Friday, March 21, 2008
Earlier in the week, I held a contest in an effort to promote the upcoming release of my debut novel, AFTER THE DANCE. While Malcolm of Pop Culture Dish, Presented by Malcom won the free, autographed copy of the novel I was giving away, Pjazzy of Traces of a Stream won the free CD ( just so you know, she chose Four Play's version of After The Dance).
But there is one prize left! A bottle of Memphis style barbecue sauce (your choice of Neely's or Corky's) will be awarded to the first person able to correctly name all of the Al Green songs mentioned in my novel AFTER THE DANCE.
Pjazzy won the CD by correctly guessing that a total of six (6) Al Green songs are mentioned in AFTER THE DANCE. Thus far, she's also correctly guessed two of the songs: "Love and Happiness" and "Look What You've Done For Me."
Since there is only one prize left and only four songs to guess, I'm adding a new rule to the game. Hey, it's my game, I can do what I want (LOL). Anyway, the new rule is you can only guess two songs at a time. Okay? Got it?
Now, all of you lurkers out there need to come out of hiding and give Pjazzy a good run for the sauce (smile). Hmm, things could get messy. But if they do, I'll happily throw in some free napkins or a roll of paper towels (LOL).
Winner or no winner, the contest will officially end on Sunday morning (March 23, 2008). But don't worry, there will be other contests and other prizes.
In the meantime,
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Hey, you knew this post was coming, didn't you? (smile) I'm a Prince fan from WAY BACK. The following are some of my favorites, but by no means are the top 13 on my list. Matter of fact, I could have easily made a list of 20. But ranking them is much too difficult an undertaking. As it was, I left off favorites like Pop Life, 17 Days, Raspberry Beret, If I Was Your Girlfriend and 1999. But let me quit complaining and get to the list.
1) Another Lonely Christmas (b-side of I Would Die For You/1984)
2) Anotherloverholenyohead (Parade / 1984)
3) Baby I'm A Star (Purple Rain / 1984)
4) Erotic City (b-side of Let's Go Crazy / 1984)
5) Girls & Boys (Parade / 1986)
6) Head (Dirty Mind / 1980)
7) I Would Die 4 U (Purple Rain / 1984)
8) Lady Cab Driver (1999 / 1982)
9) Let's Go Crazy (Purple Rain / 1984)
10) Nothing Compares 2 U (1992)
11) Purple Rain (Purple Rain / 1984)
12) She's Always In My Hair (b-side of Raspberry Beret / 1985)
13) Thieves In The Temple (Graffiti Bridge / 1990)
Do you have a favorite Prince Song or songs? If so, go ahead and name it and claim it (or them) in the Comments.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
In case you haven't figured it out yet, I'm a music lover. My debut novel contains over 20 references to songs and artists. But one artist in particular has more songs listed than any of the others.
I'll award a free, autographed copy of AFTER THE DANCE to the first person who can correctly guess the name of the artist whose music is mentioned more times than any of the others in the book.
In addition, I'll award a free AFTER THE DANCE cd (either Marvin's or the Fourplay version) to the first person who can correctly guess the number of songs the book contains by the artist whose name is most frequently mentioned.
As an extra bonus, I'll give a free bottle of Memphis barbeque sauce (Neely's or Corky's) to the first person who can correctly guess the names of the songs by the artist who is most frequently mentioned in my novel, AFTER THE DANCE.
Got it?! You wanna play? Yes, it is possible to win all three prizes. No, you won't have to pay any shipping and handling charges. Ready?! Set!? Go!
NOTE: MALCOLM WON THE FREE AUTOGRAPHED BOOK !!! BUT THE FREE CD AND BOTTLE OF MEMPHIS BARBECUE SAUCE ARE STILL UP FOR GRABS!!!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
No, this is not a post about osteoporosis. It is a post about bones . . . more specifically spines or, perhaps, I should say . . . the lack thereof.
I guess, I just don't get it--you know--the whole "publicly standing by my man" bit, particularly when said "man" has not only broken his marriage vows, but made a Zip-Dang-Fool of himself to boot.
