Troy

Whoa we are on a roll @Delano I agree was with this and even learned something. I'd not considered the Salon analogy and you are right. Far more people read than engage. I see the analytics, I get the emails, and I see the social sharing. I guess one has to have that particular gene to be willing to step out and expose your ideas to public scrutiny. Again, not everyone is built for this. But if only those who actively participated were the only ones to visit the site--AALBC.com would have been done long ago. Yeah Chris and I always talked about the celebrity co-sign. I also think you are right about the time frame too regarding a big time celebrity plug. But honestly, I'd hoped the celebrity plug would not be necessary, it can jump start a business or career. @Pioneer1 I watched the entire Bill Maher show in which Milo appeared--just light. Yes Milo is gay and was in his full glory of Maher's show. Bill tried to diminish Milo, but Bill is like everyone else desperate for eye balls brings Milo on his show raising his profile even more. On this issue, Maher is full of shit.

It probably is just me but I find looking at book covers this way pretty cool and interesting. Lately, I've been playing around with making collages of book covers (like the one below). These collages are not made by hand but are dynamically generated by the code used to drive much of the website. The image below is just a cropped screen shot of this page. I've created similar collages for authors (check out Walter Mosley's books), publishers (check out the one for Akashic Books), all the Carter G Woodson award winning books, and the "Top 100 Books of the 2oth Century" as examples. With the exception of the children's college, I have not made these links to the other pages available to regular visitors to the website. One of these things I need to do, before making these colleges more widely available, is to compress (make the image file size smaller) all of my book cover images (all 8,000) of them. Compression will help these collage pages load much faster and help AALBC.com stay on Google's good side. Sorry for the technical digression... I'm actually still making fairly substantial changes to the website's design while adding new content at a historically high rate. It is hard to believe it has been over a year since I started this website upgrade project, a project I through would take, conservatively, six months, I'm hoping to finish this summer--almost two years of effort.

Mel I guess I was just expressing my disappointment about blackamericaweb. Sure you vision is broader than mine has been I'm sure I'll benefit from your efforts.

Quote of the day: “Those without power are racist.” While that may be true, I don't see a viable way of combating it, in a world of alternative facts reinforced inside filter bubbles. People believe often quite strongly in what they want to believe--reality and truth be damned. Do you really think Milo being gay (assuming that is true), will make a difference to the racists who supports what the says? Again, how many outright lies has Trump been caught in before he was elected POTUS? The presales on Milo's book and his advance should tell you what people already think. I don't know how to fight this? What would you suggest? Boycotting the book? I have no interest in it. Boycott the imprint Threshold Editions? Out of the almost 8,000 books I've added, by hand, to this website there are only two published by that Threshold, but again it is not a problem for me to boycott them, as I doubt I'm selling many copies of these books today anyway. We could boycott the publisher but I've already written why I think that is cutting off our nose off to spite our face. We could take Milo out back and treat him to an ole school beat down. I'd be willing to bet hat would shut him up, but that would be criminal and not something I would recommend doing. What tactics or strategy would you employ to combat the like of Milo, or even Trump for that matter Del?

I dunno Mel. I have always promoted Black American Web and Tom Joyner. In fact, BlackAmericaWeb is a big part of Huria Search. But if you do a search for aalbc on the BlackAmericaWeb website you come up with nothing. Nothing* because Blackamericaweb simply ignores AALBC and always have. But AALBC.com is not unique in being ignored, this is the way they operate. They operate as if they view themselves as "THE Black internet" and other websites are competition. This is not a casual comment I've observed them since they've launched and they have been consistent. Actually, I was pretty excited about BlackAmericaWeb's. AALBC.com had been around a few years already and I looked forward to an ally; I was naive.. So @Mel Hopkins,while I'm open to collaborations with the Black-owned, corporate-like entities, I don't have much hope these partnerships will ver be made. These changes will be initiated from the grassroots. @Delano, again I think we have to make a distinction between actual racists, who have a belief system and who behave accordingly versus people like Trump or Milo, who will do anything for money. Also, many people including Christians are not "down with" homosexuality. I'm not clear what point you are trying to make. Are you suggesting that Milo being disingenuous? If you are, are you surprised? *Actually the search does turn up three comments on their website. One from 2014 in which I asked them to stop feeding into the frenzy over Zane tax liability.

