Zetta Elliott's Blog, page 103

farewell, friend

At first it was just a rumor, but I now have confirmation that Brownstone Books will be closing its doors.  This is sad news, indeed—Crystal, the dynamic owner, has been a friend to so many authors, illustrators, book lovers, and members of the community.  I had events for both of my books at Brownstone, and know that many other writers felt just as welcome and supported.  Is Brownstone the last black-owned bookstore in Brooklyn?  Anyone know?  We lost DARE Books a while back…Nkiru, too.  I can remember the first time I visited a black bookstore—I think it was Third World Books in Toronto (also gone).  After spending all my life as the only black student in my classes, I finally audited a Black Literature course at York University and one of our first assignments was to locate all the titles on a long list of books by black authors.  Unfortunately, most of the books were housed in the Toronto Reference Library because they were out of print, non-circulating…and so I turned to Third World and found some old, dusty first editions there.  And tried (unsuccessfully) to talk feminism with the crotchety old owner.  He was the reason I kept going back; in a world that refuses to acknowledge your presence, black bookstores are a sanctuary for many of us who simply aren't welcome anywhere else…

Thank you, Crystal, for opening your doors to us and for serving the community so faithfully.

Meet Shadra & Renée!

If you're in NYC, come out to Bank Street Bookstore at 5:30pm to meet Shadra Strickland and Renée Watson, collaborators on the beautiful book A PLACE WHERE HURRICANES HAPPEN.  I hear there will be cupcakes…

closed doors

I was up late last night—I did have the TV on, but I wasn't really following the various political analyses of the election results.  Woke late this morning, and thought I'd have a victory pancake breakfast since I managed to write two thousand words yesterday!  Was very inspired by my Monday visit to the Neue Gallery and two botanicas in Brooklyn.  When I entered the second botanica, the first thing the (male) owner said was, "Are you from Haiti?"  He wasn't crestfallen when I told him I was from Canada, and while he searched for a wallet-sized photo of Erzulie Dantor/Mater Salvatoris, I scanned the shelves and made mental notes, which helped me write a *long* chapter yesterday.  How would Genna react to seeing a live chicken in a cardboard box—would she freak out, or try to act cool?  I'm trying to prepare several chapters for a friend of a friend who has very generously agreed to review my references to the Haitian religion, Vodou.  I've said before that Wish is very much about doors—especially those that are closed to my main character.  Genna is cut off from her Panamanian heritage because her father left the family, and her American mother discourages her from identifying with her Afro-Latino heritage.  Genna soon realizes that having no access to her ancestral mythology & religion means having no access to her own magic (a closed door).  She does tap into the African American legend of the flying Africans, but mostly Genna's *grasping* at whatever strands of magic she can find in the city.  Yet as her Haitian friend Peter points out, "You weren't interested in my culture before.  You're only curious now because you need something.  Vodou is a religion, Genna.  It's not something you play around with whenever you're desperate or bored."  So in this narrative, Vodou is—for Genna—a closed door.  Still, I need to make sure that what I'm writing is respectful and accurate, and I very much appreciate Cybil's willingness to review my work.  I've got one more chapter to polish up today—it's amazing how much better I write when I know someone else will be looking at my words!

win big!

Here's the press release from the Carl Brandon Society regarding their exciting and original fundraising project:

The Carl Brandon Society, an organization dedicated to racial and

ethnic diversity in speculative fiction, will hold a prize drawing of

five eReaders to benefit the Butler Scholarship, a fund that sends two

emerging writers of color to the Clarion writers workshops annually.

In keeping with the Society's support of literature from and about

people of color, the prizes include five eReaders: two Barnes & Noble

Nooks, two Kobo Readers, and one Alex eReader from Spring Design. Each

eReader will come pre-loaded with books, short stories and essays by

writers of color from the speculative fiction field. Writers include:

N. K. Jemisin, Nisi Shawl, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Terence Taylor, Ted

Chiang, Shweta Narayan, Chesya Burke, Moondancer Drake, Saladin Ahmed,

Rochita Loenen-Ruiz and more.

"Octavia wanted everyone to enjoy the powerful stories writers of

color can produce when we write speculative fiction, so this drawing

would have made her very happy. It's a wonderful win-win-win event,

raising money for a scholarship that helps writers of color while

sharing their creations with the world," said Carl Brandon Society

co-founder Nisi Shawl, winner of the 2008 James Tiptree, Jr. Award.

"It's so appropriate that booksellers are supporting the development

of the next generation of writers, with the next generation of reading

devices. This fundraiser will help ensure that great and

thought-provoking literature will be coming out of our community for a

long time," added Claire Light, CBS Vice President.

"We're thankful for the generosity shown by Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and

Spring Design in donating the devices for this drawing," said K.