Why after being duped by said Zip-Dang-Fool would any woman, owning so much as an ounce of self-respect left, turn around and let Zip D. Fool drag her before the public so He can apology for His transgressions? Yes, I am referring to women like Effie Barry, Suzanne Craig, Carlita Kilpatrick, Silda Spitzer and all of the others . . .
Okay, I do understand and respect folks going off privately to work on their marriage/relationship/issues and the like. I've been married a long time--long enough to have high school age kids, actually, even though I don't. I know it's all about compromise, learning to take the good with the bad and operating in a spirit of forgiveness. I'm not about to hate or cast aspersions on any woman or man who ultimately decides she/he wants to stay with Zippy, put the transgressions behind them and move forward. Tor err is human. Now, to make the dang same err over and over and over again, is, well, you know . . .
I'm just saying, after the dirt's been done, why parade the Mrs. out to hold Mr. Fool's hand, pat his back and stand by his side? For the career? Heck, seems to me Zip should have thought about that before he unzipped . . . For the children? Please. I think, in the long-run, children are better served by having a Mama with a back-bone.
Really, I just wish more of these ladies would just say, "No, I'm not going out there!" Tell ole boy, "Okay, we can work on our issues, but after having already abused me and my trust, I'm simply not going to let you use me in this fashion."
I'm sure there will be others, but if I could say anything to them it would be "Stop drinking the Kool-Aid! Really, it ain't nothing, but poison, the type of which will eat your soul, if you let it. Instead, why not go get yourself a big, tall glass of milk, put your big girl panties on and see if you can't sing a few bars of Beyonce's "To The Left?" I bet it would make you feel a whole lot better.
(Written while listening to Erykah Badu's "The Healer" "Master Teacher" "Honey" and Aretha's "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" and "Respect."
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Back when I was a bright-eyed, twenty-some-year-old, college student and living in Memphis, I found myself frequenting a hair salon with a predominately-White clientele. The salon was one of those chains you typically find in a mall. Matter of fact, this one was located in what, at the time, was my favorite mall--the now demolished, though forever infamous (smile) Mall of Memphis.
Anyway, I was sporting a perm back then and I'd somehow lucked up on a fella at this particular salon who could give me that hot, poofed-out look all the PYT's were sporting in the '80s. So one day, I'm there sitting under the dryer (possibly getting a conditioner, I can't recall) when the older White lady seated next to me strikes up a conversation.
No biggie right? Happens all the time in salons across America, I'm sure. But hold on, this one was a little bit different. This lady, bless her lil ole heart, starts in on how she loves my color.
"Oh my, I just absolutely love your color! I'd give anything to be able to tan like that."
With the salon music blaring (Duran, Duran, no doubt) in the background and the dryer humming on full blast, it takes me a few seconds to process the information and to realize, okay, wait, she thinks I'm . . .
I've barely finished the thought when she smiles ever so sweetly and asks, "So are you Greek? Jewish? Italian?"
Okay, granted, I'm a card-carrying member of the light-skinned tribe. I have a tendency to wash out in pictures and grow pale in the winter-time. And, sure, my perm-straightened head was tucked inside of a dryer. But I'm sorry, the nose is a dead-give away. Till this day, how anyone could ever mistake me for anything other than a person of African descent, truly boggles my mind.
In any case, I smile ever so sweetly back at her and say, "No ma'am, actually, I'm African American."
The sweet little old lady's smile disappears and for the remainder of our stints beneath our respective dryers, she doesn't utter so much as another word in my direction. Go figure (LOL).
(Written while listening to Aretha Franklin's "Rock Steady," "I Say A Little Prayer," and "Think.")
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
We all have them, right? Come on, you know you do (smile). Okay, I'm talking about those foods that trigger your gag reflex or make you wanna cuss your Mama, or whomever it is who's insisting you eat, taste or try "just a little bit." Bleech! For my Big Guy, it's beets and Brussell sprouts. For my little one, it's creamed spinach. You'd best believe, if something, anything is nasty to this kid, inevitably, he says it tastes like creamed spinach. Personally, I don't have a problem with any of the aforementioned. But just thinking about any of the following, summons a right awful taste in my mouth . . .
1) Fig Newtons (My husband loves these. But really, don't these taste like something that got rolled in kitty litter?)
