Mayor Franklin hosts The AIDS Memorial Quilt

Mayor Shirley Franklin Hosts World AIDS Day Memorial Quilt Display in City Hall

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WHO:	Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin will host the 2005 World AIDS Day display of The AIDS Memorial Quilt in City Hall.  The display will include more than 50 3-foot by 6-foot handmade panels including the panel Rosa Parks created in memory Deborah Haynes for The Quilt. The opening ceremony for the display will feature remarks by Mayor Franklin; Julie Rhoad, executive director of The NAMES Project Foundation; and H. Lamar Willis, Atlanta City Council member and board member of The NAMES Project. The program will also include the traditional reading of the names on The Quilt and a Quilt dedication ceremony at which time new panels will be presented to The NAMES Project including those created by Pearl Ann Walker and Mamie Hughley, both in their 90s and members of Reynoldstown Quilters.
WHAT:	This display is presented by The NAMES Project Foundation, the international caretaker of The AIDS Memorial Quilt, now headquartered in Atlanta.
WHEN:	1:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2005, at City Hall Atrium, 55 Trinity Ave.
WHY:	World AIDS Day is the ideal time to remind the community that HIV/AIDS still poses a serious, lethal threat and a display of The AIDS Memorial Quilt is a vivid and poignant way to illustrate what has been lost and what is at risk.  With teddy bears and Boy Scout badges, The Quilt is our most powerful educative tool in the fight to curb the tide of new HIV infections. With more than 45,000 handmade panels, The Quilt stands as the largest piece of community folk art in the world and the most democratic memorial ever created.   Known as a leader in the fight for civil rights, Rosa Parks was one of the more than 100,000 individuals who have created a panel for The AIDS Memorial Quilt.  Her panel for Deborah Haynes will be among those on display at City Hall on World AIDS Day.  This World AIDS Day (December 1) also marks the 50th anniversary of the day Mrs. Parks refused to relinquish her bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama

Doraville , GM Jobs, South Korea & DaeWoo

 DEE-ANN DURBIN, AP Auto Writer.  "DETROIT - General Motors Corp. will eliminate 30,000 manufacturing jobs and close nine North American assembly, stamping and powertrain plants by 2008 as part of an effort to get production in line with demand.

 GM has been crippled by high labor, pension, health care and materials costs as well as by sagging demand for sport utility vehicles, its longtime cash cows, and by bloated plant capacity. Its market share has been eroded by competition from Asian automakers led by Toyota Motor Corp. GM lost nearly $4 billion in the first nine months of this year. "

 

Sad news for my boys at the Doraville plant. They began a production slow down in August, and they will cease production at the end of the currents products life cycle in 2008.  

 

Now, although people are debating the war in Iraq. The pressure should also be on Bush to come back from his Asian tour with a gameplan to stop our American powerhouse employers like GM from closing plants and laying off so many Americans.

 

Like I said before...although we love Wal-Mart.  But as a Christian, I will not support it this year, but it's position with South Korea is in a proportionate ratio with American job loss. Remember GM Daewoo have plants in Asia(South Korea) and Wagner just met with Watanabe this month to create a Toyota/GM alliance:

 

"As a way to raise restructuring funds, GM sold 8.7 percent of the 20 percent stake it holds in Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. to Toyota in October for 35 billion yen."

Good thing I speak Japanese. Now if I can sit down long enough to learn Mandarin. I'll be good to go. What about you?

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Barbie in Trash

 

Samantha Burns has me rolling out of my chair over here, because she has featured the most realistic Barbie Doll she has ever seen. You have to click over there and see her for yourself. 

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Blogger & MS Word

 Now you can use Blogger right within Microsoft^® Word. Just download and install the Blogger for Word add-in and a Blogger toolbar will be added to Word allowing you to edit, save and manipulate your posts inside an easier format.

Currently, I use Qumana to create my blog posts. I like it alot, because all my eight blogs can be managed by one click. However, I may try this add-on feature out for my Girl Scout blog, so that my troop committee can create posts easily, since they are not familiar with blogging. If you try this, please come back here and tell me what you think about it.

Thanks,

Dee

 

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Nice Nasty Chicken Coop Poltics

Didn't surprise me when Bush first nominated Miers. He had to nominate a woman. And it didn't surprise me that Miers didn't have the best credentials to be a Supreme Court Justice.
Why?

Because I'm southern. And I'm very well aware of Nice Nasty Politics.

Give the enemy what she wants. Dumb her down so bad, that the enemy chicks can't see the real hen that is moving into the hen house-Salito. What surprises me is that so many people fell for it. Bush had no intention of placing Miers in that position. It was an act. Now both parties have chilled out and signed. We have a rooster. Cockadoodle Do.

 

Dee 

 

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Rosa Parks Rests Eternal

 

CNN: Rosa Parks, whose act of civil disobedience in 1955 inspired the modern civil rights movement, died Monday in Detroit, Michigan. She was 92.

 

On the Bus with Rosa Parks

by Rita Dove

 

 How she sat there, the time right inside a place so wrong it was ready.

 

Time Magazine online has a great Rosa Parks Timeline.

 

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Rice Trumps Cheney

Paul Bedard at USNEWS posts:

Sparked by today's Washington Post story that suggests Vice President Cheney's office is involved in the Plame-CIA spy link investigation, government officials and advisers passed around rumors that the vice president might step aside and that President Bush would elevate Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

I can deal with the weather rebalancing itself all over the world. But the term when Hell freezes over may happen in this case. Not saying that I don't like LeezaRice. She has a great coming of age story. But if Cheney "the puppet master" steps down--and I totally doubt that--then the Republican Party, the Democratic Party and America would really have to come to terms with racism in this clever culture. Unfortunately, I feel bad for LeezaRice, who has her plate full with ministering to the world... Ministering to America is something entirely different.

What do you think? You think Cheney would step down over this? Should we care? Don't we have a lot of other crap like finding cheap Christmas gifts to concern ourselves about?

Dee

Bush, Bird Flu & Forced Quarantine

President Bush and Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt met with leaders of the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry October 7 about their role in the prevention of an influenza pandemic.

The World Health Organization has confirmed 116 human cases of bird flu and 60 deaths since December 2003.

Why haven't we known about this bird flu before now, if the WHO reported about it in 2003.

