No Truer Words

This should be required reading for all this time of year:

I shall see this day and its popular characteristics from the slave's point of view. Standing there identified with the American bondman, making his wrongs mine, I do not hesitate to declare, with all my soul, that the character and conduct of this nation never looked blacker to me than on this 4th of July! Whether we turn to the declarations of the past, or to the professions of the present, the conduct of the nation seems equally hideous and revolting. America is false to the past, false to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be false to the future. >>>

Ellison's Grandbabies

I've been meaning to discuss this essay for nearly a week. Time constraints and fatigue have kept me from doing so; but I will get to it either Sunday or Monday soon. In the meantime:

Writers Like Me by Martha Southgate

I am a 46-year-old writer of "literary"� fiction. I've had three novels published — the first for young people, the last two for adults. All have won minor prizes, been respectfully reviewed and sold modestly. I've been awarded a few fairly competitive fellowships and grants. The business is full of fiction writers like me. With one difference: I'm black, born and raised in the United States. At the parties and conferences I attend, and in the book reviews I read, I rarely encounter other African-American "literary"� writers, particularly in my age bracket. There just don't seem to be that many of us out there, and that's something I've come to wonder about a great deal. And so I got on the phone with some editors and African-American writers to talk about it.

That's just the opening graph. Do read the entire piece and search the web for reactions. Both good and bad. Again, I'll have my own thoughts on the essay — and of course, the many reactions it's engendered — shortly.That's just the opening graph. Do read the entire piece and search the web for reactions. Both good and bad. Again, I'll have my own thoughts on the essay — and of course, the many reactions it's engendered — shortly.

Books: Black-Gay Milestone

Wonderful news from Writer, Editor & Publisher Steven G. Fullwood:

Carry the Word: A Bibliography of Black LGBTQ Books is a seminal reference work, featuring over 600 titles by and about black Same-Gender-Loving (SGL) and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer-identified (LGBTQ) writers and culture, as well as interviews and articles about black SGL authors.

Additional information at the co-publishers, Vintage Entity Press and Red Bone Press. I will get a copy for myself and a few to give away.

Books: Min Jin Lee Reading & Discussion

Ugh!! This is tomorrow (Wednesday, July 11, 2007 @ 7:30 PM), but because I just found out about it, not sure if I'll have enough energy to attend:

Min Jin Lee and David Henry Hwang in Conversation at Barnes & Noble Lincoln Center

Min Jin Lee, author of the acclaimed debut novel, Free Food for Millionaires, reads from and discusses the book with David Henry Hwang, the Tony-award winning playwright of M. Butterfly and the OBIE-award winner for Golden Child. FREE!!

LOCATION-
Barnes & Noble Lincoln Center
1972 Broadway (at 66th)
New York, New York 10023

This is one of the many recent/soon-to-be released books that I want to read this summer. It's gotten a lot of buzz.

Call For Nominations: 2007 Carl Brandon Society Awards

Nominations sought for the 2007 Carl Brandon Society Awards

Time is running out to make your nominations for the 2007 Carl Brandon Society Awards.

The Carl Brandon Parallax Award is given to outstanding works of speculative fiction created by a person of color. Nominees must provide a brief statement self-identifying as a person of color; creators unwilling to do so will not be considered for this award. This Award includes a $1000 cash prize.

The Carl Brandon Kindred Award is given to outstanding works of speculative fiction that deal with issues of race and ethnicity; nominees may be of any racial or ethnic group. This Award includes a $1000 cash prize.

Each year's prizes are determined by independent juries.

Nominations for eligible works published in 2006 will close at midnight Pacific time on Tuesday, July 31. Nominations made by U.S. Mail must be postmarked by that date, and online nominations must be received by then. The Awards will be presented later this year.

For more information on the Awards, or to make a nomination, please visit http://carlbrandon.org/awards.

Please feel free to spread the word!

Restaurant Week Summer 2007

This happens twice a year. NYC Visit has the details:

Restaurant Week Summer 2007: July 16 — 20 & 23 — 27.

Eat Famously
Over 200 NYC Restaurants
Three-Course Prix-Fixe Dining
$24.07 Lunch | $35.00 Dinner

Free Kite Operations Show...Sorta

Free show in Williamsburg this Thursday

Joe {Ed. singer-guitarist Joseph Kim} is playing a solo show this Thursday, July 19 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He'll be playing stripped down versions of K.O. songs and other songs that are over a hundred-fifty years old. Have a listen.

Also on the bill, the infamous Jack Tung playing out some brand new jamz.

Did we mention the show is FREE?!

The music starts at 9pm.
Hope Lounge, 10 Hope St. (Havenmeyer and Hope)

And don't forget Kite Operation's current effort Heart Attacks, Back to Back (or their earlier discs).

[tags: Kite Operations, Jack Tung, K.O.A. Records, Hope Lounge, Willamsburg, Brooklyn, Heart Attacks, Back to Back, Neutral Angels, Emo Rock ]

A Booklist: Multicultural Speculative Fiction

From the Carl Brandon Society listserv:

Multicultural Speculative Fiction, A Listmania! list by Carole McDonnell:

I wrote the multicultural paranormal speculative fiction, Wind Follower. This list is for those who like fantasy and/or those who like multicultural fiction. The writers in this list are of African, Asian, Native American, Southeast Asian, and minority descent. They include people of many faiths and of no faith.

Sadly, I haven't read any of the books on the list. The closest I've come is (I read part of the first chap) was Kindred by Octavia Butler.

