New ... Chasing Summer - Easy Love ( Memphis Live )

. . . and one day she just does it.

Red goes into work, gathers her things and walks out. No clear back up plan. No financial nest egg to speak of. Nothing more than her general disdain for conformity and insatiable desire to fulfill her lifelong dream. Red leaves her Chicago home to see what the rest of the world has to offer. She packs up her car and heads out on an impromptu “tour”
alone.


Red Summer is an educator, a mother, a foster-mother, a
grandmother, an author, a publisher, a public speaker, a recording
artist, an activist, an entrepreneur, a full-time touring artist, a
lesbian and a Muslim. This all makes her an impossible fit for the
standard-sized box, and ordinarily, none of these things would seem to
work together. But, Red Summer is not an ordinary woman.

Chasing Summer is a virtual shotgun ride on a personal journey that is sure to
be as elaborate as Red Summer herself. Her love for poetry and music
makes it an artistic journey. While her passion for history, travel and
culture drives a spiritual mission to overcome the past and redefine
the future. All the while, Red’s intricate love and colorful family
life convey her journey with generous detail. ~ Two Fingers Press/Anthology Photoplays

Chasing Summer- Memphis Live is the first of many short documentaries featuring this fiercely talented poet known as "Red," by adoring friends and fans. This is a fabulous, "feel good," show that is sure to lift your spirits. Just take a few minutes to check it out and leave a comment.

Click the "green" link below to view the Pilot Episode on Current TV.
Chasing Summer, Memphis - Easy Love

What Obama Means To Me

New from the author of The N Word, Jabari Asim brings us another thought-provoking observation on culture and our society.

What Obama Means
...for Our Culture, Our Politics, Our Future
by Jabari Asim

"This is our moment. This is our time," Barack Obama declared in his victory speech on November 4, 2008. Such a moment is an opportunity to explore who we are, where we've been, and what the emergence of a leader like Obama can tell us about our culture, our politics, and our future. In What Obama Means, Jabari Asim, author of the acclaimed The N Word, provides the context needed to understand what the Obama presidency means to Americans of all backgrounds." -What Obama Means




On the morning of the inauguration it was snowing here in Chicago. The snow flakes were so crisp and white, not that they aren't usually, it's just that they seemed to be beaming with a spectacular brightness never before seen. I watched as they lightly, gently trickled down from the heavens, and blanketed the rooftops. The air was different. It was almost as if I could breathe a little better. And though I had only an hour before having to leave for work, I made myself a breakfast of champions. I mean I scrambled eggs, fried turkey bacon, made waffles and prepared my favorite green tea. This was my time for reflection and celebration.

The title of the book, "What Obama Means," got me to thinking about what our new president really means to me. Among so many other positive things, President Barack Obama means peace, courage, strength, leadership and great love. Forest Whitaker said it best this morning on Oprah. He said, "I feel like I've walked into a new age. I feel like I've walked into a new time." I am experiencing an awakening in this new era of Obama- what a feeling!

I have always held dear to my heart the call to give freely to others. Some years ago, I made a commitment to be a force in the world and joined Women for Women International as a sponsor to destitute women living in the Congo. Early last year, due to a matter of ill circumstance in my life, I faltered on that commitment. But yesterday, while driving to work, tears streaming down my cheeks as I listened to Aretha Franklin sing, "My Country Tis A Thee," I renewed my promise to be of service to humanity- be it in the form of money, information or a helping hand, it all counts.

Today, if you haven't already, I encourage you to take advantage of this magical moment happening in our time to embrace the spirit of change. Determine what causes are dear to your hearts and discover ways in which you are going to make a difference.

Bicycles-Love Poems On Sale January 13th

I met Nikki Giovanni once. It was in Saks, on Michigan Ave in Chicago. I was standing at the make-up counter just finishing up with a client (I'm a makeup artist ... it pays the bills) when this powerful spirit, adorned in an over-sized bright neon orange suit, came sauntering in. She was so cool ... Nikki-Rosa, one of my favorite poems played over and over in my mind. We shook hands and exchanged brief pleasantries. What a beautiful smile-- I'll never forget it.