Bush mulls quarantine if avian flu crisis hits By RON HUTCHESON,Knight Ridder Newspapers...

WASHINGTON — Raising fears of a deadly flu pandemic, President Bush said Tuesday that he is considering the use of military troops to impose a quarantine in the event of an outbreak.

To learn more about Avain flu treatment and prevention visit these links:

The CDC

Avian Flu

Pray for my brother, David, who is a plant manager for Gold Kist Farms.

Dee

Delay Indicted

AP-A Texas grand jury on Wednesday charged Rep. Tom DeLay and two political associates with conspiracy in a campaign finance scheme, an indictment that could force him to step down as House majority leader. Click here for more details.

New note: Delay has temporarily stepped down from his Majority Leader seat.

Tavis Smiley Hosts PBS Hurricane Relief Concert

September 15, 2005

TAVIS SMILEY TO HOST PBS CONCERT FOR HURRICANE RELIEF
PBS Talk Show Host Went to Mississippi to Find Missing Sister and Family

Tavis Smiley had some very good reasons for accepting PBS's offer to host the
television coverage for Live From Lincoln Center's Jazz at Lincoln Center's
Higher Ground Hurricane Relief Benefit Concert airing nationwide on PBS stations
Saturday, September 17, 8-11 p.m. E.T.

It took the PBS late night talk show host less than a heartbeat to accept the
invitation. Not only did Smiley tour the devastation first hand in the immediate
aftermath and devoted extra coverage to it on his nightly show, he also went to
Mississippi to locate and retrieve his sister and her three children who had been
missing for five days.

Smiley was born in Mississippi but spent most of his childhood in Indiana.

"What I have tried to bring forward on both my PBS and PRI shows is the enormous
human magnitude of this disaster," said Smiley. "It is one thing to see the
destruction first hand and know how television images cannot begin to describe it.
It is another to look into the eyes of the people directly affected by it and to
hear their voices. I know that my sister and her family are indeed blessed.
I cannot begin to express how grateful I am to be part of this event."

Featured artists include Wynton Marsalis, Terence Blanchard, Ken Burns, Shirley
Caesar, Cyrus Chestnut, Peter Cincotti, Elvis Costello, Bill Cosby, Aaron Nevile,
Robert De Niro, Paquito D'Rivera, Jon Hendricks, Norah Jones, Diana Krall, Abbey
Lincoln, Bette Midler, Dianne Reeves, Marcus Roberts, Paul Simon, Meryl Streep,
James Taylor, McCoy Tyner, Robin Williams, Cassandra Wilson, Jeffrey Wright,
Buckwheat Zydeco, and many more.

During the television broadcasts phone numbers will be shown on screen so that
viewers can make donations to the Higher Ground Hurricane Relief Fund, The Red
Cross, and Salvation Army.

"Tavis Smiley" is seen weeknights on PBS. For more information, visit
http://tavistalks.lyris.net/t/2268/12205/3/0/.

Crossing Jhordan's River Crosses over to #1

#1 on Essence Bestsellers List!!! Crossing Jhordan's River(Christian Fiction Blog's May Book of the Month,) the book that graced the #3 spot on September's Essence Bestsellers List makes the #1 spot its new home for the month of October!

In the September issue of Essence Magazine, Kendra was officially given the title of National Bestseller when her novel Crossing Jhordan's River made the #3 spot on the list for bestselling paperback fiction. This month, God gave her the increase and Crossing Jhordan's River now sits at #1 on the list in the newly released October
issue of Essence Magazine.

Kendra says, "Reaching national bestseller status was a direct answer to prayer. However, I never asked God to make any of my books a #1 national bestselling novel. But He did promise to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, so I know this is His doing. And I thank Him continuously." The new Essence listing has not been loaded onto their website yet, but feel free to go out and pick up a copy of the October issue - in stores NOW.

Kendra Norman-Bellamy is the author of five current Christian fiction titles: A Love So Strong (Moody Publishers), For Love & Grace (BET Books), Crossing Jhordan's River (Moody Publishers), Because of Grace (BET Books) and Three Fifty- Seven A.M. (KNB Publications, LLC).

Congrats, Kendra.

Dee

christianfiction

christianfiction

christianfiction: Falcons Soared over the Eagles

christianfiction: Falcons Soared over the Eagles

Kanye West Telethon clip

Thanks, Dorioo for this clip. Dorioo's Kanye West Telethon clip

Search & Arrest: Hurricane Katrina

I've tried to only keep my comments to linking Hurricane Katrina relief organizations on my blogs, but I just saw something that singed me hotter than pressing irons on the back of my ear. On my local CBS channel in Atlanta I just saw two children being arrested in Louisian for taking food. Now I don't believe in stealing, but I don't agree with those two kids being treated like hard criminals. People need food, shoes, pamper. And I might be wrong, so please correct me, but the Red Cross and Salvation Army needs more help. I don't want to hear no political baloney. I don't want to hear a reason to justify why hungry children should still be hungry when we can drop food and relief to other countries' children. I don't want to hear why people are still sitting on house roofs waiting to be rescued, but can't be rescued because the sheriff's are arresting pamper thieves. And I'm really upset with the looters taking televisions out of stores. There's no electricity. And they should've been trying to find those kids some food.

Dee

Shots disrupt US storm evacuation

From the BBC...

A spokesman for the Louisiana ambulance service told the BBC the crowd had grown unruly and he was concerned for the safety of his staff. He said a national guard had been shot, but he had not been seriously injured.

Looting and lawlessness have plagued the city in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which struck on Monday.

Check out my little blog on Katrina Aid blog to find out more about aid and rescue. Add comments of other efforts, too.

My Right to Vote

Tomorrow my county has an election and today we've been told that there has been a change in our qualifications to vote.

According to Don Plummer of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, "The U.S. Justice Department on Friday approved House Bill 244, which created one of the most restrictive voter identification laws in the nation...the rules for a Gwinnett County special election to be held Tuesday are changing in midstream due to last-minute approval of Georgia's controversial voter ID law. Voters will have to carry photo identification and will not be able to vote by absentee ballot on Monday, though they earlier received notices that they would, Gwinnett election officials said Saturday."