2) Pottage, Cottage . . . Okay, "Potted" Meat (This is one I've long filed under mystery meat).
3) Spam (What sick and diseased animal does this come from anyway? See above).
4) Okra (This holds the honor of being the very first food that I can ever recall making me gag.)
5) Black-Eyed Peas (Okra and Peas seem to always come together to make one big, nasty-a$$ slime fest, don't they?)
6) Liverwurst (Liver is a bile secreting organ . . . need I say more?)
7) Livercheese (You know, I think I want to hurl.)
8) Liver (Okay, by now I think it's pretty much been established that anything with the word "liver" in it gets a pass from me.)
9) Cottage Cheese (I won't even put this in my lasanga. For me, the only thing more disgusting than eating it--is watching someone else do so. Bleech!
10) Grape Fruit (I say we vote this bitter, sour imposter right out of the fruit family.)
11) Watergate Salad (My mom loves to make this marshmallow, fruit and whipped cream-filled, multi-colored concoction and my hubby is generally the first to fix himself a big bowl. I, on the other hand, consider this little more than sweet and chunky cottage cheese with a bit of food coloring tossed in a sly attempt to fool the eye.)
12) Ground Turkey (I had a bad experience with this once. Rather than share any of the gross details, I'll just say it's not an experience I'd wish on my worse enemy.)
13) Egg Nog (There's not enough liquor in the world to make me want to drink this. Actually, I highly suspect this is cottage cheese that's been pureed with buttermilk, which, for the record, I can't stand either.)
Okay, your turn. Which foods consistently turn your stomach? I'm saying, let's all be grossed out together . . .
Saturday, March 01, 2008
At the moment, the fellas in my life, at least the ones with whom I currently reside, are out reading me. The tyke you see in the picture above is now quite a few years older. From the looks of things, he's even recently acquired his very first zit. Poor baby (smile).
If I were reading something other than the weekend edition of the local newspaper or a few pages from the latest Essence or Poet's & Writers Magazines, I'd probably be tackling Toni Morrison's Tar Baby, a hardback copy of which I recently picked up--though where I can't recall at the moment. It's one of the few older titles by Morrison that I haven't read. Also, on my list is I Got Thunder: Black Women Songwriters On Their Craft edited by LaSonda Katrice Barnett, a book the hubby got me at my request this past Christmas. Arnold Rampersad's Biography of Ralph Ellison, a book I bought at the Black Store we visited in Durham, is another title I would be reading had I the time.
So what about you? What are you reading? Or what would you be reading if you had the time? Also, if you dare, what type of literature are the folks in your house into these days?
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
The topic of this post was inspired by none other than Ms. Ruby Dee, who really should have been honored with an Oscar the other night. No, I didn't see her performance in American Gangster nor the performances of any of the the other actresses she was up against. I mean, really, does it matter? Very seldom is that stuff is ever assessed fairly or based on any degree of real talent anyway (LOL).
Folks have been overlooking Ms. Ruby Dee (aka Mother Sister) for a long-time. At least since, A Raisin In The Sun I'd dare say. A big ups goes to Spike Lee for bringing her and her late hubby Ossie Davis back into the forefront and the big screen, via movies like Do The Right Thing and Jungle Fever.
But anyway, getting back to the topic, there's nothing that inspires me more than to see a woman, like Ms. Ruby Dee, who has aged gracefully. 'Cause y'all know, there are a lot ole girls out here who seem to be doing their darnedest to accomplish the exact opposite. No, I'm not trying to name any names. Please! And get myself put on somebody's hit list? Ah, no thank you (LOL).
Besides, I'd much rather stay on this side of positive and concentrate on those ladies who I think are still working it with class, style, beauty and grace. You may or may not agree with some of my choices. But feel free to add you own or comment on some of my pics. So, in no particular order . . .
1) Ruby Dee (Keep representing, Ms. Dee!)
2) Nancy Wilson (Yes, ma'am, now this is how I want to go gray.)
3) Sophia Loren (I do believe the hubby still has heart palpitations whenever he spies Ms. Loren. I know he can barely watch any of her old flicks without salivating.)
