Bernice L. McFadden's Blog, page 2
June 9, 2016
June 4, 2016
Brooklyn Pen Collaborative Creative Writing Workshop with Bernice L. McFadden and Donna Hill
Brooklyn Pen Collaborative Presents:“Bringing up the Bodies”One-Day Creative Writing IntensiveWith award-winning, best-selling novelists: Donna Hill and Bernice L. McFadden
Do you have a story you want to tell, but unsure where to begin? Do you lack inspiration and direction in your creative writing practice?
Here you will be guided through the excavation and exploration of those elusive story ideas, characters, narratives and plots.
The idea is to see with a writer’s eyes while experimenting with different forms.
Creative writing is one of the most gratifying ways to express yourself.
Spend a full day with authors Bernice L. McFadden and Donna Hill in an intimate writing session that is designed to awaken the inner writer, sharpen techniques and move you from plot to print.
This workshop is guaranteed to help you find your writing voice, build confidence, free you from the uncertainty and remind you of why you crave to write.
Date: Saturday, July 16th Cost: $175.00 (includes lunch and handouts)Time: 10 am - 5 pmLocation: Brooklyn, NY (actual location only provided to paid students)
Participants limited to 10 students. Register Early!
For additional information please email: brooklynpencollaborative@gmail.com
About your instructors:
Bernice L. McFadden is the author of nine critically acclaimed novels including Sugar, Loving Donovan , Nowhere Is a Place , The Warmest December , Gathering of Waters (a New York Times Editors’ Choice and one of the 100 Notable Books of 2012), and Glorious , which was featured in O, The Oprah Magazine and was a finalist for the NAACP Image Award. She is a three-time Hurston/Wright Legacy Award finalist, as well as the recipient of three awards from the BCALA. McFadden lives in Brooklyn, New York. The Book of Harlan is her latest novel.
Donna Hill
**This workshop does not include workshopping of pre-existing writing projects, but students write and receive feedback on in-class writing exercises.**
Bernice L. McFadden
Do you have a story you want to tell, but unsure where to begin? Do you lack inspiration and direction in your creative writing practice?
Here you will be guided through the excavation and exploration of those elusive story ideas, characters, narratives and plots.
The idea is to see with a writer’s eyes while experimenting with different forms.
Creative writing is one of the most gratifying ways to express yourself.
Spend a full day with authors Bernice L. McFadden and Donna Hill in an intimate writing session that is designed to awaken the inner writer, sharpen techniques and move you from plot to print.
This workshop is guaranteed to help you find your writing voice, build confidence, free you from the uncertainty and remind you of why you crave to write.
Date: Saturday, July 16th Cost: $175.00 (includes lunch and handouts)Time: 10 am - 5 pmLocation: Brooklyn, NY (actual location only provided to paid students)
Participants limited to 10 students. Register Early!
For additional information please email: brooklynpencollaborative@gmail.com
About your instructors:
Bernice L. McFadden is the author of nine critically acclaimed novels including Sugar, Loving Donovan , Nowhere Is a Place , The Warmest December , Gathering of Waters (a New York Times Editors’ Choice and one of the 100 Notable Books of 2012), and Glorious , which was featured in O, The Oprah Magazine and was a finalist for the NAACP Image Award. She is a three-time Hurston/Wright Legacy Award finalist, as well as the recipient of three awards from the BCALA. McFadden lives in Brooklyn, New York. The Book of Harlan is her latest novel.
Donna Hill
**This workshop does not include workshopping of pre-existing writing projects, but students write and receive feedback on in-class writing exercises.**
Bernice L. McFadden
May 19, 2016
May 2, 2016
April 27, 2016
The Washington Post: Bernice L. McFadden’s “The Book of Harlan” is simply miraculous
“The Book of Harlan” is Bernice L. McFadden’s 10th novel, and it is simply miraculous. Each character in her large cast is vivid, and every turn of event is intriguing. Leaping from Harlem to the Holocaust and back again, it’s also a history lesson with a heart and lots of soul.The story takes off in the 1930s, the heyday of Harlem. Jazz giants like Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith can be found playing and singing at clubs packed night after night. When Emma Robinson, a piano teacher, and her husband, Sam, inherit some money, they take their young son, Harlan, with them from Macon, Ga., to New York to live with successful musician friends in a fancy townhouse. A “Welcome to Harlem” party is thrown for them, “attended by the black glitterati.” Emma cannot believe she’s meeting Jelly Roll Morton and blues guitarist Sylvester Weaver and “talking bread pudding recipes with blues singer Alberta Hunter.”Continue Reading...
