Bernice L. McFadden's Blog, page 6
December 24, 2015
"Provocateurs: A Symbiotic Relationship Between Photographers and Writers" A Group Photo Exhibit
These photographers are using their lens to chronicle Black life at home and around the world.
They hold a special place in my heart because of their dedication to artists - particularly, writers.
This exhibit is needed. I do hope you'll join me in contributing (no amount is too small) to this exhibition, which is sure to become an iconic collection.
Bernice L. McFadden
They hold a special place in my heart because of their dedication to artists - particularly, writers.
This exhibit is needed. I do hope you'll join me in contributing (no amount is too small) to this exhibition, which is sure to become an iconic collection.
Bernice L. McFadden
December 21, 2015
The Color Purple
30 years ago, I was a twenty-year-old reader, desperately wanting so much to be a writer - I had never read a book by a Black writer.
And then I discovered The Color Purple and all that seemed impossible, suddenly became possible.
The Color Purple ignited a thirst in me that remained unquenchable for years!
I sought out and read every Black author I could get my hands on.
Eventually, I began to not just read for pleasure, but for inspiration and guidance in my own writing. Fifteen years after Alice Walker first opened my eyes, I published my first novel: Sugar. Fifteen years after that - I'm just five months away from publishing my fifteenth novel.
Thank you Alice Walker and happy 30th anniversary to The Color Purple!
Bernice L. McFadden
And then I discovered The Color Purple and all that seemed impossible, suddenly became possible.
The Color Purple ignited a thirst in me that remained unquenchable for years!
I sought out and read every Black author I could get my hands on.
Eventually, I began to not just read for pleasure, but for inspiration and guidance in my own writing. Fifteen years after Alice Walker first opened my eyes, I published my first novel: Sugar. Fifteen years after that - I'm just five months away from publishing my fifteenth novel.
Thank you Alice Walker and happy 30th anniversary to The Color Purple!
Bernice L. McFadden
October 12, 2015
The Book of Harlan is now available for Pre-Order!
Hey!
I'm happy to announce that The Book of Harlan is available for pre-order on Amazon.com.
Of course, if you're independent bookstore supporter like I am, you'll want to hurry on over to your favorite establishment and place your order with them.
I hope you'll help me spread the word!
Happy Reading!
Light,
Bernice
Bernice L. McFadden
I'm happy to announce that The Book of Harlan is available for pre-order on Amazon.com.
Of course, if you're independent bookstore supporter like I am, you'll want to hurry on over to your favorite establishment and place your order with them.
I hope you'll help me spread the word!
Happy Reading!
Light,
Bernice
Bernice L. McFadden
September 28, 2015
#50Forward
On September 26th, I celebrated 50 years of life on this earth. I feel very blessed to have been allowed to follow my hopes, dreams and aspirations straight into my 50th year. And I'm grateful to have you all supporting my creative endeavors. I'm so happy that we are all alive at the same time!
Bernice L. McFadden
Bernice L. McFadden
September 8, 2015
The Slave Owner Revealed...
It's been an exciting few days in my genealogy journey.
I must say, the ancestors have been extremely generous as of late.
Early Sunday morning, I completed the second round of edits for The Book of Harlan - which is heavily based on the real and imagined lives of my paternal ancestors - a line I've been researching for two long decades. Anyway, I re-wrote the ending and let's just say that PROVIDENCE was the word and feeling of the moment. Unable to sleep - I decided to get a little genealogy research in and don't you know - at long last I found confirming evidence about my "other" GGgrandfather on my daddy's side. For years it was believed that Mingo McFadden (cool name, right) was born in Texas, but now I have hard data that proves he was actually born in Charleston, SC and was brought out to the Texas/Arkansas border town of Texakarna, where he spent the rest of his life.
Ya'll it's no coincidence that these recent genealogy discoveries are showering down at a time when I'm wrapping up a novel inspired by the very ancestors I've been searching for. Remember when I said that final chapter of the novel has to do with PROVIDENCE?
You see how the Universe did that?
So, yesterday, the ancestors (via a helpful human angel) sent me a copy of Captain John M. McFadden's will. (1782 - 1827)
Side note: Captain John McFadden was the son of Colonel Thomas McFadden (1758-1823) also of South Carolina, who fought in the Cherokee Wars as well as The American Revolution.
