Past TRR Issue
Alas, another year is fastly coming to and end. In the literary arena where our battles are fought, we get a chance to see who were able to bask in the sun, whom are licking wounds, and whether individual or collective strategies really worked. There were quite a bit of changes, accolades to be awarded, and simply put, more books than ever produced by people of color. We want to continue being that force to be reckoned with and making sure that the resources to document our ascendancy are available for view. We want those resources and aids to keep our brethren reading and our colleagues writing. With this in mind, this month’s installment pays homage to three of a plethora of icons, staples, and bastion of our bailiwick that keeps us informed, and various online entities documented for availability. In order to bring you this report and be honest in my evaluation, I do so with a disclaimer lamenting the fact that we owe quite a bit to those in the field that have helped to make the trends that are prevalent nowadays in Black literature. They know whom they are, and any omission here should not be taken as a slight to contributions not stated. We continue…....
I bring to you first and foremost Black Issues Book Review (BIBR), QBR, The Black Book Review (QBR), and African American Authors Helping Authors (AA-AHA). William E. Cox, Max Rodriguez, and DeloresThornton you should get familiar with, for they are names you will continue to hear as we press forward as being players in this field. They are the principals in the aforementioned. It should be duly noted that there have been, and are still many other systematic bodies that are prominent in the dissemination of the African-American writing craft, namely book clubs (online or otherwise), author showcases, literary retreats, cruises, book fairs and workshops, etc.
We continually want to see ourselves reflected in the literature we’re reading for and about us, because we know directly and indirectly that it helps to build better self-images, and know that if the playing fields are even we can hold our own and far-exceed with the best of them. In these times we want to discover and expand on self, keep our role models (at home and in our communities), and learn from our archetypes too, to be able to know where we need to improve. Moreover, and specifically in African-American literature circles, we tend to possess a flair for the dramatic and color our stories with vivid analogies to paint scenes from all of our diasporal leanings which will always be relevant to the Black Experience. There is no false sense of complacency when we know what’s going on in our communities…and what books are being read. I envision us carving niches to better distribute a slice here, or a slice there of the proverbial pie in the sky – as long as we read and write responsively. Not only is Johnny reading better, but also he’s endeavoring his peers to jump on the bandwagon and support the discussions that will sell books. In that regard, we’ve taken control of our own written words because we’ve seen too often how much we tend to spend on books, have witnessed the huge blockbuster book deals that come down the pipe for some of our authors that are perceived to have ‘made’ it. Those that haven’t stepped into the limelight yet, are willing and able knowing that there are more black publishing companies than ever, we’re seeing more black editors, and more self-published books. The latter is a phenom in itself given to the advent of desktop publishing, the Internet, and the previously mentioned book clubs. Many writers no matter what the state of mainstream publishing is concerned will want to take control of their destinies by empowering to write and publish their own stories. The two magazines featured this month, and the unique service group established to provide a better medium to promote and advertise authors helping each other is truly a testament to what we have available to help the cause. With this in place, not only can we signal the growth of our industry commercially, but the success of our books would not only be tantamount to our arrival in the arena, but a MUST to be kept abreast of our creative spirit to keep battling. I’ve reviewed each one to sort of prepare the way and give insight. I present to you these assets hoping that you’d cherish and patronize them accordingly! CONTINUE ...
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