now I sell books :-) My trajectory is not unique. Many Black people are ahead of my curve and many perhaps more are behind. Given our experience in this country our reading rates are quite good, if not remarkable.  Do we need to do better -- of course we do and we will, but it will take time.

Kudos to you for giving providing us with a literary hub. Your site and business are unique and much needed. Also, I agree that we need to do better and that it will take time--and hard work. Our schools (in the South) don't  do a good job of promoting the arts, so our Club is working hard to reverse that trend.

10 hours ago, Troy said:

I also know that you can't look at Black literacy with an American lense. A third of Americans will end the year without reading a single book -- most of these people will be white.  Interestingly, the fact that so many white people don't is never discussed.  However, we are quick to highlight the poor, underprivileged, Black people who do not read. 

I think I understand your line of thinking, so I'll reflect on your  post a little more.

Quickly, I want to point out that reading, as you inferred, was not always a black privilege, so it is of little concern to many that white people do not read. Our focus is on the black community and the way they approach and interact with literacy because we know that reading truly is fundamental. Whereas most white people don't read, most black people can't, at least not on their lexile level, so that's a big difference. 

 Also, I don't buy into the socioeconomic status problem because reading is free, education is free, libraries are free, etc. There's lots of opportunity but little desire, but I'm sure you and I can discuss this topic for hours as it seems we both have a lot to say about it.  

I'll see how I can post links to our reviews.  They're not PDF'd to the Word Lovers page, but see below in the interim. BTW,  I enjoyed this conversation. 

Word Lovers Book & Literary Club Book Reviews 

Book Review by Word Lovers Book & Literary Club
Title: Ingleside
Author: Laura Jackson
Review Date: January 5, 2019

True stories are rarely told in captivating ways, especially those about common crimes such as child abuse, child neglect and murder. However, Jackson’s relational way of sharing what Andre and Shelia Jones did to their children held our interest. To appreciate what Ingleside offers, we shifted our minds to learning and understanding because Jackson introduced us to the term “dickism” and acquainted us with the difference between lies and “damned lies,” and sociopath vs. psychopath. The way in which these terms were explained, within the constructs of power, poverty and social control, made it easier for all of us (those of us who are not research-oriented) to understand.
The story begins with a phone call and unfolds in a methodological way to illustrate how Jackson probes to understand the state of mind of Andre and Shelia Jones. The crime itself was not fascinating to us, so it was difficult for us to feel the “wow” factor about what the couple did. We craved more information about the interviews the author had with Andre and wished we could have read more of his own words instead of having the author analyze the few words cited. What follows are interviews with Andre, descriptions of what happened in court, how the author made sense of what the couple did and the author’s overall conclusion of whether or not Andre was guilty of intentionally committing his crime.

This is a likeable book for the right audience, which we believe are readers specifically interested in mental health, psychology and/or criminology. Because the book is based on a true story, it was hard to find it excitable but it can certainly serve as a reference marker for readers who want insight into the human psyche. The author does a good job of teaching readers about the depths of abuse, shame and deceit. While we liked this book, we believe only specific audiences will be able to fully appreciate it.

Book Review by Word Lovers Book & Literary Club
Title: Miss Titta
Author: Regena Hoye
Review Date: June 3, 2019

This funny mystery illustrates how close-knit communities respond to ways of life for African-Americans. We observed and really liked how the author plotted the story to keep readers’ interest. We appreciated Ms. Titta’s strong and nurturing character as the town’s matriarch. We found the set up Tillman scene particularly funny as he wondered around naked from waist down. Ellen and Minnie were cool characters, and we definitely related to them.

The book is extremely long and while we consider the writing of good quality, we believe the book would have been a better read if it were shorter. Some parts are fillers and do little to add interest to the book. In addition, we received a complementary jazz C.D., Summertime, to review along with the book.

The music, in particularly, walking and soft summer night, soothes and uplifts. We loved the C.D. and will promote both the book and CD to our constituents.

10 hours ago, Char Backey said:

I agree somewhat with the writer who said "most Black people don't read'.  I find that most people, in particular young people, only read a book when it's absolutely necessary (i.e. - if required by a teacher).  I, on the other hand, am a member of a Bookclub that will be celebrating it's 25th Anniversary next year in 2020.  We read all kinds of books by African-American authors and people of color, once a month.  We have turnover but remain consistent with about 20 members, and I would be remiss if I didn't note that we are supported by our local library.  This is where we meet and it is an open opportunity for anyone in the community, but the members tend to be older - a lot of retirees - and people who have worked as educators or in the social sciences, also for the most part black and female. 

Hi Char, 

What's the name of your book club? Also, do you guys share your reading list?

Yes.

First let me say that my thoughts/opinions are my own. However, our Club was founded because we saw a need to help promote literacy, so I just want to be clear that I'm not speaking on behalf of the Club in this discussion. When I saw the post about Black People Don't Read, I responded as Tanisca. Please note that in the record. 

So, I live in an urban area, not far from the inner city, but I do research in education so my statement about the gun was not meant as an exaggeration. Also, I think we tend to want to believe all the good things about the best of us and ignore the facts about the rest of us. We know that some black people read, but we also know that many more do not. Some simply don't like to and others, as you've said, read about things that are not all that informative.  But on the whole, I believe we are less read than our counterparts. 

