I’ve been slow on the blogging, but I’m getting caught up on my reading. I’m about to pick up Michael Eric Dyson’s recent release, April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Death and How It Changed America.

From Amazon.com:

Jennifer Weiner, one of the leader’s of the chick lit genre (though she takes issues with that term), recently signed a seven-figure TV deal with ABC Studios. Weiner will create and executive produce series projects for the studio.

Weiner has authored such bestsellers as Good In Bed, Goodnight Nobody, Little Earthquakes, The Guy Not Taken and In Her Shoes, which was adapted into a 2005 feature film starring Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette. While I’ve only seen In Her Shoes, I read and liked Little Earthquakes, so kudos to her.  

I’m praying for the day when some of AA lit’s beloved authors will get such opportunities to develop work for the small or big screen. I am a diehard fan of Sex & The City, but it’s a doggone shame the way the CW played Girlfriends. Carrie Bradshaw got a proper sendoff (and now movie). Why didn’t Joan Clayton get to ride off into the sunset too?

And the writers’ strike is no excuse, CW.  But I guess since they renewed The Game and Everybody Hates Chris, we’re supposed to be alright.

AOL Black Voices reports about Walter Mosley’s new release, The Tempest Tales. Mosley’s book will be released in May by Black Classics Press. Here’s the summary of the book:

Tempest Landry, an everyman African American, is “accidentally” killed by a cop. Denied access to heaven because of what he considers a few minor transgressions, Tempest refuses to go to hell. Stymied, Saint Peter sends him back to Harlem, where a guiding angel tries to convince him to accept Saint Peter’s judgment, and even the Devil himself tries to win over Tempest’s soul. Through the street-smart Landry, Mosley poses the provocative question: Is sin for blacks the same as it is for whites? And who gets to decide?

Sounds very interesting and provocative. I’m a fan of Mosley’s work and admire his commitment to the advancement of African American literature. Here’s a sneak peek at the book’s cover: 

Photo: Jeff Gentner/Getty

Don’t ya’ll dare accuse me of gossiping. Star Jones is an author, so this counts as a topic of interest to the African-American gossip literary community.  

Star and Al are divorcing. And it was reported by People, so you know it’s official.

I’m never one to gloat over celeb break-ups (though someone please save Katie Holmes), because a split is hard no matter who you are. Star’s taken alot of heat in the press, whether deserved or not, but she’s still  a woman that’s been doing her thing. 

In case you forgot:

Ok, well maybe not that one. How about this:

No, we’re not talking about the time left until the end of the Democratic primary.

Jill Scott, one of my favorite artists, recently released “The Moment, The Minutes, The Hours: The Poetry of Jill Scott.” I’m sure this book is as wonderful as her music, so she’s definitely added to the list of must-reads.

Side note: I’m nearly finished with Martha Southgate’s “Third Girl From The Left.” Great read. We don’t review books (to avoid any conflict of interest issues), but I can definitely recommend it.   

 Photo Source: Maya Angelou’s Official Website

The phenomenal Maya Angelou recently celebrated her 80th birthday. Dr. Angelou is immensely talented on several fronts, and she is a personal favorite of mine.

I remember reading I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings as a child on my own, thank you, and being swept into her body of literary works. From documenting her incredible journey to directing movies and setting off Bill Clinton’s ‘93 inauguration, Dr. Angelou is truly incredible.    

Here are a few quotes to get you through the day, but I highly encourage you to spend some time with Dr. Angelou’s work:

• “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
• “A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.”
• “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
• “Nothing will work unless you do.”
• “The idea is to write it so that people hear it and it slides through the brain and goes straight to the heart.”
• “I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass.”

We received a nice email from Derrick A. Young over at Mahogany Books, an Internet bookstore specializing in African-American books. Derrick (like we’re on a first name basis), has a nice blog (The Lit Lounge) dedicated to African-American books, and he was kind enough to give us a shout-out.