The Annual Harlem Literary Bunch was co-hosted by Morgan Stanley and 37 Ink an imprint of Simon and Schuster (another reason I'm not boycotting the entire publishing company) Going clockwise from top left are; Janet Hill Talbert, former VP and executive editor at Doubleday now owner of On This Rock Jewelry with author Brian Keith Jackson; I believe this brother is one of the co-owners of the restaurant (someone please correct me and provide a name); Dawn Davis VP and Publisher of 37 Ink with Author and Morgan Stanley Managing Director, Sandra L. Richards; Malaika Adero, author and former VP at Atria Books who now runs the boutique book development and literary agency Literary Tribe/ALT, with iconic literary agent Faith Childs; author Tiffany Dufu with bookstore owner Noëlle Santos, who Chris Burns hipped me to, coincidentally. the very same day plans to open the only bookstore in the Bronx; and me, Troy Johnson, with Wendy Hilliard, a former Gymnast who runs the Wendy Hilliard Gymnastic Foundation. The following videos are readings that took place during the event. A full brunch was served. Copies of all the books were provided. The venue was Minton's Restaurant, which the venue as the of the historic Monton's Playhouse, a short walk from where I live, one of the great things about Harlem. Erica Armstrong Dunbar reads her book on Ona Judge the Runaway Slave President Washington Pursued His Entire Life Tiffany Dufu Explains How to Achieve More by Doing Less Super Model Pat Cleveland Reads from her Memoir Sandra L. Richards reads from Children’s Book RICE AND ROCKS

Yes, he came across as gay to me too, but what difference does that make? Again, let's not confuse being gay with being an opportunistic troll capitalizing off our dysfunctional culture. I'm sure this guy would diss his own mother on Twitter if there were money in it. "...why not consciously promote and buy from trade book publishers who are responsive to our culture." Mel that is a goo idea and is exactly what I'm trying to do here. The challenge is corporations own the media and our minds and our behavior. Sure I can reach some folks, but Facebook, for example, has become very powerful in control what we consume. For example, Milo book has gotten a ton of coverage and it is not even out yet, while the Coretta Scott King Awards were announced for 2017 and there was barely a mumbling word. Del in 2024 is only 7 years away are you predicting a Trump loss in 2020?

“It may be on the way out in the next decade.”—@Delano Is that a prediction? Man, 10 years is a very short period of time--less than half the life of this website. I don't see it changing that quickly. Since I've been observing media, this effect has only grown in intensity. This about it, journalist struggle to make a living and some can generate great wealth with fake news. The market forces are too great for this to change anytime soon. If Simon and Schuster don't publish the book, there are 20 other publishers, with bIg advance checks in hand, lined up hoping for their opportunity to publish Milo's garbage.

Pioneer there is so much information available, in books currently in print today (many showcased on this website. Enough to keep on busy for several lifetimes, but the fact of the matter is this stuff is not going to be covered in school--ever. The role of schools is not to educate people. You know that right? We celebrate Columbus while completely ignoring all the people who were already here... how sick is that? The other problem is that history is really is not that interesting to most people. The history of Black women in science is even less interesting. To the movie's credit, the fictionalized version of history made the story compelling by throwing in Taraji's 'tude, Mahershala's sex appeal, and a few white boy saviors and you have a formula for mass appeal. The movie had nothing to do with teaching us anything. It was about entertainment, which sadly has become the replacement for education.