4) Rita Moreno (Makes me want to go find my copy of Westside Story and then slap somebody.)
5) Toni Morrison (Ms. Morrison can rock those dreads, can't she?)
6) Racquel Welch (I saw her on some show recently and could barely believe my eyes. All I could think was: Now, I know she is old as dirt. How is this possible?!)
7) Diahann Carroll (Gotta love Whitley and Preston Burke's mama, don't you? LOL!)
8) Judy Pace (Many of you may not remember Ms. Pace, whose hey-day was in the '70s. But I saw a picture of her in Jet, not long ago, and she doesn't look like she's aged a bit.)
9) Sally Fields (I think she just might be sipping from the fountain of youth.)
10) Barbara Streisand (Age has actually softened her looks, I think.)
11) Patti LaBelle (I'm pretty sure Ms. Patti has had some "work" done, but I swear she looks younger now than she did when she was with the group LaBelle.)
12) Priscilla Presley (I almost didn't put Ms. Presley on the list. I can tell she's had some "work" done fairly recently and if she's not careful she may end up looking like her former son-law. But overall, ole girl has got it going on.)
13) Diana Ross (Y'all stop hating. Even if you don't like Ms. Ross, you've gotta give it to her. For her age, she still looks darn good.)
Ordinarily, I would have saved a list like this for "Thursday Thirteen." But these days, I just don't have the time to visit all of those different blogs and reciprocate in kind with comments. But don't let that make you hesistate to leave your two cents here. If you leave a remark, I will most certainly holler right back at ya (smile).
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Let's play a game, shall we? Okay, I'll name a song and you tell me which version you prefer. Are you game? Of course, there are no real winners or losers and no prizes will be awarded nor will any money will be changing hands (smile). And, of course, I plan to share my preferences as well . . .
1) FEEL THE FIRE (Peabo vs Stephanie Mills) Okay, I REALLY enjoy BOTH of these versions of the song. I just saw & heard Peabo's version on Soul Train classics, this past Saturday, so I'm leaning hard in brother P.'s direction. But Ms. Mills' versions is in my car's cd rotation.
2) KILLING ME SOFTLY (Roberta Flack vs Lauryn Hill) Again, I'm torn. I like both versions. But if forced to choose, I'd have to go with sister Flack.
3) I SHOT THE SHERIFF (Eric Clapton vs Bob Marley) Gotta go with Marley on this one.
4) TO BE YOUNG, GIFTED AND BLACK (Nina Simone vs Donnie Hathaway) Both versions make me cry. But I owned Simone's version on a 45 when I was little girl, so she gets my vote.
5) HOW COME YOU DON'T CALL ME? (Prince vs. Alicia Keys) Come on folks, don't even try it. Prince all the way!
6) LADY MARMALADE (Labelle vs Christina Aguilera, Mya, Pink and Lil Kim) Okay, I have to give it to them, the youngsters held their own on this one. BUT nobody says, "Itchy geetchy ya-ya, da-da," like Patti, Nona and Sara. Y'all betta recognize!)
7) FOREVER, FOR ALWAYS, FOR LOVE (Luther Vandross vs Lalah Hathaway) This may surprise you, but I think Lalah out does Luther on this one. Her versions really takes my breath away.
8) IF THIS WORLD WERE MINE (Marvin & Tammi vs Luther & Cheryl Lynn) This is such a beautiful song and they all do such wonderful jobs. Today, I'm gonna say both. It's a tie.
9) NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE (Michael Jackson vs. Isaac Hayes) Yes, Mr. Hayes is a hometown (Memphis) product, but I've gotta go with MJ's version.
10) CRUISING (Smokey vs DeAngelo) The hubby hates both of these equally (LOL). But I think I'm a tad more partial to DeAngelo's version.
11) DO ME BABY (Prince vs. Meli'sa Morgan) Sigh, I don't know why she even tried to go there. Again, it's all about the Purple One. Prince baby!
12) I CAN'T STAND THE RAIN (Ann Peebles vs Tina Turner) Sorry Ms. Tina. Ms. Ann has this one SO covered can't nobody touch it (smile).
