Troy

I know, I know I said I was gonna not use Facebook (or their products) anymore. But I have an upcoming lecture on ecommerce and it would be incomplete if did not talk about tools like shoppable Instagram. In the past I spoke strickly about hosting one's own store but figured I'd mention alternatives, so I installed Instagram on my phone and logged in (I already had an AALBC account) and attempt to sell some books. The image below was the very first thing I saw. Obviously it was designed to grab my attention -- it did. But I resisted swipping for more and I realized I can't sell books in the environment... I have no incentive or desire to compete with this on Instagram, but I'll go through the process and reap what value I can out of Instagram as a pedagolgical tool. It is like trying to be a conscious female rapper in a world where Cardi B and Minaj rule.

Notice the bald stylist did not have one of these wigs on. This must have been the tyoe of thing Steve Harvey wore before he wised up.

Funny @Chevdove I'd not considered the reason to be as simple as vanity -- maybe you are correct. Sure this is not only a Black woman's problem. I Image hair care is a multi-billion dollar industry. I don't doubt having someone else pamper you by washing your hair, massaging you, and even listen to you talk about your problems feels good. These are all qualities I'd desire (require) in a life partner :-)

Does it really matter?

So you don't believe Farrakhan runs a hate group. Do you think Marky Z was justified in kicking Farrakhan to curb? If not should people do somthing about it? Do we just should just let Zuck tell the world Farrakhan runs a hate group without consequence? Of course we will, because we are constructly weak as a people...

@Delano do you, or anyone for that matter, believe Farrakhan runs a "hate group?"

Now I don't think that a man like Minister Farrakhan spends time connecting with family and friends on Facebook. Nor do I think he needs, or desires Facebook, anymore than you or I. I just went to Facebook and still see plenty of Farrakhan related content, so I have know idea what Facebook's banning of Farrakhan really means. I read the NY Times account and it was not illuminating. Then it dawned on me! Facebook made this announcement in desperate move to garner attention and visitors to their site. Well it worked on me, 'cause I scrolled through Facebook site for the first time in the better part of a year. My overall reaction was that there was nothing there to see, and that I was manipulated, by a platform quickly hurtling toward irrelevancy. Good riddance.

I shared the following quote on Facebook and Twitter just now; “While media attention has waned in recent years, the demand for, and publication of, Urban Fiction has not.” As we all know, you should not take anything you read on social media at face value. Most of what we read there is designed to drive engagement and sell advertising. Out right lies, hyperbole, and controversy are tools of the trade. In this case, I was exaggerating. While it is true that the media has moved on from Urban Fiction, years ago, the resulting lack of attention and other factors have indeed driven down demand for these titles. Books by authors like Terri Woods and Nikki Turner that dominated my list a decade ago, are absent on my 2018 bestsellers list. The book that arguably sparked media attention on the genre, The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah did make our bestsellers list for 2018. But it is a fantastically popular, and now iconic title -- part of the Black literary canon if you will. But Urban Fiction is the the only genre marginalized by mainstream media. Outside of a handful of authors, unless you are an African or Celebrity. You are lucky to get any mainstream media coverage. Children's book authors have been getting a lot of attention lately, but here the focus is on "diversity" and not "Black." However, if you are a fan of Urban Fiction don't fret too much; the media's focus attention on Urban Fiction will return once again.

