Cleveland's historic Euclid Avenue Congregational Church destroyed by fire

 

It was a devastating site to ride down Euclid Avenue this morning and see this historic structure gutted due to fire.Euclid Avenue Congregational Church, has a long history in the City of Cleveland. The church Website states, "Euclid Avenue Congregational Church of the United Church of Christ, an urban church since its beginning in 1843, is a diverse, multiracial and multicultural, Open and Affirming congregation."

African Diaspora Reading Challenge Update

In my last post I indicated I would participate in the Brown Girl Speaks African Diaspora Reading Challenge so today I am listing a partial list of the books I plan to read for this challenge.
However before listing my planned readings I thought it would be helpful to list the rules of the challenge, so here they are:


The guidelines:

• This challenge will run from January 1, 2010 - December 31, 2010
• Crossovers are allowed
• Fiction and nonfiction hard copies or e-books from any genre (no audiobooks)
• Participants should visit different geographical regions in their reading (i.e. not all African American or Afro-Brit or Haitian or any one group representing the diaspora)
• Levels of Participation:
• Novice: commitment to read four (4) books
• Versed: commitment to read eight (8) books
• Scholar: commitment to read twelve (12) books

Initially, my plan was to join at the level of versed, but I have upped the anty to scholar. Why you ask? Well as part of my annual book club reading list at least one of the recommended readings is listed so that leaves me with eleven other works to choose from. While our group reads six books a year that would also leave at least one or two of them open for addition to my challenge list.


Most importantly, I usually find myself reading at least two books at a time, so a challenge of 12 should be a no-brainer. Finally, as I stated earlier, part of my motivation aside from increasing the scope of my reading is to use this challenge as a means to keep me writing on a regular basis.

So without further rambling my list of African Diaspora Reading Challenge books are:


Purple Hibiscus by Chimamande Ngozi Adichie is set in Enugu, Nigeria and is the story of 15-year-old Kambili and her life in an abusive household.


Let the Lion Eat the Straw by Ellease Southerland is the story of Abeba Williams. Seeking a way out of poverty, Abeba's mother leaves her in the care of Mamma Hamblesham as she looks for success in NY. Mamma and Abeba bond and develop a routine that is shattered when Abeba's mother returns to take her to the big city.


A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid offers the reader a view of Kincaid's homeland Antigua from poverty and corruption to the breath taking beauty of this small Caribbean island.


The Great Negro Plot by Mat Johnson is an historic fiction account of the Negro uprising in New York City in 1741.

These works are listed in no certain order, but I can say that Let the Lion Eat Straw will be the final book, because it is the last book scheduled for my book club and that meeting is in December 2010. The Great Negro Plot is also a book club read and I believe it is scheduled for early summer.

I'm really excited about the challenge and the opportunity to widen my reading horizon. Won't you join us? If you are interested click here for details.

Beginning a New Year - New Decade

So we have now ventured into a new year and new decade to boot, what do you plan to do differently in 2010? Have you made a list of resolutions? A list that, for most people anyway, will go by the wayside long before the spring thaw. Or are you like many of us who have made no resolutions other than to try to make this year better than the last, which of course means we have set goals that we will strive to achieve. Is there truly a difference between a resolution and a goal? I wonder.

One of my goals is to make this space an active, living breathing place that people you and others will be interested in visiting on a regular basis. So, let's hope you find this interesting and will come back for more in the days and weeks ahead.

Another goal is to participate in some very interesting challenges I have come across while perusing the internet. Just today I stopped by Inkygirl:Daily Diversions For Writers where I learned about the 1000 Words A Day Challenge which is similar to NanNoWriMo, but according to Inkygirl is for those of us who start out with a bang and may loose our way. With this challenge if you miss a day, but try again the next day you are still eligible as long as you are actively trying. Even better there is also a 500 Words A Day or 250 Words A Day Challenge. I will work on the 500 Words A Day, what do you think? Want to join me - if so learn more here.

The next challenge on my agenda has to do with my other love - reading. I'm not sure which of my writer idols tweeted about this site, and this challenge but I was very interested to find Brown Girl Speaks and the African Diaspora Reading Challenge. With this challenge I will be able to fulfill two goals at once - read more and write more, because as part of this challenge you have to write a review. Cha-Ching, double the pleasure. To learn more click here.

So with these two goals as well as a plan to redesign this site and post more frequently I should be a very busy woman over the next 361 days!

I hope you will join me on my journey to offer your views, support or just to hang out!



~Til Next Time!

Happy New Year!

WhooHoo! 2010 is here! What a blessing to bid farewell to another year, and thank God for the gift of seeing the beginning of a new year.
My new year's celebration was a blast! For the third year in a row, the Hubby & I joined friends at a house party! The atmosphere was festive and filled with joy as we ate, drank, danced, laughed and just enjoyed the company of one another!
New this year - I played bartender and what a blast that was. While I'm always pretty observant at gatherings, just sort of people watching, the view from the bar definitely gives you a whole new vantage point.
From the barkeeps stool you can watch and gauge who's drinking just to get a little buzz and who is actually trying to tie one on, and thankfully most of the folks were being sociable last night.
As is true with life, with all good times there will be sadness. I found out this morning that a beloved cousin passed away this morning and is now our own personal ANGEL. I also learned first hand that with death comes life as we welcomed a new member of the family as well this morning. Life in all of it's totality is truly an awesome experience.
As the effects of the first day of the new year settle I am convinced it will be a good one. I'll post tomorrow about some good things to look forward to here on the blog. One of them will be more on books and writing as well as the addition of some other sections. I believe that I will finally utilize this space to delve into reigniting my love of reporting which will include interviews and features on not only books and literature, but also craft related issues and community news.
Join me for the ride, I know it's going to be a good one! Happy New Year!