These changes offend me for two reasons. (1)I'm disabled, so I often use absentee ballot, and (2) having to have two forms of ID seems racially suspect.

Why racial, Dee? Please don't pull out the race card, Dee. Well...maybe I should pull the new immigrant card(as I am not a new immigrant, so I can appear non-biased. wink wink.) In order to vote tomorrow, you must show a state-issued photo ID. I have a drivers license, a state ID and an old GSA tag, if need be. But most non-drivers(Atlanta is the kind of town when you don't need to drive, because of the MARTA transportation system and you can walk or ride your back. It's that kind of city, so everyone has a driver's license. And some who do, may have lost theirs and had it taken away for driving, while taking Zyrtec. And there are some that aren't supposed to be in the states, but get free medical care and free public school education just like any citizen. So there are some georgians/hiding out georgians walking amongst us without state ids. You know...And then there are some who don't have state I, because they can't afford the ten dollar charge. Yes. In America, particularly in rural Georgia or project Georgia or college Georgia that can't spare ten dollars. If you've been in college, you know what I mean. ten dollars is the difference between a twelve pack of Top Ramein, a 2 liter sprite, a week of laundry, and 2 gallons in the tank. Ten dollars for a voter loving college student is hard. And you don't have to have state ID to use the college bank just your college id. Now if you attend state college--smile--then your id constitutes as a state id. But if you were like me and you attended a private ivy league institution(that's why you don't have ten dollars to spend) then your id is null and void outside of the campus walls. An old friend, Tyrone Brooks wrote a scathing opposition letter to this new law. But, of course, our justice department doesn't care about our justice. Thank goodness, I can vote. I hope you can, too.

A Bishop, A Bentley & Bad Taxes

A jaw dropping article about one of Atlanta's most beloved religious leaders, Bishop Eddie Long of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church.

Bishop's charity generous to bishop
New Birth's Eddie Long got $3 million

By JOHN BLAKE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 08/28/05

"I'm worried that a few people are confusing the ringing of a church bell with the ringing of a cash register," Grassley said in a statement in response to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's inquiries about the charity. "When I hear about leaders of charities being provided a $300,000 Bentley to drive around in, my fear is that it's the taxpayers who subsidize this charity who are really being taken for a ride."
-Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)

"In general, an individual(s) salary and benefits should not be excessive and must be approved by the majority of board of directors who are unpaid and not related to the individual(s)," said IRS spokesman Mark Green in a statement.

"We touch a lot of people," Bishop Long said in his defense. "This is a world-impacting ministry, and I personally get a little offended when my integrity is questioned."

To read the entire article-- which is a mammoth of an article that includes BISHOP EDDIE LONG'S compensation breakdown, incorporation papers for Bishop Eddie Long Ministries Inc., Quitclaim deed for house purchased by Bishop Eddie Long Ministries Inc. and Bishop Long (address omitted) and so much more-- click on the link to read the entire article.

Right now. I don't have an opinion on this article until I get more information. I was a former accountant so I may look through the tax documents. Other than that, I hope you can leave comments here either for or against this investigation.

Do you think megaministers should receive large compensation from non-profits?
What would be a more ethical way for these ministers to receive a deserving salary without costing tax dollars?

Christian author's eletter to Grieving Protest Mother

Best-selling Charisma House author Stephen Mansfield, who recently wrote The Faith of the American Soldier and the New York Times best-seller, The Faith of George W. Bush, is drawing national media attention for writing “an open letter” to the mother of a slain soldier who has kept a vigil outside President Bush's home in Crawford, Texas, this month to protest the war in Iraq.

On Aug. 16, Mansfield posted a 502-word letter to Cindy Sheehan on his blog, www.mansfieldgroup.com . Sheehan, whose son, Army Spc. Casey Sheehan, was killed in Iraq in April 2004, has generated a media firestorm since Aug. 6, when she camped outside Bush's ranch in hopes of meeting with him.

Mansfield, who read his letter to Sheehan on National Public Radio's All Things Considered last Thursday, said he does not want to diminish her grief, but he is concerned that she is detracting the heroic death of her son through her demonstration.

Whirlpool buys Maytag

From the BBC...

US home appliance firm Whirlpool has signed an agreement to takeover smaller rival Maytag for $1.7bn (£944m).

Georgia Mourns Fallen Soldiers in Silent Tribute Today

Flags will be lowered to half-staff and Georgians will be asked to pay silent tribute for two minutes Thursday at 1 p.m. to honor the memory of the state's war dead.

Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue will lead an hour-long public prayer vigil at the state Capitol Thursday. The governor has also ordered all state flags be flown at half-staff in tribute to those Georgians who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Kindergarten Writing Diva Mom

This morning I jumped up, put on my Mommy MuMu and made my sweetie pie some sausage and waffles for her first day of school. She woke up around seven. Smiled. Beamed actually. I wanted to cry. Prayed over her. We ate and talked about how fun today would be. She would go to Kindergarten and be a big girl; And I would go to my computer and write 2000 words of novel. We both did what we were supposed to do. I feel like a superhero now--Kindergarten Writing Diva Mom and Selah, my trusty smiley faced sidekick.

Why Fiction Matters: Saint Ralph

Michael McGowan, writer/director of Saint Ralph, a Warner Bros. movie that will be released August 5th, spoke about one reason why he wrote this story.

...I was interested in exploring the notion of faith—or in this case, misguided faith—by using the Catholic Church as a backdrop. I felt a modern setting with priests at an all-boys school would necessitate exploring some of the darker issues that the church is facing and these weren’t part of the story. Perhaps more importantly, in the 1950s, for many Catholics, the church defined their world. It was the starting and stopping place. Either you were Catholic or you weren’t. This was important because the protagonist, Father Fitzpatrick, then becomes much more of a threat. To go up against someone like him, as Ralph does, would have serious ramifications. I didn’t feel like the stakes would be nearly as high today.

Question: Are there any raised stakes in Christianity today? What are they and can they be important enough to be discussed in our novels in progress?

Writing to see what the end's gon' be,
Dee

A New Face of Hunger, Without the Old Excuses

Lydia Polgreen at the New York Times talks about another issue of world poverty--from democratic nations like Niger. Click on title to read the article in full view.

