tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-308093392024-03-07T01:26:49.017-08:00Boldness, Genius, Power, Magic...whispering life out loud, contemplation, words, two-cents, myself as a work in progress ...persistencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352215267894209487noreply@blogger.comBlogger139125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30809339.post-91283866074268111872010-01-16T13:00:00.000-08:002010-01-16T13:11:10.540-08:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/S1IqyDIdB7I/AAAAAAAAA3M/yWUnLWZeho0/s1600-h/lynch02-R3-E080.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 216px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/S1IqyDIdB7I/AAAAAAAAA3M/yWUnLWZeho0/s320/lynch02-R3-E080.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427447540257458098" /></a><br /> Continue with me on my academic journey at <a href="http://signifyingmonkeys.wordpress.com/">signifying monkeys</a>.persistencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352215267894209487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30809339.post-84995382920481447262009-05-18T08:09:00.001-07:002009-05-18T08:23:35.496-07:00On the Fulfillment of Dreams<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/ShF709EWM4I/AAAAAAAAA3E/slmaxVaGtxg/s1600-h/the+graduate.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 175px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/ShF709EWM4I/AAAAAAAAA3E/slmaxVaGtxg/s200/the+graduate.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337183183086957442" /></a>So, I’ve come to the end of my undergraduate journey, and I feel obligated to say something profound. YES! YES! I DID IT! I got my Bachelors of Arts Degree in English! Okay, maybe not as deep as you might expect, but powerful nonetheless. It seems not so long ago that I embarked upon this educational odyssey, along with this public journal documenting the bulk of my hopes and aspirations. Until now, I’ve felt as though I have been playing catch-up and that finally, I am beginning. So, I have to be a little sappy and say to anyone over 30 or 40 or whatever, who desires an education, but think that it’s too late for them: it is never, ever too late. It is never too late to learn something new, or to reinvent yourself. <br /><br />Never…ever. <br /><br />For as by now we know that, "boldness has genius, power and magic in it."<br /><br />And, while I shall continue working toward a Master’s of Arts in Literary Studies, this is the end of the online journal, Boldness, Genius, Power, Magic. And what a way to end; with the fulfillment of a goal! Thanks again for all of your support. If you've missed any posts, please go back to the beginning, and share the adventures of a non-traditional student all over again.persistencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352215267894209487noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30809339.post-26832618161524637192009-04-26T03:31:00.000-07:002009-04-26T03:51:52.219-07:00OWO FODO ADOBE<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SfQ76fllygI/AAAAAAAAA2c/xaSkLSeiTUA/s1600-h/adin11.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 175px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SfQ76fllygI/AAAAAAAAA2c/xaSkLSeiTUA/s400/adin11.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328950135183755778" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SfQ70fZDHUI/AAAAAAAAA2U/ARLfa9gPoK8/s1600-h/owof_lg.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 71px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SfQ70fZDHUI/AAAAAAAAA2U/ARLfa9gPoK8/s400/owof_lg.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328950032051936578" /></a>"Owo-foro-adobe is the adinkra symbol of a snake climbing a tree. The Akan observed the action of a little snake attempting to get to the top of a tall raffia tree and were impressed by its actions. At first glance, it seemed that the snake was attempting an insurmountable task. The Akan noticed that the snake would creep upward inch by inch, constantly moving, and constantly inching upwards. Eventually, in time, he reached the top of the tree."<br /><br />"There may come a time in a persons life when his goals seem unobtainable the goals may seem hopelessly distant, similar to the snake trying to get to the top of the raffia tree. The individual may feel distraught because of the enormous task or endeavor. Goals or aspirations may seem unattainable or beyond ones reach. Owo-foro-adobe speaks of overcoming such circumstances by accomplishing a seemingly impossible task or achieving an unusual goal. Like the snake climbing the raffia tree, individuals should emulate the snake by working hard to obtain their personal and social goals in life."<br /><br />It is a mantra for me now:<br /><br /><blockquote>“Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” </blockquote>I so believe it. And I will continue to recite this affirmation as I move forward, continuing on a path that I feel destined to walk. Despite the seeming chaotic nature of life in general, there are still opportunities to claim some small part of it for yourself. This journey of mine will not end in two weeks when I graduate with a Bachelors Degree in English, (although the blog may). I am happy to report that, though it was a small challenge, I will be continuing my studies in the fall as a graduate student at the big university in Atlanta. (Are mature students in graduate school still considered “non-traditional”?)<br /><br />For those of you who have been interested in my adventure, and silently rooting for me, I give thanks.persistencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352215267894209487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30809339.post-28335835141421835392009-04-13T18:23:00.000-07:002009-04-13T18:34:39.920-07:00Singing Horn Parts, Baselines Like Thunder<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SePmUVmwPoI/AAAAAAAAA1k/4h-2YKm9GUo/s1600-h/mayfield1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 394px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SePmUVmwPoI/AAAAAAAAA1k/4h-2YKm9GUo/s400/mayfield1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324352421553520258" /></a>While I can be just as romantic as the next woman—roses and all have their place—over the last five years, or so, I am completely jaded by music artist whose main objective is always to love me down, massage my toes, “lick me up and down ‘til I say stop,” (there was actually a song that says that), get me pregnant, take off my clothes, and well, you know the rest. Sometimes after driving home from work having my ears and sensibilities musically molested, I often want to call the DJ on my cell phone and ask if it was as good for him as it was for me, then smoke a cigarette. <br /><br />Maybe it’s just me, but what happened to songs that documented what was going on in the world? Curtis Mayfield’s 1972 album “Back to the World” was essentially a commentary on men coming back from Vietnam facing the hardships of no job, dealing with the stress and memories of the horrors they’d seen in war, drug abuse encouraged by war, and even worse, coming home and learning that your woman cut out on you. His “Super Fly” soundtrack, while some say the movie glorified the life of a drug dealer, balanced if not negated that life by exposing the detriment of the drug user (“Freddy’s dead, that’s what I said”), and the lost souls of friends as in “Eddie You Should’ve Know Better”: <br /><br />Eddie you should’ve know better,<br />Brother, you know you’re wrong,<br />Think of the tears and fears<br />You bring to your folks back home,<br />They say where did he go wrong, my Lord?