Celebrating Our Literary Legacy!

Read our eNewsetter Archives Subscribe to This Newsletter

AALBC.com BEST SELLING BOOKS MAY & JUNE 2003
http://books.aalbc.com/bestsellers.htm

#1 The Gospel of Good Success: A Road Map to Spiritual, Emotional, and Financial Wholeness http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684863073/aalbccom-20 by Kirbyjon H. Caldwell Twenty years ago, Kirbyjon H. Caldwell was a fast-track bond broker with an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business. But he turned away from a six-figure income to answer the call of his Divine purpose. With the explosive power that comes from combining prayer with action, Caldwell transformed a struggling twenty-five-member congregation into a lean, mean Kingdom-building machine. The Windsor Village United Methodist Church now has more than 11,000 members and 120 ministries for everything from job placement and financial planning to weight loss and alcohol rehabilitation.

#2 The Sisters of APF: The Indoctrination of Soror Ride Dick http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0743466985/aalbccom-20 by Zane The Sisters of APF is Zane's first book based on one of her most popular short story subjects, the sexy escapades of a sorority like no other.  APF stands for Alpha Phi Fuckem, a sorority dedicated to sexual freedom and the fulfillment of its members. Zane's APF stories have appeared in her earlier collections, including The Sex Chronicles: Shattering the Myth, and are favorites among her readers.

#3 Everything but the Burden: What White People Are Taking from Black Culture http://www.aalbc.com/reviews/everything_but_the_burden.htm by Greg Tate (Editor) White kids from the ’burbs are throwing up gang signs. The 2001 Grammy winner for best rap artist was as white as rice. And blond-haired sorority sisters are sporting FUBU gear. What is going on in American culture that’s giving our nation a racial-identity crisis?

#4 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/043935806X/aalbccom-20 by J. K. Rowling The 5th installment of J. K. Rowling's seven-part story about Harry Potter and his friends at Hogwarts.

#5 The Seventh Octave: The Early Writings of Saul Stacey Williams http://aalbc.com/authors/saul.htm by Saul Stacey Williams, Jessica C. Moore (Editor) Williams is one of the top selling authors of all time on AALBC.com.  Hailed as "a dreadlocked dervish of words...the Bob Marley of American poets" (Esquire), Saul Williams is a gifted young poet who is opening up this literary art form to a new generation of readers. Like his writing -- a fearless mix of connecting rhythms and vibrant images -- Saul Williams is unstoppable. He received raves for his performance as an imprisoned street poet in the Trimark Pictures release Slam, winner of the Camera d'Or at Cannes and the Grand Jury prize at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. The consummate spoken-word performance artist.

#6 A Love of My Own http://reviews.aalbc.com/aloveofmyown.htm by E. Lynn Harris Bestselling author E. Lynn Harris is back with another new tale that embraces his signature themes: Friendship. Love. Family.

#7 Fifth Born http://reviews.aalbc.com/fifthborn.htm by Zelda Lockhart Zelda Lockhart's Fifth Born is lyrically written, poignant and powerful in its exploration of how secrets can tear families apart and unravel people's lives. Set in rural Mississippi and St. Louis, Missouri, Fifth Born is a story of loss and redemption, as Odessa walks away from those who she believes to be her kin to discover the meaning of family.

#8 Freedom's Daughters : A Juneteenth Story http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684850125/aalbccom-20 by Lynne Olson Freedom's Daughters includes portraits of more than sixty women -- many until now forgotten and some never before written about -- from the key figures (Ida B. Wells, Eleanor Roosevelt, Ella Baker, and Septima Clark, among others) to some of the smaller players who represent the hundreds of women who each came forth to do her own small part and who together ultimately formed the mass movements that made the difference. Freedom's Daughters puts a human face on the civil rights struggle -- and shows that that face was often female.

#9 Lay This Body Down: The 1921 Murders of Eleven Plantation Slaves http://reviews.aalbc.com/laythisbodydown.htm by Gregory A. Freeman The John Williams plantation in Georgia was operated largely with the labor of slaves-56 years after the end of the Civil War. Williams was not alone in using "peons," poor blacks bailed out of local jails, but his reaction to a federal investigation was almost unbelievable. He decided to destroy the evidence, to kill 11 black men who could testify to the situation. Williams enlisted the aid of his farm boss, 27-year-old Clyde Manning, forcing him to methodically kill his friends. Men were chained together, two-by-two, weighted down with rocks, and thrown over bridges, alive and terrified; others were bludgeoned with an axe, summarily shot, or ordered to dig their own graves. The surprises continued in the aftermath, as even a bigoted rural community found that it could not overlook such a heinous crime. —An absolute must read