13) OUTSIDE MY WINDOW / ANYTIME (Meshell Ndegeocello vs. Brian McKnight) According to Brian these are two different songs. Ha! Man please. Meshell did it first and she did it better. Ya heard?
Would you like to share some of your choices from my list? Yes, I know, there are plenty of others. Any in particular you'd like to add?
Friday, February 15, 2008
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
1) Tyson Beckford Calendars (For those of you who don't know, he's a pretty boy model. Hey, even a old girl has to have a little beefcake every now and then.)
2) Godiva Turtles (The hubby likes buying these for me on special occasion even though we both know they go straight to the hips and thighs.)
3) Girl Scout Cookies (Thin Mints and Trefoils. Need I say more?)
4) The Best of Soul Train (Yes, WGN shows old episodes of the program on Saturday afternoon. It's nice to revist those days when folks really danced rather than simulated various positions from the Karma Sutra.)
5) Oprah (I don't care what y'all say. Opie is all right by me. The best thing about living in Charlotte is that her show comes on twice--at 4pm and 9pm.)
6) General Foods Coffee (The Hazelnut Belgian is actually the only coffee I'll drink at the moment)
7) Men with Facial Hair (Don't ask. It's a fetish.)
8) Head Gear (I'm a hat, cap and scarf kind of gal. And there's nothing more I love than a guy who knows how to sport a tilted brim.)
9) Arbor Mist (Yeah, it's cheap, fruity and ghetto as all get out. So, is that, like, a problem?)
10) Lavender (Lotion, body wash, candles, shampoo, air freshners, doesn't matter. I just love the scent.)
11) Black Sitcoms from Back In the Day (Martin, A Different World, Cosby, Sanford & Son. Half the mess passing for such now, makes my head hurt.)
12) VH1 SOUL (I love R & B and hiphop music videos. Actually, it's the way I prefer to hear most new music. Sadly, Charlotte doesn't offer this as a cable option. Now, I have to wait unitl I'm in Memphis in order to partake or go with the Music Choice Channels where I can listen, but don't get the videos. Sheesh!
13) Blue Bell Ice Cream (They didn't sell this in Cleveland, so I was denied the pleasure for four, long years. Even though you have to search, you can find it in Charlotte. The home-made vanilla tastes nearly as good as grandma's.)
I have a long list of others, but since it's Thursday 13 . . . So do we share any guilty pleasures? No (smile). Well, do you have any as odd as mine? If so, do you dare share them?
Sunday, February 10, 2008
SUNDAY BEST . . . TEN THINGS OF WHICH I AM CONVINCED . . .
1) Faith is a choice;
2) The Lord is my Shepard, I shall not want;
3) More often than not, the dictates of Fundamentalists, Churchfolk, Preachers and Organized Religion block one's path to the Lord;
4) Prayer works;
5) The Jewish cantor, the Southern Black hymn and the cries of a child all sound the same to God's ears;
6) Joy Cometh in the Morning;
7) Blessed are the Peacemakers;
8) A little child shall lead them;
9) The meek shall inherit the earth;
10) Jesus wept . . . (and so should we)
(Conceived while listening to songs from Aretha Franklin's "Amazing Grace.")
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Some things you just ought not tell me . . . really, unless your aim is, in fact, to make me bust out laughing. Take the time my friend JG told me, and with a perfectly straight face, that his grandmama looked like B.B. King. What the?! (LOL) Yeah, it was slow day at the library, but still . . . I was like dude, I don't mean any harm, but if my grandmama looked like B.B. King, I wouldn't tell anybody.
Same goes for my friend YN, who every now and then will mention how her sisters used to claim one of her college boyfriends looked just like Billy Ocean. Y, girl, please . . . you know I love ya like a play cousin, but you're really gonna have to stop telling people that mess (LOL).
One body-double moment that at the time wasn't so funny was when my cousin Mary's husband said my NEWBORN son looked just like Al Freeman Jr. For those of you who don't know or need a little refreshing, Al Freeman Jr. is the actor who played Elijah Muhammad in Spike Lee's Malcolm X. Yeah MR . . . I'm still not laughing dude (smile). Actually, the boy did kind of look like brother Freeman, but still . . . Some things you just don't say out loud!