We’re definitely adding The Lit Lounge to the blogroll. And not just because he mentioned us. We’re not that self-serving. It’s just refreshing to see African-American publishing professionals with a sincere passion for books and promoting authors and relevant news.  

The Huffington Post covered the release of Cliff Schecter’s new book “The Real McCain,” which chronicles the presidential hopeful’s “legendary anger streak.”

HuffPo, which obtained an advance copy of Schecter’s book, cited an altercation between McCain and Arizona Republican Rick Renzi. HuffPo also reports that ” the website Raw Story obtained a separate anecdote from Schecter’s book, in which McCain berated his wife in the full view of aides and reporters during a 1992 campaign stop.”

Read the full article here. And McCain’s response here.

Since I don’t have any political writers yet, here’s some news you can use…

As a criminal defense attorney (day job), I often deal with defendants who share similar histories of early, childhood entry into drugs and criminal activity. Although President Bush has given us lots to criticize him for during his administration, kudos to the President and the bipartisan effort to help ex-convicts.

One of my gripes with the criminal justice system is its focus on punishment, and, not, rehabilitation and eventual re-entry. This is not a bleeding heart liberal issue, but one affecting our country at all levels, as we face growing incarceration rates.     

From The Washington Post:

“President Bush yesterday reached across traditional political dividing lines to sign into law a broad program that provides federal grants for assistance to ex-convicts, pointing to his own struggle with alcohol addiction as an example of redemption.

…

The new law has broad support among prisoner advocacy groups, liberal criminal-justice organizations, and many Democrats who otherwise differ with Bush or his policies. It grew out of at least five years of negotiations between Democrats and Republicans, partly about the participation of religious organizations in counseling financed by Washington, according to administration officials, lawmakers and others involved in the process.

The law would provide $326 million in grants to local governments and nonprofit groups for various programs aimed at departing or former convicts, including housing and medical assistance, drug treatment and employment services. Appropriations for the grants still await approval by Congress and Bush, however.

Full article here.

Sorry for the infrequent posting. I’ve been away, though with today’s technology, that excuse goes out the window (especially since I have two cell phones, a Blackberry and my trusty broadband card). Ok, let’s try that again.

I’ve been really busy, juggling the day job, reading submissions, researching a few projects, jumping on a political campaign, and reading for leisure. No matter what I do, or where I go, I have to take at least an hour to read something. Not just something on a computer screen, but an author’s labor of love that I can hold in my hands.  

As I said in an earlier posting, I’m about to start Martha Southgate’s “Third Girl From The Left,” but I had to take some time to remember Dr. King’s legacy, his demand for equality and the challenge that he left to all of us. I wasn’t around in the 60’s (for the record, I didn’t come through until the latter part of the 70’s) , but I still feel as if I’m a child of MLK.

In fact, we all are. Dr. King was an unoffficial father, mentor and source of inspiration to millions of African-Americans and supporters of the Civil Rights Movement. Without him, as well as other fearless leaders like: Thurgood Marshall, the Little Rock Nine, Rosa Parks, Dr. Cleveland Sellers, James Meredith, Fannie Lou Hamer, Septima Clark, Malcolm X, Medgar Evers, SNCC, SCLC, etc., we wouldn’t have the wealth of opportunities that we currently enjoy (and take for granted).  

When I think of their challenge to all of us as Americans, it pushes me to work harder, to reach back and to lift those around me. Although Dr. King is regarded as one of the world’s greatest orators, it’s important to dig into the significance of his words, which are a living call to action for all of us.   

I highly recommend ”A Call To Conscience: The Landmark Speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr“ by Clayborne Carson and Kris Shepard, and Carson’s “A Knock At Midnight: Inspiration from the Great Sermons of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr,” which he co-authored with Peter Holloran.

Dr. King’s words are timeless, and I hope that we’ll continue to share and celebrate them with future generations.