Dee

From the Pulpit: Stop Hating on Reviews

Bible Verse for Thought: Ephesians 6:11 "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devils schemes."

Newsflash. I am a book reviewer.

Mostly, I write commercial reviews for a few local newspapers, two national print mags(one secular and one faith based,) and a slew of e-zines for free. My cashflow comes from writing reviews for publicists seeking an angle for their client or publishing houses looking for an in-house review before they decide if the book is contract worthy. And my bread and butter comes from literary magazines, whose soul's purpose is to dissect what's artistic. I also critique oils on canvas for my father's store, african dolls(a bad investment,) book arts(my love and pedigree), slave burial grounds and church iconography(my Master's thesis,) and people who criticize reviewers...priceless.

If you are a writer and not a reader first, then what are you writing about? If you are a reader and can't give a constructive review, then what are you learning about the craft? What do you know about your genre? And how can you defend it against unbelievers?

Breaking news. I am a writer.

I write christian celebrity interviews and christian life teachings for national print. Local christian news for local papers. Short stories for literary reviews. And I'm writing a novel.

For some strange reason I know that someone will go into my coat closet and read my novel and hate it. I also know that that same person won't call my characters two-dimensional, my writing weak and passive, my theme trite, and my voice unmoving. They may not like the story, but they will appreciate the effort to write something strong of all literary points.

See I don't care about reviewers, because I understand them. I don't care about people who may won't to tear down my business for unholy reasons, because I have on the whole Armor of God.

So if you can't write, for being upset with reviewers. If you can't do God's will for blaming reviewers, then stop typing. Get on your knees. And get yourself right. Because when it's all over, Christ don't care about your excuse and wouldn't have read the reviews.

Bless him why you can.

Writing to see what the end's gon' be,
Dee

Three School Boys Trapped in School Drainage Found

(CBS46 News) photo. Three boys trapped in GA Culvert.

-- Gwinnett County Fire and Police officials were on the scene of three boys trapped in a culvert.

Live images from Newschopper 46 showed workers trying to get to the children, who may be in the drain, which is located on the grounds of Taylor Elementary School, in Lawrenceville. Gwinnett officials say the drain could be several football fields long.

All three kids later found. Good news for a change.

Desperate Black Housewives Write

Grown Folks Business Early Release 

Before American society made women past thirty-seven disappear in tv, radio, cinema, on magazines, and in novels. But something has changed in the 21st century. Desperate Housewife's Nicolette Sheridan still has the goods. 50 something Oprah Winfrey still reigns supreme. 40somethings Darryl Hannah and Vivica A. Fox kicks butt in Kill Bill Volume II. Whitney Houston might just make a comeback. And Terry McMillan has a new bestseller for the summer.

Join our discussion board at Suite101 and lets talk about these books this summer. Also check out my blog at christianfiction dot blogspot dot com to learn more about Let the Lion Eat Straw and Grown Folks Business.

Dee

For my writing group friends 

Defending Senator Clinton

David Brock,President and CEO of Media Matters for America, wrote a chastising letter to Susan Peterson Kennedy of Penguin Group. I didn't know you could do that? Is writing to publishers effective? Your opinions

An open letter to the Penguin Group from David Brock

June 20, 2005

Susan Peterson Kennedy
President
Penguin Group
375 Hudson Street
New York, N.Y. 10014

Dear Ms. Peterson Kennedy,

I'm writing today to seek a public explanation of what, if any, editorial standards and fact-checking processes the Penguin Group applies to its imprints. Specifically, I believe the public, and the Clinton family, deserve an explanation for why Penguin has chosen to publish through its Sentinel imprint Edward Klein's attack book on Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, The Truth About Hillary: What She Knew, When She Knew It and How Far She'll Go to Become President, which pre-publication reports have already exposed as an obviously false and defamatory tract.

In light of its false and defamatory charges, many of which are easily discredited, your publication of this book constitutes gross negligence at best.

Throughout his book, Mr. Klein engages in gay-baiting innuendo. One of the most striking examples of such negligence occurs on page 94, where...

Click on title to read letter in its entirety.

Dee

Church & State: GOP vs Red Cross

I should be writing, but every now and then you have to read about your world and I decided to bloghop over to Body and Soul and low and behold I found something else to get crunk about.

Senate Republicans are calling on the Bush administration to reassess U.S. financial support for the International Committee of the Red Cross, charging that the group is using American funds to lobby against U.S. interests.

The Senate Republican Policy Committee, which advances the views of the GOP Senate majority, said in a report that the international humanitarian organization had "lost its way" and veered from the impartiality on which its reputation was based. The Republican policy group titled its report: "Are American Interests Being Disserved by the International Committee of the Red Cross?"

-LATimes

Now I don't know what to make of this, since I am a proponent for the International Red Cross, especially what they are doing in Haiti and other places our government doesn't find value in. So if someone can enlighten me on why this makes sense I would appreciate it?

HE MEMOIRS OF A WRITER: Batman Begins is the Prequel of the Year

THE MEMOIRS OF A WRITER: Batman Begins is the Prequel of the Year

Check out Shelia Goss's Review of Batman Begins.

My 2cents:
I really liked that movie script. The dialogue meant something and the hiding guns pulled together nicely at the end. Christian Bale is stunning.

Zondervan Blog - Verbal Collage: Justice in Sudan? One Church Seeks to Make a Difference

Zondervan Blog - Verbal Collage: Justice in Sudan? One Church Seeks to Make a Difference: "One church in the Washington DC area has not forgotten. In the months of June and July, Cedar Ridge Community Church, founded by Brian McLaren, has planned 'Worship in the Spirit of Justice,' a series of worship services at various points in the DC area. The goal of the services is to pray for God's mercy on the suffering people of Africa, particularly Sudan; call on the media to keep the issue before the public; and call on the church to not forget the poor and oppressed, particularly those in Africa."

Zondervan Blog - Verbal Collage: Remembering Ken Taylor

Zondervan Blog - Verbal Collage: Remembering Ken Taylor

Remembering Ken Taylor

(The creator of The Living Bible, Kenneth Taylor, died in his Wheaton home last Friday, June 10 at age 88. The funeral service will be 10:00 a.m., tomorrow, June 15, at Edman Memorial Chapel, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois. Read more info at Kenneth N Taylor and Christianity Today.)