<br /><br />We all remember James Brown’s “Say it Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud,” and in 1978 the Whispers lamented the plight of many young girls who succumbed to the streets and slick talking men, <br /><br />“…a wolf in lambs clothing came, <br />Blew her mind and changed her ways,<br />And now she’s turned out…”<br /><br />Or, Dion’s 1968 classic “Abraham, Martin and John”:<br /><br />"Anybody here seen my old friend Martin?<br />Can you tell me where he's gone?<br />He freed lotta people but it seems the good they die young<br />I just looked around and he's gone".<br /><br />Still, a beautiful song.<br /><br />Where is our “What’s Goin’ On?” album for the 21st century? In an interview, Smokey Robinson discusses a conversation he had with Marvin Gaye about the making of that album in which Gaye reveals that it was in fact God who was writing the lyrics for that masterpiece. I believe him. Gaye’s soulful plea to “Save the Children” makes me shutter in light of the children in today’s world who are suffering needlessly. <br /><br />So, where’s our Marvin Gaye?<br /><br />Where’s our Parliament/Funkadelic, Chicago or Earth, Wind and Fire? Where are the bands, I mean, real bands with 20 members, two drum sets and a brass section? All you have to hear is the horn parts to songs like “Shining Star,” (Earth, Wind & Fire) or “Sir Duke,” by Stevie Wonder, and you’ll know the song before a word is sung. <br /><br />So, why is it that:<br /><br />“We don’t listen anymore<br />To baselines like thunder, and<br />Guttural testimonies in the midnight hour<br />Professing anguish for a wayward woman.<br />Soldiers return from war<br />Back to the world they thought they left behind.<br />No baselines for them;<br />Just drum machines and angry lyrics<br />Numbing rhythms that freeze the brain like ice.<br />We don’t question anymore<br />What goes on in the world or,<br />Sing horn parts, like words to the song, or<br />Name that tune because we’d recognize the baseline <br />Driving past in a ’72 Duce and a Quarter,<br />Lemon yellow, fuzzy dice, and gangster whitewalls,<br />Like, sunshine on a cloudy day”.persistencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352215267894209487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30809339.post-57959208631109136782009-04-04T11:42:00.000-07:002009-04-04T11:49:01.157-07:00Before There was "Milk," There was "Philiadelphia"<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SdeqVmK1DHI/AAAAAAAAA1U/6AxQ0feRlT4/s1600-h/300_milk_penn_lr_111408.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SdeqVmK1DHI/AAAAAAAAA1U/6AxQ0feRlT4/s200/300_milk_penn_lr_111408.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320908772761472114" /></a>A few weeks ago I finally got to see Sean Penn’s portrayal of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay rights activist and Politian who was gunned down in San Francisco in 1978. His Oscar-winning performance of the popular <em>Milk</em> was a stark contrast to his brooding and masculine portrayal of Jimmy Markhum in <em>Mystic River</em>, for which Penn also won an Oscar. But, before there was Penn as Milk, let’s not forget Tom Hank’s brilliant, 1993 portrayal of Andrew Beckett in Jonathan Demme’s <em>Philiadelphia</em>. <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/Sdeqb5PW0xI/AAAAAAAAA1c/Ew7mdNX5MdU/s1600-h/tom_hanks_philadelphia_copie_2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 222px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/Sdeqb5PW0xI/AAAAAAAAA1c/Ew7mdNX5MdU/s400/tom_hanks_philadelphia_copie_2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320908880959951634" /></a><br />We see a youthful Hanks transform from a healthy, crackerjack attorney with a top law firm, to the withdrawn, gray shell of man who sues his employer for discrimination after discovering that Becket has AIDS. The scene where Becket (Hanks) is interpreting the opera, "La Mamma Morta" by Maria Callas, to his lawyer (played by Denzel Washington) still moves me to tears.persistencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352215267894209487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30809339.post-25017131507329128622009-03-25T18:12:00.000-07:002009-03-25T18:37:08.677-07:00Walking into The Light<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/ScrWj7xARuI/AAAAAAAAA00/j3xN-C8YHIE/s1600-h/GraduateSchoolTest.gif"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 304px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/ScrWj7xARuI/AAAAAAAAA00/j3xN-C8YHIE/s400/GraduateSchoolTest.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317298222891288290" /></a>I see it. It's getting closer and closer. It's the light that's been at the end of a very long, non-traditional tunnel. A little dramatic? Maybe. But, if like me, you are a forty-something student returning to school after many years, or finishing school after many years, you certainly understand my excitement. Now, if like me, regardless of age, you are trying to meet deadlines and filling out applications for graduate school, then you also understand my anquish; the nail biting days waiting to see whose going to accept you and who isn't. And, while my journey began with a simple desire to acquire a bachelors degree, my love for literature has compelled me to study further. So, I find myself waiting with bated breath, trying not to internalize when I have been rejected because of that nasty little standardized test. Nevertheless, I will continue to do what must be done, (even if it means taking that test again, for a third time), in order to achieve my goals. <br /><br />In one of my favorite movies, <em>The World According to Garp</em>, there is a scene that I have memorized. Garp's wife teaches graduate school. Garp's young son asks him, "Dad, what is gradual school?" [He mispronouces it, you see.] Garp, lovingly holding his son's hand answers, "Well son, gradual school is where you go and gradually find out that you don't want to go to school anymore". <br /><br />Maybe for some people, but I can't wait. I feel as though I am just beginning.persistencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352215267894209487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30809339.post-28204360834063679732009-03-07T18:39:00.000-08:002009-03-07T19:35:45.917-08:00A Funny Thing Happened On My Way To A Job Fair...<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SbMxWfUAZFI/AAAAAAAAA0s/kCPneLck9Gw/s1600-h/images+5.