Another not so funny body-double moment, I still remember and harbor a grudge over, happened back in college. One of my so-called good friends, who, herself, could pass for a Gremlin twin, said I reminded her of Big Bird from Sesame Street Fame. Yeah, I get it . . . tall, yellow, goofy and big-hipped. That's all right, LF 'cause guess what? You still have more teeth than height!
See, don't start none, won't be none (LOL).
So, what about any of you? Any memorable body double don't(s) you care to share? Do you have a celebrity twin? Who do people say you resemble?
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
This list didn't come easy. I have a ton of "best of" & "greatest hits" cds from a variety of musical genres. In order to simplify the task, I decided to take my hard-core "jazz" and "blues" collections off the table altogether. So here we go and in no particular order-- a short list of SOME of my favorite "best of" and "greatest hits" music collections.
1) PRINCE (Prince: The Hits/The B-Sides) 4 favorite cuts: Erotic City, Let's Go Crazy, Head & Purple Rain
2) STEELY DAN (The Definitive Collection) 3 favorite cuts: Peg, Deacon Blues & Rikki Don't Lose That Number
3) ARETHA FRANKLIN (Aretha's Best) 5 fav cuts: A Natural Woman, Rock Steady, Call Me, Day Dreaming & I Never Loved A Man
4) MARVIN GAYE (The Best of Marvin Gaye: Vol 2. The '70s) 3 fav cuts: Trouble Man, Come Get To This & Inner City Blues
5) AVERAGE WHITE BAND (Pickin' Up The Pieces: The Best Of Average White Band) 2 fav cuts: School Boy Crush & Cut The Cake
6) LENNY KRAVITZ (Lenny Kravitz Greatest Hits) 2 fav cuts: Again & Heaven Help
7) BOBBY MCFERRIN (The Best of Bobby McFerrin: The Blue Note Years) 2 fav cuts: Freedom Is A Voice & Friends
8) PHYLLIS HYMAN (The Legacy of Phyllis Hyman) 3 fav cuts: Betcha by Golly, Wow, Old Friend & Living All Alone
9) CHIC (The Best of Chic: Dance, Dance, Dance) 3 fav cuts: Good Times, Everybody Dance & I Want Your Love
10) JOHNNIE TAYLOR (Johnnie Taylor: The Twenty Greatest Hits) 3 fav cuts: I Believe In You, Cheaper To Keep Her & We're Getting Careless With Our Love
11) TEENA MARIE (Teena Marie: Greatest Hits) 3 fav cuts: Square Biz, Behind The Groove & Portuguese Love
12) LUTHER VANDROSS (Always & Forever: The Classics) 3 fav cuts: Superstar/Until You Come Back To Me, Anyone Who Had A Heart, & I (Who Have Nothing)
13) THE ISLEY BROTHERS (The Essential Isley Brothers) 5 fav cuts: That Lady, Harvest For The World, Summer Breeze, Fight The Power & The Pride
What are your favorite "best of" and/ or "greatest hits" music collections? Feel free to name them, even if they didn't make my list.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Sunday, January 20, 2008
No, it won't be long now. Thanks to SheliaRenee of N'Digo Design, my new web site should be up and running sometime within the next few days.
It's been a long journey, to say the least. After the first sistergirl webdesigner happily took all of my info, but failed to deliver or even summon the courtesy to say why she couldn't, I wasn't particularly eager to jump back on board with anyone. I really don't have time to be wasting. No, I'm not hating, just calling 'em like I see 'em. If you want to do business, you really ought to be about business.
Anyway, working with SheliaRenee of N'Digo Design has renewed my faith. She's been personable, patient, prompt and extremely professional. Big ups to E.C. for passing her name along to me.
I prefer keeping things simple, so you won't find a whole lot of bells and whistles or new stuff on the web site, at least not right away. BUT the site will include an excerpt of AFTER THE DANCE. Hopefully, reading it will inspire you to pre-order the book or make plans to snag a copy when it hits the shelves in April.