I dated a model for a few years when I was much younger. She was on the cover of magazines and the like. In her photo shoots she always wore a wigs. One magazine was a Black hair care magazine she was in the cover wearing a wig. I found this to be misleading, because the article covered hair care not wig wearing. I write all this to explain @Chevdove that I do not believe all women in the photos you posted are sporting their own natural hair. As a result, it is difficult to get into a discussion of this type if you don't believe the source information... But I get why women love to talk about this stuff. I presented at a Bloggers conference one. It was 90% women. Interestingly most wore their hair in what appeared to me to be natural styles, and many were quite attractive. To my disappointment about 1/3 of the Bloggers wrote about hair. There was this really popular Blogger they were all seemingly attempting to emulate, because they kept bringing her name up (I wish I could remember her name). At any rate, the whole event was boring to me -- thought the women seemed to enjoy themselves. I can't understand women's fixation with hair. I'm not passing judgment. I'm just making an observation. I don't get people obsession with baseball either. In every relationship I've been in my partner invested a lot of time, energy, money, and emotions over there hair. And boy, whenever I was asked how I thought their hair looked the answer must be "It looks great honey!" and I better say it, with feeling, like I mean it too :-)

The Black Pack Party is an annual gathering of publishing industry professionals and authors, which is held during Book Expo America. RSVP and Join Us! #BPP2019

@Mel Hopkins the are many writren by both Black and white scholars. One of the most accessible would be by Anthony Browder, Nile Valley Contributions to Civilization But you can also read anything by John G. Jackson. The work of folks like Cheikh Anta Diop and John Herik Clark are worth checking out too. Hey @Delano at the 16:20 mark Browder discusses the African Origin of the Horusscope (my term). @Mel Hopkins at the 21:25 minute mark Browder talks about the Adrican origin of the Holy Trinity.

A.E.'s powm is nice. @Cynique this line: Is foreboding and a bit misanthropic. Growing old is not for the faint of heart huh? My recently deceased sister in law leaves behind her mother, who has already buried two husbands. I can't image what she must be feeling...

@Cynique I hear ya. I'm too old and too male to be moved by this public exchange of platitudes myself. I did not consider that they were endeavoring to be role models. It seems a bit self serving.... i mean we all have friends that we are proud of, but who goes on twitter to praise them... i dunno. Again, this is for the kids I guess. Maybe if Ms. Obama praised someone unknown but doing great work...

Chris Rock gets credit for this... really? I skimmed the last video. It was so much work -- wow! I'm so glad I'm a guy and don't have hair issues to deal with 🙂 The Maasi women of modern day Kenya and Tanzania don't either... By the way Chizi is cute. She could sport a baseball cap and still be foine 😉 If those videos are making her money, God bless her.

@Chevdove I don't know what this means either, or rather, where it actually comes from. I've used the term to describe Black people who degrade themselves to entertain white folks. I guess that is no different than people who use "uncle tom" to describe Black people who who sell out other Blacks to white people for personal benefit, without understanding the origin of the phrase. I will look up buck dancing... maybe it should nit be used as a derogatory term. @Mel Hopkins i was actually going back much farther than Christianity itself. There is evidence that Mary, Jesus, and Joseph are based upon the the Egyptians Asar, Auset, and Heru. Of course there is proof many other stories from the bible including the virgin birth, the flood, etc are derived from much older sources.

I consider it "cultural appropriation" when the original meaning is divorced from the practice -- particularly when it is done for profit. For example, the violence, drug and alcohol abuse, and misogyny we see in the most popular hip-hop music is cultural appropriation. Having nothing to do with hip-hop's origins and original intent because it has been co-opted and is no longer uniquely African American. A plainer example of the appropriation of Christianity into Santa Clause and the Easter Bunny. Christianity itself was appropriated from African cultures again for profit. Anything uniquely African American is appropriated by others for profit. Whether it is our cuisine, hair care products, or music. I know that does not answer your question @Mel Hopkins but it was just a thought that came to mind.

So young too... As I learned of Singleton's passing, my sister-in-law passed under similar circumstances. She too was what I consider young -- early 50s. A poker buddy passed a few weeks ago (early 60's). If seems the older I get the more people around me die. I heard Smokey Robin say, during the Sam Cooke documentary, that Aretha was his "oldest living friend." Of course she too is now dead... I hear one of the hardest things about growing old is losing family and friends. Life really is quite fleeting. I guess one of the advantages of growing old(er) is the realization almost nothing we stress over is not worth the energy. Live Long and Prosper Y'all 🖖🏾

Lawson please post a link to your website and the ISBN13 of your book.

