Black Issues Book Review articles from September 2002

Black Issues Book Review archives from September 2002

from the editor-in-chief.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... The world has changed more than seems possible in one year. Looking at the cover of our September-October 2001 issue of BIBR, it seems a luxury that we could devote an entire issue to matters of literary culture. (Our focus was the hip-hop...

Executive editor's view.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... For BIBR, this issue marks a time for us to reflect on a number of critical issues in the lives of our readers. Obviously, the anniversary of the events that took place on September 11, 2001, will be on many people's minds. It is difficult to...

Omar gets mixed reviews. (letters to the editor).
September 1, 2002... Just wanted to give a shout-out to a homeboy! I also hail from Philadelphia. I had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Tyree speak this summer in New Orleans, and I was quite impressed with his thoughts. I look forward to more great books from Mr....

Praise for self-pub special. (letters to the editor).
September 1, 2002... I just finished perusing the informative article, "A Writer's Guide to Self-Publishing," by Tracy Grant. As a black writer exploring various publishing-marketing options, I am grateful for this helpful, supportive and responsive resource...

Corrections.(Correction Notice)
September 1, 2002... In the July-August issue, we incorrectly listed the contact information for the Evanston High School book club. The address for the Boon `R' Us Book Club is 1600 Dodge Avenue, Media & Technology Department, Evanston, IL 60204. The contact is...

Deals. (Between the lines: the inside scoop on what's happening in the publishing industry).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... After years of dishing out celebrity gossip daily on the radio, New York's WBLS FM "shock jock" Wendy Williams will finally deliver the dish on herself. The self-proclaimed "Queen of the Radio" will expand on the hot topics she discusses...

Events corner. (Between the lines: the inside scoop on what's happening in the publishing industry).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Authors Pavilion September 11-14, 2002 Washington Convention Center Washington, DC www.cbcfonline.org Once again, BIBR will co-sponsor the Authors Pavilion during the annual meeting of the...

Black Americans in Publishing call for action. (News).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Black professionals in book publishing are pressing for new initiatives to increase their ranks in the field. "African Americans and other ethnic groups continue to be underrepresented in the book world by an alarming degree," warned Black...

Awards spotlight. (News).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Congratulations to Victor Lavalle on winning the 2002 PEN/Open Book Beyond Margins Award for his first book Slapboxing with Jesus. His debut novel, The Ectastic is due out from Crown in November 2002. Tananarive Due and Al Young were...

Penguin Putnam. (People On The Move).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Sadeqa Murray Johnson, who joined Penguin Putnam as a publicist in 2000, has been promoted to Publicity Manager. She will continue to work with authors on Putnam and Riverhead imprints including Bebe Moore Campbell, James Mc Bride, T.D Jakes...

Amistad/HarperCollins. (People On The Move).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Tara Brown has been promoted to Assistant Director of Publicity for Amistad/HarperCollins and will continue to handle authors across many imprints. Brown joined HarperCollins in 1999 as a senior publicist and was promoted to Publicity Manager...

Publishing's Queen of Harlem. (BIBR spotlight: Janet Hill).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... In a world where high-paying salaries are usually associated with doctors, lawyers, stockbrokers and IT specialists, publishing has been called the "accidental" profession. Recently, over dinner at New York's Hudson hotel, Janet Hill, one of...

Freedom: a Photographic History of the African Struggle. (eye).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Text by Manning Marable and Leith Mullings Pictures edited by Sophie Spencer-Wood Phaidon Press, October 2002 $59.95, ISBN 0-714-84270-2 Freedom is elusive, in concept and reality. But the road to liberation chronicled in Freedom:...

Dox Thrash: an African American Master Printmaker Rediscovered.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... by John Ittmann with essays by David R. Brigham, Cindy Medley-Buckner and Kymberly N. Pinder University of Washington Press January 2002 $50.00, ISBN 0-295-98159-8 In the final paragraphs of Modern Negro Art, artist-scholar James A. Porter...

Black Romantic: the Figurative Impulse in Contemporary African-American Art.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... From the Studio Museum in Harlem by Thelma Golden with Valerie Cassel, Lowery Stokes Sims, et al., April 2002 $25.00, ISBN 0-942-94923-4 In Black Romantic, there's a painting of a dapper young man wearing a suit with thick, black, billowy...

