Hip Hop Film Fest

I like hip hop too, son.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Press Contact: Nakia Alston
press@hiphopassociation.org

H2O [Hip-Hop Odyssey] Film Submissions Start February 1st

The 6th Annual H2O [Hip-Hop Odyssey] International Film Festival Announces Call For Entries

NEW YORK, NY (January 31, 2008) – The Hip-Hop Association is proud to announce that it will begin accepting submissions for its Sixth Annual H2O [Hip-Hop Odyssey] International Film Festival (H2OFF) starting February 1, 2008. Taking place from June 25 – June 29, 2008 in New York City, this year’s theme “Getting It Straight in 08: Celebrating Our History, Women, and Creative Control!”

H2OIFF showcases films that include one of the elements of Hip-Hop culture in the films theme, story or subject matter, i.e. Breaking (B-Boy/Girl), DJ'ing, MC'ing, Graffiti/Aerosol Artistry, Beatbox'ing, Knowledge, Culture, and Overstanding. Films categorized as "Under the influence" need only depict content that is relevant to the overall culture and may contain, but are not limited to, a focus on fashion, music, language, location, theme and/or characters influenced by Hip-Hop culture. All genres welcome: Documentary, Narrative, Experimental, Animation, PSA (Public Service Announcements), Freestyle/Experimental, Music Video, and Trailer.

In 2008, we are streaming a portion of the film festival online. Accepted films will be competing for a variety of awards, including cash awards, opportunities for distribution deals—DVD, broadcast, and web streaming—as well as inclusion in hundreds of community screenings and events.

The regular submission deadline will be April 1, 2008, no film will be accepted after this date. For more information and to download a submissions application visit, http://www.hiphopassociation.org/h2o

About the H2O [Hip-Hop Odyssey] Media Initiative
H2O [Hip-Hop Odyssey] is the media initiative of the H2A, which includes the H2O [Hip-Hop Odyssey] International Film Festival and Odyssey Awards. These events support our goals to utilize Hip-Hop culture as a tool to teach media literacy and social awareness.

• H2O [Hip-Hop Odyssey] International Film Festival – The largest annual international Hip-Hop film festival, showcases independent filmmakers and provides an alternative wide lens into the culture of Hip-Hop. H2OIFF works with aspiring and established filmmakers, encouraging them to develop work that highlights positive representations of Hip-Hop culture. H2OIFF offers training and networking opportunities, educational resources, panel discussions and an exhibition platform for video and filmmakers to display and define the variety of images and stories that depict Hip-Hop and its communities.

• Odyssey Awards - The Odyssey Awards is the closing ceremony for the H2OIFF, where we announce the winners of the festival and acknowledge the most important Hip-Hop filmmakers, industry professionals and pioneers. This annual signature event features appearances and performances by Hip-Hop heavyweights such as, Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, MC Lyte, Kanye West, Mos Def, Roxanne Shante, and Ice T.

As One Closes Another Grows

In the wake of the closing of Karibu, this bit of good news is really welcomed. Crystal has been in the lit trenches for many years and is doing good work. Mosaic profiled Brownstone Books in Issue #10.

BAM Picks Brownstone Books
By Felicia Pride -- Publishers Weekly, 1/23/2008 2:30:00 PM

Beginning this month, Brownstone Books, an African-American oriented bookstore located in Brooklyn, will take over the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s bookstore, which was previously handled by Manhattan-based Shakespeare & Co.

Crystal Bobb-Semple, who opened Brownstone Books with her husband in 2000, said that BAM approached Brownstone to take over their store because it was looking to partner with a local Brooklyn bookseller. Bobb-Semple, who created Brownstone to be a gathering point in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood added, “We both share the goal of creating community around the arts.”

Brownstone Books at BAM is 300 square feet and will stock art, theater, and performing arts related titles, local interest books and current bestselling nonfiction and fiction. “It’s a very edited selection,” said Bobb-Semple who looks forward to selling books in a niche different from Brownstone’s African-American focus. The new store will take advantage of the arts facility’s unique business. “What we stock and our hours of operation revolve around BAM’s performance calendar,” Bobb-Semple said.

Brownstone Books at BAM will be open during all Opera House performances and every Friday and Saturday, 8-11 p.m. BAM coordinates popular author events like BAMfamily Book Brunch and its Eat Drink and Be Literary series, which will feature several writers including poet Charles Simic and novelists Chinua Achebe this spring.

Karibu Closing Takes A Twist

It seems the closing of Karibu Books has to do with a conflict between the owners and not a financial downturn, which I would almost welcome --read these pieces in the The Washington Post and Publishers Weekly. I was set to rail against the behemoths Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com, both plowing their way through a field of closed bookstores. I was ready to blame everyone around me. We, including myself, just don't read the way we once did. The Internet, iPods, cable TV, XM Radio, video games continue to whittle the time we commit to reading. Public transportation has become the default reading room.

