Kalisha Buckhanon's Blog, page 4
December 14, 2018
Lovely New Book Cover...
Dear Cherished Readers,
Thank you for following my Goodreads blog. Check out my extended Cover Reveal Video for the beauty below.
And mark your calendars as Speaking of Summer comes to bookstores and e-readers in July 2019!
Many blessings,
Kalisha
Cover Design: Jaya Miceli/ Art Direction: Nicole Caputo
Pre-Order: https://t.co/Luibt52vNN.
Thank you for following my Goodreads blog. Check out my extended Cover Reveal Video for the beauty below.
And mark your calendars as Speaking of Summer comes to bookstores and e-readers in July 2019!
Many blessings,
Kalisha
Cover Design: Jaya Miceli/ Art Direction: Nicole Caputo
Pre-Order: https://t.co/Luibt52vNN.
October 17, 2018
SPEAKING OF SUMMER Book Trailer and Pre-Order
Ahead of its June 2019 release from Counterpoint Press, SPEAKING OF SUMMER is now available for Pre-Order on Amazon and on Goodreads here: Speaking of Summer.
Visit Kalisha.com/summer to see the book trailer and share with other readers. Thank you!
About SPEAKING OF SUMMER:
A literary thriller about one woman's desperate search for her missing twin sister, a multi-layered mystery set against the neighborhoods of Harlem.
On a cold December evening, Autumn Spencer's twin sister Summer walks to the roof of their shared Harlem brownstone and is never seen again―the door to the roof is locked, and no footsteps are found. Faced with authorities indifferent to another missing woman, Autumn must pursue answers on her own, all while grieving her mother's recent death.
With her friends and neighbors, Autumn pretends to hold up through the crisis. She falls into an affair with Summer's boyfriend to cope with the disappearance of a woman they both loved. But the loss becomes too great, the mystery too inexplicable, and Autumn starts to unravel, all the while becoming obsessed with murdered women and the men who kill them.
In Speaking of Summer, critically acclaimed author Kalisha Buckhanon has created a postmodern, fast-paced story of urban peril and victim invisibility, and the fight to discover truth at any cost.
Visit Kalisha.com/summer to see the book trailer and share with other readers. Thank you!
About SPEAKING OF SUMMER:
A literary thriller about one woman's desperate search for her missing twin sister, a multi-layered mystery set against the neighborhoods of Harlem.
On a cold December evening, Autumn Spencer's twin sister Summer walks to the roof of their shared Harlem brownstone and is never seen again―the door to the roof is locked, and no footsteps are found. Faced with authorities indifferent to another missing woman, Autumn must pursue answers on her own, all while grieving her mother's recent death.
With her friends and neighbors, Autumn pretends to hold up through the crisis. She falls into an affair with Summer's boyfriend to cope with the disappearance of a woman they both loved. But the loss becomes too great, the mystery too inexplicable, and Autumn starts to unravel, all the while becoming obsessed with murdered women and the men who kill them.
In Speaking of Summer, critically acclaimed author Kalisha Buckhanon has created a postmodern, fast-paced story of urban peril and victim invisibility, and the fight to discover truth at any cost.
October 10, 2018
UPSTATE one of 5 books included in Literature for Justice: a new program of The National Book Foundation and Art for Justice
UPSTATE is included in the National Book Foundation's inaugural "Literature for Justice" annual lineup of five important books that deepen our understanding of mass incarceration, to be celebrated at the program's launch on October 24 at the Los Angeles Public Library.
The launch will be followed by programs throughout the country to engage audiences through literature on discussions about mass incarceration in America. Learn more about the program here at National Book Foundation's Literature for Justice page.