Tempest Bradford, Special Events volunteer. "Thanks to them we can

offer some of the best eReading devices available."

The drawing's tickets will cost one dollar US ($1) and can be

purchased at http://carlbrandon. org/drawing. html. Entrants may

purchase an unlimited number of tickets, which will be available from

November 1st, 2010 through November 22nd, 2010. Sales will close at

11:59PM EDT on November 22nd. Winners will be drawn randomly from a

digital "hat" and announced online.

To purchase tickets, read details about the eReaders, or to learn more

about the Carl Brandon Society, please visit carlbrandon.org.

About the Carl Brandon Society

Carl Brandon Society's mission is to increase racial and ethnic

diversity in the production of and audience for speculative fiction.

We envision a world in which speculative fiction, about complex and

diverse cultures from writers of all backgrounds, is used to

understand the present and model possible futures; and where people of

color are full citizens in the community of imagination and progress.

About the Octavia E. Butler Memorial Scholarship

Established in 2006 after the author's passing, the Octavia E. Butler

Memorial Scholarship provides funds to writers of color accepted to

the Clarion and Clarion West writers workshops. The scholarship has

been awarded every year since 2007 to a total of seven students. The

fund allows the Carl Brandon Society to further the author's legacy by

providing the same experience/opportunity that Octavia had to future

generations of new writers of color. In addition to her stint as a

student at the original Clarion Writers Workshop in Pennsylvania in

1970, Octavia taught several times for Clarion West in Seattle,

Washington, and Clarion in East Lansing, Michigan (now located in San

Diego, California), giving generously of her time to a cause she

believed in.

Carl Brandon Society Website: http://carlbrandon. org

Drawing website: http://carlbrandon. org/drawing. html

Barnes & Noble Nook: http://www.barnesan dnoble.com/ nook/index. asp

Kobo Reader: http://koboereader. com

Spring Design's Alex: http://www.springde sign.com

Contacts

Special Events: Jenn Brissett and K. Tempest Bradford – drawing@carlbrandon .org

food for thought

On Friday, WNYC did a segment on your most memorable meal.  I was recovering from a migraine and somehow this discussion got me down—I've traveled a bit, but I can't recall a particular meal I had abroad that would count as "most memorable."  Then, when I thought about it some more, I couldn't actually recall *any* meal that was truly memorable.  And, of course, it's not just the food that matters—it's the company, the atmosphere, the occasion.  Still, I couldn't come up with a really standout meal.  I am a recluse and I do eat too much takeout; I grew up eating Hamburger Helper and Kraft Dinner with hot dogs, so haute cuisine's never been my thing.  Food should be tasty, but also filling—and if it's prepared by someone else and affordable, then I'm good.  Can you remember your most memorable meal?  Migraines make me moody, so I'm sure my reaction was irrational; I certainly don't lead a joyless life, but memories of painful or awkward moments seem more likely to find a permanent place in my mind (such a Scorpio).  All the other memories—birthdays, holidays, graduations, weddings—seem to settle into a kind of vague recollection of "happy times."  I think that's why I blog—it's a hedge against nostalgia and other distortions (or deletions) of the past.  Once the migraine cleared, I went downtown and enjoyed an aromatherapy massage gifted to me by a friend; we then walked toward Union Square, bought a cup of hot cider at the farmer's market, and talked about the trouble with memory.  We had a spectacular meal at Spice (will I remember what I ate a year from now?) and, as it often does, our conversation turned to art.  Rosa urged me to read Howardena Pindell's first book, and then a day later I watched Pindell talk about racism in the art industry in this film: Colored Frames — an impressive, hour-long documentary about black artists here in the US.  You can watch the whole film here.  I never made it up to the Neue Galerie to see that Klimt exhibit, but will try to go this week.  Helping my friends paint their apartments just isn't doing it for me anymore.  I need to have a brush in my hand and some gold paint…this is the painting I want a closer look at (Adele Bloch-Bauer I):

Texture, patterns, illumination…insert a figure of a black woman and that's the painting I want to make.  Art is a form of memory…

the pursuit of…

Mario Van Peebles has made a short documentary called Bring Your A Game, which you can watch here.  The film features Chris Rock, Spike Lee, Ice Cube, Kevin Powell, and other famous black men giving advice to the 50% of young brothers who drop out of high school each year. I'm going to lead with what I like.  I like that this film is real about what the future looks like without an education.  I like that there are a range of black men talking about their failures, close calls, and triumphs.  I like that some of the men talk about humility—taking a crappy job and doing it expertly.  And I think I spotted at least two gay men in the film.  There aren't any women, however, and I think that's a missed opportunity.  It reinforces the idea too many young men already have: women have nothing important to say.  And most of the successful men seem to be wealthy—the "how to become a CEO" message is popular with young men, but I think we need to question the drive for wealth.  What about all the other ways to be successful and happy in life?  What about personal fulfillment?  What about giving back to your community?  What about taking a job that gives your life meaning?  How come no one in that film talked about becoming a public school teacher?  I'm glad they urged young men to reconsider the rapper/baller fantasy, but our young people need to really DREAM without limits—imagine a future that isn't determined by how many records or hoodies you can sell.  In my family, the message was ministry: find a way to serve.  SERVE.  Not sell.  What do you think?