Me neither @Delano. Normally I would skip over stuff like this, but occasionally I'll check things just so that I'm not 100% out of the pop-culture loop. The headline I used for this post was the same one used by the Huntington Post -- another click-baity misleading head line they are prone to using. I wanted to see if it would attract more attention than other posts here (it did not). I'm curious to understand why Michelle produced a video to praise her friend -- when a call or text message to Beyonce would more than suffice. Is Michelle Obama no different than any of the other attention seeking social media junkies out there? My 20-something kid was in town this past weekend and we watched the Beyonce Chochella (sp?) convert documentary, for which Michelle Obama was praising Beyonce in the video above (@Chevdove) -- also something I would not normally do. It was a major production and I can only image how much money Beyonce made giving that performance. I have to say though I loved how she integrated the marching band into the performance -- but I love HBCU marching bands :-)

I'll be giving a presentation, at the 2019 Austin African American Book Festival, on a subject related to entrepreneurship and the book business. I'll also be selling select titles. If you are in the area please try to come by.

April 21, 2019 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Lois Smyth, Baton Rouge Area Foundation, lsmyth@braf.org, (225) 387-6126 Mukul Verma, Baton Rouge Area Foundation, mverma@braf,org, (225) 362-9260 Baton Rouge Area Foundation Opens Entries for 13th Annual Gaines Award August 15 submissions deadline for $10,000 prize BATON ROUGE, LA. – Entries for the 13th annual Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence will be accepted through August 15. Information on criteria and entrance forms for the award, which includes a $10,000 cash prize, is available at www.ernestjgainesaward.org. Sponsored by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, the Gaines Award was created to honor outstanding literary work from rising African-American authors while recognizing Louisiana native Ernest Gaines’ extraordinary contribution to the literary world. The upcoming Gaines Award will honor outstanding fiction – novels or short-story collections – published in 2019. Galleys for 2018 publications are also accepted. A native of Pointe Coupee Parish, Mr. Gaines’ critically acclaimed novel, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, was adapted into a 1974 made-for-TV movie that received nine Emmy awards. His 1993 book, A Lesson Before Dying, won the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction. He is Writer-in-Residence Emeritus at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. The Gaines Award winner is chosen annually by a panel of professional writers and academics. The award has found promising writers early in their careers. For instance, two previous Gaines Award winners have later won the $50,000 Whiting Award. Another was chosen a MacArthur Fellow, a $625,000 award given over five years. Previous winners, starting with the latest in 2018, are Jamel Brinkley, Ladee Hubbard, Crystal Wilkinson, T. Geronimo Johnson, Mitchell Jackson, Attica Locke, Stephanie Powell Watts, Dinaw Mengestu, Victor Lavalle, Jeffery R. Allen, Ravi Howard, and Olympia Vernon. The Ernest Gaines Award event will be held Thursday January 30, 2020 at the Manship Theatre in downtown Baton Rouge. About the Baton Rouge Area Foundation The Baton Rouge Area Foundation is among more than 700 community foundations in the country. The Foundation works in three ways to improve the quality of life in Baton Rouge and across south Louisiana. The Foundation and its fund donors 1) grant about $40 million each year to nonprofits; 2) provide fundraising and management advice to nonprofits; 3) take on projects for civic good, such as reclaiming inner city neighborhoods. For more information, please visit BRAF.org. ###

I can understand why sites don't allow guest posting so many abuse the privilege. It is a pain to manage.

@Chevdove i don't do Instgram either and would like to see it destroyed. I was half joking with you though about nit embracing my comment 100%

Yeah I guess I dont really know how i would act if I were scared and the person did not want to go to the hospital and the person is adamant about not going.

Just hit the play button on the picture and the video will play @Chevdove.