Bernice L. McFadden
April 24, 2016
TODAY ONLY (April 24th) FREE EBOOK : CAMILLA'S ROSES
As a thank you for all of your support - for the next 24 hours, I've made the kindle version of my novel: Camilla's Roses, absolutely FREE! If you don't have a KINDLE you can download the app for FREE.
Known for bringing to life a host of endearing characters who reveal tender truths about humanity, Bernice L. McFadden now turns her storytelling talents to an unforgettable and deeply troubled woman named Camilla.
Unfolding in a progression of stirring and powerful chapters, Camillas Roses presents a life haunted by the past. Camillas childhood was immersed in chaos and love, and steeped in the myth of perfection. As an adult, she never looked back, refusing to acknowledge the people and places that had scarred her so many years ago. But a legacy of cancer proves inescapable, forcing Camilla to embrace the past no matter how painful it may beand to salvage what is left of her love in order to save her daughter. As Camilla discovers the bittersweet limitations of motherhood and reconciliation, she also awakens an inspiring message about the mortality issues we all must face.
Bernice L. McFadden
Known for bringing to life a host of endearing characters who reveal tender truths about humanity, Bernice L. McFadden now turns her storytelling talents to an unforgettable and deeply troubled woman named Camilla.
Unfolding in a progression of stirring and powerful chapters, Camillas Roses presents a life haunted by the past. Camillas childhood was immersed in chaos and love, and steeped in the myth of perfection. As an adult, she never looked back, refusing to acknowledge the people and places that had scarred her so many years ago. But a legacy of cancer proves inescapable, forcing Camilla to embrace the past no matter how painful it may beand to salvage what is left of her love in order to save her daughter. As Camilla discovers the bittersweet limitations of motherhood and reconciliation, she also awakens an inspiring message about the mortality issues we all must face.
Bernice L. McFadden
April 21, 2016
REST IN PURPLE POWER, PRINCE!!
Listen, I was a Michael Jackson fan down to the gristle, but when I went to see PURPLE RAIN..I had no other choice but to share my affections. My bestie (now cousin) and I went to see that movie a half-dozen- times or more. We knew all the dialogue and every single note of every single song. The lapels of our denim jackets were adorned with buttons stamped with his image and we wore those feather-tailed "roach" clips in our hair like the members of his band.
We wanted to be PRINCE, we wanted to be with PRINCE. To this day, Purple Rain is one of my favorite movies and I still cry when I watch it. 57 is not a very long time to live, and one would think not nearly enough time to accomplish what Prince accomplished - or touch the millions of people he touched with his genius and generosity - but he did.
No matter how long we live, our time here is short so go on ahead and LIVE and (as the Caribbean people say) Try and make yourself happy, do!
REST IN POWER PRINCE
Bernice L. McFadden
We wanted to be PRINCE, we wanted to be with PRINCE. To this day, Purple Rain is one of my favorite movies and I still cry when I watch it. 57 is not a very long time to live, and one would think not nearly enough time to accomplish what Prince accomplished - or touch the millions of people he touched with his genius and generosity - but he did.
No matter how long we live, our time here is short so go on ahead and LIVE and (as the Caribbean people say) Try and make yourself happy, do!
REST IN POWER PRINCE
Bernice L. McFadden
April 19, 2016
Me + 16 Years of Work = 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award
Honestly, it never crossed my mind that I would receive a Lifetime Achievement Award...I am humbled and grateful to the point of tears...
I do hope you'll help spread the word and come out and celebrate with me!
From Ella D. Curry:
NEED YOUR SUPPORT: I want to make this the largest, loudest, happiest Chocolate Social ever! What?! We're celebrating our living legends and icons by honoring Bernice L. McFadden with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her work in the literary community and for inspiring so many women to live the best version of self! We love her! CAN YOU PLEASE HELP ME SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THE BLACK PEARLS MAGAZINE EXCELLENCE AWARDS?2016 ATL Chocolate Social & Awards Show
Thursday Night, July 28, 2016
Time: 7:00-10:00 pm EST
Location: Loews Atlanta Hotel
1065 Peachtree Street N.E., Atlanta, GA 30309
No tickets sold at the door. Attire: Semi-formal.Tickets are $60.00 per person. Get your tickets before April 30: http://www.edc-creations.com/chocolatesocial16.htmJoin the party by mingling with celebrated authors, publishers, literary icons and 40+ bookclub presidents AND 100 other book lovers. Enjoy a elegant plated meal with publishing industry professionals. There will be music and dancing after dinner, so bring your partner! We offer swag bags, door prizes and more!*********************************
PLEASE HELP SUPPORT THIS EVENT BY SHARING THIS FLYER WITH YOUR NETWORK. NEVER KNOW WHO MIGHT BE IN THE SOUTH AND WANT TO MEET US TOO!
