YOU HAVE TO ENTER TO WIN

The Speculative Literature Foundation was launched in January 2004 to promote literary quality in speculative fiction. Every year they offer a grant for older writers . Every year I put off entering. Well, this year I got my behind in gear and entered a selection from my novel Act of Grace and guess what I won!!!

They said of my work

"We enjoyed your writing sample very much, especially the compelling opening that pulls the reader into the story, the tight, sharp, beautiful prose, and Grace's folksy-but-modern-Southern-down-home narrative voice that's both straightforward and intimate. "

Information about me and my entry should be up on the SLF website so take a look, and all you writers who are over fifty please take the time to enter next year.

An Old Song For A New Revolution

WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED

We shall not, we shall not be moved

We shall not, we shall not be moved

Black and white together,

We shall not be moved

LiveJournaler neo_prodigy has created a campaign and Live Journal community for visibility of speculative fiction fans, artist and writer of color inspired by the infamous and still on going RaceFail 09 .

He asked that on Monday May 18, 2009, anyone who identifies as a POC/non-white post the beautiful Banner above along with, their speculative short stories, artwork, poetry or simply write a post on their blogs as an act of protest to show we will not be silent or invisible.

The day of protest is entitled Fen Of Color United or more aptly, FOC_U.
White allies are encouraged to also show solidarity for this event by posting the banner above and expressing the need for diversity and speaking out against the bigotry in the genre, through posts and/or their creative work as well.

Full post: http://community.livejournal.com/foc_u/435.html

Hitting My Stride

For some reason this birthday has been really hard to deal with. Instead of being grateful to God that I have lived 50 something years, I’ve been counting all my regrets and chastising myself for still being alone. I was wallowing in pity until I came upon a blog post by author, and hoodoo man extraordinaire, Dr. Arthur Flowers. This is what he wrote in praise of older women:


As I grow in age, I value women over 40 most of all. Here are just a few reasons why:

A woman over 40 will never wake you in the middle of the night and ask, 'What are you thinking?' She doesn't care what you think. If a woman over 40 doesn't want to watch the game, she doesn't sit around whining about it. She does something she wants to do, and it's usually more interesting. Women over 40 are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant.! Of course, if you deserve it, they won't hesitate to shoot you if they think they can get away with it. Older women are generous with praise, often undeserved. They know what it's like to be unappreciated. Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to a woman over 40. Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over 40 is far sexier than her younger counterpart. Older women are forthright and honest. They'll tell you right off if you are a jerk if you are acting like one. You don't ever have to wonder where you stand with her. Yes, we! praise women over 40 for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, it's not reciprocal . For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed, hot woman over 40, there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow pants making a fool of himself with some 22-year old waitress. Ladies, I apologize.

For all those men who say, 'Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?', here's an update for you. Nowadays 80% of women are against marriage . Why? Because women realize it's not worth buying an entire pig just to get a little sausage!


40? 50 is when they really hit their stride

I felt better after reading this. Thank you, Dr. Flowers, thank you. When I think about it I guess I really am just hitting my stride.

Colson Whitehead Coming to Ann Arbor

I was just musing the other day about all the authors I would love to meet in person. I guess the universe heard me, because the top one on my list is coming to my hometown, just in time for my birthday.

Colson Whitehead, best known as the author of the novels John Henry Days and The Intuitionist is coming to the Ann Arbor Book Festival( May 17-19). I love his work and I’m going to hear him speak at a breakfast function. I promise not to make a fool out of myself by acting like a clueless fan.

While here he will be teaching a workshop at the Festival's writers conference. Below is the name of the workshop and the description.

How to Write, Or A Few Things I Learned From Listening to the Donna Summer Version of 'MacArthur Park'

The writing process is challenging for any writer. This session will present keen insights into the process from one of our country's most celebrated young writers. Come meet him, hear his story, and find out what he means by this rather interesting title, suggested by him!


Colson Whitehead will also be talking about and signing his new novel Sag Harbor. I heard it's great and I'm looking forward to reading it.

Round One

Where I’ve Been

Sorry I've been away so long, but I had some fighting business to take care of . This last couple of months it been me and 75 pages of the second novel alone in quiet places. One of us was going to drop. One of us was going to get knocked out. The novel thought she was going to win, she thought she had the stamina to make me throw up my writing fingers and quit. But ha. ..ha... ha..I took her out. The novel now has a name(Canter) and she's wearing a exciting coherent plot plus a couple of nice new chapters.