Pimpnosis.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Photos by Tracy Funches and text by Rob Marriott HarperEntertainment, August 2002 $34.95, ISBN 0-066-21165-4 Tracy Funches and Rob Marriott's Pimpnosis represents as fine an object-lesson in the art of "the game" as any exploit found in...

Aerosol Kingdom: Subway Painters of New York City.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... by Ivor L. Miller, foreword by Robert Farris Thompson University Press of Mississippi, August 2002 $30.00, ISBN 1-578-06465-1 New York City is renowned for its varied cultural kindling in art, music and theater. However, of the many...

Authors on the Web: changing the book marketing status quo. (book bytes).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Gone are the days when authors promoted their books only when a new one was being released--the obligatory book signings at superstores or the independent neighborhood bookstore and press interviews. Marketing plans are fine, but that's not all...

Staying Fresh is the Key. (Online Booksellers).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Jokae's African-American Books (www.jokaes.com) It could just be me, but isn't Jokae's African-American Books looking better than ever? In case you didn't know, www.jokaes.com is the online sister to Jokae's offline store in Dallas, Texas....

Creating a Web of mystery.(African American authors online marketing)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Angela Henry is the founder and webmaster of MystNoir (http://mystnoir0.tripod.com/ MystNoirDir/), a website which promotes African-American mystery writers and characters. Created in 2000, in response to what Henry felt was a lack of exposure...

Just for kids: Kulturezone.com.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... If you thought you'd have a hard time directing your kids to educational sites where the graphics actually featured people of color, you haven't seen Kulturezone.com. It's mission: To provide a fun, unique, and resourceful website for parents,...

What Black America has to say about 9/11. (Cover Story).(Cover Story)(Interview)
September 1, 2002... In July, BIBR Executive Editor Evette Porter talked with commentator and radio talk-show host Tavis Smiley about the upcoming anniversary of September 11th. We wanted to hear what black leaders had to say, and how black writers had weighed in...

P.G. County.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... by Connie Briscoe Doubleday, September 2002 $24.95, ISBN 0-385-50161-7 Remember Peyton Place? Dynasty? Now fast forward to 2002 and paint the characters black. Ah, there you have it--Prince Georges County, Maryland, one of the wealthiest...

BIBR talks with Connie Briscoe.(Interview)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... It's been eight years since Connie Briscoe debuted on the literary scene with her best-selling novel Sisters and Lovers. Since then, she has penned Big Girls Don't Cry and delved into historical fiction with A Long Way Home. Briscoe makes her...

The Autograph Man.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... by Zadie Smith Random House, October 2002 $24.95, ISBN 0-375-50186-X Two years after her highly acclaimed debut novel, White Teeth, Zadie Smith is back with The Autograph Matt. An oddly constructed tale with a post-modern, existential...

A Love of My Own.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... By E. Lynn Harris Doubleday, July 2003 $24.95 ISBN 0-553-71326-4 In his latest work, A Love of My Own, best-selling author E. Lynn Harris brings back the ever-popular Raymond Tyler and the naughty, but appealing protagonist of his last...

Douglass' Women.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Jewell Parker Rhodes' masterpiece of historical fiction, Douglass' Women, lifts the veil from the lives of two women--Anna Murray Douglass, Frederick Douglass' first wife of 44 years, and Ottilie Assing, his white mistress of some 30...

An Ordinary Woman.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... by Donna Hill St. Martin's Press, October 2002 $23.95, ISBN 0-312-28191-9 Romance novelist Donna Hill broke into contemporary fiction with her novel Rhythms, her best-selling book to date. With her new novel, An Ordinary Woman, she seeks...

Black Like Us: a Century of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual African American Fiction.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... edited by Devon W. Carbado, Dwight A. McBride, and Donald Weise Cleis Press, July 2002 $29.95, ISBN 1-573-44108-2 The popularity of African-American same-gender loving (SGL) fiction in this new century owes much to the wordsmiths of the...

A Quiet Storm.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... by Rachel Howzell Hall Scribner, September 2002 $13.00, ISBN 0-743-22616-X Rachell Howzell Hall's debut novel, A Quiet Storm, is the compelling story of a young woman whose life is torn apart by her sister's mental illness and her parents'...