#10 Wrapped In Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston http://reviews.aalbc.com/wrappedinrainbows.htm by Valerie Boyd Wrapped in Rainbows presents a full picture of Hurston as both a writer and a woman, shedding new light on her public and private lives. Drawing on meticulous research and a wealth of crucial information that has emerged over the past twenty years, Valerie Boyd delves into Hurston's thirst for the limelight, her sexuality and short-lived marriages, her mysterious relationship with Vodou, and her occasionally controversial political views. With the Harlem Renaissance, the Great Depression, and World War II as historical backdrops, Wrapped in Rainbows not only positions Hurston's work in her time but offers implications for our own. Also features more than thirty-five black-and-white photographs.

RECENT AALBC.COM BOOK REVIEWS & ARTICLES
AALBC.com publishes scores of articles, books reviews and author profiles each month.  Below is sample of the most recently added content.

Stagolee Shot Billy by Cecil Brown
http://www.aalbc.com/reviews/stagolee_shot_billy.htm

"Stagolee Shot Billy is a book of considerable historical importance. While it is written in a style and tone that belies an academic examination, it offers impeccable scholarly worth by explaining the merit and relevance of the folk song. I couldn't put it down. Stagolee Shot Billy accomplishes the dual feats of being both educational and entertaining. It is an outstanding book!" —reviewed by Thumper

THE COFFEE WILL MAKE YOU BLACK ON-LINE READING GROUP 
http://thumperscorner.com/Reading_List.htm

Aug 2003 Selection

The Coffee Will Make You Black reading group is currently reading Such Was The Season by Clarence Major

Our chat session is scheduled for Sunday, August 10th, 2003 at 6:00 PM, Eastern Standard Time . If you have already read Such Was The Season, and would like to participate in our on-line chat session; please join us in our chat room http://www.thumperscorner.com/chat/

Visit http://thumperscorner.com/Reading_List.htm to view the rest of The Coffee Will Make You Black on-line reading group's reading list for 2003

BOOK BEACH BASH - August 8 - 10, 2003 - Virginia Beach VA
 

Book Beach Bash
http://bookbeachbash.com/

The purpose of the literary Book Beach Bash is to bring book lovers from all areas together. This is your opportunity to meet your favorite authors as well as network and meet other avid readers, writers and poets like yourself.  Join them for the First Book Beach Bash in Virginia Beach August 8th-10th.  A Full Weekend of Activities/Fun and the Price is Just Right!

Confirmed authors include:  Eric Jerome Dickey, Lolita Files, Robert Fleming, Nancey Flowers, Marlon Green, Donna Hill, Travis Hunter, Kenji Jasper, RM Johnson, Bernice McFadden, Victoria Christopher Murray, Courtney Parker, Tracy Price-Thompson, Michelle Valentine and Carl Weber

AALBC.com DISCUSSION BOARDS
http://www.thumperscorner.com/cgi/discus/discus.cgi

For live discussions visit AALBC.com's discussion boards.  You'll find Thumper's Corner where you may exchange views with authors, avid readers on anything related to African-American literature and publishing.  There is the an increasingly popular discussion board on Culture, Race and Economy where you'll find controversial, informative and often humorous, exchanges on the subject.  The Poetree discussion board allows visitors to share and solicit feedback on poems and exchange information related to poetry.

QBR's 5th ANNUAL HARLEM BOOK FAIR 2003 EVENTS GUIDE
Schedule as of July 15th (subject to change, visit http://www.qbr.com/HBF2003/Splash_page_main.htm the most up to date information)

Tuesday July 15th
QBR AUTHOR TALK: EMERGING WRITERS, EMERGING MARKETS
Monique Truong (The Book of Salt), Nelly Rosario (Song of the Water Saints), Elizabeth Nunez (Grace), Manthia Diawara (We Won’t Budge: An African Exile in the World)
Join our panel of today’s emerging literary multicultural voices as they present their critically acclaimed work and discuss the challenges and rewards of writing for their communities.
Location: The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
515 Malcolm X Boulevard @ West 135th Street
Time: 6-8pm
Sponsored by QBR The Black Book Review and The Asian American Writers Workshop