Bernice L. McFadden
I do hope you'll help spread the word and come out and celebrate with me!
From Ella D. Curry:
NEED YOUR SUPPORT: I want to make this the largest, loudest, happiest Chocolate Social ever! What?! We're celebrating our living legends and icons by honoring Bernice L. McFadden with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her work in the literary community and for inspiring so many women to live the best version of self! We love her! CAN YOU PLEASE HELP ME SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THE BLACK PEARLS MAGAZINE EXCELLENCE AWARDS?2016 ATL Chocolate Social & Awards Show
Thursday Night, July 28, 2016
Time: 7:00-10:00 pm EST
Location: Loews Atlanta Hotel
1065 Peachtree Street N.E., Atlanta, GA 30309
No tickets sold at the door. Attire: Semi-formal.Tickets are $60.00 per person. Get your tickets before April 30: http://www.edc-creations.com/chocolatesocial16.htmJoin the party by mingling with celebrated authors, publishers, literary icons and 40+ bookclub presidents AND 100 other book lovers. Enjoy a elegant plated meal with publishing industry professionals. There will be music and dancing after dinner, so bring your partner! We offer swag bags, door prizes and more!*********************************
PLEASE HELP SUPPORT THIS EVENT BY SHARING THIS FLYER WITH YOUR NETWORK. NEVER KNOW WHO MIGHT BE IN THE SOUTH AND WANT TO MEET US TOO!
Bernice L. McFadden
April 16, 2016
My Magical Writing Life
Evidence of my magical writing life #126: So, at the moment, I live across the street from a good sized park. When I moved here in 2013, I don't remember what draft I was on for The Book of Harlan, but I was still two years away from completing the novel in its entirety. Anyway, as I was toiling away on the book and living my life, I noticed a man, a man in a wheelchair who daily, rolled his way into the park to sing. What stood out about him (besides his solo renditions of popular gospel songs and operas) were his shoes. They were sparkly...like the glove the late King of Pop often sported. Sometimes, I would stand on the edge of the park and listen to this man sing. I would wonder about where he lived, if he had a family - how indeed did he end up in that wheelchair, but most of all, why did he feel the need to come out in public to sing his heart out -- or sing his heart free? So many questions. The thing is this, I haven't seen him since I finished writing The Book of Harlan. And the other thing is that he is in The Book of Harlan - well my own unique vision of him appears in the pages of the book. I think, or at least I'd like to believe that the writing fairies sent him especially for me - specifically for this book. I look for him now and wonder if he was real or imagined........#TheBookofHarlan
http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Harlan-Bernice-McFadden/dp/1617754455
Bernice L. McFadden
http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Harlan-Bernice-McFadden/dp/1617754455Bernice L. McFadden
On Being Naked...On Being 50...
I can't remember if I heard Walter Mosley himself say that he writes in the nude or if that statement was part of some rumour. Whatever the case may be, I believe when one creates, one is naked, whether that nakedness is physical or metaphorical. This photo was taken last autumn by the fabulous RAYA. I wanted to do something memorable to commemorate my 50th birthday. Something that I could look back and ponder in coming years. As it stands, this mid-life me is stronger and more introspective than I could have ever dreamt myself to be. Sometimes, I catch my image in the mirror and think, wow, you're the woman I've been waiting to meet. And what a woman she is, often unflinching and unflappable and now this new thing bubbling just beneath my smile, writhing under my skin, pulsing through my veins - this revolutionary spirit, pushing out, splitting me into a dozen jagged parts. Who would have known? Certainly not me!On May 7th, I'll be reading a letter to my younger self at The Brooklyn Historical Society. I have so much to say to that younger me...so very much to tell her.
"Being naked approaches being revolutionary; going barefoot is mere populism." - John Updike
Bernice L. McFadden
"Being naked approaches being revolutionary; going barefoot is mere populism." - John Updike
Bernice L. McFadden