Bicycles - Love Poems
by Nikki Giovanni
In Stores: Jan. 13, 2009
check side panel for tour info

Hair Stories

A few days ago, I launched a new social network called Hair Stories. Inspired by the many women I have come across online documenting their personal hair journeys, I decided to create a space where we could all (writers, poets, artists, people) artistically connect.

Everybody has a hair story. What's yours?


I've been natural for more than ten years. What does that mean? It means that I no longer chemically process or straighten my hair. Instead, I've chosen to rock my naturally thick, dark, kinky mane and I love it. It wasn't an easy transition, though. It was like blindly traveling into the unknown. I was very young when my mother first relaxed my hair. It was a relief then; I was so tenderheaded. My head would hurt just to have her look at it. But, since she was in charge of the combing during that time, I had no experience with styling it myself. Change, no matter how good it is, can also be frightening. Fear, however, didn't get the best of me-- it rarely does.



Visit hair stories

"Our hair is our crowning glory, or so we've been told. We talk about it, write about it, cry about it, India Arie even made a song about it. So, now there's a space for us to express ourselves- together."

Need a good book to accompany you on your journey? These are a few of my favorites.

Fantastic Tales to Cozy Up with This Winter

Chicago's winters can be borderline cruel and unusual; this opinion of course coming from someone like myself who absolutely detest frigid cold weather. On those snowy nights when the temperature has plunged to 18 or below, you will find me curled up on my sofa, wrapped in my comfy blue robe, sipping green tea sweetened with Agave Nectar while deeply engaged in a fantastic tale. Sounds good, huh? Why not join me. Take a trip to your local library, bookstore or online bookseller to scoop up these great reads. Happy Holidays!

These novels, from some of the world's most gifted writers, top my must-read list for this winter.

A Golden Age by Tahmina Anam

As Rehana Haque awakes one March morning, she may be forgiven for feeling happy. Today she will throw a party for her son and daughter. In the garden of the house she has built, her roses are blooming; her children are almost grown up; and beyond their doorstep, the city is buzzing with excitement after recent elections. Change is in the air.

But none of the guests at Rehana's party can foresee what will happen in the days and months that follow. For this is East Pakistan in 1971, a country on the brink of war. And this family's life is about to change forever. ~ www.tahmima.com

A Mercy by Toni Morrison

"The stories in A Mercy are as layered and contested as the barely mapped topology traversed by its characters. Set in the 1680s, when this country's reliance on slavery as an economic engine was just beginning, A Mercy explores the repercussions of an enslaved mother's desperate act: She offers her small daughter to a stranger in payment for her master's debt." ~Neda Ulaby -Read more at NPR.org

Half of A Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

With astonishing empathy and the effortless grace of a natural storyteller, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie weaves together the lives of three characters swept up in the turbulence of the decade. Thirteen-year-old Ugwu is employed as a houseboy for a university professor full of revolutionary zeal. Olanna is the professor's beautiful mistress, who has abandoned her life of privilege in Lagos for a dusty university town and the charisma of her new lover. And Richard is a shy young Englishman in thrall to Olanna's twin sister, an enigmatic figure who refuses to belong to anyone. As Nigerian troops advance and they must run for their lives, their ideals are severely tested, as are their loyalties to one another. ~ www.halfofayellowsun.com

Trading Dreams At Midnight by Diane McKinney-Whetstone

"From Homer to Amy Tan, the multi-generational family saga is a time-tested vessel for the exploration of individual personalities. For every noble son, there’s another who steals his rival’s wife, and for every daughter who takes after her powerhouse mom, there’s another who’s inexplicably meek. Whatever their setting, and whatever their arc, the best of these stories wrestle with the questions of inheritance and the peculiar ways in which we differ from our kin." ~Katherine Hill -The Pennsylvania Gazette

New From The Author of The Prisoner's Wife, Asha Bandele Brings Us Another Powerful Story of Hope and Truimph

Award-winning journalist and author of two bestselling novels, The Prisoner's Wife and Daughter is back with another powerful memoir, Something Like Beautiful will be on sale January 29th, 2009.