birthday blooms

It didn't feel like fall today, and I was feeling a little under the weather despite the sunshine so had a very low-key birthday.  The garden was full of blooming things–clematis, roses, and even rogue rhododendron:

Came home and took my annual birthday portrait before enjoying some cake (minus the icing) and Indian food.  Tonight's goal is to reach 57K words.  Tomorrow I head to the National Museum of the American Indian in lower Manhattan; I've got a Lenape woman in my novel and want to make sure my representation of her religious beliefs is accurate.  Strong Medicine Speaks: a Native American Elder Has Her Say was interesting, especially since my character is married to an African man and is also a healer.  But I need to dig a bit deeper.  Thanks for all the warm birthday wishes—the celebratory week continues!

autumn daze

This is my favorite season.  My birthday is in a few days, and I've always felt that I'm made of the colors of autumn.  When the season starts to change, I start to dream.  Last week I was walking through the rose garden when I suddenly heard this exchange between a teenage girl and her ex-boyfriend:

You said you'd come.

I know, but…it's far.

You PROMISED.

Immediately I saw an old Victorian house—red brick with white gingerbread lace along the porch.  And a black girl in the window, afraid.  I'm supposed to be writing my novel, but I'm tempted to write about the construction of black masculinity in MC Higgins, the Great.  I got halfway through that book and thought to myself, "Virginia Hamilton's a genius; no one's writing at this level today."  And then I read a scene that set all my feminist hairs on end.  I'm not *supposed* to be writing essays about other people's books.  I'm *supposed* to be finishing the sequel to Wish but my mind just won't stay put.  I missed my close friend's birthday, and the birthday of another old friend.  I missed TWO meetings of an organization I *just* joined.  I did wake up from my nap yesterday in time to make it up to Harlem for my friend's show at Casa Frela Gallery.  You can see one of her stunning images here.  And for my birthday week I'm going to try to visit a place in the city I've never been to before.  I have been to the Brooklyn Historical Society, but I'm heading there this Thursday to see a new opera by Ghost Star about Crow Hill, one of the first black communities in Brooklyn.  And on Tuesday (my birthday!) there's a great panel at the NYPL: Reflections on YA, featuring our very own Amy Bodden Bowllan.  On Wednesday I'm attending the "Do The Right Thing" fundraiser for my favorite literacy org, Behind the Book.  You can still get tickets and a chance to meet Spike Lee…and somewhere in between I hope to write six thousand words so I can pass the 60K-word mark on Judah's Tale.  Wish me luck!

 

everyone has a story to tell

Amy Bodden Bowllan has changed the name of her blog to remind us of the importance of LISTENING.  Tell your story at the Brooklyn Public Library:

more Brooklyn illustrators

I made it downtown just in time to catch the end of R. Gregory Christie's presentation at the Reach Out & Read conference hosted by Scholastic.  Greg shared a story about one of his books that featured primarily black children; when he diversified a scene in the book by adding a white child, trouble ensued.  "What's that child doing in a black neighborhood?" his editor wanted to know.  Is that one child just a token?  It's always interesting to hear how things play out behind the scenes!  Selina Alko talked about the influence her Turkish father (also a painter) had on her, and shared an image by The Group of Seven—famous Canadian painters whose work fills my mother's house.  Selina also talked about how her interracial marriage impacted her art; she makes sure her books reflect the world we live in, with children of many races, ethnicities, skin tones, and different abilities.  Her upcoming B Is for Brooklyn book looks fantastic!  Pat Cummings finished up by discussing her childhood as a "military brat" living in Germany and Japan, and her early understanding as a child that she could sell her works of art (esp. those with glitter!). Pat talked about the future of digital books, and the audience supported her in the idea that *nothing* will ever replace the intimacy of a parent reading a book to a child.  I ducked out once the panel ended and did this quick interview with Greg (I cut out the parts about the government, the banks, and landmines…but loved Greg's suggestion that a return to craft-making would reinvigorate our lives and the economy):

Of course, there was also a Reach Out & Read goody bag filled with useful resources for those involved with early literacy—if that's your field and you're in NY, leave me a comment and I'll send it along to you.  Also, thanks to Qiana for posting this link on Facebook: 10 Things Marketers Can Learn from a Multicultural Muppet.  If you haven't already seen the Sesame Street skit "I Love My Hair," definitely scroll down and watch the video first.