Zetta Elliott's Blog, page 117
May 3, 2010
"Giving Up the Myth of Meritocracy"
The Rejectionist asked me to write a guest post for her blog, and I repaid her kindness by submitting an examination of the role race plays in publishing. Do only "the very best writers" make it into print? Would more writers of color get published if they just worked harder and had "the right attitude"? Following Peggy McIntosh's approach, I came up with a list of 16 advantages that white writers can count on when they venture into the publishing arena. Here's a sample:
4. You can be...
May 2, 2010
Writers on Writing
Tune in this evening at 7pm to hear my conversation with Dr. Brenda Greene on her radio show, Writers on Writing…WNYE 91.5FM. And tomorrow night at 11pm Pia Lindstrom Presents will air the interview we taped a while back…
a whale of a city
Yesterday I woke at 6am in order to leave the house at 7 to catch my 8am train to Hudson, NY. I had a headache, but figured it was just sinus-related since my allergies have been out of control. But then the familiar symptoms of a migraine set in, and so I called Amtrak, moved my departure time up to 10am, and took some medication…by the time I got on the train I was starving, so I ate a bagel and kept the bag it came in just in case the movement of the train made me ill. Not a great...
April 30, 2010
Arbor Day
It's Arbor Day and I'd like to hug a tree but just a couple of hours outdoors yesterday had me wheezing and sneezing and searching for my inhaler. The lilacs are almost spent, so if you haven't been to the botanic garden (and you're in the city) you might want to get there soon…peonies in bloom, bluebells coming soon…but allergies made me want to drink a gallon of water and sleep for three hours…
I finished reading One Crazy Summer yesterday and it was EXCELLENT! Daring, really, and I'm...
April 28, 2010
Ezra Jack Keats Awards 2010
Tonight's award ceremony was a lot of fun! Congrats to the two winners: Taeeun Yoo and Tonya Cherie Hegamin. And thanks to the other authors and illustrators who posed for pictures and my (in)famous short films…
Cheryl Willis Hudson, Shadra Strickland, and Javaka Steptoe
Tonya Cherie Hegamin with Dr. Brenda Greene
Tae signing her beautiful book, Only A Witch Can Fly
the signature shot…
woman's work
Thanks to Claudia for posting this link on Facebook: Pop Culture Shock blog shared this link about Nicole Mitchell, a Chicago jazz musician and composer who has written a tribute to Octavia Butler….
Also, a lot of people have defined her, as well as jazz musician Sun Ra, as "Afrofuturists"–people who took this idea of "intergalactic" music–music that reached back into ancient times and then reached forward and beyond what had ever been done before. That's a concept I've also embraced as a...
April 27, 2010
April 26, 2010
news
Another rainy day…I'm just back from giving a talk to Dr. Brenda Greene's class at Medgar Evers College—I really appreciated their warm welcome on a cold, wet night! Earlier today Cheryl Hudson kindly sent me an email with details about PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature. You can find the entire schedule here. I'm planning to attend Thursday evening's event:
THURSDAY, APRIL 29
7 p.m. A Gathering of Voices
Participants: David Almond, Francisco X. Stork, Janne Teller, and Ed...
April 25, 2010
same old, same old
When I heard Nightline was hosting a "special report" on black women and marriage, I *knew* I would not be tuning in…I'm too through with this topic, especially when the so-called experts are actually Steve Harvey and Jimi Izrael. But Melissa Lacewell-Harris said it best:
Despite its role as a news program, Nightline failed to call on any sociologists, psychologists, historians or therapists who could have contributed context, statistics or analysis about the "marriage crisis" among African...
