I had a long conversation with a writer friend a few weeks ago about how amazed I am that Black women I know had not heard of some of the best contemporary writers in our community.
It shocks me every time I mention Pearl Cleage and the person I'm talking to doesn't know who she is or hasn't read her. Even when she is a regular reader.
Well, I got a little comeuppance today. I saw on Tayari Jones' blog that Linda Villarosa has a novel out - and an essay here talking about how she made the shift from journalist to novelist.
I know who Linda Villarosa is - and you probably do too if you've ever read a few issues of Essence. Yet I had no idea she had a novel out. And I will definitely go and get it this fall.
So, it's not that people aren't reaching for books, it's just that they are not hearing about them. Even when, like me, they spend hours every day thinking about books and authors and publicity and such.
We have almost too many sources and in some ways not nearly enough reach or memory to know everything that's out there. It's not a great tragedy if you miss one book, but I think it's a shame when good and great authors go unnoticed.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Saturday, October 04, 2008
White privilege, broken down
Alternet has a good piece up that shows how McCain and Palin benefit from white privilege. Basically the piece breaks it down on Palin, with a few nods to McCain.
Seal Press has calls for submissions up for an anthology of letters from girlfriend to girlfriend and a book about divorce.
Just Like a Girl, an anthology from Girl Child Press is on tour. Actually, Michelle Sewell, founder of the press and editor of the anthology is touring. Check out the dates here.
Seal Press has calls for submissions up for an anthology of letters from girlfriend to girlfriend and a book about divorce.
Just Like a Girl, an anthology from Girl Child Press is on tour. Actually, Michelle Sewell, founder of the press and editor of the anthology is touring. Check out the dates here.
Friday, October 03, 2008
Jail or Bailout? Political books
Do you think the folks behind our financial mess should go to jail? Someone over at Rushmore Drive thinks so..
Political books are all the rage - literally. I can't believe folks gave grief to Gwen Ifill over her upcoming book on race and politics. What's really cool, though is that her publisher must really love the huge promotional (free!) attention she received as people argued about it.
And wouldn't you know it - it's already available for pre-order at Amazon. Yep, her publisher must love all this attention.
If you look at the "customers who bought this" list below, almost all of the titles are very anti-left, Barack-bashing or Palin/McCain lifting books. Strange, since there was an implication that Ifill's book would be pro-Barack. If it's pro-Barack, why does Amazon try to hook the user up with anti-left, anti-progressive titles.
Is there a glitch or is somebody trying to pull a cyber hoodwink?
Political books are all the rage - literally. I can't believe folks gave grief to Gwen Ifill over her upcoming book on race and politics. What's really cool, though is that her publisher must really love the huge promotional (free!) attention she received as people argued about it.
And wouldn't you know it - it's already available for pre-order at Amazon. Yep, her publisher must love all this attention.
If you look at the "customers who bought this" list below, almost all of the titles are very anti-left, Barack-bashing or Palin/McCain lifting books. Strange, since there was an implication that Ifill's book would be pro-Barack. If it's pro-Barack, why does Amazon try to hook the user up with anti-left, anti-progressive titles.
Is there a glitch or is somebody trying to pull a cyber hoodwink?
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