Third Thursdays: Third Thursdays: June Reader Series Announced

Third Thursdays: Third Thursdays: June Reader Series Announced

Check out the hot Atlanta event I'm hosting.

Dee

Where's Dee?

I am all over the blogosphere and rarely here--my first blog. You can find me commenting about Christian Literature at Christian Fiction Blog.

You can also check out the news I uncover and the news sent my way at Gospel Diva.

And you can find me preparing for my live Christian artist event at Third Thursdays.

And sometimes I might be posting my WIP.

Other than that find me on the faith*in*fiction discussion board.

See why I'm never here:)

Writing to see what the end gon' be,
Dee

Third Thursdays: CCM Magazine presents Third Thursdays

Third Thursdays: CCM Magazine presents Third Thursdays: "

Chris well at CCM Magazine interviewed me about Third Thursdays. The interview will broadcast on CCM Magazine, TheFish.com and Crosswalk. Thanks Chris, for the publicity.

Contact me this week to get on our performance roster."

Angel*on*the*Back*Pew: Finding Fun in Writing Fiction

Angel*on*the*Back*Pew: Finding Fun in Writing Fiction

Grown Folks Business 

The Religious Left

The Religious Left

Pope John Paul tribute 

Selah turns Five Today

Selah 6mths/5yrs 

Happy Birthday to my sweetheart, my daughter, Selah.

Selah's name means pause for praise and meditation. It is an instruction scattered throughout the Book of Psalms, to stop and observe God's message,and to continue our praise more uplifted than before. A perfect name for my child, who was the catalyst for me to take pause in my fast paced life and to hear God's message for me.

"I love you." Is a sentence my soul heard from a clear whisper in my ear the moment she looked at me right after she was born. And I knew then that God was with me.

"I love you." Kept me, held me when I wanted to die from the pain that congestive heart failure, lung failure and kidney failure torments the body. But I heard "I love you" and I planted my feet and waited on my HELP.

"I love you." My daughter kissed my cheek the Christmas before we moved back to Atlanta, my first Christmas in recovery/therapy/poverty/aloneness.

"I love you." My boyfriend shed tears for me the day he moved away to complete Grad School, a day I understood that waiting with God for the right man takes your relationship to a seperate peace.

"I love you." The day I turned 32, last month. I have lived longer than Christ and haven't suffered as much, and haven't accomplished as much, and haven't brough as many souls to the Kingdom as I could have, but He loves me inspite of it all.

"I love you." Today. My daughter has her fifth birthday. I pause this morning. OOOH, Glory. Hallelujah. Thank you Jesus. Hallelujah. You are a Healer. You are my Glory. Hallejuah. I love you, Lord. I praise you this morning. I cry out in praise.
I pause...
Pause with me.
Where is your faith?
Pause some more.
Who do you belong to?
Pause some more.
Who do you fight for?
Pause...
Who do you write for?
Hallelujah.
Somebody praise the Lord with me.
Angels on High!
Help me, Holy Ghost.
Selah.

Writing to see what the end must be,
dee

Cheadle or Foxx vs Smith or Washington

Hotel Rwaanda and Ray 

In 2002 Denzel Washington and Will Smith made Black History when the two African American actors went head to head for best actor for the 2002 Oscar Awards. Although Smith's performance was impressive. Come on...beating Denzel...No WAY!!

Three years later another heavy weight bout, but this time we have a real showdown--
Jamie Foxx vs. Don Cheadle.

My opinion, Don Cheadle is off the hoozook for Hotel Rwaanda. Off the hook. And he should have received best supporting for Devil in a Blue Dress a decade ago, and an Emmy for his role in ER, but who's going that far but me. Cheadle is just too many things and deserves it.

However, Foxx, should have gotten best supporting for Any Given Sunday, and Ali. He tore the thing down in Ali. You hear me. To be honest, he should get the best supporting for Collateral and the best actor for Ray. Anyman that walks around blind to get in character should get the thing.

So I have I made you more confused or more excited? Whoever wins; wins. And whoever loses, watchout!!

They both win in my book.

Rise of the Sistah Agent-Kimberly Matthews

Last year, I began to seek literary agent referrals. Two friends in the writing community- Christian fiction, author, Jacqueline Thomas and RAW SISTAZ Book Club President, Tee C. Royal both referred me to the same person—Kimberly T. Matthews. For me I found that coincidence very interesting and so, I had to make contact with her and she has been kind enough to grant me an interview. You can click on Suite 101.com's African American Women Writer's Finding Voice to read the interview.

And stick around in my suite... I have some interviews from Pam Perry, Owner of Christian PR Company, Ministry Marketing Solutions, christian fiction author, Kendra Norman Bellamy, Tia McCollor's literary agent, Sha Shana Crichton and christian small press publisher, LaMonica Smith.

I hope you enjoy!

Writing to see what the end gon’ be,

Dee

Tia McCollor's Book Release Party & Me

Tia McCollor's Book Release Party 

Click on my link it will direct you to my Christian Fiction blog.
Why Writing Groups Matter

Fight Club Author, Chuck Palahniuk sent me a Valentine/birthday Package

Fight Club a Novel 

Yesterday my fiancee sent me a Valentine, and my author mentor, Chuck Palahniuk sent me a package! I must admit. I was more excited about my package, then the love letter. Let me correct you. Chuck lives in marital bliss, so it was not that kind of package. And I love the G-man, my betrothed.

What did Chuck send me?

1. A two page letter reminding me of 2005 goals, how he would like me to approach my writing and description of a gift he made for me. (I'm blushing.)

2. A handmade beaded necklace made by Chuck that includes a light blue tear drop agate, semiprecious stones, sodalite, rose quartz,and real pearls. Near the clasp there Chuck wrote a message in the necklace with the beads "For Davidae Stewart by Chucky P." (Too much!!)

3. And autographed copy of The Fight Club with Brad Pitt(my onscreen crush) on the cover.

4. a lavendar beany bunny that I keep by my computer.

5. A valentine stamp kit for my daughter, Selah. She used it to make her PreK class Valentine cards.

6. A gag gift. (not telling that one)

7. a box of Whitman chocolates

8. more chocolates

9. a rubber ducky that my daughter took with her into the bathtub last night.
10. candles for my birthday(it was on the 3rd)

11. a packet of forget-me-not seeds(He didn't know that I love to garden, but we must be kindred spirits)

12. more candies and heart erasers.

