Troy

MLK day is to King as Christmas is to Christ.

Cynique, I was rasied in governement subsidized housing "the projects" located in the protypical inner city of Spanish Harlem. I remember when an out of wedlock, teenage preganancy (a rare event) was looked upon with shame, frowned upon. One girl I knew just "went down south" for some unexplained reason. I later learned she was pregnant. It seemed, overnight, teenagers everywhere around here were pushing baby carriages. I find it astonishing that attitudes and behavior in the 'hood could change so profoundly, so quickly. What caused the attitudes to chage? Abortions are more easily obtained. Condoms are freely available, the way mints once were in the neighborhood. I'm inclinded to think it has to do with the fact that today, a woman, can survive (thrive even) as a single parent -- even one who is undereducated, young and poor. 50 years ago, this would have been much more difficult. What do you think?

This argument is just like "Just Say No" argument. In the heat of the moment, many women and men, obviously have difficulty putting on a condom before sex. Apparently Plan B or is too much trouble too. It would seem to me the majoirty of out of wedlock or teen pregnancies are by women (it is their bodies) who actually want to have the babies. All of the many circumstances I'm aware of this has been the case... The ones who did not want the children demonstrated this in their behavior.

Sonia Sanchez Now Poet Laureate of Phillly From "Great Things Happ'nin'/ January 2012" Compiled and edited by Louis Reyes Rivera Louisreyesrivera@aol.com Sonia Sanchez Now Poet Laureate ============================= As of Thursday, December 29, 2011, Mayor Michael Nutter and the City of Philadelphia have installed West Philadelphia resident Sonia Sanchez as their first Poet Laureate. In his announcement, Mayor Nutter called Ms. Sanchez "the longtime conscience of the city." Throughout her vocation as such, the 77-year-old poet has geared her poetry as a tool for social activism during the culminating periods of both the Civil Rights and Black Arts movements. As well, the Harlem born poet has held teaching positions at eight universities, including her long-time residency at Temple University. At the induction ceremony, Mayor Nutter said, "Poetry is an extraordinary and powerful art form. Ms. Sanchez exemplifies the role a poet can play in helping to define a city and helping its citizens discover beauty." In her position, she'll be called upon to mentor a youth poet laureate and appear at Spoken Word and other poetry events at City Hall and at the Free Library of Philadelphia. Ms. Sanchez was quoted as stating that she seeks to explore what it means to be human in the 21st century. To her, that means promoting peace in self and others. One project that she has recently initiated is to gather haikus from her comrades of the pen (i.e., Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Maya Angelou, Louis Reyes Rivera, among others) for purposes of having them posted on a public mural in South Philadelphia. The theme is Peace!

I had the pleasure of speaking in a couple of the short video biographies, on American novelists, created by Bio.com, which is part of the A+E Television Networks. I spoke briefly about James Baldwin and Langston Hughes. http://aalbc.it/aebios

Here is the video:

Happy New year everyone! Surround yourself with people you love and who love you. That is all we can do. American's, despite all the shit going down now, have been largely spared from the misery that is quite common in the rest of the world. Try to stay positive, and do what good you can. In fact, if we all can make it through the day without murdering someone, stealing something, telling unnecessary lies, and maybe share something with someone less fortunate, America would be a better place.

Hi Biaunca -- thanks for joining us! "Attack" may be too strong a word, but in the almost 15 years I've been running this site, it seems the appreciation for literature is waning. I think many things have conspired to create this situation, and most have to do with financial incentives.

NIaknows, "...could contact a company that she approves of and convince them to advertise as well." EXACTLY! I wish I thought of that myself. That is both a positive and constructive response. Thanks for taking the time to contribute your thoughts. Looking forward to reading your contributions in the future. Peace.

Thanks Cynique, I gotta tell you it gets more challenging every year. I am and will always be very appreciative of your support over that last decade.