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 112px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SbMxWfUAZFI/AAAAAAAAA0s/kCPneLck9Gw/s400/images+5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310642648032240722" /></a>Well, as my undergraduate career comes to a close, I'm working as an editorial intern for a local magazine. But, this time it's a paid internship; which is nice because I'm finally getting paid to do what I do best, write....although it is internship wages. Unfortunately, because of the current economy, (I'm going to assume that it's the economy and not my writing skills...okay), like so many other industries, the publishing business is hurting too, and as a result, it doesn't look as though I will get hired. Although I plan to be in graduate school this fall, I still must work. And, while I'd love to be working in the publishing business, instead of waiting and hoping for the "right" job, I am looking for the "right now" job.<br /><br />Since I last HAD to look for a job, job hunting has changed a little. When I first came to the Atlanta area I was amazed at the fact that there were actual "Help Wanted" signs displayed all over the place. Of course, that was about 18 years ago. I've always prided myself on being able to find jobs rather easily, but now...whew! I have filled out at least 40 applications and have gotten ZERO responses. That's scary for someone who has worked all her life. The funny thing is, I've filled out all of these applications online. You can't just walk into a business now days, with your interview suit on and your honest face and apply for a job. The problem with Internet applications is that you literally become just another number, and you have no idea what happens to your application once it it delivered into the web sphere.<br /><br />Then, there are the job fairs, which implies that it will be a free-for-all, fun, carnival-like, career grab bag, with enough jobs for everyone to leave with three. Lately though, they've become just another local tv news story, (along with apartment fires and shootings), looking more and more like cattle in their best outfits, all with a bag full of cookie-cutter resumes, being lead into perpetual lines wrapped around some convention center from hell. Everyone, it seems, is looking for a job; and the smiling recruiters with strong hand shakes who get paid to go from city to city to build up people's hopes seem suspiciously in on the conspiracy to make people actually believe that they will leave with a fulfilling and rewarding career. <br /><br />So, I went to one such job fair that was actually called a "Career Fair," because of course, I don't want just a "job," I want a <em>CAREER</em>. And, that it was a <em>CAREER</em> fair for my school, made me feel like I might of really had a chance. Well, about a quarter of the recruiters were government entities, (I am too old to be a DEA agent or a Secret Service agent.) Then, there were the companies who wanted you to become a Manager Trainee. Another quarter of the companies were looking for interns, unpaid. And of course, no one was actually hiring, and in fact, if you wanted to apply, most suggested that you simply go to the website. A few actually collected resumes, but then what? <br /><br />So my question this week has been: "Do you personally know someone who actually got a job as a result of a job fair?" I mean a REAL, pay the bills, the car note and buy groceries, job. Of course, if you don't have a job, you've got to go to these things when you can, because if you're hopeful, (like me), there's always that one, one hundredth of a chance that the job you want is there waiting for you, right?persistencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352215267894209487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30809339.post-54281956218432459812009-01-17T08:09:00.000-08:002009-01-17T09:23:33.753-08:00A Wave of Feel Good<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SXIC8pEihfI/AAAAAAAAAzg/NK0Y-rsFWUY/s1600-h/obama-oregon4.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 245px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SXIC8pEihfI/AAAAAAAAAzg/NK0Y-rsFWUY/s400/obama-oregon4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292295752954054130" /></a>Don't you feel it? It's more than a moment. The world knows it. Can't you feel that we're living at a very special time in history? If you don't then you must not be living in the "now". I invite you to come from under your rock, because it is indeed the beginning of a new time, a new era. And regardless of what our personal issues are right now, we must be still and acknowledge that this is an awesome time to be alive. It is the Age of Obama. <br /><br />Even more than the significance of a Black man coming to power in a country that could easily be conceived as the architect of racism, it feels like a collective confirmation of the humanity of us all. And while there are those who contend that President Obama is "bi-racial" or "mixed"; he is either a Black man by the very definition of those who determined from the beginning of this country what "Black" is, or we are all, every American, "mixed". <br /><br />Witnessing President Obama's success, his self-possession and sureness, has conveyed a sense of the same in us all. It was there all along, we knew it. And now he is the collective validation of our individual faith. Moreover, the image of his strong black (and some white) family, reminds us of what has been important for us all along. His very public displays of affection for Michelle, Sasha and Malia endears us to him, and places the black family prominently in the forefront. <br /><br />So in spite of labels, political, racial, or otherwise, and in spite of your fears, BE HERE NOW. This is a time to celebrate humanity, community and family. Use this historical momentum to propel your own goals and dreams. The energy is in the air, harness it in order to inspire your own ideas or motivate others. Let's ride this wave of "feel good" for as long as we can.persistencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352215267894209487noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30809339.post-25001714965377431392009-01-06T06:38:00.000-08:002009-01-06T13:03:44.583-08:00Goethe's Couplet Holds True<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SWNzlwxtjvI/AAAAAAAAAxE/vJ8nWMnjt4Y/s1600-h/Contemplation.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 257px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SWNzlwxtjvI/AAAAAAAAAxE/vJ8nWMnjt4Y/s320/Contemplation.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288197480048856818" /></a>I begin this year with a reflection on why I began writing this blog. It was, in part, an effort to support and celebrate my decision to leave a job and work harder toward a lifelong dream to continue my education and earn a degree. I wanted to study literature to build a foundation for my own writing. It was also an effort to quell some anxiety I had about doing it. And it was in order to motivate me to write on a more regular basis in addition to the writing I've been doing for school, and staying connected to my own creative foundation. And now as I embark upon the last semester of my undergraduate career, there is a measure of happiness and satisfaction in knowing that there is this record, (public as it may be), of my very personal endeavor.