Anyway, in the Captains' will, under the heading: Appraisement and Division of Negroes was listed, not one, but two Mingo's!!
Mingo and Little Mingo - which I believe is my GGGgrandfather and his son, my GGgrandfather!
The elder Mingo was listed at a worth of $200 and his son, $247.
Both Mingo's are part of LOT #2 - which was given to the Captains son, John Gamble McFadden - who eventually took his divide out to Texakarna, where my Great-Grandfather, Issac was born in 1860.
So, there you have it.
I am well satisfied...well, at least for the moment...
Bernice L. McFadden
I must say, the ancestors have been extremely generous as of late.
Early Sunday morning, I completed the second round of edits for The Book of Harlan - which is heavily based on the real and imagined lives of my paternal ancestors - a line I've been researching for two long decades. Anyway, I re-wrote the ending and let's just say that PROVIDENCE was the word and feeling of the moment. Unable to sleep - I decided to get a little genealogy research in and don't you know - at long last I found confirming evidence about my "other" GGgrandfather on my daddy's side. For years it was believed that Mingo McFadden (cool name, right) was born in Texas, but now I have hard data that proves he was actually born in Charleston, SC and was brought out to the Texas/Arkansas border town of Texakarna, where he spent the rest of his life.
Ya'll it's no coincidence that these recent genealogy discoveries are showering down at a time when I'm wrapping up a novel inspired by the very ancestors I've been searching for. Remember when I said that final chapter of the novel has to do with PROVIDENCE?
You see how the Universe did that?
So, yesterday, the ancestors (via a helpful human angel) sent me a copy of Captain John M. McFadden's will. (1782 - 1827)
Side note: Captain John McFadden was the son of Colonel Thomas McFadden (1758-1823) also of South Carolina, who fought in the Cherokee Wars as well as The American Revolution.
Anyway, in the Captains' will, under the heading: Appraisement and Division of Negroes was listed, not one, but two Mingo's!!
Mingo and Little Mingo - which I believe is my GGGgrandfather and his son, my GGgrandfather!
The elder Mingo was listed at a worth of $200 and his son, $247.
Both Mingo's are part of LOT #2 - which was given to the Captains son, John Gamble McFadden - who eventually took his divide out to Texakarna, where my Great-Grandfather, Issac was born in 1860.
So, there you have it.
I am well satisfied...well, at least for the moment...
Bernice L. McFadden
September 4, 2015
This month in my never-ending family research..
My favorite gifts come in the form of books, art, travel and genealogy finds. Today, an early birthday gift from the ancestors - a copy of the 1895 life insurance policy application for Tenant M. Robinson (My GGgrandfather)
Because of this document I now know that the M in his name stands for MACK, his date of birth, address and that before he was a full-time preacher, he was a butler, ad before that a drayman and of course before that, a slave.
Indeed, on a separate page of the application Under the section where the applicant was to list the names and ages of Mother, Father and Grandparents, this is what was written:
BY REASON OF SLAVERY AND THE SEPARATION OF FAMILIES INCIDENT THERETO, APPLICANT CAN GIVE NO INFORMATION AS TO THE FATHER OR GRANDPARENTS, INDEED HE KNOWS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING...
.
Bernice L. McFadden
Because of this document I now know that the M in his name stands for MACK, his date of birth, address and that before he was a full-time preacher, he was a butler, ad before that a drayman and of course before that, a slave.
Indeed, on a separate page of the application Under the section where the applicant was to list the names and ages of Mother, Father and Grandparents, this is what was written:
BY REASON OF SLAVERY AND THE SEPARATION OF FAMILIES INCIDENT THERETO, APPLICANT CAN GIVE NO INFORMATION AS TO THE FATHER OR GRANDPARENTS, INDEED HE KNOWS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING...
.
Bernice L. McFadden
Black Characters Are Still Revolutionary...