For Immediate Release Media Contact: Evelyn Santana, BazanPR evelyn_santana@bazanpr.com 212-643-4664 X702 “THE HELP” NAMED BEST FILM OF 2011 BY THE BLACK FILM CRITICS CIRCLE New York, NY (December 20, 2011) – The Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC) has voted “THE HELP” Best Film of 2011, Dee Rees Best Director for “PARIAH”, Viola Davis Best Actress for “THE HELP” and Olivier Litondo Best Actor for “THE FIRST GRADER”. The announcement was made by today by Mike Sargent, co-president, BFCC. Votes were cast and tabulated in NY at the organization’s annual meeting on December 19, 2011. Recognizing achievements in theatrical motion pictures, the BFCC awarded prizes in 13 categories including best picture, best director, original and adapted screenplay, best actor, best actress, best supporting actor, best supporting actress, best animated feature, best independent film, best documentary feature, best foreign film and best ensemble. Special Signature awards are also given to industry pioneers and rising stars. “This year was a very engaging one in cinema,” says Sargent. “Both commercial and independent fare illustrated the continued ability of Hollywood to entertain, spotlight new talent, show fresh perspectives and move audiences. Congratulations to all of the winners.” The complete list of award winners include: Best Picture - THE HELP Best Director - Dee Rees for PARIAH Best Actor - Olivier Litondo for THE FIRST GRADER Best Actress - Viola Davis for THE HELP Best Supporting Actor - Albert Brooks for DRIVE Best Supporting Actress - Octavia Spencer for THE HELP Best Independent Film - PARIAH Best Original Screenplay - Dee Rees for PARIAH Best Adapted Screenplay - Tate Taylor for THE HELP Best Documentary - BEING ELMO: A Puppeteer's Journey Best Foreign Film - LIFE, ABOVE ALL Best Animated Film - RANGO Best Ensemble - THE HELP BFCC Signature Awards include: Pioneer - Harry Belafonte A renaissance artist who brought his unique talent to all areas of entertainment in a career that has spanned nearly 60 years, Belafonte is a multi-Grammy© winning artist, an Emmy© Award winner with the distinct designation as the first African American television producer, a Tony© Award winner, motion picture film actor and producer, Civil Rights Activist and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. From his music, films, and humanitarian work, Harry Belafonte has continued to embody the very essence of the word Pioneer. Rising Star - Adepero Oduye Adepero’s performance in PARIAH is a moving, powerful unforgettable portrayal of a young woman of color coming to terms with herself, her sexuality, and her family. We believe she is truly a Talent to Watch. Special Mention - Attack the Block: Attack is a genre film that defies a number of conventions, not only by having a primarily black cast but portraying each character with a dignity seldom seen on screen and even more rarely in a Science-Fiction film. BFCC's Top ten films of 2011 1. The Help 2. The Artist 3. Pariah 4. Drive 5. The Descendants 6. Attack the Block 7. Tree of Life 8. Hugo 9. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 10. Warrior Founded in 2010, the Black Film Critics Circle is a membership organization comprised of film critics of color from daily newspapers, weekly newspapers, magazines, radio, television and qualifying on-line publications. The organization is dedicated to honoring excellence of professionals in the theatrical motion picture industry in U.S. and World Cinema. Its mission is to celebrate contributions and achievements in film by people of the black Diaspora who work in front of and behind the camera, maintain the integrity of a true Critics organization and advance a collective vision of journalists of the black Diaspora. BFCC assists in the development of new talent in the field of entertainment journalism through educational opportunities, mentoring and strategic partnerships and raises awareness of the significance of black film and black film history as a critical part of film culture and preservation. The organization meets annually in December to vote on the year’s films. BFCC’s Founding Members are journalists Mike Sargent (WBAI-FM NY/Tor.com), Wilson Morales (Blackfilm.com), and Shawn Edwards (WDAF-TV Fox Affiliate Kansas City, MO). For more information, visit us online @ Blackfilmcriticscircle.org or visit us on Facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/pages/BFCC/215361925204008 ###

There have been a lot of stories about returning veterans suffering from PTSD, permanently crippled, homeless, jobless, loosing homes. What a shame. Maybe one day someone will do a investigative report and research the real reason we went into Iraq, what we accomplished and what it really cost not just in terms of money, but in terms of lives lost and destroyed.

Check out Baratunde Thurston's lastest book. It does not com out until next month. I have not read it, but everything else I read or seen this guy produce has been pretty funny: His speak on Twitter was technically correct and very funny -- a rare skill. How to Be Black

All of you here contribute, in some way, to the success of AALBC.com, I just wanted to say thank you. Peace, Troy Johnson, Founder AALBC.com

writegirl, Amazon reviews, the ones submitted by users, are useless. I never read them unless I know the reviewer -- which is rare. Many are contributed by the author, or on behalf of the author, and are little more than additional promotional material. I even know some reviews which are posted to deliberately slam an author's work for malicious reasons. I do read the reviews on Amazon that are supplied by the known entities like Publishers weekly, Kirkus or the Library Journal, but those are really very short and not too informative. I would not give up on the new authors completely; just use a different method to discover them. I bet if you posted a request here: "...looking for a light humorous read by a new author. Any suggestions" people would provide some recommendations. You can also try review the " conversation.