Milo Yiannopoulos is laughing all the way to the bank. The interviewer from CNN, despite her faux outrage, is greatly helping this Milo's profile. CNN is doing this because these interviews generate mucho dinero for their company. The hypocrisy is sickening. This is all about money. Milo is no different than Twitter, CNN, and CNBC. This was the exact same thing that raised Trump's profile. Outrageous statements are profitable. Now I appreciate I'm is actually feeding into the frenzy of Milo, but I do this because I know full well I'm not going to make money from this effort because corporations own that market. I just hope to make some points that will help people think about the platforms they use. Milo Yiannopoulos’s has a book Dangerous coming out in June. It is already #30 on Amazon--not in some miscellaneous sub-category either. It is #30 overall! The book is published by Threshold Editions, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Yesterday I posted a link to AALBC.com about a fascinating book, Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar, which is also published by Simon & Schuster. Someone posted the following in reaction, Old time lurkers and posters here will recognize the comment coming from the author Emanuel Carpenter, who used to post here regularly...but that is another conversation The rest of this article has been moved to my blog

Interestingly, I did not know Trevor Noah had a book out. His book Born a Crime won two awards, for Biography/Autobiography and Debut Author. I was pleasured to see Bernice's book, The Book of Harlan win the Fiction Award. Bernice is a friend of the site and her novel The Book of Harlan is also an AALBC.com bestseller. Bernice acceptance speech was cut short and the audience, understandably, expressed dissatisfaction. Rita Dove's poetry collection won the Poetry Award. Dove was also a finalist for a national Book Award this year. Margot Lee Shetterly's Hidden Figures got an obvious boost due to the popularity of the film based upon it. Gwendolyn Hooks' Tiny Stitches: The Life of Medical Pioneer Vivien Thomas won the Children's category. Basically, you can't go wrong with anything the publisher of this book, Lee and Low, produce.

Preach! I will make a point of visiting and contributing to all of these forums and I will reference your article in my next eNewsletter. New registration for the Cocoa Lounge has been disabled. The Somalispot reaction to their inclusion on this list is interesting: http://www.somalispot.com/threads/5-best-black-forums-on-the-net-somalispot-made-the-list.19153/ it is hard to discern the trolls from the regular posters I did not bother post there. My first post of Black Visions was rejected. The message indicated the folder was full. I uploaded the image below and a couple of sentences about the image awards. The site is also very slow. I suspect it is the server they are using (a problem I'm very familiar with) Destee looks like the most interesting forum of the bunch. I read their rules and one struck me, "No Staying Here Complaining About How You Don't Like Us." At first glance, a rule like this would seem to make no sense, but if you've moderated a discussion forum you get it right away. :-) At any rate, I probably won't share the article as I original wrote. I simply can't vouch for all of the forums, but I will check out Destee and the Blackboard and share and interesting posts I discover from time to time. Sites like these are important to the variety of content available on the web.

Prior to knowing @Delano, I became friendly with one other professional astrologer. I was living in West Palm Beach Florida and I, by chance, met this woman (I don't remember how we met, but this was about 27 years ago. I don't even recall her name). Ultimately we discovered that her mother was my 3rd grade teacher, but that is unrelated to this story. At any rate, she cast a chart for my sister who she never met and who I never described--other than providing her with her birthdate and place of birth. After casting my sister's chart, a process which it took a day or two (this was before the advent of personal computers which would ultimately make this process pretty easy), she was able to describe my sister's personality quite well. Now I was very skeptical but this convinced me enough to learn more about astrology by taking a course at a local college. For a few years later I cast my own charts using a program I purchased and a thick book, which I still have, to interpret the chart's meanings. Prior to meeting the astrologer, my girlfriend at the time, was really into astrology and I basically dismissed her beliefs it out of hand. I knew my Sun and all, but the I gave no credence to the daily horoscopes one reads in the daily newspapers. In reality, those newspaper articles do a disservice to Astrology. My mother caught wind of my interest and was sure to remind me, every now and again, that it was the work of the devil. But I was a not believer in the Devil she believed in either so... ...at any rate, this was over a quarter of a century ago and my beliefs have evolved with my time on Earth. I'm content to know that most things about the way the universe operates are simply unknowable. Perhaps our brains are too small conceive or operate outside dimensions we can not perceive. In their purest sense, Astrology, religion, and even science are blind men feeling different parts of the proverbial elephant and arriving at different conclusions about the universe we occupy. Perhaps we'll learn more after we transition. Scientist are looking for a theory to unify the quantum and macro world. Maybe we should seek a theory to unify the scientific and spiritual worlds. Oh I still have not watched the video Del posted. I tried to watch it a few days ago but fell asleep on it. I'll try again this week.