All the gifts had me bouncing around like a firefly yesterday, but the most important thing was the letter. At the end of the letter he says:

"Long story short, I made this for you, bead-by-bead, to demonstrate the "Denny" metaphor from my book Choke . How all big projects(--like writing every day--) are just a lot of small tasks done job-by-job. Word-by-word. Moment-by-moment. And to demonstrate how your greatest "talent" can be stubborness and just not stopping...

So I got to get after it and write the rest of today.

Writing to see what the end gon'be ...

Dee

3 African American Authors Make NYTimes Best Seller's List

Three African American Authors sit on the New York Times Bestseller's List this week. Although my writing cronies applaud this feat, I question its deeper meaning. As I read which books made the list I see a peculiar similiarity, two of the books premise concerns black ministers with dirty secrets.

Now I know scandal sells, but I wonder does christianity do as well? The African American Christian Fiction Market struggles to have equal footing in its genre. Yesterday I went to one of my local Lifeway Bookstores to observe book placement in the store and I only saw one Christian fiction book written by an African American Author on all the shelves. This month I meet with the manager of the store to ask him about this oversight, to speak with him about the demographics of his store, and give him a list of AA written christian novels that will be released this year.

Yet, as I peruse this New York Times Best Seller's list, I know what he is going to say. "We don't place many books written by African American authors because they don't meet CBA(Christian Booksellers Association) guidelines."

And although both and he and I understand that Carl Weber and Kimberly Roby are not christian fiction authors, we will debate over a particular publisher of African AMerican christian fiction books that publish books just as racy as those. And I honestly don't know how to defend that.

Because what this list tells me concurs with the publisher in quesion's notion that black people don't care as much about faith, but about what go's on at church. Yet, how can christian fiction authors who refuse to sex up/dumb down their books find a place in this market?

Your thoughts...please post here or at my christian fiction blog at http://christianfiction.blogspot.com.


Hardcover Fiction

Published: February 20, 2005


On List
1 THE BROKER, by John Grisham. (Doubleday, $27.95.) The C.I.A. arranges a presidential pardon for a power broker who may know crucial secrets, laying a trap for the foreign intelligence service that wants him dead. 1 4
2 THE DA VINCI CODE, by Dan Brown. (Doubleday, $24.95.) The murder of a curator at the Louvre leads to a trail of clues found in the work of Leonardo and to the discovery of a centuries-old secret society. 2 99
3 SURVIVOR IN DEATH, by J. D. Robb. (Putnam, $23.95.) In 2059, Lt. Eve Dallas has an eyewitness to the brutal murder of a family: the sole survivor, a 9-year-old girl; by Nora Roberts, writing pseudonymously. 1
4 THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN, by Mitch Albom. (Hyperion, $19.95.) An old man who died while trying to rescue a little girl from danger discovers that all will be explained to him in the afterlife. 3 72
5 STATE OF FEAR, by Michael Crichton. (HarperCollins, $27.95.) Reverse eco-terrorists create natural disasters to convince the public that global warming is real. 5 9
6 CONVICTION, by Richard North Patterson. (Random House, $25.95.) A lawyer comes to believe that her client — who is on death row for the sexual assault and murder of a young girl — may be innocent. 4 2
7 BY ORDER OF THE PRESIDENT, by W. E. B. Griffin. (Putnam, $26.95.) An Army officer tries to thwart a terrorist plot to crash a stolen 727 into the Liberty Bell. 6 6
8 CHAINFIRE, by Terry Goodkind. (Tor/Tom Doherty, $29.95.) The 10th volume of the "Sword of Truth" fantasy series. 7 5
9 LABYRINTH OF EVIL, by James Luceno. (Lucas/Del Rey/Ballantine, $25.95.) A new "Star Wars" novel, featuring Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. 9 2
10 I AM CHARLOTTE SIMMONS, by Tom Wolfe. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $28.95.) A very smart, very innocent freshman from the Blue Ridge Mountains is amazed by what she finds at a prestigious university. First Chapter 15 13
11 PREP, by Curtis Sittenfeld. (Random House, $21.95.) A scholarship student from South Bend, Ind., encounters a world of privilege when she attends an expensive boarding school in Massachusetts. First Chapter 1
12 *A SALTY PIECE OF LAND, by Jimmy Buffett. (Little, Brown, $27.95.) A cowboy's life is changed forever when he meets a 101-year-old woman who hires him to be a lighthouse keeper in the southern Bahamas. First Chapter 14 10
13 NIGHT FALL, by Nelson DeMille. (Warner, $26.95.) A husband and wife who work for an antiterrorism task force reopen the investigation into the crash of T.W.A. Flight 800 over the Atlantic, off Long Island, in 1996. 11 11
14 ALONE, by Lisa Gardner. (Bantam, $24.) A sniper with the Massachusetts State Police faces a wrongful-death lawsuit — and a killer who's on the loose. 12 3
15 THE LAST KINGDOM, by Bernard Cornwell. (HarperCollins, $25.95.) In ninth-century England, a warrior must decide where his loyalties lie: with the viking chieftain who raised him or with Alfred the Great. 8 2
16 *THE BEST-KEPT SECRET, by Kimberla Lawson Roby. (Morrow, $23.95.) The further romantic adventures of the Rev. Curtis Black, who, after two failed marriages, tries hard to be faithful to his latest wife. 1