Fifth Born.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... by Zelda Lockhart Pocket Books, September 2002 $24.00, ISBN 0-743-41265-6 In Fifth Born, Zelda Lockhart explores the dynamics of emotional, physical and sexual abuse through the experiences of Odessa, who struggles to find a safe place...

After Hours: A Collection of Erotic Writing by Black Men.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... edited by Robert Fleming Plume, August 2002 $14.00, ISBN 0-452-28332-9 Author and editor Robert Fleming scores big with his new book of erotic short stories by "gentle" men of color. After Hours opens with foreplay in the form of a...

God's Gift to Women.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... by Michael Baisden Legacy Publishing, September 2002 $22.95, ISBN 0-964-36759-9 Sure, the limelight sounds glamorous, but beneath the glitz and status, what's it really like to be famous? Best-selling author and motivational speaker...

Never Again, Once More.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... by Mary B. Morrison Dafina Books, August 2002 $24.00, ISBN 1-575-66914-5 In her best-selling debut novel, Soul Mates Dissipate, Mary Morrison introduced us to Jada Diamond Tanner and the man she believes is her soul mate, Wellington Jones....

Prayer of Prey.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... In his sophomore novel, Prayer of Prey, Chicago-based writer Tony Lindsay introduces readers to a complex character who stops at nothing to exact sweet revenge. Doriann and Camille are two black women living in the small, backwards town of...

RoadRunneR.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... by Trisha Thomas Crown Publishing, July 2002 $22.95, ISBN 0-609-60584-4 Trisha Thomas' best-selling debut novel, Nappily Ever After, has been optioned for a movie by Halle Berry. Well, get ready for a good read because RoadrunneR, her...

Twilight.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... by Billy Dee Williams and Elizabeth Atkins Bowman Forge/Tom Doherty Associates, July 2002 $25.95, ISBN 0-312-87909-1 Twilight celebrates the blending of souls, cultures, and colors in a richly detailed story--pulsing with the passion we...

Gonna Lay Down My Burdens.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... by Mary Monroe Dafina Books, September 2002 $24.00, ISBN 1-575-66911-0 Carmen Taylor is lost in Belle Helene, Alabama. It's her hometown, but she's as lost as if she'd been plunked down in the middle of a rainforest. Needy friends and a...

Fire & brimstone: in his latest book Al on America, the controversial Reverend Sharpton delivers a racism, what he thinks the political agenda should be and why he has a shot at being the next president.(Interview)
September 1, 2002... Saturday, July 6, 2002. After countless schedule changes, a confidentiality agreement and more publishing drama than one can imagine, I'm finally in the offices of the Reverend Al Sharpton's National Action Network, a small second-floor space...

Can this book change your life? In Journey to the Well, Bishop Vashti McKenzie offers lessons in spiritual transformation.(Interview)
September 1, 2002... My first encounter with Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie is one I will never forget. It was ten years ago, and McKenzie had been recently appointed senior pastor of the historic Payne Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Church in her hometown of...

Up From Here: Reclaiming the Male Spirit.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... by Iyanla Vanzant Harper San Francisco, May 2002 $16.95, ISBN 0-062-51759-7 In Up From Here: Reclaiming the Male Spirit, the long-awaited second book written especially for men as part of their spiritual development, Iyanla Vanzant does a...

Ethical Ambition: Living a Life of Meaning and Worth.
September 1, 2002... by Derrick Bell Bloomsbury of New York and London October 2002 $19.95, ISBN 1-582-34205-9 Is it possible to maintain one's personal integrity and ethics while climbing the ladder of success? Well, not always--if one measures that success...

BIBR talks with Derrick Bell.(Interview)
September 1, 2002... Acclaimed legal scholar and civil rights activist Derrick Bell is the author of seven books including Faces at the Bottom of the Well in 1992, which was a New York Times best-seller. Bell, whose controversial protest of Harvard Law School's...

Burning All Illusions: Writings from The Nation on Race.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... edited by Paula J. Giddings Thunder's Mouth Press/Nation Books, June 2002 $16.95, ISBN 1-560-25384-3 The race problem in America is like the weather: no one seems able to do anything about it, but that hasn't stopped anyone from discussing...

Keeping the Faith: Stories of Love, Courage, Healing and Hope from Black America.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... by Travis Smiley Doubleday, October 2002 $22.95, ISBN 0-385-50514-0 For his sixth book, radio host, TV personality and author Tavis Smiley has collected stories of everyday African-Americans, who have survived and thrived, despite seemingly...