Wednesday July 16th
WOMEN WORDS: POETRY AND PROSE
Join debut author Regina Louise (Somebody’s Someone: A Memoir) and poets Jade Banks, Sydney Stewart, and Phya as they explore, in poetry and prose, the issues of abuse, self-esteem, challenge and triumph.
Location: Hue-Man Bookstore
2319 Frederick Douglass Blvd at 125th Street and 8th Avenue.
Time: 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Admission: Free

Wednesday and Thursday, July 16 and 17
IT’S IN THE BOOK – A CHILDREN’S THEATRICAL PLAY
It’s In the Book encourages children and adults to read. The action takes place in a local library. The characters are books who are about to become homeless until a friendly librarian comes to their aid.
Location: Joseph P. Kennedy Memorial Community Center
West 134th Street (bet. Malcolm X Blvd. and Fifth Avenue)
Time: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm Admission: $10 Adults; $5. Youth

Thursday July 17th
THE SONY/QBR SALON
A reception sponsored by Sony Music Group featuring Sony recording artist Glenn Lewis, author Eric Jerome Dickey and spoken word artist Rashida Bartley. This evening event will be held at the Sony Club on Madison Avenue at their corporate headquarters.
Location: The SONY Club
550 Madison Avenue @ 56th Street
Time: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Admission: $25. by Reservation only 212.410.2678 / 212.348.1681
Sponsored by SONY Music Group

Friday July 18th
THE WHEATLEY BOOK AWARDS AND VIP AUTHOR RECEPTION
Location: The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
515 Malcolm X Boulevard @ West 135th Street

Join us for the 2nd annual Wheatley Book Awards. This year’s program honors poet Gwendolyn Brooks (First African American Pulitzer Prize in Poetry), writer Ishmael Reed (Contribution to Literature), and poet/activist/publisher Haki Madhubuti (35 years of publishing). If you heard of last year’s program, don’t miss it again! Hosted by Dr. Henry Louis Gates.
Time: THE WHEATLEY AWARD AUTHOR RECEPTION 6:30pm – 8pm
Admission: $40. (Reservation only) 212.410.2678

Time: THE WHEATLEY BOOK AWARDS 8pm – 10pm
Admission: FREE

Saturday July 19th
THE 5TH ANNUAL QBR HARLEM BOOK FAIR & ART FESTIVAL
Author Meet & Greet; Panel Discussions; Bus & Walking Tour of Literary Harlem; Children’s Books & Storytelling, Art, and more…
Location: West 135th between Malcolm X and Adam Clayton Powell Blvd.
Time: 12 pm to 7 pm
Admission: FREE TO ALL!!!

HARLEM BOOK FAIR July 19th, 2003 Panel Topics and Panelists, (subject to change)
 

PANEL LOCATIONS:
All panels take place on Saturday, July 19th.

Langston Hughes Auditorium (Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture)
515 Malcolm X Boulevard
corner of West 135th Street

Countee Cullen Library Auditorium
104 West 136th Street
(around the corner from the Schomburg Center)

Please note: Panels run concurrently in both locations. All panels are free to the public. Seating limited on a first come, first served basis. Panelists are subject to change.
 

Panel 1: Langston Hughes Auditorium (Schomburg)

CULTURAL GATE KEEPERS
Time: 12:15 pm – 1:30 pm (75 min.)

This is the annual publisher's panel. It will focus on the current state of publishing, publishing for the African American market, and the challenges and opportunities that publishers, writers, and readers will likely encounter over the next year.

Introduction: Max Rodriguez (Publisher, QBR The Black Book Review)
Moderator: Faith Childs (The Faith Childs Literary Agency)

Panelists: Carolyn Reidy (Simon&Schuster); Liz McGuire (Perseus); Linda Gill (BET Books);
Paul Coates (Black Classic Press); Carole Baron (President, Dutton and
Putnam imprints, Penguin Group (USA))


Panel 2: Langston Hughes Auditorium (Schomburg)

MEMOIRS and AUTOBIOGRAPHIES: WHAT WE REVEAL, WHAT WE CONCEAL
Time: 1:45 pm – 3:15 pm (90 min.)

This panel will explore the personal stories and experiences of black writers to discuss what we reveal, what we conceal, and why.

Introduction: Malaika Adero (Harlem Book Fair Advisory)
Moderator: Brenda Green (Director, National Black Writers Conference)

Panelists: Pamela Newkirk (A Love No Less); Regina Louise
(Somebody's Someone: A Memoir); Lynne Duke (Mandela,
Mobutu and Me); Susan Fales Hill (Always Wear Joy); Wendy Williams
(Wendy’s Got the Heat)


Panel 3: Langston Hughes Auditorium (Schomburg)

WRITING AS ACTIVISM
Time: 3:30 pm – 4:45 pm (75 min.)