<br /><br />The economy has thrown a curve ball in my plans, so while I have two classes left to take this semester, a lack of funds (and funding) has made it imperative that I find a job. And though I haven't decided yet if the blog will proceed once I have graduated, I intend to be in graduate school come August. For having taken the GRE a second time, I am one step closer after raising my score by 150 points! <br /><br />So I begin 2009 with the piece from <em>The Scottish Himalayan Expedition,1951 </em>by William H. Murray, in which he quotes Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe. It is most comforting and encouraging for me, and it is where I got the name for this blog. In the beginning, <a href="http://boldness-genius.blogspot.com/2006/07/warning-providence-moving.html">I wrongly credited Murray </a>for the couplet, but in the piece, he properly credits Von Goethe. Here it is again, and I hope that you too will be as inspired by it as I am.<br /><br /><br />from <em>The Scottish Himalayan Expedition,1951</em><br />By: W.H. Murray<br /><br /><br /><blockquote>Until one is committed there is hesitancy, <br />the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness.<br />Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth,<br />the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: <br />that the moment one definitely commits oneself,then Providence moves too.<br />All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred.<br />A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favour <br />all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance,<br />which no man could have dreamt would come his way.<br />I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets:'<br />Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.'</blockquote><br /><br />[Artwork is "Contemplation" by painter <a href="http://www.marciomelo.com/">Marcio Melo</a>, a Brazilian artist living in Canada.]persistencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352215267894209487noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30809339.post-72846277077967227962008-12-31T07:38:00.000-08:002008-12-31T07:55:05.679-08:00Happy New Year!<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SVuVVPp3JHI/AAAAAAAAAw0/7GWMWod0pYw/s1600-h/happy%2520new%2520year%2520i.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 286px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SVuVVPp3JHI/AAAAAAAAAw0/7GWMWod0pYw/s320/happy%2520new%2520year%2520i.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285982779861312626" /></a>More than Christmas, with it's notorious shopping sprees, over-played holiday music and fruit cake, I am always considerably more giddy about the new year. I always look forward to new beginnings, starting fresh and all that jazz. This year will be extra special for me because for one thing, it is the Age of Obama. We will have our very first African American president of the United States. And if that wasn't enough, come May, I will be a college graduate; a moment I've been waiting for a long time. Here's hoping all of you have a gravity defying year.persistencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352215267894209487noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30809339.post-50875814607013557362008-12-20T11:22:00.000-08:002008-12-20T11:30:21.326-08:00What is the Neo-African American Aesthetic?<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SU1GOVdH5uI/AAAAAAAAAwU/2Iky4FaXQTs/s1600-h/2cm697.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 272px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SU1GOVdH5uI/AAAAAAAAAwU/2Iky4FaXQTs/s400/2cm697.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281955150066869986" /></a>Since I have begun tossing this term around as though it was already a part of the literary lexicon, I thought that maybe it would behoove me to formulate an official definition, in order that others might understand what I mean when I say it. First, I should talk about how I came upon it.<br /><br />Actually, it was a collaboration. A community effort. It was coined in an all black, African American Studies class on the Harlem Renaissance. It evolved. <br /><br />New Black Renaissance. <br /><br />New Black Aesthetic. <br /><br />Neo-Black Aesthetic Movement. <br /><br />I don’t remember which name came first, but <em>Neo-African American Aesthetic </em>(NAAA) developed from a discussion about what we personally expected from the literature and art of our people in the <em>Age of Obama</em>. It does, in fact, proceed from a combination of the intellectual efforts of the leaders of the <em>Harlem Renaissance </em>and the <em>Black Arts Movement</em>, in which members sought to create a black identity based on the black experience. <br /><br />The <em>Harlem Renaissance</em>, which took place roughly from 1919-1940, was divided into two camps which became the primary debate of the movement: Art vs. Propaganda. But generally speaking, black writers during this time “shared common literary experiences,” and Sterling A. Brown lists those as: “(1) a discovery of Africa as a source for race pride, (2) a use of Negro heroes and heroic episodes from American history, (3) propaganda of protest, (4) a treatment of the Negro masses…with more understanding and less apology, and (5) franker and deeper self-revelation”.<br /><br />The <em>Black Arts Movement </em>of the 60s and 70s, was spawn by young, politically conscious black artists who “proposed as one of its principal aims the grassroots mobilization and politicization of all black-identified people, using literature, music, dance, film and other art forms to achieve both artistic and political autonomy at any price”.<br /><br />So, may I suggest, that the <em>Neo-African American Aesthetic </em>(NAAA) is a continuation of all these things. It is the best of both, with a 21st century awareness. It is art and propaganda reflecting the experiences of us all, the middle-class and the “low-down folks”. It is our beauty and our ugliness, however, presented in a way that is not always crass, not always proper, but always honest. It is an understanding that we no longer have to prove ourselves to be human and worthy to anyone but, each other. It is, in the <em>Age of Obama</em>, an understanding that “we can disagree without being disagreeable”. It is the profound declaration that who we are artistically is essentially priceless, and that no amount of money is worth selling our souls or the souls of our brothers and sisters. The <em>Neo-African American Aesthetic </em>(NAAA) should reflect our love of and commitment to craft, and it should always represent the apogee of our creativity, spirituality and humanity. <br /><br /><br />Source: <em>The Handbook of African American Literature </em>by Hazel Arnett Ervin<br />Artwork: <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/04/arts/design/04scott.html">John T. Scott</a>, 1940-2007persistencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352215267894209487noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30809339.post-5876156290485136132008-12-19T19:10:00.000-08:002008-12-19T19:29:00.931-08:00Exquisite Heats by Cherryl Floyd-Miller<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Exquisite-Heats-Salt-Modern-Poets/dp/1844713113/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229743667&sr=8-1"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SUxi4RpiCRI/AAAAAAAAAwE/fqNMFEGudi8/s1600-h/41T7xh3IjKL__SS500_.