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Also Selling
17 AFTERBURN, by Zane. (Atria, $24.95.)
18 LONDON BRIDGES, by James Patterson. (Little, Brown, $27.95.)
19 THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA, by Philip Roth. (Houghton Mifflin, $26.) First Chapter
20 UNEXPECTED BLESSINGS, by Barbara Taylor Bradford. (St. Martin's, $24.95.)
21 THE CAT WHO WENT BANANAS, by Lilian Jackson Braun. (Putnam, $23.95.)
22 CAT'S EYEWITNESS, by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown. (Bantam, $25.)
23 THE SAME SWEET GIRLS, by Cassandra King. (Hyperion, $23.95.)
24 DRAGONSBLOOD, by Todd McCaffrey. (Del Rey, $24.95.)
25 GILEAD, by Marilynne Robinson. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $23.) Excerpt
26 ANGELS & DEMONS, by Dan Brown. (Atria, $17.95.)
27 THE TEA HOUSE ON MULBERRY STREET, by Sharon Owens. (Putnam, $15.)
28 THE REAL MOTHER, by Judith Michael. (Morrow, $24.95.)
29 KAFKA ON THE SHORE, by Haruki Murakami. (Knopf, $25.95.)
30 ENTOMBED, by Linda Fairstein. (Scribner, $26.)
31 COME SPRING, by Tim LaHaye and Gregory S. Dinallo. (Kensington, $14.95.)
32 THE PREACHER'S SON, by Carl Weber. (Dafina, $24.)
33 A THREAD OF GRACE, by Mary Doria Russell. (Random House, $25.95.)
34 WHITEOUT, by Ken Follett. (Dutton, $26.95.)
35 LIFE EXPECTANCY, by Dean Koontz. (Bantam, $27.)

Cupcakes, Hoolahoops and My Birthday

It's My Birthday 

February 3, 2005. My twin brother, David and I celebrated our 32nd Birthday.

The most asked question that day was: "Do you feel any older?"

I guess once you past a certain age--let's say 29--your friends and family start talking to you about aging. Perhaps as a coping mechanism for themselves. However I don't feel like coping; I feel like dancing!! Five years ago my doctors thought I wouldn't live through the night let alone five years.

This year alone I am preparing my four year old for kindergarten, planning a disney cruise/wedding, increasing my workout, and completing my novel-The Gospel Diva's Chicktionary. So I guess my answer would be...NO! In fact I'm feeling younger than ever.

If you share my sentiment, head out to Walmart buy a hoolahoop, a goldfish, and some cupcakes and remember me.

Runnin to see what the end gon' be,
Dee

He's Not That Into You If...You Believe this Crap

He's Not That Into You 

This weekend I picked up the current issue of Essence--you know--the one with Will and Jada Smith loving the page. Anyway...I jump to the Essence best seller list, which is a quagmire for another debate, and notices that Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo's Oprah tauted self-help guide, He's Not that Into You is at the top of the list.

And now I am very concerned and hope someone can let me in on this book's fascination. Because of right now this phenomena tells me two things: (1) Our souls aren’t in the right place and (2) neither is our hearts.

We don’t have to buy a book to recognize that a man has no interest in us. Have we forgotten to you use our Sister Wit/Mother's Intuition/Common Sense or whatever you want to call it?

Moreover, we shouldn’t spend all this time on this mess any way. God didn't put in charge of bringing life into the world for us to spend most of our own lives concerned about a man that God had destined for us to presented to us in the first place. Did Eve run after Adam? No! God presented her to him.

Let men do their thing and let us do our thing. When we do what we're supposed to be doing we will attract more men then the law can allow. Get after it and put that book down.
Someone who shares my view of this book>

Runnin to see what the end gon' be.

Dee

New York Times Book Review Gets an UnderHaul

The Plot Thickens at The New York Times Book Review, an article written on Pynter Online discusses the changes that the new executive editor Bill Keller of the NYTBR will make. Lowlights of this change:

"Emphasize non-fiction books. Demote literary fiction. Promote more [potboilers]commercial novels."

Views from the Editors, Book Reviewers and Publishers

My thoughts:

As a book reviewer, I am saddened by these changes. The dumbingdown of American literature in the past ten years has finally taken its toll on a publishing benchmark-The New York Times Book Review. Somewhere, someone decided that great diction, superb writing, emerging and brilliant thought should take a back seat to daytime soaps in print. My daughter's mind will not be tarnished by this for I will read her the classics. Maybe by the time she reaches highschool in ten years, The NYT will have recognized their faux paus or maybe anothe paper will take the reins. Bookmark perhaps?

Falcons lose NFC title, but gain my undying Favor

Game Over 

Today the Falcons lost the NFC title and a chance to go to the SuperBowl to the very deserving Philadelphia Eagles in a 10-27 victory. Albeit I adore Michael Vick and have been a longtime fan of McNabb, I expected a major showdown. Instead I learned an important lesson: Learn to paint with the colors of the wind. Blistery blizzaed wind did not become a thorn in Vick's sided, his inability to adept to a passing game did. It's hard, but it's fare. The Eagles soared. Falcons we have risen from the ashes over and over again and we can rise again now. I look forward to 2005-2006 season. I can't wait to meet Vick face to face during training camp. And Jacksonville, send me some blue crabs to get over my melancholy.

Runnin to see what the end gon' be

DEe

Crushing on my Neighbor

I have a confession to make. I am crushing hard on my next door neighbor, who has a steady girlfriend. Albeit I have a fiancee. It's not that I want to be with him. I just think he's hot. That's Okay isn't it?

I'll keep you posted.

Dr. Bailey's Mission to Tsunami Torn Sites

Dr. Bailey's Mission to Tsunami Victims 

Dr. Patricia Bailey,author of Women RiskTakers
Harrison House Publishers

On Sunday, January 24, 2005, Dr. Patricia Bailey of Winston-Salem, NC will depart on a 1,000-mile journey through Asia for the sake of humanity.

She, along with a team of students from her Global Leadership Training Center missions’ school will take medical supplies, clothes and food to tsunami victims in Malaysia, Indonesia and Burma. This African American missionary has been conducting such missions for over 20 years. She and her team of students need your support.

Each Global Leadership Training Center student must raise a minimum of $2000 to cover their airfare and to help obtain supplies for families in need. Students have been participating in missionary training for the last 4 months. They have come from several countries, including: India, Malawi, Haiti, Senegal and Ethiopia to be trained in humanitarian missions by Dr. Bailey. What greater opportunity for them to realize what they have learned for the past 4 months than this mission trip to the tsunami victims.

For more information on the work of Global Leadership Training Center or to make a donation to this tsunami relief effort, contact 336-724-7300 or www.gltc.org.

The first of many tsunami relief mission begins on January 24, 2005 and a team of 10 students will accompany Dr. Bailey. Global Leadership Training Center P.O. Box 91 Winston-Salem, NC 27102.