Pre-order your copy today

When Asha Bandele, a young poet, fell in love with a prisoner serving a twenty-to-life sentence and became pregnant with his daughter, she had reason to hope they would live together as a family. Rashid was a model prisoner, and expected to be paroled soon. But soon after Nisa was born, Asha's dreams were shattered. Rashid was denied parole, and told he'd be deported to his native Guyana once released. Asha became a statistic: a single, black mother in New York City.

On the outside, Asha kept it together. She had a great job at a high-profile magazine and a beautiful daughter whom she adored. But inside, she was falling apart. She began drinking and smoking and eventually stumbled into another relationship, one that opened new wounds. This lyrical, astonishingly honest memoir tells of her descent into depression when her life should have been filled with love and joy. Something Like Beautiful is not only Asha's story, but the story of thousands of women who struggle daily with little help and much against them, and who believe they have no right to acknowledge their pain. Ultimately, drawing inspiration from her daughter, Asha takes account of her life and envisions for herself what she believes is possible for all mothers who thought there was no way out--and then discovered there was. (source: Product Description from HarperCollins.com)

Pre-order your copy today and check back here in the coming weeks for my comments and thoughts on the book. In the meantime, enjoy this lovely selection that I spotted on YouTube.

"Morning Was My Mentor" by Asha Bandele -Def Poetry, July 2002

Commentary on "Annie John" a Novel by Jamaica Kincaid

What makes a young girl who loves, adores and idolizes her mother the first ten years of her life, despise her the next?

This question came to mind while reading Jamaica Kincaid's, "Annie John," a novel about a young girl coming of age in the West Indies. Interestingly enough the antagonist's life bares an uncanny resemblance to that of the author's who like Annie John grew up in St. John, Antiqua. In her works, Kincaid explores with raw honesty the complicated nature of the relationship between mother and daughter.

Annie John is an only child who during her early years enjoyed the full loving attention of her mother, also named Annie, who never missed an opportunity to shower her with endless affection. She completely worshiped her the way most little girls do their mothers. Then one day, Annie arrived home early from school only to witness her parents making love. She didn't quite know what to make of it, but felt a bit put off. "I was sure I could never let those hands touch me again; I was sure I could never let her kiss me again. All that was finished," she thought. This may of been the first significant sign of betrayal that she felt by her mother.

It wasn't until upon hearing that she was "too old" for her favorite past time of spending the whole day going through her trunk, which her mother kept safe the memories of Annie John's special moments, that the young girl experienced deep feelings of hurt.

Annie John was twelve when her mother, informed her that she was becoming a young lady, and would now have to participate in activities appropriate for her age. From then on, it was war. The mere thought of things changing simply because she was growing older disappointed Annie John. She viewed her mother's new point of view as rejection and turned to mischievous ways as vengeance.

I suppose she felt much like I did when my mother told me that I was too old to play with dolls. I was eleven or twelve, and requested a doll on my Christmas list. My mother wasted no time in informing me that toys were no longer an option, and that I would only be receiving clothes ... "CLOTHES?!?" I remember thinking, "Is that it?" I struggled with a sense of "twoness." On the one hand I hated the thought of having to take on a new role as a "young lady," because it required me to give up so many of the things that I loved to do as a little girl. On the other hand, I longed to be an adult so that I could do things on my on terms and not be told what to do or how to act all of the time.

Annie John's childhood bond with her mother turned into a love-hate relationship that changed them forever. It's a great story. Every woman, especially if you're a mother should read it.


Works by Jamaica Kincaid:
* "Girl," poem (June 26, 1978, appeared in The New Yorker then again in 1984 in At the Bottom of the River)
* At the Bottom of the River (1984)
* Annie John (1985)
* A Small Place (1988)
* Annie, Gwen, Lilly, Pam, and Tulip (1989)
* Lucy (1990)
* Biography of a Dress (1990)
* "On Seeing England for the First Time," essay (1991, appeared in Harper's Magazine)
* The Autobiography of My Mother (1995)
* My Brother (1997)
* My Favorite Plant: Writers and Gardeners on the Plants they Love (editor; 1998)
* My Garden (1999)
* Talk Stories (2001)
* My Garden (2001)
* Mr. Potter (2002)
* Among Flowers: A Walk in the Himalayas (2005)
* Figures in the Distance
* Life and Debt Film (2001)