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SUxi4RpiCRI/AAAAAAAAAwE/fqNMFEGudi8/s400/41T7xh3IjKL__SS500_.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281705181948545298" /></a></a>It's not only because this poet/visionary/friend has been a powerful contemporary influence in my writing and life that I can't wait to read her new collection of poetry. It's also because I know that Floyd-Miller is a writer's writer; committed to the art, committed to the life. She has an amazing talent, and she embodies the Neo-African American Aesthetic. <em><a href="http://www.saltpublishing.com/books/smp/9781844713110.htm">Exquisite Heats </a></em>(Salt Publishing)is available right now, and would make an excellent Christmas gift.persistencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352215267894209487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30809339.post-2487951454439383772008-12-14T13:46:00.000-08:002008-12-14T18:11:43.555-08:00Where's the Best African American Fiction?<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SUWAU0N6pZI/AAAAAAAAAto/pfVn6ny-GVQ/s1600-h/9780553385342.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 212px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SUWAU0N6pZI/AAAAAAAAAto/pfVn6ny-GVQ/s320/9780553385342.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279767233264526738" /></a>In the class on the Harlem Renaissance that I just completed, there were some who wondered, "Who are the new black writers? Who are the writers who will usher in a new movement in African American Literature?" We (the class) proclaimed this new movement to be the Neo African American Aesthetic. If you're wondering who these writers are check out the new anthology <a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780553385342">Best African American Fiction </a>due out in January, edited by Gerald Early and E. Lynn Harris.<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SUW74-Hp9jI/AAAAAAAAAtw/_-gRVC7-ugg/s1600-h/9780553385366.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 132px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SUW74-Hp9jI/AAAAAAAAAtw/_-gRVC7-ugg/s200/9780553385366.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279832725583951410" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Oh, and be sure to also check out <a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780553385366">Best African American Essays</a>, also edited by Gerald Early with Debra Dickerson!persistencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352215267894209487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30809339.post-89276568033110378272008-12-09T15:05:00.000-08:002008-12-09T15:06:54.373-08:00Now It Feels Like "That" Time of Year...<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RRm5qofw5vs&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RRm5qofw5vs&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>persistencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352215267894209487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30809339.post-54859100946281613782008-12-06T11:46:00.000-08:002008-12-15T08:55:09.195-08:00Gift Card Therapy for Post Semester Anxiety<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/STrXfnns-XI/AAAAAAAAAtg/PLUb2C6g2yM/s1600-h/GiftCards.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/STrXfnns-XI/AAAAAAAAAtg/PLUb2C6g2yM/s400/GiftCards.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276766851629382002" /></a>There is always a point in the semester where I get so caught up with academic assignments that I don’t have time for much else. That point can be almost accurately detected by how far and few in-between my blog posts become. Indeed I have spent the last month wrapping up what has been my last full-time, undergraduate semester. And though I still have a few finals next week, I have completed what was my most important undergraduate assignment; my senior thesis. The thesis was a twenty-page analysis of the slave narrative, <em>From the Darkness Cometh the Light or Struggles for Freedom</em> by the little known writer, Lucy Ann Delaney, wherein I establish Delaney’s work as a “transitional narrative” within the black, female literary tradition. <br /><br />For now, I must focus on final exams, and then just after Christmas, on New Years Eve, I’ll be attempting the BIG, UGLY, EVIL GRE again. And while I don’t get too caught up in the holiday shopping hype, I do like a good sale. And a little retail therapy always helps to calm my post semester anxiety. (I actually do become focused and less agitated when I stroll through Nordstrom’s shoe department.) Except that I don’t have time to hang out in the malls until after the holidays. That’s why I’m one of those people who love receiving <a href="http://giftcardmall.com/">gift cards</a>! <br /><br />However, I’ve recently received emails or heard that so many stores are closing and that the gift cards may be null and void, but I don’t think that’s true. Besides, I can’t hold on to a <a href="http://giftcardmall.com/">gift card </a>that long. And should you receive a gift card, don’t sit on it; spend that money, honey! And, if you’re purchasing gift cards, I suppose you could just ask before you buy. In spite of the recent economy, not every retailer is going to hell in a hand basket. And as I understand it, they’re just waiting for you to use those gift cards. Furthermore, there are <a href="http://www.deloitte.com/dtt/article/0,1002,cid%253D221007,00.html">surveys</a> that show gift cards as being the number one preferred gift, and have been for several years now. <a href="http://giftcardmall.com/">Gift cards </a>make it easy for me to shop at my convenience. And if your friends know you well enough, they know what stores or restaurants you like and what gift card to purchase. So, if you're thinking of me, I'm very confident that Starbucks, Macy's, Barnes & Noble, Target, Whole Foods or any of those stores that I tend to shop at will not be going out of business before next Christmas. And I'll be sure to use those gift cards before then.persistencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352215267894209487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30809339.post-43357215708055718612008-11-04T11:41:00.000-08:002008-11-04T12:33:23.060-08:00Imagine...<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SRCxQv0i_CI/AAAAAAAAAtY/vONZTwrVJso/s1600-h/PO40260-2T.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 230px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SRCxQv0i_CI/AAAAAAAAAtY/vONZTwrVJso/s400/PO40260-2T.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264902865668996130" /></a>persistencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352215267894209487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30809339.post-48685348612974444912008-11-01T13:42:00.000-07:002008-11-01T14:31:59.624-07:00Of Late...