Ministry Marketing Solutions.COM
21442 Hamilton Avenue
Farmington Hills, MI 48336
pamperry@ministrymarketingsolutions.com tel:
fax: 248.426-2300
248.471-2422

Thanks Pam for the info.

-Running to see what the end gon' be

Somali Pleads for Tsunami Aid

Tsunami Victims in Somalia Overlooked BBC Video

"The world is helping the tsunami victims generously, but not those who live outside areas of tourist attraction. My region is facing severe food shortage," pleaded Mohamed Said, the mayor of the Somali island town of Hafuun, a poverty-stricken Indian Ocean island about 42 kilometres off the Somali mainland.

The biggest problem for the lack of aid is that Somalia's ever changing government and safety is a huge issue.

If you would like to contribute to Somalia's relief, please contact Unicef Somalia .

More Links on the Tsunami's Impact on Somalia

Somalia's Forced From Home

Reuters in Somalia

The Pitt Quits-Marriage in Modern America

Mourning Brad and Jen Anniston Pitts 

Jennifer Anniston and Brad Pitt Separate after four and a half years of marriage. According the BBC, the couple asks "for your kindness and sensitivity in the coming months." Yet, the news of their separation was all over the place last night and this morning.

Why? Is it because of their supercelebrity status? Or is it our fears that the institution of marriage is becoming a dinosaur in America?

According to the US Census Bureau Study on Marriage Longetivity Statistics:"About 52 percent of currently married couples had reached at least their 15th anniversary in 1996, and 5 percent of them had reached at least their golden anniversary (50 years)."

If you'r feeling stressed by the Pitt Quits then check out this
Great Site on Marriage Longevity Tips.

Love is still in the air...Who knows the lovebirds may not divorce. Let's Pray for them.

First Book of The Year...Heart of Devotion

Heart of Devotion 

Looking for a book to start off the New Year?

Well I have a good--holy--one. Tia McCollor's Heart of Devotion.

Synopsis:


In Bookstores January 1, 2005

A Heart of Devotion
ISBN: 0-8024-5913-7

Best friends Anisha Blake and Sherri Dawson have been inseparable for the last five years — until Anisha is swept away by Tyson Randall. When Anisha becomes the object of Tyson's affection, she believes her prayers for a knight in shining armor are answered. But as their romance grows, Anisha's intimate relationship with God becomes an afterthought instead of her first thought. With life crumbling around her, Anisha is faced with choices she was sure she'd never have to make. An inspiring and emotional journey through adversity and spiritual self-discovery.

“Tia McCollors skillfully tugs the heartstrings and delivers a moving read as she guides readers through layer by layer to a satisfying resolution in A Heart of Devotion. Her spiritual message illuminates God's hand in all situations.”

-- Jacquelin Thomas, best-selling author of The Prodigal Husband and Soul Journey

My thoughts...

McCollors writes with elegance, grace, and a girl-next-door appeal. Anisha Blake is experiencing the Christian single dating blahs when she meets Tyson Randall, a man she hopes is the man she has prayed so long for. Ladies, we know this situation all too well.

Since Heart of Devotion is McCollors debut novel it would be nice for us to ask our local Books-A-Million or Barnes & Noble bookstores to have it on stock. This is a great Valentine's read for a Christian Fiction Book Club or an African American Women's Book Club.

You can learn more about Tia through me.

Ha Ha. Just joking(But yeah...really)

Learn more about her and how to schedule a book signing at Tia's Site , Amazon, or Moody Publishers.

Lady Chisholm bids Adieu...for Now

Congresswoman Shirley Anitia Chisolm, (1924 - 2005)
 

Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman elected to Congress and an outspoken advocate for women and minorities during seven terms in the House, died Saturday near Daytona Beach, friends said. She was 80.

MSNBC Speaks on Congresswoman Chisholm's death.>

My thoughts...

Too many good people are going home early in 2005. See my homage to NFL's Reverend Reggie White. Tsunami's I can deal with but, the lady and the Rev within seven days--I shudder. I shudder. What's next? Locusts?

Let me just say that Shirley Chisholm is my superwoman hero--the person I aspired myself to become when I ran for highschool and college political office. She paved a way and we need to run through it now more than ever.

Never missing your spirit, we'll meet again in Heaven.

-Running to see what the end gon' be

BlackWords Bids Farewell into the New Year

BlackWords Press is closing their doors. This book publisher has been in existence for ten years, but no longer wants to continue publishing black books.

Kwame Alexander, the founder expressed:

This is simply the best time to get out of a game that has become mired in mediocrity. I love books, but I just don't love publishing like I used to.

You can read more behind the reasoning of the press closing at the link above.

My thoughts...

I understand completely, and, however, I fear a scary trend following. Although we[Black Americans] are publishing more books, we still are not making a huge dent in the industry. The books that get the most attention are the books poorly written, but selling out in black bookstores.

Some people tell me that they love these baby mama drama/street fiction books because they understand it better and that it is not as boring and long winded as a Toni Morrison novel. I nod my head, not because I share my sentiment, but because I empathize. Somewhere down the line our community teachers have taught us that being the best at your craft is no longer important, that the people who died so that we could attend public school and learn that good diction is imperative in English literature, Affirmative Action law, and reading the Bible, that a good education has far more less to fdo with inding a good job, then defending your right to be black in a black hating world. I shake my head that these poorly written books make the Essence bestseller list not because the people that read them don't know that the man that wrote the Count of Monte Christo was a black man or that William Shakespeare was mulatto, but that we[african american community teachers] have failed at our jobs or that there are better--more richer--books available. The moment we got a security clearance to work for the Coca Cola Company(my old stomping ground,) the moment we were accepted into ivy league colleges(my alma mater,) that we never in our wildest dreams would imagine that someone would fork over more than five cents to read a fifth grade gossip column turned novel.

I am saddened that Black Words Press is closing its doors. I shudder at the the thought that others will follow suit, tha they all will disappear before the next bright-read steps through their doors. What voice have we suppressed, because no one wants to hear great written words spoken at a library book reading? What voice are we suppressing that can tell us more about ourselves as black people? What voice are we suppressing because she writes about the world at large and not just the hood she grew up in? What dreams are we festering because we continue to accept mediocrity writing, good book publishers closing, and you never getting your chance to be heard?