Bernice L. McFadden's Blog, page 34

I'm just saying...

Bernice L. McFadden[image error]

Where has inspiration found you?

Inspiration often spring from life’s most mundane moments.

I was sitting in my kitchen with my feet propped up on the windowsill, sipping a cup of tea, watching the rain leak from the sky and thinking about the essay on motherhood I’d just sent off to the Defender’s Online.

The farthest thing from my mind was the next novel I would tackle - but suddenly there it was, like a flash in the darkness. What a lovely surprise!

My guides are amazing; they bring me these stories that are so achingly beau

Do you have blood on your hands?

Last week, I was very disturbed and angry to find sitting in my inbox a PDF file of Steve Harvey’s national best selling book: Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man.

You may think that you’re getting over some imaginary hurdle by not purchasing the book. And you may have even rationalized the reason why it was okay to print out that book and read it. I can just hear you now: “Steve Harvey has more money than God. He ain't gonna miss my few dollars!”

But no matter how you slice it, it’s wrong and it

Back in the day when things were cool....

The title of this post is from the lyrics of to an Erykah Badu song.

As you all know I've been reminiscing about my first time. I've mentioned a number of times the fact that 2009 is the ten year anniversary of the year my life changed. I'm a sentimental sort of chick, so please bear with me. ...I suspect this walk down memory lane is going to go on for awhile.

So my good friend purchased one of those nifty movie cassette-to-DVD converters and made the sad mistake of telling me. Well I piled all

Run Tell That!

Mother's day is just around the corner and Jewell Parker Rhodes' "Porch Stories" is the perfect book for the occasion.


On The White Readers Meet Black Authors blog there is a wonderful list of books to give to a mom (black, white or otherwise!)

June 14-19, author Tayari Jones will be teaching a class at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Massachusetts. FAWC is offering a discount for students. So what's your excuse for not going?

The Defenders online is the darker brother of the Huffingt

My house. My Doors. My Lifetime Channel Video Shoot

I did this short for Lifetime Television Network in 2003. It was done to commemorate the channel's 20th anniversary which occurred in 2004.

I had been in my house two years when this was shot, and had just days earlier, replaced the ugly, gray steel door with the beautiful oak ones you'll see in the video.

I bought the doors from a sort-of-kinda junkstore/antique shop located on the Clinton Hill/Bedstuy border. the owner was sweet on me, so I only paid $100 dollars for the pair, and he delivered

It Ain't Easy Being Green (Part 11)

In the immortal words of Bernie Mac: “We family, we family, I can talk to you.”

Well here I am, the other Bernie Mac – I don’t go in for nick-names but it seems appropriate for this post.

A year ago this month I invited you all to follow me on my journey to finding a home for my novel, Glorious. I fully expected to celebrate this one-year anniversary with a list of tour dates and a marketing and publicity blitz! But alas, that is not the case.

Most days I keep my chin up because I don’t wear self-p

The official start of the third Renaissance movement

So You all know that Lynn Nottage scooped up the Pulitzer award for Drama, right? Well I have been long aware of Nottage's talent because a friend of mine is a big fan and has been following the talented playwright for a number of years. So why did it take me so long to see one of Lynn's plays? I can give you a bevy of reasons, but it's Friday and it's beautiful outside, so who has time for a list of excuses?

I finally went to see RUINED and i must tell you, it was a treat, I felt like a proud si