Preparing for a New Year

Over the course of the last several weeks I have been working on my plans for a more productive 2010 as it relates to writing, and my other creative outlets of knitting and papercrafting. My knitting has suffered the most over recent months because I have spent so much time doing other things and I just haven't picked up the needles, but that will soon change.
It amazes me at times to see folks seriously multi-task and keep their sanity. That's my goal for the new year. With these goals in mind I have also been reassessing the role of this blog in my future plans. I would really like for it to be a central part of my growth and to serve as an avenue for me to practice the craft of writing. So for the followers of this little corner of my world - change is coming.
One area of change I'm sure will be the addition of a section of posts on natural hair and my journey. I have already written a couple of posts on this matter and anticipate I will complete many more in the months ahead.
You might ask why, especially since I have found several blogs and websites specifically geared to natural hair. Well the why is that while most all of these sites were started as a response to someone's journey - they are all similar yet different because each person's journey is unique. I hope to add a little humor on this subject because I'm tickled everytime I find myself reading and seeking out more information on hair of all things. While I've never wanted my hair not to look well coifed and styled, I have never been a "hair" person. Going to a salon once a week, or even every other week was a stretch for me.
I'll delve more into that soon, but as an example of how "hair obsessed" I have become - I spent the better part of today checking out sites in an effort to learn more about how to manage, maintain and style my hair.
Some of the sites I have found that have become instant favs are listed here. Click on the name and check out the sites - you will be amazed at all of the interesting information you can find. Newly Natural, Curly Nikki, and Black Girl With Long Hair are three that I will highlight soon.
That catches you up on where I plan to take this space in the future and I hope you will hang out with me from time to time. Working hard behind the scenes to get it together so if there are no posts in the next couple of days - enjoy the festivities over the next couple of days and be safe as you welcome in 2010!

Resurgence of the Call & Post - thanks to Ohio State Senator Nina Turner

For the first time in a very long time, Cleveland's oldest Black newspaper, The Call & Post has stirred up some controversy and has some level of significance thanks to its portrayal of Ohio State Senator Nina Turner as Aunt Jemima in an editorial cartoon. The cartoon and editorial chastise Turner for having the gall to stand against the masses and back last November's ballot Issue 6, which will reform Cuyahoga County government.

The cartoon struck a nerve with a number of Clevelanders including United Pastors in Mission, a group representing a large number of Cleveland's Black ministers. The ministers who were opponents of Issue 6 have called for an apology from The Call & Post.

Before I continue with my views on this subject I must state that I spent the formative years of my career at The Call and Post. I have a fondness for the newspaper, but I have felt since long before I left the paper that the leaders of the publication were not intune with the community they serve. This disconnect with the community has caused the newspaper to suffer with subscriptions, advertising and most importantly readership. The Call & Post, is struggling to survive, as are many print publications and this could be the opportunity they were looking for to reignite interest in what they have to say.

Unfortunately, this resurgence comes in the middle of an issue that pits one group of the Black community against another, a sad commentary on this community.

As a journalist I was not appalled as many in the community have stated they are because first and foremost you have to put the caricature into context - it is an editorial cartoon. It is not meant to be supportive, it is meant to be an exaggeration and to do just what it has done - ignite dialouge and discussion. I also believe that we in the Black community at times become overly sensitive about these issues. I read a comment connecting this depiction to the Don Imus controversy with the women's basketball team from Rutgers and in my opinion that is like apples and oranges - two different families.

Political commentator Bill Patmon put the controversy into context during an appearance on WKYC-TV 3's evening news Tuesday as he cited editorial cartoons that had appeared in the daily Plain Dealer that offered negative portrayals of former Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones and former Councilwoman Fannie Lewis. Both of these women are now deceased, but I'm sure both would be proud of Turner's ability to take a stand against the establishment - although they too would probably have been on the opposite side of this issue.

At the crux of this issue however is the generational divide that exists in Cleveland politics and leadership. This cartoon has brought to the forefront the fact that there is a wide gulf between the young and the old guard in Cleveland, and someone needs to work to bridge that gap.

While The Call & Post has indicated it will not offer an apology, it should join forces with The United Pastors In Mission and attempt to begin building the bridge that will heal wounds and prepare the Black community for the future.

This could be a win-win situation for both the newspaper and the community. If young people feel they have a seat at the table and their opinions matter they will be more engaged in the community and that is something this community desperately needs.

A Review: What Doesn't Kill You

What Doesn't Kill You: A Novel by Virginia DeBerry



In their latest novel /What Doesn't Kill You Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant have offered a new style and new voice - first person.
This timely novel is told from the experience of the novel's main character Tee Hodges who has found that she must reinvent herself just as she reaches her prime.