Order your 75th Anniversary Anisfeld-Wolf Book Awards Tickets today!

I arrived home today to find my invitation or announcement for the 75th Anisfeld-Wolf Book Awards in the mail! Yippee!!! I immediately ordered my tickets!

The Awards will be presented on

Tuesday, September 14th at Severance Hall, 11001 Euclid Ave. in Cleveland.

Recipients include Elizabeth Alexander, the poet, essayist, playwright and teacher who

received national notoriety last year with the penning of Praise Song for the Day the poem read during the Inaugural ceremonies for President Barack Obama. Alexander will receive the Lifetime Achievement in Poetry.

Novelist Kamila Shamsie will be honored for her latest work Burnt Shadows,

published in 2009 by Bloomsbury Publishing. On its author Website, Bloomsbury describes the novel as "an epic narrative of disasters evaded and confronted, loyalities offered and repaid, and loves rewarded and betrayed." A native of Pakistan, Shamsie is also the aut

hor of In the City by the Sea, Kartography, Salt and Saffron and Broken Verses.

Receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award in Non-Fiction is William Julius Wilson. In describing Wilson, the press information states, "Wilson is the author of a number of c

ritically acclaimed and culturally challenging works, including the 1978 publication The Declining Significance of Race: Blacks and Changing American Institutions. In this work, Wilson argued that the significance

of race was declining and an African-American’s class was comparatively more important in determining his or her chances in life. His most recent book, More Than Just Race: Being Black and Poor in the Inner City, was published in 2009. A sociologist, Wilson holds a Ph.D. from Washington State University. In 1996 he joined the faculty at Harvard University, where he is among an exclusive group to hold the highest professional distinction of University Professor. Among his many honors, he is a recipient of the Burton Gordon Feldman Awards for “outstanding contributions in the field of public policy.”

Rounding out the honorees is Oprah Winfrey receiving the Lifetime Achievement A

ward. In announcing Winfrey's selection the Wolf jury notes, "Winfrey, often called the “most influential woman in the world,” is a television host, businesswoman, and philanthropist. Her difficult childhood – born out of wedlock, raised in poverty, sexually abused – is well documented and she is widely respected for overcoming hardship. Through her television talk show, Winfrey launched Oprah’s Book Club and single-handedly brought the joys of reading to millions of people around the world and re-engaged those whose interest may have waned over time. Her commitment to issues of diversity and human cultures runs through the topics she addresses on her show, the books she recommends, and the cultural arts she financially supports, including the 2009 movie Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire and the Broadway production of The Color Purple."

Previous winners of the prize which "remains the only juried American literary competition devoted to recognizing books that have made an important contribution to society's understanding of racism and the diversity of human cultures" include Toni Morrison, Edwidge Danticat, Junot Diaz, Gwendolyn Brooks and Ayaan Hirsi Ali. The Prize was established in 1963 by Elizabeth Anisfeld Wolf.

For more information on the Awards visit here.

Review: "Sugar - A Novel"

In October of last year author Bernice L. McFadden set in motion a plan to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the publication of her debut novel Sugar. The publication anniversary was January 9, 2010. I'm not sure if she reached her mark, but I do know that she sparked a renewed interest in her work.

As I write this review almost a year later, I am apologetic because I'm not sure when I first noticed the posting and I unfortunately did not read it well because I thought it was a year long campaign. That being said, if you have not read Sugar, please do so. Why you ask? Well continue to read and I'll give you what I believe are a few good reasons.

Set in rural Arkansas in the 1950s, Sugar is a story of friendship, acceptance and the love that must exist for the aforementioned to thrive.

When Sugar Lacey arrives in the sleepy town of Bigelow, Arkansas heads turn and tongues begin to wag. You see Sugar is not like the women of this small town. She is worldly, wears vibrant colors from head to toe and the "good" women who reside in this town see her as nothing but trouble. Based purely on what they see, the women have labeled her and while the label may not be far from the truth a "welcoming committee" is not on the horizon.

The lone dissenter in town is Pearl Taylor, Sugar's neighbor on Grove Street. While Pearl is curious about the comings and goings of her new neighbor in #10, she has not turned a cold shoulder. Pearl feels a connection to this woman, but can't quite put her finger on why.

McFadden does a wonderful job of delving into the various characters and weaving a tale that is so real that you can imagine your grandmother telling this story. By shifting between characters and telling the story from their point of view, McFadden invites the reader into Bigelow and the friendship that develops between Sugar and Pearl.

Pearl works to tame Sugar while the younger woman attempts to add some spice to the sadness that she sees permeating the soul of her neighbor. With a supporting cast of characters including Pearl's husband Joe and her overly critical friends, McFadden's prose takes you into the depths of Bigelow. You become the new neighbor watching in on the lives of these characters. McFadden adds just a hint of suspense and wonder that keeps you turning the pages. The drama unfolds so crisply that when it all comes together you're left shaking your head saying "You've got to be kidding me, or better yet 'Girl shut yo' mouth'"

So if you're not familiar with Bernice McFadden, make today the day that you change that and go pick up a copy of Sugar. While you're at it, pick up This Bitter Earth, a sequel to Sugar and Glorious, McFadden's latest novel released this year.