When Race Becomes Real: Black and White Writers Confront Their Personal Histories.
September 1, 2002... edited by Bernestine Singley Lawrence Hill Books, June 2002, $29.95, ISBN 1-55652-448-X Public opinion polls gave a big thumbs-down when President Clinton called for a national dialogue on race during his second term in office and the...

Craft and consequences. (poetic license).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Quiet as it's kept, poetry is more popular than at any other time in our country's history--and more influential. Spoken word can be heard touting the "wicked" power of the Lexus 400 and the dietary wickedness of the Big Mac. This year,...

Black Moods: Collected Poems of Frank Marshall Davis.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... edited by John Edgar Tidwell. University of Illinois Press, July 2002 $29.95, ISBN 0-252-02738-8 John Edgar Tidwell's hope is to restore Frank Marshall Davis' rightful place in the annals of African-American literary history. As the first...

... Here ... New and Selected Poems.
September 1, 2002... by Everett Hoagland Leapfrog Press, April 2002, $14.95 ISBN 0-967-9520-5-0 There is the habit of "taking on a text" in the black preacher tradition, where the minister selects a passage from the Good Book and imparts wisdom through ancient...

Hip Logic.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... by Terrence Hayes Penguin Books, May 2002 $16.00, ISBN: 0-142-00139-2 Terrence Hayes understands his place in the continuum. In Hip Logic, Hayes newest collection, he links his existence from Mr. T to Audre Lorde to Paul Robeson to his...

Ask the book doctor.
September 1, 2002... Dear Dr. Rosie, I recently self-published a nonfiction book. However, I am running into roadblocks when attempting to obtain a national distributor and trying to get my book in the small press department of Barnes and Noble. Both are...

Why Jamal still can't read.
September 1, 2002... This year marks the 48th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court decision that legally ended segregation in schools, thus mandating that minorities be afforded equal access to public education. But since that landmark...

The Twins and the Bird Of Darkness: a Hero Tale From the Caribbean.(Children's Review)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... by Robert D. San Souci illustrated by Terry Widener Simon & Schuster Children's Books September 2002 $16.95, ISBN 0-689-83343-1 Robert D. San Souci does a delightful job retelling an old Caribbean folktale. In the author's note, San Souci...

Ella Fitzgerald: Tale of the Vocal Virtuosa.
September 1, 2002... by Andrea Pinkney Davis with Scat-Cat Monroe, illustrated by Brian Pinkney Jump at the Sun/Hyperion, April 2002 $15.99, ISBN 0-786-80568-4 The Caldecott Award-winning husband-and-wife team of Andrea and Brian Pinkney, who collaborated on...

Handsome Me.(Children's Review)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Handsome Me by Wanda Thomas illustrated by John Higgins J.C.W Enterprises, Inc., June 2002 $8.99, ISBN 0-967-30842-9 Beautiful Me by Wanda Thomas illustrated by John Higgins J.C.W Enterprises, Inc., June 2002 $8.99, ISBN 0-967-30843-7 ...

Little Bill: the Big Storm.(Children's Review)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... by Robin Reid illustrated by Kirk-Albert Etienne Simon & Schuster, July 2002 $3.50, ISBN 0-689-84777-7 As Little Bill's mother tucks him in for a bedtime story, a violent storm erupts. The booming thunder and lightning frighten Little...

Patrol: an American Soldier in Vietnam.(Children's Review)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... by Walter Dean Myers collages by Ann Grifalconi HarperCollins, May 2002 $16.95, ISBN 0-06-028363-7 Before Walter Dean Myers became an award-winning author of books for urban boys, he served in the Vietnam War at the young age of 17; his...

Here We Go Round.(Children's Review)
September 1, 2002... by Alice McGill illustrations by Shane Evans Houghton Mifflin Company, February 2002 $15.00, ISBN: 0-618-16064-7 It's the summer of 1946, and seven-year-old Roberta Robinson is very unhappy. Her eight-months pregnant mother has been...

The faithful, fighting, writing life of poet-activist June Jordan 1936-2002. (Tribute).
September 1, 2002... Two years ago at a reading for Soldier, a poetic if unsettling memoir of June Jordan's childhood, Nobel laureate Toni Morrison described meeting the poet-activist when they were both young black women writers just starting out in the 1960s....