As for the schools, I agree that we should compare apples to apples. Even then, though, African-Americans lag behind. (see https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/subject/publications/stt2017/pdf/2018039LA4.pdf)   

Admittedly, I have a lot to say about schools, so I'll try not to ramble. There should not be anything such thing as a "bad school." Think about that. What makes the school bad? The Children? The Teachers? The Administration? Policies? Here's the thing. I live in a city where all of our schools are 100 percent charter. A lot of the teachers cannot pass a battery of basic skills tests (Praxis I), yet they stand before our kids on a daily basis trying to teach them when they can hardly read themselves. And yes, the administrators who hire them do so knowing full well that they are hiring an unqualified teacher--but they cite the teacher shortage, etc. 

Yet, we have some charter schools here who educate the same type of kids, impoverished, inner city...but those kids do well because those schools selective admission, although they're public, and have highly qualified teachers. Same kind of kid but different school environment, so I agree with your point to an extent that schools matter, but research shows that teacher quality is the main factor in increasing a child's reading/math proficiency. And do you know what else, kids who attend those selective public charter schools are required to read a specific number of books per academic year, excluding what the curriculum already requires. So here again, we see that reading has to be forced. 

I have strong views about black stereotypes, so I understand, I think, why some people are quick to reject a negative truth about us. But just because it's a negative truth does not make it any less than the truth. We have a lot of work to do. Thank you for welcoming my voice and engaging me in this discourse in a professional way. I await your response. 

Dear Indie Authors, 

Word Lovers Book & Literary Club is accepting book review requests. To request a review for your book, click the link below. Also, we publish Knowing, a publication that focuses on literacy and indie authors. To learn more about our Club, visit http://taniscawilson.com/word-lovers/   

If you have questions, please email us at wordloversbookclub@gmail.com

Not enough Black people read. It is a fact proven by research and tons of data undergirding that minority children struggle in reading and perform poorly in reading and math compared to their non-minority counterparts. While there are factions of us who read, there are far too few of us that do. Inner city youth are more inclined to pick up a gun than a book. The more important question is how do we change the narrative? I have a book and literary club where we promote creative writing and the literature arts, two things that are not promoted here in the "dirty south," but generally speaking, a lot of black people, even women, just don't like to read. 

And for those who do, I agree that they read content that matters little and content that does nothing to promote effective communication. I agree that not enough of us read and it's simply a damn shame. 

Hi Kia, 

I'm Tanisca, president of Word Lovers Book & Literary Club, and I saw your request for a book review. Please email our Club at Wordloversbookclub@gmail.com so one our members can help you with your request. 

Your book description was interesting. I think we can definitely get into a book like yours. 

Hi Debra, 

I'm Tanisca, president of Word Lovers Book & Literary Club. I saw your request for a book review and would like for you to email us at wordloversbookclub@gmail.com. A member from the Club will help you with your request. 

Hi Carla, 

I'm Tanisca, president of Word Lovers Book & Literary Club. We are in the process of considering books to review. Please email wordloversbookclub@gmail.com so our assistant can help you with your request. 

Your book description is definitely interesting. 

Hi Amber, 

I'm Tanisca, President of Word Lovers Book & Literary Club. I saw your request for a book review. Please email the Club at wordloversbookclub@gmail.com so our assistant can help you with your request. 

Hi Troy, 

We are primarily looking for books by self-published authors who have published  within the last three years. We are open to reading fiction, drama, memoirs, historical fiction; our only exception is erotica and books we consider the "thug genre," e.g. Iceberg Slim, Sex Chronicles, etc. 

We have an expanded list of traditionally published books, so we are not looking for those. However, we are having a difficult time  finding quality books written by indie authors, which we need to read to support the mission of our book club.  We welcome your assistance as we need to select our books before the end of July. 

Tanisca

Thanks, Kwaku. We're checking it out now. In the mean time, please visit http://taniscawilson.com/word-lovers/ to find out more about us. Also, if you know of any other self-published or indie authors, please ask them to share their info. We're in the process of selecting books for our 2019-2020 reading year, and we select at a 90/10 rate; 6 books by indies and 2 by traditionally published authors. We are a highly selective book club and decided during our business meeting to increase the # of books we read from 6 to 8. I'll be updating that info on the site soon. 

Thank you for responding. I'll be in touch. 

Hi, 

I'm Tanisca, current president of Word Lovers Book & Literary Club. We are looking for self-published books by African-American authors for our 2019-2020 reading list. The book must be at least 100 content pages and properly formatted. Any recommendations for where we can find these books?

Dates:  Saturday, June 8, 2019 

Time: 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.  

Website: NOAABF
Email: Wordloversbookclub@gmail.com or dianacarey504@gmail.com

Description:

Word Lovers Book and Literary Club is hosting the inaugural New Orleans African-American Book Festival for authors, poets, playwrights and other literary pundits. Whether you are new to writing and authorship or a seasoned pro, NOAABF has space for you. During the festival, Word Lovers will host also a literary awards show. New Orleans, known as the cultural hub for arts, is the ripe place to promote authorship for writers of color. The festival will be held indoors at Delgado Community College (tentatively).