Also, in a coming post, I hope to share some of the reactions (blurbs & comments) the book has already garnered. So, y'all come back now, ya hear (smile)?!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Yeah, I probably first took note of Pearl Cleage's work via the essays/articles she used to write for Essence Magazine. Years ago, when I worked at the Memphis/Shelby County Public Library, had access to books galore, plus the free time necessary to read them, I devoured a couple of Ms. Cleage's books--Mad At Miles: A Black Woman's Guide To The Truth and Deals With The Devil And Other Reasons To Riot among them. I was drawn to and shared sister Pearl's, down-home, common sense, "Black womanist" perspective and approach to life. Of course, I later read and loved What Looks Like Crazy On An Ordinary Day well before Opie's people, the critics and all the other folks in the know "discovered" it.
So, I figured it would be more of the same when I first picked up I Wish I Had A Red Dress, which originally came out in 2001. I'm not exactly sure when I purchased the book , but it was years ago and at a library book sale, if I'm not mistaken. I do recall rushing home with it and diving right in, fully anticipating and expecting the thought-provoking enjoyment her work had brought me on every other occasion.
On that first attempt, I think I might have read all of 3 chapters, a total of 10 pages before I tossed the book, scratched my head and said, "Well, I don't know, Ms. Pearl. I am not feeling this at all. What's up with the Sewing Circle or rather Circus? Isn't that something tired, old ladies do? And, no, you did not start Chapter Two with an, umm, Good Lord, a 'self-pleasuring' sence? What the heck was that all about?!" (LOL)
Ever so often in the years afterward, I'd pluck the book from the shelves, flip through it and put it back. But something about that cover (the one with woman in a swirling red dress) and that title kept calling me back. So near the end of last year, I grabbed the book again and said, "I'll be dag if I don't at least get to Chapter 4." Lo and behold, I don't know what happened, but I couldn't put the durn thing down.
I fell in love with the book, the characters and all of the words of wisdom Ms. Pearl so expertly and strategically scattered throughout the story. After I finished reading, I went back with a pencil and just started underlining passages, among them, the one that's become my own personal mantra, particularly when I start to doubt or question myself, is: "What would a free woman do?" Don't you absolutely, positively love that?!!
Basically, the story centers around a young widowed and lonely social worker, who serves as a guide and a mentor to a group of lost and/or struggling, teenage girls and their babies. When the widow, Joyce Mitchell, is introduced by her best friend, who just so happens to be a minister, to a tall, dark stranger named Nate Anderson, of course sparks start flying all over the place. But before Joyce and Nate can properly hook up and do their own private little thing, they have to help the young ladies of Joyce's 'Sewing Circus' work out their issues with self-esteem, bad baby daddies and the like. At the same time, Joyce also has to work out her own unresolved issues with trust and grief. Some of my favorite characters in the book were "The Smitherman Twins" who reminded me of the loveable, old sisters from "Having Our Say."
Anyway, some of the other passsages I underlined in my copy of I Wish I Had A Red Dress include:1) ". . . I don't think a group of people can survive if the women don't even have enough sense to raise their children."
2) "I'm a big fan of stating your intentions up front and clearly as possible. Saves a lot of confusion and wasted time later . . ."
3) "I think that for some men, using the word "free" and "woman" so close together seems such an obvious oxymoron that they assume it must be the setup for a funny story."
4) "The advantage of faith in moments of crisis and transition is that when the rest of us find ourselves swimming in guilt, fear, confusion and second-guessing, the true believer simply goes with the flow."
5) "If I could pick, I'd probably choose this one all over again, even though being black and female in a place that doesn't bring a whole lot of love to either group is probably not the most luxe life I could come up with."
6) "Is 'her p*$$y curves to my d!#k' really a compliment? And how can he tell, since it's a known fact that a vagina can snugly accommodate everything from a junior tampon to a baby's head . . ."
7) "Sister believes that the beginning of wisdom is to call all things by their proper names, so she's a fiend for the conscious use of language."
There were others, of course, but seven is always a good place to stop (smile). In any case, I recommend you pick up a copy of the book and see if you aren't moved to underline a few of your own favorite passages.
So again, to those of you who feel like sharing, have you ever had a similar experience with a book? You started out not being able to 'get into it,' but something happened. Time, perhaps? Your own personal growth? Life experiences? And blam! You picked up that very same book, months, even years later and you couldn't put it down? Tell us about it.