The not so flattering photo above is of me holding a copy of Sugar, which was one of the requests of McFadden to help spread the word about the 10th Anniversary. As stated above I blew the whole concept, but I hope that you will stop here to learn more about this very inspirational and down to earth author.

Summer Reading - reviews to come

I've been busy this summer trying to catch up on reading that was pushed to the backburner this winter and spring.

Keep an eye out for reviews of the following titles:

• "Sugar" by Bernice L. McFadden's
• "Road Song" - A Memoir" by Natalie Kusz
• "Uptown" by Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant
• "Tracks" - A Woman's Solo Trek Across 1,700 Miles of Australian Outback" by Robyn Davidson
• "Wildflowers" by lyah beth leflore
• "Children of the Waters" by Carleen Brice
• "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamande Ngozi Adchie

This should keep me busy and actively posting over the next few weeks. I hope you'll drop in and check out the reviews and offer your feedback.

Why Clevelanders are angry with LeBron James

So it's been a week almost to the minute since LeBron James took the hearts of Cleveland Cavs fans and dumped them a steamy and hot Lake Erie. There their hearts were left to steam, bake and boil - sending our feelings about "The King" into the likes of a Massachusetts clam bake!

You see for months there has been speculation and innuendo, however those of us who chose to believe the words that were uttered from "The King" were confident that he would stay at home and really become the ROYALTY he proclaimed himself to be.

Why you ask did we feel this way? Well he was passionate about his love for his hometown of Akron, Ohio in particular and Northeast Ohio. He was quoted as saying he recalled "the fumble, the drive, and the shot" so he understood the angst of Cleveland fans and he wanted to bring joy to the area. HE WAS ONE OF US!

But in one fell swoop he shattered that dream and became in the minds of many, just another shallow albeit well paid athlete.

The problem is the money he left on all of the tables, so it wasn't about the money it was about the ring. I have problems believing that, because although I won't go as far as Dan Gilbert and say that he quit during the Boston series - something went terribly wrong! As the self proclaimed leader of that team I will say that his drive and desire for a ring was not present! So we the fans were let down by that performance or lack thereof.

The Cavs organization however does not get a pass. Something went terribly wrong within that group of men, and it really started when this team sport was relegated to the backseat. It has been clear for the last seven years that many of the problems with the team stemmed from the lack of team coaching.

What do I mean by this? Well it appears as though the plays and the focus of these Cavalier teams have been to elevate James, not the entire squad. The team members surrounding James were far from scrubs, but how focused and determined are they when their worth and ability is relegated to the background!

The strength of a true team is shown when the least of them can grow, and become an asset. That has not been the case in the recent past for the Cavaliers, but we hope it will be the mandate for the Cavs of the future.

"The King" has left the building and the Cavs will be a much better franchise because of it - Let's go CAVS!!!

PodCamp Cleveland - A Look Back

Saturday I had the opportunity to attend PodCamp Cleveland at the Cuyahoga Valley Career Center. For those of you unfamiliar with PodCamp the local organizers Website describes, it as an "UnConference dedicated to podcasting, blogging, video blogging and all things New Media."

Why "UnConference" you may ask? Well while I did not ask anyone, I will say that it is because you are not obligated to attend all or any of the concurring sessions, nor do they expect you to sit through a session that is not particularly appealing to you. This may or may not be true.

Well on to my experience - it was a great day filled with some interesting sessions and great for the wallet - FREE! This was my second PodCamp, and while I believe my first experience held a larger selection of sessions I can say that I interacting with more people this time around. Meeting new people is always a plus.

I was drawn to PodCamp Cleveland primarily because of a session entitled "Death by Bullet Points Words, and Clip Art - Creating Memorable Presentations." To say that presenter Lauri Burkons was good would be an understatement! One of my pet peeves with PowerPoint presentations is the lack of actual presenting. I'm sure you have experienced it, you're in a conference room anxiously awaiting the start of the presentation when you receive a packet of information. As you glance over the packet, the speaker comes forward and proceeds to read verbatim the information you have in your hand. Argh! I walk away asking why didn't they just hand it out and let me read it!

Burkons' presentation centered on effective communication and focusing on the presenter rather than reading a screen. I will not repeat her entire presentation but some keys I walked away with included - treat the preparation of a presentation just as you would any other writing project. Begin the process by brainstorming or freewriting on the topic. Prepare an outline to assist with flow and ultimately with the design of the final product. When presenting be aware of time constraints and don't go over your time limit.

Social Media Strategy

The other session I was pumped to attend was Deborah Brown's discussion of "Creating a Customer-Focused Social Media Strategy". Brown of AllWriteInk gave a lively break down of the ins and outs of developing a Social Media Strategy, and most importantly tips on how to fit social media into your schedule

Some of her key points were knowing the brands you are working to market and organizing a timeline to utilize social technology i.e., Twitter, Facebook, Blogging etc. to promote the brands.

If you ever see Deborah Brown on a conference schedule no that she is a burst of energy and brings good information.

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.