[ tags: Carole McDonnell, Speculative Fiction, Carl Brandon Society, Octavia Butler, Multicultural Fiction, Listmania ]

A Young Black Man Soars

At 23, the Youngest Pilot to Solo the Planet

[Sonny] Grasso, one of the two real-life cops depicted in the movie "The French Connection,"� held a drink high over his head, and asked everyone — including Conan O'Brien, who was seated at a nearby table — to join him in a toast to Barrington Irving, a 23-year-old pilot from Miami Gardens, Florida.

Mr. Irving, a senior majoring in aeronautical science at Florida Memorial University, completed a solo flight around the world in a single-engine plane last month to become the youngest and first black pilot to accomplish that feat.

"My plane had no radar and no de-icing equipment," said Mr. Irving, enjoying a plate filled with chicken and roasted peppers shortly after the Rao's crowd welcomed him back to earth with a warm ovation. "It was just me up there, alone, flying on gut instinct — pretty much the way Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart did it."

Rocking 'Planet Earth'

Prince album set free on internet

Copies of Prince's latest album have flooded the internet after being given away with a newspaper in the UK.

Planet Earth is easily accessible to fans around the world - despite plans for a full commercial release in countries including the US.

The album is freely available to download after an estimated three million copies of the CD were distributed with the Mail on Sunday.

Hundreds of the CDs have also been put up for sale on auction site eBay.

Planet Earth is not being sold in record shops in the UK because of the Mail on Sunday promotion.

But it is still due to be sold as normal elsewhere, including a release in the US and Canada on 24 July.

[ tags: Prince, Planet Earth, The Artist Formerly Known As Prince, TAFKAP, T.A.F.K.A.P. ]

...Featuring Min Jin Lee

A nice heads-up from Lauren Cerand (via comments of an earlier Min Jin Lee post):

An Evening with Women's Studies Quarterly, featuring Min Jin Lee & Rebecca Wolff at Bluestockings Books.

Thursday, July 26, 2007 @ 7:00 PM

Bluestockings Books
172 Allen Street (between Stanton and Rivington)
New York City, New York

Min Jin Lee is the first-time author of the sensational, Free Food for Millionaires.

[ tags: Min Jin Lee, bluestockings books ]

POCC's Pride In The City 2007

Info via Uncle Bernie (even though he's "gone fishing"):

Re-Convening A Village

Marking its fifth anniversary as the premiere weekend celebrating New York's Black LGBT community, Pride in the City rolls out August 2 through 5 with ceremonies, celebrations, and forums in Downtown Brooklyn, a Saturday family picnic in Fort Greene, a Sunday afternoon party at Riis Beach, and numerous evening club events across the city.

You can read more about the aims and programs of People of Color in Crisis (POCC).

[ tags: People of Color in Crisis, POCC, Black Gay Pride, Pride in The City, Black Gay Men, Black LGBT, Family Day Picnic, Fort Greene Park ]

Picture New York Without Pictures of New York

I heard about proposed rules for photographing/filming in public, but thought it was a joke:

~ Requiring any group of two or more people who want to use a camera in a single public location for more than a half hour (including setup and breakdown time) to get a city permit

~ $1 million in liability insurance.

~ Regulations would also apply to any group of five or more people who would be using a tripod for more than ten minutes, including setup and breakdown time.

WTF!! Read on from Picture New York, an ad-hoc committee formed to combat this ridiculous set of unconstitutional rules-

Picture New York Without Pictures of New York

Thousands of New Yorkers who love both their city and their cameras may face exactly that if the cumbersome, costly and unconstitutional regulations from the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theater, and Broadcasting go into effect this August as scheduled.

Picture New York is an ad hoc coalition of working artists, filmmakers, and photographers who’ve joined together to fight the proposed rules. These rules can be seen not only as a blow against New York as a place that welcomes and inspires art-making and documentation, but are part of a broader continuum of attacks against civil liberties and free expression.

Sign the damn petition and make your voice heard. Yeah, I know. Sending in snail mail would have a greater impact. But public comments will only be allowed until August and rules will probably go in effect immediately afterwards. So act now.

[ tags: Picture New York, PictureNewYork, CameraWars, Union Square, New York, Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Gospel Choir, the Rude Mechanical Orchestra, Critical Mass ]

A Nerd Is Defined As...

..."hyperwhite?" Well, by the New York Times anyway. And that conclusion is based on the "research" of Mary Bucholtz, a linguist at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Of course, her research was conducted "mainly in California" amongst "different crowds" asked about the idea of "nerdiness."

This definition is so distressing/lacking that members of the Carl Brandon listserv on Yahoo is drafting a letter of response to the Times. I'll keep y'all posted.

[ tags: Carl Brandon Society, Black Nerds, Black Nerds Network, Think Galactic, Speculative Fiction ]

Race: The Final Frontier

I know, I know, I know.... lots of SciFi/SpecFic lately. That happens when you're on the Carl Brandon Society mailing list:

Race, The Final Frontier: Black science-fiction writers bring a unique perspective to the genre By Vanessa E. Jones

Earlier this month at Readercon, a convention for fans of fantasy/science fiction at the Burlington Marriott, Marlin May was one of perhaps two blacks in the room. But that didn't intimidate May. He had just made arrangements to meet a science-fiction writer for dinner, showing how much comfort this fan had found in this world.

"They're the most accepting group of folks I've ever been with," says May, 47, of Lowell.

But Eon Harry, a black man who lives in Somerville, has had a different experience. "I don't feel particularly embraced," says Harry, 41. No sense of community enveloped him when he attended Readercon for the first time last year, though he's not sure whether race or some other factor is to blame.

"I find that readers are an insular lot," Harry says. "It may have had as much to do with the fact that I was a new face."