<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SQzBZI0xZoI/AAAAAAAAAs4/xHbH_K1-4Gk/s1600-h/untitled.bmp"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SQzBZI0xZoI/AAAAAAAAAs4/xHbH_K1-4Gk/s200/untitled.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263794702098982530" /></a>Sibling Rivalry. The children of Civil Rights icon, Martin Luther King, Jr. continue <a href="http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hYxwylNVdJDYh1HyHrMGhbDp8NuwD9468DPO0">court battle </a>over their mother, Coretta Scott King's personal papers. We understand that these kinds of disagreements and issues can come up in most any family. (I know siblings that have argued over $5000 insurance policies and a 1972 Duce and a Quarter. Not to mention that outside child that daddy never told us about.) So, before we judge let's also remember that business is business; (and in this case we're talking millions of dollars.)And like Berniece King said on the Frank Ski & Wanda Show, they may be Kings, but they're also human.<br /><br />Here's an interesting article in <em>The Root</em> with legendary African writer<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SQzG0EHPjaI/AAAAAAAAAtA/TYOMC1KEnDc/s1600-h/Soyinka%2520photo-HomepageImageComponent.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 159px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SQzG0EHPjaI/AAAAAAAAAtA/TYOMC1KEnDc/s200/Soyinka%2520photo-HomepageImageComponent.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263800662248885666" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.theroot.com/id/48421">Wole Soyinka</a> conducted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. in which he offers his thoughts about "the power-sharing agreement in Zimbabwe, the Sudan, Mugabe and Barack Obama.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SQzJfmJZHdI/AAAAAAAAAtI/pqk9OKeja_o/s1600-h/images.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 90px; height: 133px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SQzJfmJZHdI/AAAAAAAAAtI/pqk9OKeja_o/s200/images.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263803609142336978" /></a><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/01/books/01terkel.html?ref=obituaries">The New York Times pays tribute to American literary icon,Studs Terkel</a>. "In his oral histories, which he called guerrilla journalism, Mr. Terkel relied on his enthusiastic but gentle interviewing style to elicit, in rich detail, the experiences and thoughts of his fellow citizens".persistencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352215267894209487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30809339.post-1553770351248287902008-10-17T09:06:00.000-07:002008-10-17T09:26:00.908-07:00Contemplating My Non-Traditional Time<a href="http://moonhouseart.blogspot.com/2007_04_01_archive.html"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SPi8ctlrD2I/AAAAAAAAAi8/xqSHnYRC80c/s1600-h/Hour_Glass_Skinny_(small).jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SPi8ctlrD2I/AAAAAAAAAi8/xqSHnYRC80c/s320/Hour_Glass_Skinny_(small).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5258159766415019874" /></a></a>Though this semester was supposed to be a little less stressful in order to have more time to work on my thesis, I’ve managed to incorporate History Society meetings, a fitness class three days a week, Sigma Tau Delta, and a hour between classes, twice a week, for elliptical and treadmill. My victory for the last few weeks though is that I have managed to stay consistent in my workouts. (And I’ve even lost a few inches and a few pounds!)<br /><br />But, I sometimes feel like a bit of a fraud. Classmates and colleagues seem to think I have it all together, but as a non-traditional student I have to work really hard to maintain some kind of orderliness in my life. And let me tell you, even though I invested in a really good planner this semester and keep my vacuum cleaner in a visible spot, the truth is, I’m not that good when it comes to <a href="http://www.shopwiki.com/wiki/Housewares+and+Home+Maintenance">organization</a>; that is, organizing my time, activities, studies, etc. I’m more spontaneous, and I tend to handle things as they come; is that bad? I work on class assignments according to what’s due next. And if I can get in a little house <a href="http://www.shopwiki.com/wiki/Housewares+and+Home+Maintenance">cleaning</a>, do a couple loads of laundry, cook a meal, I feel like I’ve had a productive day. But then there are those little jobs I’ve been meaning to get to, but just haven’t had the time, like taking all my photos out of old shoe boxes and buying some of those cute little <a href="http://www.shopwiki.com/wiki/Housewares+and+Home+Maintenance">photo storage boxes </a>to file them in. <br /><br />In a recent lecture on How to Write a Research Paper, there were two words that stood out for me: Time Management. Does that mean scheduling everything? Does it include learning that in the middle of your thesis that your hard drive is dying? Does that include having to wait a half hour before someone takes an hour and a half to install a new hard drive? Does Time Management include standing in those long lines at Wal-Mart to buy a frozen dinner when you don’t have time to cook? How about chatting with your spouse about how his day at work went? How about when the garage door opener stops working? <br />Alas, this is the life of a non-traditional student.persistencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352215267894209487noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30809339.post-54269455429839568222008-10-06T12:32:00.000-07:002008-10-06T12:52:05.031-07:00The Opening of Perry Studios Prompts Some Old Questions<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SOppDEg6SaI/AAAAAAAAAiM/VARg4JJXjw8/s1600-h/Rhapsodies%252520in%252520Black.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SOppDEg6SaI/AAAAAAAAAiM/VARg4JJXjw8/s400/Rhapsodies%252520in%252520Black.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254127416753408418" /></a><br />The opening of the <a href="http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iTI8-lUHjtduhB4xFQenLd7LNE3gD93K2KRG0">Tyler Perry Studios </a>here in Atlanta reminds me of the central debate during the Harlem Renaissance of “Art vs. Propaganda,” and how among black readers and writers, there is still a bit of a conflict surrounding what some think is <em>real</em> literature and “urban fiction”. During the Harlem Renaissance, “a flowering of black culture which included literature, music, painting, sculpture and politics,” there was much discussion of what African Americans should project in their art and literature. The W.E.B. DuBois camp (which included the likes of James Weldon Johnson) felt that “all art is propaganda,” and should reflect the best part of our community and uplift the race (see "<a href="http://coreknowledge.org/grace-abounding/additionalReadingPDFs/WEB%20Du%20Bois%20Criteria%20of%20Negro%20Art.pdf">Criteria of Negro Art</a>"). The Alain Locke camp (which included Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston) believed that we “must choose art and put aside propaganda,” and “choose the