Good Old Fashioned Comming Sense; Books by J. California Cooper. Cooper is one of my favorite writers. I have not read everything she has written, but what I have read I've thoroughly enjoyed. For you discussion forum regulars think Cynique, but with more of a Christian sensibility. Now you don't have to be a hardcore Southern Baptist to enjoy Cooper's work, but if you are culturally African-American her work will definitely resonate, and if you are not, you learn something about our culture.

If an error to clean up this post I inadvertently deleted a portion of the text.. The video has over 1.2 million views.

“In 1997, I self-published my first novel, Temptation. I sold 9,000 copies in 6 months, was picked up by a major publisher (Time Warner), and received my first NAACP Image Award nomination. Now, 20 years later, I’m still with a major publisher (Simon and Schuster), but I have also self-published a few novels. And now, my 26th book hits the shelves…” —Victoria Christopher Murray Victoria’s latest book is LUST: A Seven Deadly Sins Novel (Touchstone, February 7, 2017) “I have read Murray for years and have purchased Joy for at least 10 or more of my friends—birthdays, weddings, Christmas, etc. I love her books and have read about 8 or 10 of them. Now that l’ve retired, I can now catch up on the list of 26[1]! Wonderful writer with the spiritual and real world approach! She, Pearl Cleage and, Walter Mosley are my absolute favorites!” —Betti Clausell Chaney, AALBC.com eNewsletter Subscriber 1When I sent the mailing I wrote 26, but I pretty sure the total number of book published is 27.

...not to mention all the chemicals in the food supply @Pioneer1. Think about how much faster girls are developing today compared to just 50 years ago. Cynique you are right most negroes are crazy--particularly in the large urban centers. How can you live in a New York City or Chicago ghetto and NOT be hurt mentally--especially today when so much wealth in flaunted in front of your face. Plus advertising drives you to consume more than you can afford--making matters even worse. @Mel Hopkins, in the Amerian culture a "real man" is conditioned to never ask for help. Needing help is a sign or weakness or stupidity. Men are not conditioned to reveal vulnerabilities. "Stop that crying boy, you acting like a /punk/pussy/fag/etc" Men are not going to ask for help, not for driving directions--nothing. Shoot, a man can have chest pains, numbness in his left arm, and be slurring his words--and still won't ask for help--we gonna walk that shit off. But @Mel Hopkins you are my age you know this right? Now these attitudes may be changing with the younger generation, but we still have large percentages of guys this way raised this way. @Pioneer1 you now what I'm talking about right? I KNOW @Cynique knows what I;m talking about. I was talking to an 83 your old guy the other day. "A man's man" as they say. He used to coach football. He was telling me a story about a kid on one of his teams who broke his arm on during a game. The kid was sprawled in the field bawling. He said he went over the boy and told him to "get up and stop crying like a little girl." He did not offer to help, there was no hug, what he was doing was preparing him for the world he was about to encounter. Given recent events, I'm not sure I can argue with the sentiment. Yes we are crazy. But that is a normal reaction given the conditions.