Words have always incited action, movement, and force. Black writers are necessarily becoming politicized and sensitized to the real world of events and issues shaping our community and the world. This panel will feature writers whose words are a call to action, empowerment, and change.

Introduction: Mannie Baron (Harlem Book Fair Advisory)
Moderator: Joel Washington (VP, National Writers Union)

Panelists: Robin D. G. Kelley (Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination);
Deborah Mathis (Yet a Stranger: Why Black Americans Still Don't Feel at Home);
Kadiatou Diallo (My Heart Will Cross This Ocean); Manthia Diawara (We Won’t
Budge: An African Exile in the World); Yvonne Bynoe (Stand And Deliver)


Panel 4: Langston Hughes Auditorium (Schomburg)

POST 9/11: AN ANALYSIS IN THE AFTERMATH
Time: 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm (90 min.)

This august panel of thinkers explores the cultural, political, and socio-economic impact of the attack on the World Trade Center.

Introduction: Toby Thompkins (Harlem Book Fair Coordinator)
Moderator: Leonard Lopate (Host, The Leonard Lopate Show, WNYC AM/FM)

Panelists: bell hooks (Rock My Soul: Black Folk and Self-Esteem); Walter Mosley
(What’s Next: A Memoir Toward World Peace); Ishmael Reed (Another Day
at the Front); Ron Walters (The Paradox of Loyalty: An African American
Response to the War on Terrorism)


Panel 5: Countee Cullen Library Auditorium

EMERGING WRITERS
Time: 12:30 pm - 1:45 pm (75 min.)

New voices bring new perspectives and new possibilities. This panel features the voices and words of emerging black writers.

Introduction: Kellie Martin (Harlem Book Fair Advisory)
Moderator: Ishmael Reed (Another Day at the Front)

Panelists: Erica Turnipseed (A Love Noir); Danny Simmons (Three Days As
the Crow Flies); Danyel Smith (More Like Wrestling); Oonya Kempadoo (Tide
Running); Shawne Johnson (Getting Our Breath Back)


Panel 6: Countee Cullen Library Auditorium

WOMEN’S WELLNESS
Time: 2:00 pm - 3:15 pm (75 min.)

This panel of critical writers explores issues regarding the physical, spiritual, emotional, mental, interpersonal, and cultural well being of Black women today.


Introduction: Keisha Palmer-Cousins (Harlem Book Fair Advisory)
Moderator: Terri Williams (A Plentiful Harvest: Creating Balance and Harmony through
the Seven Living Virtues)

Panelists: Dr. Grace Cornish (You Deserve Healthy Love, Sis!); Dr. Susan Taylor (Brown Skin:
Dr. Susan Taylor’s Prescription for Flawless Skin, Hair, and Nails); Rev. Cari Jackson
(The Gift to Listen, the Courage to Hear); Monique Brown (It’s a Sistah Thing: A Guide
to Understanding and Dealing With Fibroids for Black Women)


Panel 7: Countee Cullen Library Auditorium

MEN and WOMEN (Love and War)
Time: 3:30 pm – 4:45 pm (75 min.)

This panel will dissect the current dialogue between black men and women regarding gender, race, relationship, identity, and self-expression.

Introduction: Linda Duggins (Harlem Book Fair Advisory)
Moderator: bell hooks (Rock My Soul: Black Folk and Self-Esteem)

Panelists: Jill Nelson (Sexual Healing); Ritta McLaughlin (Every Friday Night: My Year of Dating
Misadventures); Kevin Powell (Who's Gonna Take the Weight?: Manhood, Race, and Power in America); Haki Madhubuti (Tough Notes: A Healing Call for Creating
Exceptional Black Men)


Panel 8: Countee Cullen Library Auditorium

HARLEM ON THEIR MINDS
Time: 5:00 pm - 6:15 pm (75 min.)

Join this panel of acclaimed Harlem-born authors as they explore the myths and realities of the richness of Harlem.