role of” not only “group expression,” but “free individualistic expression” as well. We’ve all heard about Richard Wright’s discontent with Zora Neale Hurston’s (and James Baldwin’s) work. He criticized her and Baldwin for not dealing with race or “the Negro problem” in their work. <br /><br />So in 2008, as writers and readers, what <em>should</em> we be dealing with? Some might argue that during the Renaissance, when Negros were becoming new (see "<a href="http://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/pdocs/locke_new.pdf">The New Negro </a>" by Alain Locke), there was a need to portray an image of ourselves that we could hold before the world as proof of our competence and desire to live equally among the human race, (mostly white America). Some might say that we shouldn’t air our dirty laundry, or show the ugly side of black life, (even today, when you’d think that the Oprah’s, Condoleezza’s and the Baracks would be proof enough of our possibilities). <br /><br />I think that we are still becoming new; not so much to the world as to ourselves. And while I don’t have a problem with Omar Tyree or Zane getting paid to do what they do, I’m hoping that in my lifetime, black writers who are motivated by a true desire to master the craft of writing, building a strong literary foundation, and adhering to the standards of traditional, classic literature will encourage readers to elevate their reading expectations and experience through their work. [And, while I am more likely to see an August Wilson play than any production starring “Medea,” I applaud Perry for his determination, his success, and on being the first to build a black-owned and operated film empire.]persistencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352215267894209487noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30809339.post-8319433641292617962008-09-06T16:36:00.000-07:002008-09-06T18:23:52.361-07:00Poetic Epigraphs<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SMMd5GTf39I/AAAAAAAAAhc/5mZ-5lEbQ-A/s1600-h/trees5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SMMd5GTf39I/AAAAAAAAAhc/5mZ-5lEbQ-A/s320/trees5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243067257971531730" /></a><br />Many narratives of former slaves were written to expose the atrocities of slavery in the south, appealing to citizens in the north to help put an end to the institution. There are many recognizable elements of this genre in most every narrative such as an engraved and signed portrait of the author, an account of his/her family history, the statement "I was born," followed by the place and sometimes the date of birth, and then there are the poetic epigraphs, (often used at the beginning of chapters or the narrative itself in order to set the mood of what proceeds it).<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SMMdtOIYY2I/AAAAAAAAAhU/0rX6BQzZa7E/s1600-h/N3CABA9NE3CAF8HNSKCA7HDRTCCA84JPZDCANTML7TCAIDHYRFCAVPOXANCAW90I5ACALEJXG0CA2VZ1J5CACPDEG9CAMENH6CCAMOMHUACAVIAFPYCADZI3ZTCAY5SCYTCACNHVYECAJBPJDE.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SMMdtOIYY2I/AAAAAAAAAhU/0rX6BQzZa7E/s200/N3CABA9NE3CAF8HNSKCA7HDRTCCA84JPZDCANTML7TCAIDHYRFCAVPOXANCAW90I5ACALEJXG0CA2VZ1J5CACPDEG9CAMENH6CCAMOMHUACAVIAFPYCADZI3ZTCAY5SCYTCACNHVYECAJBPJDE.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243067053913957218" /></a><em> In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass</em>, he quotes the writer whom he calls "the slave's poet," John Greenleaf Whittier:<br /><blockquote>Gone, gone, sold and gone<br />To the rice swamp dank and lone,<br />From Virginia hills and waters-<br />Woe is me, my stolen daughters!</blockquote><br />In the narrative that I am studying for my thesis, Lucy Ann Delaney (though she does not mention having acquired any formal education) employs the verse of several Victorian poets.<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SMMjrSwLqLI/AAAAAAAAAh0/nE7YpRO07Q4/s1600-h/3PCAGRE3U3CA2QQ6OCCADPPZYNCAGYBUFACATTVDRFCA1K2UOKCALG93CXCAFKYEJ4CAKX0BQACATE0ON4CAQXFHA6CAJML7MMCA3JPW35CA4JOCDMCACMM50TCAQWM5VWCA68DZ03CAKSAOWD.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SMMjrSwLqLI/AAAAAAAAAh0/nE7YpRO07Q4/s320/3PCAGRE3U3CA2QQ6OCCADPPZYNCAGYBUFACATTVDRFCA1K2UOKCALG93CXCAFKYEJ4CAKX0BQACATE0ON4CAQXFHA6CAJML7MMCA3JPW35CA4JOCDMCACMM50TCAQWM5VWCA68DZ03CAKSAOWD.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243073617864665266" /></a><br />In the dedication, she uses the last two lines from a stanza in a piece by British writer,George Linnaeus Banks, a poem entitled "My Aim":<br /><blockquote>I live to learn their story who suffered for my sake;<br />To emulate their glory and follow in their wake:<br />Bards, patriots, martyrs, sages the heroic of all ages,<br />Whose deeds crowd History's pages, and Time's great volumes make.</blockquote><br />And from the sonnet sequence <em>Book of Day Dreams</em> by the Phillidelphia born poet, Charles Leonard Moore, she quotes: <br /><blockquote>Soon is the echo and the shadow o'er, <br />Soon, soon we lie with lid-encumbered eyes <br />And the great fabrics that we reared before <br />Crumble to make a dust to hide who dies. </blockquote><br />I believe these writers integrated the poetry of the day to dispel the myth that black people could not be educated. I also feel that these epigraphs are a tribute to the idea that even after having been through the horrors of slavery black people could still find beauty and solace in the poet's song.persistencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352215267894209487noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30809339.post-61112551256619521102008-08-28T17:49:00.000-07:002008-08-28T18:02:23.359-07:00Of Historical Proportions<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SLdIemazVWI/AAAAAAAAAhM/4IV5fVdJwUw/s1600-h/EWCALOVF2MCAM6HUJ8CAHC803ICABCOUH0CAVSM0L8CAU23LIICA43YHFWCAG38YP6CAAX1ICFCASDWC3RCAJ9W67NCAYO07WBCAWHF39XCAN7U918CAJAUXRSCAO7QFL6CAU5EA10CATSHL64.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SLdIemazVWI/AAAAAAAAAhM/4IV5fVdJwUw/s200/EWCALOVF2MCAM6HUJ8CAHC803ICABCOUH0CAVSM0L8CAU23LIICA43YHFWCAG38YP6CAAX1ICFCASDWC3RCAJ9W67NCAYO07WBCAWHF39XCAN7U918CAJAUXRSCAO7QFL6CAU5EA10CATSHL64.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239736382015100258" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SLdIaMQnQ8I/AAAAAAAAAhE/tHRihuHHw8E/s1600-h/images.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SLdIaMQnQ8I/AAAAAAAAAhE/tHRihuHHw8E/s200/images.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239736306273567682" /></a><a href="http://2p.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SLdIVdDnDXI/AAAAAAAAAg8/QfqWt2C8Bg4/s1600-h/U7CAW4NXF8CA8OH0VSCA44VUFLCA9C20LHCAXSVR54CA94MITGCANCDG9MCA9IE5TJCA16ORX4CAQ3ZMY1CAPS6H97CA7SQ3BMCA0SP2K2CAKLZEM7CAJ7WLSXCALDG2Z8CALJON2MCAHU5A4K.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SLdIVdDnDXI/AAAAAAAAAg8/QfqWt2C8Bg4/s200/U7CAW4NXF8CA8OH0VSCA44VUFLCA9C20LHCAXSVR54CA94MITGCANCDG9MCA9IE5TJCA16ORX4CAQ3ZMY1CAPS6H97CA7SQ3BMCA0SP2K2CAKLZEM7CAJ7WLSXCALDG2Z8CALJON2MCAHU5A4K.