Archive for the 'African-American writing' Category
April 13th, 2008 - Great Women Writers
With poems like “Poem in Praise of Menstration” and ”Poem to my uterus” – Lucille Clifton is a New York born poem writing diva. Her sensual writing style has landed her two nominations for the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and many other numerous awards. Clifton believes that the purpose of poetry is to, “assert the importance of being human.” Her poems deal with birth, life, death and all around human nature.
Homage to My Hips 
thesehipsarebighips.
they need space to
move around in.
they don’t fit into little
petty places. these hips
are free hips.
they don’t like to be held back.
these hips have never been enslaved,
they go where they want to go
they do what they want to do.
these hips are mighty hips.
these hips are magic hips.
i have known them
to put a spell on a man and
spin him like a top
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February 25th, 2008 - Exclusive Interview: Q & A with Ryan Phillips (Pt.1)
In a previous post, I’d written about Ryan Phillips a successful, young, nationally published author. For some it was an introduction, for others a reiteration of a great read. Known to humbly interact with fans, Ryan agreed to a Q&A with yours truly. My questions, her words and a brief sneak peek about her new book, Ciao, Bella. For excerpts and more check out http://www.phillipsryan.com/]
Q. Who inspired the character of Grace?
A. That would be me! Saving Grace is my life thinly veiled as fiction. Some authors are coy when it comes to divulging the inspirations behind their stories and characters. But everyone who grew up with many and anyone who’s ever met my family knows the truth. When it’s all said and done, I think that Grace is a wittier, more confident version of me.
A. No. I was never the kid, who, at age 8, decided she was going to be a doctor or a lawyer or a teacher and then went off and did just that. I knew I leaned more toward the creative side of life – 12 years of violin, 5 years of voice lessons, notebooks full of poetry, etc. I also knew I had a proclivity for writing from the feedback I would get from my English teachers, but I was a bit aimless, flighty. I tried a little bit of everything in college. I was a French major, a Secondary Education major, a Journalism major and then finally an English major. Up until very recently, my grand plan was to earn my MFA in Creative Writing and then teach the subject at the university level.
Q. What’re some of the goals you’d like to accomplish with your books?
A. I think first and foremost I want to create really entertaining fiction that’s edifying. As someone who is an avid reader, I know that those sorts of books are getting harder and harder to find these days. I also want to push the Christian Fiction envelope. I think the genre often errs on the side of “fluffy.” My goal is to portray flawed characters – and not the, “I-always-forget-to-take-out-the-trash” brand of flawed, but people with real, relevant issues. I think the best literature is the literature in which we can see ourselves. Therein lays the catalyst for hope, which is ultimately the catalyst for change.
Q. How long did it take to completely finish your first book Saving Grace?
A. It took 4 months. I’ve never since had a book come to me so quickly or effortlessly. I think that’s because Grace’s journey is basically my journey. Also, at the time when I wrote the story, I was incredibly depressed. I had just broken off my engagement; I was feuding with several family members; and was bedridden from complications with my Type 1 diabetes. So it was a very low point in my life. When I started writing, it was out of desperation; I needed to purge myself of some pretty debilitating emotions. The story poured from me and finishing it quickly became an obsession. I was holed up in my room for days at a time. I slept very little and ate even less. It truly was a cathartic release. Selling the manuscript was just a bonus.
Q. Some writers have certain hours of the day they choose to write, like only
A. I hadn’t really thought about it, but yes, I guess I do. For instance, I can’t write anywhere other than in my home, by myself, in absolute silence. I also can’t write at my desktop – has to be on my laptop. And yes, I’m one of those weird, “by a window” people, unless the weather is nice in which case, I have a private rooftop deck, and I got up there to write. I don’t know that it’s so much a foible, but I find myself writing usually from
February 13th, 2008 - Reading Ryan
Ryan Phillips, an author of 3 books, discusses her writing, the drive, and God’s purpose. With a 4th book on the way, a 5th in the works — Phillips is accomplished for her tender age of 24-years-old.
Phillips is a native of
Her first novel, entitled “Saving Grace” was published while Phillips was a junior in college studying for a B.A. in English. The book focuses on the life of Grace Cambridge, a young black woman growing up in
Phillips says that young adults are her target audience, as young people do face a lot, and more so than not, their facing it alone. “[Growing up] I bounced from one Pseudo-Christian school to another, my mother was at work, my father in a bottle — the only person I had to turn to was God.” Phillips believes in every character lies a piece of her life, and Grace is a reflection of circumstance versus God’s plan.
Artnetta Patterson, 21-years-old is a Elementary Education major at
Crystal Davis is a 24-year-old Physician assistant from
An outgoing, strong woman of God never came in such a humble package. Ryan Phillips is an inspiration to young writers, black women, and all young people to accomplish their goals. Advice for young writers? One of Phillips motto’s to young writers is, “If God has a message that He wants to convey through your writing, He will — in His perfect time.” Phillips remains blessed, encouraged, and down to earth.
On her newfound fame and popularity: “I remember scouring our [school] newspaper at coffee shops between class. It’s kind of fun to think that the tables have flipped and students will be reading about me!”
January 29th, 2008 - Shelf Interpretation of A.A. Writing
Let’s get real. Great African-American writing is pushed to the back of the shelves and replaced with an overwhelming array of erotica and hip-hop novels. A lack of intellect pervades the 1 shelf we are given, leaving perusers with an impression of flashy covers, half-dressed women, and mediocre writing. What do our bookshelves say about the A.A. Community?
According to the African American Literature Book Club, Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple”, Zora Neale Hurston’s “Their Eyes Were Watching God” and Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” are the 3 top favorite books of the 20th century. While, the best sellers list for A.A. writing lists #1 as “Sleeping With Strangers” by Eric Jerome Dickey and #2 being “Men, Money and Gold Diggers” by Je’Caryous Johnson.
There is clearly a time gap between these 5 novels, but as the years have gone by, the writing has decreased in value of content. A good book is hard to find. Entertaining novels left for reading under the hairdryer or the duration of plane travel is fine – but coasting by as the best the A.A. community has to offer is disappointing.
This is not to say that hip-hop fiction is trash. If the book is interesting enough to be read by a youth, chances are, he/she will continue to read. It can almost be seen as furtherance of interest by another genre of our writing. The same goes for Erotica novels, since they are common enough, but they should not out rate real literature.
More recently, the A.A. sections in bookstores are full of titles, but black literature is masked amongst the others, stacked according to title. To each his own, yes, but what about the young minds that approach our shelves; wanting to indulge in familiar writing; to invest in the written word that was a struggle in itself for our ancestors — only that young mind’s eye will be paraded with scantily clad women, trashy plots and forced to peruse another isle…