Introduction: David Weaver (Harlem Book Fair Advisory)
Moderator: Herb Boyd (The Harlem Reader)

Panelists: Mat Johnson (Hunting in Harlem); Grace Edwards (Do or Die); Brian Keith
Jackson (The Queen of Harlem); A. Peter Bailey (Harlem: Precious
Memories…Great Expectations); Karen Quinones Miller (Using What You’ve Got)
 

 

Harlem Book Fair Main Stage Schedule
 

Welcome & Blessing of 5th Annual HBF Event

11:50 a.m.
Host: Deja Vu

12:00 Elizabeth Nunez – Grace –Beyond the Limbo Silence (Random)
12:10 Irene Smalls – Don’t Say Ain’t - Jonathan and His Mommy (AOLTWBG)
12:20 Earl Sewell – Taken For Granted (BET)
12:30 Toni Blackman - Innercourse (Random)
12:40 Karen Quinones-Miller – Using What You Got (Simon)

12:55 p.m.
Host: Deja Vu

1:00 Victor LaValle – The Ecstatic (Random)
1:10 Deidre Savoy – Could It Be Magic (BET)
1:20 Stanice Anderson – I Say A Prayer For Me (AOLTWBG)
1:30 Herb Boyd – The Harlem Reader: A Celebration of NY’s Most Famous Neighborhood, from the Renaissance Years to the 21st Century (Random)
1:40 Valerie Wilson Wesley – Always True to You In My Fashion (Harper Collins)

1:55 p.m.
Host: Reggie McFadden – Def Comedy Jam Comedian and Actor

2:00 Eric Jerome Dickey – The Other Woman (Penguin Putnam)
2:15 Gwynne Forster – Flying High (BET)
2:25 Oomya Kempadoo – Tide Running (St. Martins)
2:35 RM Johnson – Dating Games (Simon)
2:45 Brian Keith Jackson – Queen of Harlem (Random)

3:00 p.m.
Host: Reggie McFadden

3:05 Leslie Esdaille – Minion (St. Martins)
3:15 Monique Greenwood – Having What Matters (HarperCollins)
3:25 Hope Clarke – Bestseller (self-published)
3:35 Donna Hill – An Ordinary Woman (St. Martins Press)
3:45 Alex Hairston – Love Don’t Come Easy (BET Books)

3.55 p.m.
Host: Victoria Christopher Murray

4:00 Kayla Perrin & Brenda Jackson – The Best Man and The Sisters of Theta Phi Kappa (St. Martins Press)
4:15 Kevin Powell – Step Into A World: A Global Anthology of New Black (Random)
4:25 Wendy Williams – Wendy’s Got the Heat (Simon)
4:35 Crystal Lacey Winslow – Life, Love & Loneliness (self-published)
4:45 George Alexander – Why We Make Movies (Random)

4:55 Brief Musical Interlude

5:00 p.m.
Host: Victoria Christopher Murray

5:05 (HarperCollins)
5:15 Nancey Flowers – Shattered Vessels (Self-published)
5:25 Maryann Reid – Use Me Or Lose Me (St. Martins Press)
5:35 Trevor Schoonmaker – From W. Africa to W. Bway (St. Martins)
5:45 S. James Guitard - (Self-published)

5:55 p.m.
Host: Nancey Flowers

6:00 Steve Perry – Eating Chinese Food Naked (Self-Published)
6:10 Raquel Rivera – New York’s Nuyorican: From the Hip-Hop Zone (St.Martins)
6:20 Nikki Turner – The Hustlers Wife (Triple Crown Publications)
6:30 Tracie Howard – Talk of the Town (Dutton)
6:40 TJ Butler – The Night Before Thirty – (Random)
 

The Harlem Book Fair can also be seen on-line at http://www.booktv.org

Visit the AALBC.com table at the Harlem Book Fair for a free away.

The first 5 people who come to the AALBC.com table with a printed copy of this newsletter will receive their choice of the one of the following books:

A copy of the AALBC.com and Essence best-selling book Threesome: Where Seduction, Power and Basketball Collide (http://aalbc.com/authors/brenda_thomas.htm) by Brenda Thomas

or

Any of the titles from Judson Press located on this page (http://aalbc.com/writers/judson_press.htm)

or

The book Tough Love: Cultural Criticism and Familial Observations on the Life and Death of Tupac Shakur (http://aalbc.com/books/tough.htm) edited by Kwame Alexander & Michael Datcher

 

Peace, 
Troy Johnson, 
Founder AALBC.com

AALBC.com Home | Advertise | Discussion | Chat | Books | Fun Stuff | About AALBC.com | Writer's Resources | Get on the AALBC.com | Reviews | Events | Send us Feedback | Privacy Policy | Buy Any Book]

Search Now:

Copyright © 1997-2007 AALBC.com, LLC - http://aalbc.com