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5239736224883084658" /></a>No matter how you slice it, it's just plain Historical; that a black man is accepting the nomination of a major politcal party to possibly become the president of the United States of America. I have to admit, I didn't think he'd get this far. Now, I believe that it just might happen. But, I just wonder though: remember how your grandmother or auntie used to have the photographs of Martin, John and Jesus hanging on the wall like members of the family? Will a new generation add Obama's portrait?persistencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352215267894209487noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30809339.post-68282946605124145342008-08-19T17:43:00.000-07:002008-08-19T18:37:43.504-07:00Counting Down to Graduation<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SKt0pO6_O1I/AAAAAAAAAgc/0SysZQr3ZeQ/s1600-h/9780521856997.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SKt0pO6_O1I/AAAAAAAAAgc/0SysZQr3ZeQ/s320/9780521856997.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236407243477302098" /></a>I'm really excited today,first: because today I begin my last full-time semester as an undergraduate student. I won't graduate until May, but I'll only be part-time starting in January. I'm also excited because I deliberately saved African American literature and studies for my last year, in order to spend this time reading and writing about the work that I was raised on and inspired by. With the exception of a World Music class, (which I'm taking to satisfy a humanties requirement), I'm taking a second semester of African American literature from 1919-the present, an African American studies class on the Harlem Renaissance, and I will be doing my thesis which is a close reading of the narrative, <em>From the Darkness Cometh the Light or Struggles for Freedom</em> by Lucy Ann Delaney. <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SKts-gjS_bI/AAAAAAAAAfc/IQyDnSLHud0/s1600-h/8188287.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SKts-gjS_bI/AAAAAAAAAfc/IQyDnSLHud0/s200/8188287.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236398812894002610" /></a><br />I am especially geeked about the Harlem Renaissance class, not only because we will look at the films <em>Lady Sings the Blues </em>and <em>The Great Debaters</em>, but the text for the class will be engaging and I can't wait to get into that whole "art as propaganda" discussion brought forth by W.E.B. DuBois, and <em>The Negro and the Racial Mountain</em> by Langston Hughes. In addition to the <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Norton-Anthology-African-American-Literature/dp/0393977781/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219194870&sr=8-1">Norton Anthology of African American Literature</a></em> edited by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (and the late Nellie McKay), I'll be reading <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cambridge-Companion-Renaissance-Companions-Literature/dp/0521673682/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219194212&sr=1-6">The Cambridge Companion to the Harlem Renaissance</a></em> edited by George Hutchinson, and <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Voices-Harlem-Renaissance-Nathan-Huggins/dp/0195093607/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219194930&sr=1-1">Voices From the Harlem Renaissance</a> </em>by veteran, Nathan Irvin Huggins. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gem_of_the_Ocean"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SKtyJJ038jI/AAAAAAAAAf0/n10ygvHRbAg/s1600-h/untitled.bmp"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SKtyJJ038jI/AAAAAAAAAf0/n10ygvHRbAg/s320/untitled.bmp" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236404493330412082" /></a></a>We'll also be reading Ernest J. Gaines' <em>A Lesson Before Dying</em>, <em>Their Eyes Were Watching God</em>, and August Wilson's <em>The Piano Lesson</em>. If that isn't enough, we'll also be seeing productions of Wilson's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gem_of_the_Ocean"><em>Gem of the Ocean</em></a> and <em>Radio Golf</em>. <br />Is this school, or literary Heaven?<br /><br />[Last photo is a scene from Wilson's <em>Gem of the Ocean</em>.]persistencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352215267894209487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30809339.post-39340305600008019062008-08-12T18:39:00.000-07:002008-08-12T19:02:10.199-07:00Life After the GRE<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SKI-itIJr1I/AAAAAAAAAfE/DOEf65E6uTg/s1600-h/gre1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SKI-itIJr1I/AAAAAAAAAfE/DOEf65E6uTg/s320/gre1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233814482908196690" /></a>So I'm trying to look on the bright side after failing miserably on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graduate_Record_Examination">Graduate Record Examination </a>(GRE). This is the standardized test one has to take if one desires to attend graduate school. And while my hopes of getting into graduate school have been doused only momentarily (uh, I will be taking it again...you know, if at first you don't succeed, yadda, yadda, yadda), it has got me to thinking about what in the world will I do with myself come August 2009. For starters, I can try and get used to the idea of working an eight or nine hour day again. Lord knows that'll be the hardest part. I could also work on a more consistant workout schedule; loose a few extra pounds. And hey! I'll also have more time to start reading all the books that I never have time to read because of class assignments. Most of all, I'll be able to focus more on my own writing again. I wrote the most during those times when that was all I had, and now that I have a little more of a foundation I believe I can create a stronger process for myself; become more disciplined. Yes, that's it! I'll turn lemons into mojitos! Okay, so I'll use limes, but it'll work for what I could use right now.persistencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352215267894209487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30809339.post-46393029237363320962008-08-10T13:42:00.000-07:002008-08-10T13:45:13.122-07:00Black Moses<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SJ9TMqQzWgI/AAAAAAAAAe8/ZEwQFOwq2e0/s1600-h/images.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SJ9TMqQzWgI/AAAAAAAAAe8/ZEwQFOwq2e0/s400/images.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232992768996104706" /></a> Isaac Hayes, 1942-2008persistencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352215267894209487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30809339.post-90129976834761820512008-08-09T08:34:00.000-07:002008-08-09T08:39:19.548-07:00King of Comedy<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SJ251Yl-ZqI/AAAAAAAAAek/AfTRFuq9FIg/s1600-h/200px-MrBernieMac.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_YqSyhHxndUk/SJ251Yl-ZqI/AAAAAAAAAek/AfTRFuq9FIg/s320/200px-MrBernieMac.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232542668860319394" /></a> Bernard Jeffery McCullough<br />"Bernie Mac" 1957-2008persistencehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352215267894209487noreply@blogger.com0