In light of the impending snow storm tomorrow (Feb 9th), the Center for Black Lit. has decided to postpone the event " Langston Hughes and Friends". This event, unfortunately, will have to be held AFTER Black History Month based on the primary speaker's availability. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Clarence V. Reynolds 718-804-8881 creynolds@mec.cuny.edu Felicia R. Lee 718-270-5046 Flee@mec.cuny.edu The Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College Celebrates Gwendolyn Brooks and June Jordan “Black Writers of Conscience” NEW YORK, N.Y. (Feb. 6, 2017): The Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College, CUNY, will host two programs that pay tribute to the legacies of two Black writers of conscience: Poet Laureate Gwendolyn Brooks (1917– 2000) and literary activist June Jordan (1936–2002). Both writers had a major impact on the Black Arts Movement and Black Power Movement. Brooks and Jordan provided artistic and literary responses that spoke to the structural racism, social inequity and gender bias in our society. Their writing also documented the interior lives and cultural experiences of Blacks in urban America. “Our Miss Brooks: A Centennial Celebration,” will be held as part of the 2017 National Black Writers Conference Biennial Symposium. It will take place on Saturday, March 25, 2017, from 10 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., at Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York, 1650 Bedford Ave. in Brooklyn. For National Poetry Month, “June Jordan: Reflections on Her Life and Activism” will be held on Thursday, April 20, 2017; 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the Brooklyn Public Library, 10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, NY 11238. The year 2017 marks the centennial of the birth of Gwendolyn Brooks, the first Black author to win the Pulitzer Prize, an Illinois poet laureate, and the author of more than 20 books of poetry, including A Street in Bronzeville (1945); Annie Allen (1949); The Bean Eaters (1960); In the Mecca (1968); and the novel Maud Martha (1953). During what promises to be an engaging celebration of Brooks’ life and work, the “Our Miss Brooks: A Centennial Celebration” program will include reflections on Brooks’ life, a discussion of the impact and significance of her literary works, and dramatic presentations both from her work and inspired by her passionate and vigorous works. Dr. Haki R. Madhubuti, author, poet and publisher of Third World Press, will be the keynote speaker. Poets and educators Cheryl Clarke, Angela Jackson, Quraysh Ali Lansana, Marilyn Nelson and Nicole Sealey are also featured on the program. The program will include: A presentation of scholars’ papers coordinated by the CollegeLanguage Association’s Black Studies Committee Intergenerational poetic readings from the works of Gwendolyn Brooks and dramatic readings of her works A performance featuring an original composition and poetry inspired by Brooks’ works. “Gwendolyn Brooks was an extraordinary writer, educator and activist who wrote with fierce urgency about issues her community as well as society were dealing with; she captured in words what was happening at the moment,” said Dr. Brenda Greene, executive director of The Center for Black Literature and Chair of the English Department at Medgar Evers College. In his book Honoring Genius, Gwendolyn Brooks: The Narrative of Craft, Art, Kindness and Justice, Haki R. Madhubuti writes: “Ms. Brooks was a woman who could not live without her art, but who had never put her art above or before the people she wrote about.” June Jordan was a poet, essayist, activist, educator and the author of more than 25 books of poetry, essays and fiction. She was one of the most widely published and highly acclaimed African-American writers of her generation. Her works include Directed by Desire: The Collected Poems (2007); Kissing God Goodbye: Poems, 1991–1997 (1997); Haruko/Love Poems (1994); Naming Our Destiny: New and Selected Poems (1989); Things That I Do in the Dark (1977); and Affirmative Acts: Political Essays (1998). The program “June Jordan: Reflections on Her Life and Activism,” presented in partnership with The Center for Law and Social Justice at Medgar Evers College and the Brooklyn Public Library, will focus on Jordan’s works, how she represents a life of activism, and the ways today’s artists continue the tradition of literary activism. Poet and literary activist E. Ethelbert Miller and biographer and scholar Valerie Kinloch will participate in a conversation on Jordan’s work and life of activism. Social Justice activist and attorney Joan Gibbs will join the conversation as a respondent. These literary programs have received contributions and funding from the Brooklyn Delegation of New York City Council; Con Edison; The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation; Humanities New York; the New-York Historical Society; Beacon Press; and the Library of America. Harlem-based Sisters Uptown Bookstore will serve as official book vendor for the Symposium. “Our Miss Brooks: A Centennial Celebration” will be live-streamed from Medgar Evers College. General donation for “Our Miss Brooks” is $10 in advance; ($5 for students with ID, faculty, and seniors); and the price will go up on-site. To register and for ticket information, go to http://centerforblackliterature.org/2017-nbwc-our-miss-brooks-a-centennial/. “June Jordan: Reflections on Her Life and Activism” is free and open to the public. About the Center for Black Literature The mission of the Center for Black Literature is to expand, broaden and enrich the public’s knowledge and aesthetic appreciation of the value of Black literature. Through a series of programs that build an audience for the reading, discussion and critical analysis of contemporary Black literature and that serve as a forum for the research and study of Black literature, the Center convenes and supports various literary programs and events such as author readings and book signings, writing workshops, panel discussions, conferences and symposia. It is the only center devoted to this in the country. For more information about the Center for Black Literature and its programs, call the Center at 718-804-8883, or visit our website at www.centerforblackliterature.org. ### The Center for Black Literature Brenda M. Greene, Ph.D. Executive Director CBL Advisory Board Dr. Myrlie Evers-Williams Honorary Chair Dale Allender, Ph.D. English Professor of Language and Literacy, California State University Sacramento Patrick A. Buddington Chief Marketing Officer IMC Communications Group The Honorable Hakeem Jeffries U.S. House of Representatives, D-NY, 8th District Richard Jones Jr. Executive Dean for Accreditation & Quality Assurance Medgar Evers College, CUNY Louise Mirrer, Ph.D. President and CEO New-York Historical Society Jerald Posman Senior Vice President/ Chief Operating Officer Medgar Evers College, CUNY Lawrence Schiller Jr. President and Co-Founder The Norman Mailer Center Richard Wesley Writer, Goldberg Chair, Department of Dramatic Writing, New York University Marcia White President Personalized Skincare John Edgar Wideman Writer, ASA Messer Emeritus, Professor of African American Studies and English, Brown University Cheryl Wills Author, Anchor, Reporter Time Warner Cable, NY1 News Schawannah Wright Associate Director, Community Outreach and Education, Columbia University School of the Arts