I’m the winner at least until the next round.

The Origins Of Black American Heroes

As I drop deeper into the world of my new, still untitled, novel, I realize certain themes echo through my work. At present what fascinates me are: Father/daughter relationships, dreams, myths, Africanisms in the United States, the nature of good, evil, love and forgiveness. This has led me to think about the books that inform my writing.


One of my favorite nonfiction books is the The Hero with An African Face by Dr. Clyde W. Ford. I have read my copy down to its gluey spine. Ford's work helped me frame my last novel, Act of Grace, so that my words got to the heart of what I was trying to express.

The Rites of Passage Organization said:


The Hero With An African Face identifies and explores the connection between humanity and divinity found throughout traditional mythologies of Africa. In the book, Ford takes readers on a journey into the mythologies of sub-Saharan Africa, presenting timeless insights into the human spirit that reveal the power and importance of ancient African myth. He places it among the great mythological traditions of ancient Greeks, Romans, Chinese, and Native Americans. It is also the first book to show the similarity between African spiritual traditions and their counterparts in Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Native American spirituality, and other spiritual traditions worldwide.

Mythology was traditionally a means of healing self and society by helping people baring the circumstances of their lives into harmony with larger concerns. As Ford writes, "Myths bring us into accord with the eternal mysteries of being, help us manage the inevitable passages of our lives, and give us templates for our relationship with the societies in which we live." In the book, Ford explores how African myths convey the perennial wisdom of humanity: the creation of the world, the hero's journey, our relationship with nature, death, and resurrection. Ford shows how many myths reveal the intimacy of human and animal spirits, and explores the arhetypal forces of the orishas - the West African deities that were carried to the Americas in the African Diaspora. Ultimately, Ford points out that these myths enable us to see the history of African Americans in a new light - as a hero' journey, a courageous passage to a hard-won victory.

Interview with Dr. Ford done by Fearless Books.

Dr. Ford is also a wonderful novelist, dedicated to bringing back the nautical novel. Check out his new literary work on his web site.

Good Luck New Years Pie

I’m a great admirer of George Washington Carver and his work to feed and uplift the poor of his time. He was one of the original ecologist and recycler. He loved to breed plants and this painting reveals him in the midst of cross-pollinating a variety of amaryllis named after him.

People know Carver as the Peanut Man but he also did considerable work with sweet potatoes and black eye peas. Below is recipe for a sweet black eye pea pie I concocted based on his original recipe. ( I have a recipe for a savory pea pie which I will post later.) I once made about fifty of these for an event at a botanical gardens just so the audience could taste a bit of history. I was dog tiered after the event but the letters I received from the public and especially school children was well worth it.

George Washington Carver's Black-eyed Pea Pie

Black eye peas make a wonderful pie but in order for it to be an attractive pie you will have to spend time rubbing off as many of the black spotted skins as possible.( Skinning peas is a time consuming processes and if you don’t care that the filling of the pie will have a dull gray color than use the cooked peas whole). Skinning the pea can be done with dry peas; as you let them soak you start rubbing them to release the hulls and then when you rinse the peas the hulls will float up and off with running water. You will have to do this several times. Once the peas are clean, cook them as you would other beans according to the directions on the back of the bag until soft.

(Please note you get essentially the same kind of pie with it's higher fiber content and an attractive color by using navy beans. Cook the dry Navy bean according to directions on the bag until done . )

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

2 Cups of Cooked Peas (Processes peas or beans in a food processors until smooth)
1 Stick Butter ( room temperature or melted)
4 Eggs
14 oz of Evaporated Milk
2 Tablespoons of Flour
2 Cups of Sugar
2 Tablespoons Vanilla
1 teaspoon Nutmeg
1 teaspoon Cinnamon

In mixing bowl add beans, butter, milk, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon and flour mix about 2-3 minuets . Add sugar and vanilla mix well. Pour into pie shells bake about one hour or until golden brown . Makes about 2 to 3 bean pies

An important tip: 5 minute after removing pies from oven cover them with good plastic wrap that clings I found that saran wrap is best although I’m sure there may be others that work just as well. This covering helps the filling of the pies to set up .

Enjoy!!!!!!!