Tracey M Lewis-GiggettsFriday 4 September 2015 08.00 EDTShare on FacebookShare on TwitterShare via EmailShare on PinterestShare on LinkedInShare on Google+Shares700Comments8 Save for laterI grew up with African American literature. My parents hustled and jived to the poetry of Amiri Baraka and Nikki Giovanni, and my grandparents were captivated by the astuteness of James Baldwin, Zora Neale Hurston, Richard Wright and Langston Hughes. I absorbed all of it.These black literary giants drove the social commentary of their day, using their creative works as the vehicle. It’s not by accident that their writing is considered to be major work of American literature: their characters are trapped by the racist atmosphere in which they live, a context specific to the US.Yet despite feeling empowered by these books, I often wonder if literature written by black authors, in order to be considered successful or even “good”, must address the social ills of the day. As black writers, are we bound to the race narrative? Many prominent thinkers in black literary criticism think so.In fact, it’s commonly believed that “good” writing by black authors is birthed from oppression, and marginalization is viewed as a key marker for black literature. This implies a direct link between the authenticity of the literature and the sociological and political perspectives of African Americans. After all, the recent evidence of police brutality and racial injustice against black people, and the subsequent Black Lives Matter movement, is likely one of the many reasons why Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Between the World and Me sits comfortably on the New York Times bestseller list.Is success defined only by whether black writers write about race? Or, is there room for a diversity of stories that don’t necessarily align with race issues?I reached out to three prominent black writers to share their thoughts.
Read the rest of the article by Tracy M. Lewis Giggets here
Bernice L. McFadden
August 27, 2015
About this summer..
I had all of these grand plans for summer 2015. I was going to do all of the NYC things that tourist come to NYC to do. Oh yes, I was going to eat up the Big Apple in a way I had not done in years.
But alas, I did none of what I planned. Instead, I traveled..I traveled a lot.
One of the highlights of my summer was attending my family reunion which was held in Macon, Ga.
The history was amazing.
Visits to churches, a slave market, cemeteries and the Dickson Plantation in Hancock, Ga where my maternal Great, Great grandfather toiled as a slave.
And at the beautiful Tubman Museum, I read to a room filled with 70 people who were all related to me!!
\
Bernice L. McFadden
But alas, I did none of what I planned. Instead, I traveled..I traveled a lot.
One of the highlights of my summer was attending my family reunion which was held in Macon, Ga.
The history was amazing.
Visits to churches, a slave market, cemeteries and the Dickson Plantation in Hancock, Ga where my maternal Great, Great grandfather toiled as a slave.
And at the beautiful Tubman Museum, I read to a room filled with 70 people who were all related to me!!
\
Bernice L. McFadden
August 22, 2015
The Book of Harlan coming Spring 2016 // The Story Behind The Book..
It took four years, but I finally finished The Book of Harlan. I worked on this novel in many different places: Egypt, Hawaii, Georgia, sailing across the Baltic Sea, Grenada... The Book of Harlan was inspired by the life of my paternal grandfather; Harold Isaac McFadden (pictured on the cover)
I never personally knew the man and neither did my father. All I had to recreate his life were a birth certificate, census schedules, a few newspaper articles and my imagination.
In many ways, this book is the culmination of twenty years of family history research. A few weeks after I sent the manuscript to my publisher, I went down to a little town in Burke County, Georgia to meet (for the first time) my third cousins - direct descendants of my GGGrandmother, Louisa White Robinson.
It was one of the happiest and most fulfilling days of my life.
Honestly, I'm beginning to believe I was a detective in my previous life!
In any case, The Book of Harlan is my personal celebration of family, history and memory. I hope you will all enjoy it.
Bernice L. McFadden
I never personally knew the man and neither did my father. All I had to recreate his life were a birth certificate, census schedules, a few newspaper articles and my imagination.
In many ways, this book is the culmination of twenty years of family history research. A few weeks after I sent the manuscript to my publisher, I went down to a little town in Burke County, Georgia to meet (for the first time) my third cousins - direct descendants of my GGGrandmother, Louisa White Robinson.
It was one of the happiest and most fulfilling days of my life.
Honestly, I'm beginning to believe I was a detective in my previous life!
In any case, The Book of Harlan is my personal celebration of family, history and memory. I hope you will all enjoy it.
Bernice L. McFadden
