It's Like A Jungle Sometimes...

Last night, with the flu or something trying to make headway into my sinuses (or sini), I checked out the book launch party for Felicia Pride's new book The Message: 100 Life Lessons from Hip-Hop's Greatest Songs. Seems like it shaped up to be a mini event of the year. Besides the guest of honor --Felicia, not me-- I also sighted the legendary Ralph McDaniels; Linn Que, formerly known as Isis of XClan (no sign of Pinky); and Dana Dane. These spottings caused a flashback to my youth. For many in the Bronx --we didn't get cable until the 90s-- Ralph McDaniel was a deity. His show, Video Music Box, which aired on the UHF channel 31 in the 80s and 90s, was our video connection to hip-hop music. Never intrusive and always supportive of rap music, Ralph provided an entry point for many adolescents looking to roll deep, while never leaving their bedrooms. I can easily imagine both Dana and Linn appearing on VMB to introduce their respective videos --Dana decked out in a three-piece yellow suit and ubiguitous Kangol; Linn Que in anything red, black and green.

Snap out of it, Ron... The book party was held at the Negril restaurant and lounge in NYC. It was the perfect venue --DJ mixing beats from chapters in The Message. For those few not in the know, the book gives personal anectotes on how 100 different rap songs gave the author life inspiration. The food was good, but when you always roll with a hungryman's appetite the portions could have been bigger. There was also a good crowd mix. Martha Diaz and Marcella Hall of the Hip Hop Association and Sofia Quintero author of several books, including Divas Don't Yield, were also in the house.

I also ran into Gabby Johnson; her husband Troy, AALBC.com; Clarence Reynolds, Black Issues Book Review; and Linda Duggins, Grand Central Books. Felicia worked the crowd with aplomb, said here hellos and greetings, and sold plenty books. Felicia's a young sister who decided early in life that she would be a writer. I don't think she's done anything else. Her most important job is managing editor of Mosaic where she selects the reviews and articles for each issue of Mosaic. She also eptomizes the "hustle (wo)man" philosophy of doing what it takes -book fairs, blogs, networking, articles- to get the job done.

After the book party I went to my reading room, the NYC transit system, and finally had a chance to start reviewing the book. I had seen it over a month ago but never took a good look at it. First, thanks for the shout out, Felicia. Second, it's a really good book. Broken into 100 chapters, each named after a rap that somehow touched the writer, the book can only serve to compliment rap's perpetual striving to be more important than the powers-that-be who only see hip hop as a musical form and profit center will allow. It is as cultual as any form of art ever has been.

Let's hope this contribution will stimulate those downlow rapheads who advocate other forms --dance, fiction, poetry, visual, film to take up the mantle and hold hip hop high.

Into the Woods

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to participate in a retreat for literary organizations in the state of New York. It was held in the Adirondacks at the Minnowbrook Conference Center, Oct. 19-21, and sponsored by the New York State Council on the Arts. The conference brought together some 75 different organization dedicated to the literary arts: mags, journals, libraries, educators, centers, and the like. Presenters included Ram Devineni, Rattapallax; Elliot Figman, Poets & Writers; Betsy Folwell, Adirondack Life; Raymond Hammond, New York Quarterly; Heather Hitchens, Executive Director of the New York State Council on the Arts; Michele Kotler, Community~Word Project and many others.



While there I made a presentation on incorporating video and audio into literary websites. It was part of a larger panel that focused on technology. After a bumpy start co-panelist Israel Mirsky was finally able to get the video up and running. Above is the video I shot on day 1, edited that evening and presented (using Jumpcut) during day 2. Kinks and all, the presentation went well.

But, I haven't decided which was more cool, getting a chance to mix and mingle with fellow arts administrators and artists or being in the Adirondacks for a couple of days. Here's the agenda of activities for the weekend. It was definitely supportive to know that there are similar orgs struggling mightily to survive and grow.

Ron on with April Sims of BlogTalkRadio.com

powered by ODEO

Capital Bookfest

I had the pleasure of attending the 3rd annual Capital Bookfest in Largo, MD this past weekend. I'm starting to think that wherever I go global warming follows. Once again it was a blazing hot weekend. The weekend before this I was in Baltimore, and it was also unusually hot. Thank goodness the fest took place under a tent so that much of the heat was deflected. I still abandoned my table for most of the event so that I could check out many of the panels and reading that were taking place adjacent tents and a near by air-conditioned Borders Bookstore. For the 2nd week in a row I was impressed by the organization and presentation of the event.



The Bookfest was the final event of the year for me and it ended, happily, on an up note. The event organizer poet Kwame Alexander, who I met almost 10 years ago, in Baltimore, at another seminal event he organized: 360, A Revolution of Black Poets was on top of his game and set up a good line up of speakers, panelists, and readers. E. Ethelbert MIller, Tony Medina, Jabari Asim, Felicia Pride, Tina McElroy Ansa (who will be in the winter issue of Mosaic), John Amechie, Victoria Rowell, and a cadre of self-publishers made the trip down more than worthwhile.

Asali Solomon: One to Watch

Asali Solomon (or her book, Get Down: Stories) was recently cited by the National Book Foundation as “5 Under 35” Fiction Selections for 2007. In issue #19, Mosaic reprinted an essay on Gwendolyn Brooks she originally contributed to NPR.

"Asali Solomon was born and raised in West Philadelphia. Her first book, a collection of stories entitled Get Down, is set mostly in Philadelphia. Solomon’s work has been featured in Vibe, Essence, and the anthology Naked: Black Women Bare All About Their Skin, Hair, Hips, Lips, and Other Parts. She received the Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award for the stories in Get Down. She has a PhD in English from University of California, Berkeley and an MFA from the Iowa Writer's Workshop in fiction. Solomon is currently a visiting assistant professor of English at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut." -National Book Foundation
Photo © Patrick Hinely.

Balt Book Fest

Over this past weekend, 9/28-9/30, I had the pleasure of vending at the Baltimore Book Festival. Felicia Pride, managing editor of Mosaic, and author of the new book The Message: 100 Life Lessons from Hip-Hop's Greatest Songs, and I shared a booth. It was nice, and "literary." Not like so many uptown carnivals masquerading as book festivals --authors and publishers lost in the midst of vats of frying fish and collard greens.

Felicia, who's from Baltimore, was pushing her literary organization Backlist and her new book. BackList provides editorial, consulting, programming, and community outreach support for the literary arts.

We had many visitors, friends, and family come through. The great philosopher Felix Pride imparted words of wisdom for me to continue striving. "You either live your dream or someone else's."

Reality TV stars Doug & Jackie Christie, who were promoting their new book No Ordinary Love, spotted our tent, passed out books to everyone, and posed for pics and video. The Christie's formed their own publishing company, InfiniteLovePublishing.com, to publish their book and hopefully others --it's a quality product.

Here's some video I shot over the weekend.



Next weekend I'll be at the Capital Bookfest in Largo, MD. Should be good.