While I'm sure many will find this book and certainly the DVD entertaining, I wonder how many will consume these products looking for serious help in their relationships. To his credit Michael is not positioning these products as solutions. In an attempt at a little sardonic wit, I suggested answers would be provided

Ladies, if Steve Harvey's books offered you no salvation the complex world of Black men and relationships look no furthur the author of "Never Satisfied: How and Why Men Cheat", Michael Baisden, has a new book Never Satisfied Do Men Know What They Want At at last, sisters you long wait is over: Michael addresses the profound questions and provides answers escaping us all. In his book you'll learn: Men don't don;t worry Mike has something for you too: Marriage, money, monogamy and more... Do Women Know What They Want? (Uncut Version) DVD "In this uncensored version, things quickly get hot and out of hand as Michael and his co-host, George Willborn, host a "passion party" to find out what the ladies want in the bedroom. Frank talk not for the faint of heart."

Carey to clarify my point a bit. If a preacher can not, in the privacy of his own home, adhere to the most basic tenets of his faith, then he should remove himself. He certainly should not be misguiding the followers. At best he is a very dumb or ignorant man at worse is is a devil in preacher's clothing.

Writegirl, reading books that have been so badly edited that I can not complete them is a rare occurrence. Typically it is the subject matter or style that prevents be from completing books -- rather than run sentences or a misplaced modifiers. How do you decide which books to read? It seems to me you'd be able to avoid the really badly edited or unedited ones with a little scrutiny or using a good source for recommendations.

Stove top I use it everything I prepare a Thanksgiving feast. I add a pound of crumpled spicy Parks sage sausage when I prepare min. Sometime i stuff the turkey, but all that does make cooking the turkey a little difficult. I bake the Turkey and stuff it afterwards if I want to make an impression. I actually I don't; even like Turkey (unless it has been fried or covered in gravy), I don't even eat it during the holidays if there is another meat available. this year I had ribs :-) Our family's Christmas dinner is ordering Chinese take out. I usually get Peking Duck.

Dorothy congrats on your latest novel! writergirl870 welcome to the discussion boards!

A Christian pastor suggesting one view porn is absurd. Typically the participants engaged in sex in a pornographic film are committing adultery. Why any pastor would encourage someone to view this stuff is beyond me. As far as everyone, else participating in them or watching them -- that is up them; as long as folks are doing it voluntarily (I know a very slippery term), I have no problem with it. I do however believe people can get a warped sense of what to expect in the bedroom especially if most of their experience is based upon porn. But sex is such a charged and sensitive subject few people including married coupled can have a meaning conversation about the subject. If Haggns spend a split second he might have figured out the underlying problem and given them more helpful, advise more inline with their supposed belief system.

Hickson, Biaunca, I completely feel where you are both coming from. The lack of cohesiveness is appalling. I can give you hundreds of personal anecdotes from over the last 15 years that would have you shaking your head. Exacerbating the problem is that we, effectively, do not control our own voices. Because of the fact this very issue will never be reported on in the mainstream media. The average person really has no idea what is going on. I just sent this message to another internet entrepreneur as few moments ago: Hickson, you are right bookstores on line and off HAVE to be come more creative to stay alive. The problem is resources are hard to come by which makes it impossible to grow. Our best resources go to "majority" owned business. It is not because they pay more. Many Black writers will write for the HuffingPost for free. Many Black authors will quote every "Major" source before the quote a black one. I've done events for Black authors who will announce Buy my book at B&N or Amazon -- every where but AALBC.com. They are not being mean -- they just don't understand. Some do, but most don't. it is a very profound problem. But there is hope. There are conscious people who understand the problem and are willing to do something about it. In fact AALBC.com would not be alive were it not for individuals like this. I'm not talking about famous people or very rich people. [Amazingly I've NEVER received an ounce of support from a famous or rich author - even though I strongly support them]. Most of my support comes from regular folk, and relatively unknown authors, like the people who regularly contribute to the conversations here. There are also others on the web -- doing their thing, day in and day out, grindin' not because they are trying to get rich, but because they believe what they are doing will benefit our people, and in turn the world.

I went back and posted the full conversation. I have admit I was beginning to loose patience with the person, but I really wanted to understand her concerns. Often the harshest critiques come from people who have never done what they are actually critiquing. But these folks are still the audience I'm attempting to serve. So while I appreciate they have no clue how difficult what I do is, I always to try to address any feedback that seems to be sincerely presented. I also realize I'm very biased, so I was hoping someone could help me understand this exchange. Am I wrong for welcoming the financial support of sponsors like Twisted Sista? Also keep in mind the Twisted Sista campaign is doing well. The success has actually help support the premise that non book related ads can do well on the site. Twisted Sista is also sponsoring a contest: http://www.aalbc.com/fun/twisted_sista.html

Yeah I heard the broadcast with Tommie and Juan, Unfortunately money in sports has removed what little consciousness these athletes had left..