So, just when I thought Karibu would be martyred and its demise lead to a possible reading resurgence it turns out that the end is akin spat between brothers. I've always admired Sana and Bro Yao (who, of the two, I personally know). Book selling is not an easy game, low margins and high overhead for "bricks and mortar." Now add to the mix business views that are not in sync and you have the making of a bookstore closing.

I get the sense that both will re-emerge separate and stronger, still in the book business. Sometimes its not enough to move on. You must tear down the old house before you can build anew. It may take a while but I hope that the partners will make a statement --joint or separate-- affirming their friendship before this degrades into "Britney/KFed" gossip.

Karibu Books Closes

Black, white or other we aren't reading as much anymore.

January 22, 2008

Dear Karibu Customers,

After 15 years of service within the Washington, DC metropolitan area, Karibu Books, a Black bookstore chain will be closing its doors. We sincerely thank each and every one of you for your patronage and support. We are optimistic that our mission to empower and educate through a comprehensive selection of books by and about people of African descent will continue to resonate within the communities we proudly served.

Since 1993, we have been blessed to help thousands of local, regional and national authors share their incredible stories of faith, hope, love, peace, politics and race. We can’t begin to express our gratitude for the countless authors who have graced our six stores and enriched our customers’ lives.

We will be closing our Security Square (Baltimore, MD) and Forestville locations on Sunday, January 27. The remaining locations, Bowie Town Center, The Mall at Prince Georges and Iverson Mall will close on Sunday, February 10. Our Pentagon City store is already closed.

Effective immediately, all inventory at all locations will be 50% off. All fixtures will also be available for purchase on February 10. See individual store managers for more information.

Again, we respectfully thank you for your loyalty, laughter and love.

Sincerely,
Simba Sana
CEO
Karibu Books

MosaicBooks Widens Marketing Network

THREE LARGEST AFRICAN-AMERICAN BOOK SITES
JOIN FORCES TO PROMOTE BLACK LITERATURE

HOUSTON, TX – AALBC.com, Cushcity.com and MosaicBooks.com, the three largest and most established web sites focusing on African-American literature, announced today that they have joined forces to offer comprehensive online book promotion options to self-published authors and small publishing firms.

Together, the three web sites have over 30 years of combined online presence and over 4 million page views per month. Each site brings different strengths to the venture.

AALBC.com, founded by Troy Johnson of Harlem, N.Y. in 1998, is now the largest website dedicated to promoting books by and about African Americans.

Cushcity.com, co-founded by Willie and Gwen Richardson of Houston, Tex. in 1998, is the world’s largest African-American Internet retailer with over 20,000 products online, including books, DVDs, Greek products, calendars and art.

MosaicBooks.com, founded by Ron Kavanaugh of the Bronx, NY, in 1996, was the first site created to showcase African-American literature. It recently celebrated its 10th anniversary online.

“This effort brings unprecedented exposure to millions of African-American book readers worldwide,” says Johnson. “I am pleased to work with Cushcity and MosaicBooks to bring African-American authors and consumers together.”

The three sites will initially offer self-published authors and small presses simultaneous, prominent placement on each of the three sites’ home pages. There are also plans to expand these coordinated services in the future to include e-blasts and other marketing opportunities for authors.

The announcement comes on the heels of recent news reports highlighting the growth in the number of African-American titles published annually and the resultant increase in book sales revenue. Based upon book sales figures for 2006 released by the American Association of Publishers, African Americans spend about $1 billion of the estimated $24 billion spent in the U.S. annually on books.

• Publishers, for more information regarding the joint online marketing effort
contact Ron Kavanaugh, ron@mosaicbooks.com, (718) 530-9132

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Americo!

Late last year I had the opportunity to see poet Americo Casiano read from his new book of poetry, On the Stand. Here's a video of his appearance at Cemi Underground in Spanish Harlem.

a friend I did know

I met Phebus Ettienne many years ago. The exact date escapes me. Most likely near the beginning of Cave Canem. I would say we were friends by the time the wonderful anthology The Butterfly's Way: Voices from the Haitian Dyaspora in the United States was published in 2001, in which she contributed a poem. Easy and shy, Phebus always greeted me with a warm smile and welcoming words. Our conversations usually started with, -how are you and the magazine? -how's the poetry? We replied, respectively, with a long breathy, "well..."

I meet many people at events throughout the city -readings, panels, workshops. But, in many ways we assume "friendship" with people, but we're never really sure. Never knowing exactly what to say or when it's approapriate to walk away. I don't really know them. Would never ask for a favor, confide in, or visit them. But I was always happy to see Phebus. Always happy to hear of her progress as a poet.

Today, I discovered Phebus was dead. Almost long dead -ten months. She died of a heart attack in March '07. Sadly, I learned of it while surfing the Internet. Everything is on the Net, whether you welcome it or not.