Black women are absolutely not the problem. They are victims of the same oppressive culture. One can argue women have been instrumental in our very survival. I don't however believe Obama did anything the specifiically to benefit Black people. He was the president of all people right? I'd argue for example that white people benefitted more from those changes in the sentencing laws. The laws needed to be changed and anything Obama did to change them was good, but they were not done for the purpose of helping us as a people. It would be nice if the government recognized the profound damage it did to Bkack peole and did something specifically to address it , but I'm not holding my breath. And as Del suggests I'm doing my own thing to help...despite the government.

I read the article Frederic posted (welcome to the forum Frederic), but I don't believe any of it. I don't believe you can sell your soul to the devil in the literal sense. I believe some people will stop at nothing to achieve a goal, but a contact with the devil isn't necessary... you can be evil on your own no supernatural assistance is necessary.

The odds are he won't, but his post was better than most. In fact I think his book addresses some the issues that you and Xeon addressed in the other post It is interesting that the book, written by a brother, sports a white man on the cover, and that the promotional video shows most white folks. I think that the conversation amongst men must eventually men of all colors. That would be one very challenging conversation, This in of itself would peak my interest in this bo I also noticed after watching the video, that the author whose man is Micahel Taylor was one of the first authors I put on the website: http://aalbc.com/authors/michael.htm (I have not completely migrated his page yet). Which mean I've previously communicated with him. Even though it has been at least 15 years ago, I'm surprised he did not mention this in this post. I'll update his page next week and reference this page. So there was truly a benefit, at least for this author, for making this "drive-by post"

No problem. @richardmurray, was having a problem with polling on his blog. Pools are also a feature I've never personally used here. Hopefully, that problem has been resolved with the latest patch as well.

Mel I'll pose the question that I indirectly posed to Xeon; do you not attribute responsibility to the culture that created the conditions that produced the type of black men you are complaining about? If not, there really is no other conclusion that you can draw other than that these Black men are inherently dysfunctional. Which the larger society believes. Which also, in a perverse way, perpetuates the problem and the informs the solutions that are provided. Like building more jails. Remember when the US government pumped drugs into the black community? Remember how they reacted to the inevitable drug dealing and addiction--hyper-incarceration and 3 strike laws. Today as white people OD on prescription drugs across the nation, harsh sentencing laws are removed and calls for treatment are made. White folks get compassion that has systematically been denied all Black people, since we were dragged here in chains...

I encourage authors to share information about their books on the discussion forum, rather than just emailing me directly. The idea is that it might peak the interest of someone reading the forum but unfortunately, most authors do the Facebook drive-by thing. They swing throw "shoot" their info here and never to return for fear of recognition or engaging with readers. But that is cool, occasionally I see something that interests me, like this book, posted just today, which I use to expand the content of the website and hopefully reach others with important information.

Mel that is actually a feature I've never personally used. I'll have to check it out and get back to you. In the last two days I've applied two updates to the forum software. I'm sure the 2nd was a patch for bugs the first introduced. Please try it again to make sure the problem persists. Thanks