Monday, January 14, 2008
I saw this on Black Male Appreciation and thought I'd pass it along. Just Us Books is sponsoring a writing contest "My Most Memorable Moment With My Father" for elementary school students in 1st through 5th grades. The first prize is $250.oo. The second prize is $100.oo. Entries must be postmarked by January 31, 2008.
For more information and full contest details see Just Us Books Contest.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Don't worry. This isn't a post about weird moles, foot fungus, back fat or anything else that, by all right, ought to run by the nearest family physician or neighborhood pharmacist. No, I'm not talking about that sort of growth.
I'm talking those things that you start out not really feeling, but for some strange reason you keep drifting back to and before you know it, you're straight, cold sprung on, like:
Like a lot of folks, I'd been faithfully awaiting Jilly from Philly's latest release. But when I initially brought home 'The Real Thing" and pop it on, I was like what the . . . ?! First of all, I was not feeling the new 'do or the cd cover photos. On the back she looked like like she'd just finished having a crying/hissy fit and on the front, I couldn't figure out if she was striving to look sultry, constipated or pissed. In any case, I wanted the old Jill back, the one with flaming red 'fro, the 'you ain't even ready for the likes of this' grin, and the slamming, all up in your face lyrics.
So for the first couple of days, the only cut I listened to was the one getting all the radio air play, "Hate On Me." But then one day, I slipped up, left it on and quickly found myself getting all caught up in the intoxicating groove of "Crown Royal." Jill, if you're listening, you really do need to come out with an extended version of that song, girl. You know, something along the lines of Marvin's 30 minute version of "Got To Give It Up?" I swear, I've played "Crown Royal" over so many times, I've nearly worn out the 'previous' button on my Windows Media Player.
Late at night, while I'm pecking away at the keyboard or surfing the net, I like listening to music with my headphones on. So naturally, I started turning to Jill to get my "Crown Royal" and "Hate On Me" fix. But pretty soon, I wasn't just stopping with those two. "My Love" with its telephone conversation opening sounded so much like the real deal, I couldn't help but stop and listen to a vexed and perplexed Jill tell some ole boy:
"Yo, I'm tripping right. I heard you got married. You got married? That don't really make any sense. I mean, its not like I didn't think you were seeing other people or whatever. I mean, I was seeing other people. But you know what this is. You know what it was. I can't say I really understand though." (from Jill Scott's "My Love")Oh yeah! And then she goes on to put dude in check with a cool and collected that's all right, "cause my love is deeper, tighter, sweeter, higher fly-yer, didn't you know this Didn't you notice?" I guess she told him, huh? (LOL) Anyway, after getting hooked on that cut, I started taking a closer listen to the one after it "Insomnia" which breaks of a bluesy little ditty about a woman who's lying in bed, tossing and turning, watching the clock and waiting for the phone to ring. Yeah, a lot of us have been there, right? Okay, let me stop (smile).
The song that sealed the deal for me, the one that really renewed my faith in Jilly from Philly was the oh so funky, soulful and deeply political, "How It Make You Feel." It took me a couple of listens before I really "got" the message, not only because of the clever way it's posed, but also because I couldn't believe Jill actually owned the audacity to ask: "What if, poof, every Black female in the world disappeared? Tell me, how you'd feel if I was gone?"
For me, as a Black woman, this question is profound on a lot of different emotional levels, in particular given the indifference the media routinely exhibits in the disappearance of Black women. I could go on a tangent, but I instead I'll just say in reponse to Jill's question, a lot folks, including some within our OWN community would really give less than a d@m# if every Black woman (excusing their own mamas, perhaps) suddenly disappeared . . . Sorry, that's just how I feel y'all (smile). Anyway, Jill said it better and against a musical backdrop, no less.
And you know, as far as the "Real Thing" cover photos are concerned, I actually kinda like the ones on the inside of the cd and thought they were much more flattering. But hey, I'm not the one getting paid to make those decisions.
So, have you ever had a similar experience? Any particular cds, albums or musical artist ever grow on you? You started out hating it or them, but then something happened . . . you really started listening and suddenly discovered your were a fan? Do tell.