Of UPSTATE, Literature for Justice committee member Sergio de la Pava, author of the novels A Naked Singularity and Personae (University of Chicago Press), so thoughtfully and sensitively remarks:
"Upstate masterfully takes as its subject a lost world. It’s a toxic world where incarceration is treated as a rite of passage, one created by all of us but too often ignored by artists. Kalisha Buckhanon captures it all perfectly. Antonio and Natasha are indelible and individuated but also tragically emblematic. And this is the novel’s forceful achievement: that the dirty secrets of this country’s mass incarceration program, the great civil rights malfunction of our time, can feel so lyric and personal. The committee is pleased to draw more attention to this powerful work that highlights the role fiction can play in resisting social injustice. The book can only further our understanding of the devastating impact decades of illegitimate policing has had and should be required reading for anyone hoping to contribute to meaningful reform.”
Do keep up with this program in the future. For now, enjoy these book recommendations of other titles selected this year.
2018-2019 Literature for Justice Reading List
The launch will be followed by programs throughout the country to engage audiences through literature on discussions about mass incarceration in America. Learn more about the program here at National Book Foundation's Literature for Justice page.
Of UPSTATE, Literature for Justice committee member Sergio de la Pava, author of the novels A Naked Singularity and Personae (University of Chicago Press), so thoughtfully and sensitively remarks:
"Upstate masterfully takes as its subject a lost world. It’s a toxic world where incarceration is treated as a rite of passage, one created by all of us but too often ignored by artists. Kalisha Buckhanon captures it all perfectly. Antonio and Natasha are indelible and individuated but also tragically emblematic. And this is the novel’s forceful achievement: that the dirty secrets of this country’s mass incarceration program, the great civil rights malfunction of our time, can feel so lyric and personal. The committee is pleased to draw more attention to this powerful work that highlights the role fiction can play in resisting social injustice. The book can only further our understanding of the devastating impact decades of illegitimate policing has had and should be required reading for anyone hoping to contribute to meaningful reform.”
Do keep up with this program in the future. For now, enjoy these book recommendations of other titles selected this year.
2018-2019 Literature for Justice Reading List
You are invited to the Literature for Justice Launch Event on October 24 at Los Angeles Public Library...
For UPSTATE fans in the Los Angeles area-
You and your friends are invited to the following event to celebrate the novel's inclusion in an important and timely new program from the National Book Foundation and Art for Justice. The 2018 Literature for Justice Launch at Los Angeles Public Library includes Readings, Panel Discussion, Q & A and Book Signing with Kalisha as well as other featured authors.
Reserve your tickets here on Eventbrite. Share and visit the event page at Facebook. Thank you!
You and your friends are invited to the following event to celebrate the novel's inclusion in an important and timely new program from the National Book Foundation and Art for Justice. The 2018 Literature for Justice Launch at Los Angeles Public Library includes Readings, Panel Discussion, Q & A and Book Signing with Kalisha as well as other featured authors.
Reserve your tickets here on Eventbrite. Share and visit the event page at Facebook. Thank you!
October 8, 2018
Watch Kalisha provide expert commentary on TV-One true crime case tonight.
Watch Kalisha tonight on TV-One's "For My Man" crime TV show, 10/9 C. She joins detectives and experts to give insight on the senseless 1992 murder of Lois "Lolo" Thomas, age 20, in central Illinois, and the family's struggle for justice. You may read about the Ms. Thomas and her family in this Chicago Tribute Article: "Despite Time, Mother's Wounds Have Not Healed." Thank you.
Kalisha has provided history and analysis on crimes and justice for TV-One, ID Channel and BET shows since 2014.
Kalisha has provided history and analysis on crimes and justice for TV-One, ID Channel and BET shows since 2014.
July 22, 2018
You may now add Kalisha's next novel to your Goodreads Shelf.
Thank you for following Kalisha here on Goodreads!
A Goodreads Page is now available for Kalisha's next novel Speaking of Summer, to be published Spring/Summer 2019 from Counterpoint Press. The novel pulls readers into a woman's quest for answers and justice about her twin sister's disappearance from Harlem, leading to revelations about their past and history in a Midwest small town.
Head Here to add Speaking of Summer to your 'To Read' shelf or post a question about the book. This blog is also a good way to keep up with information on giveaways, the cover, availability and more.
For exclusive sneak-peek excerpts, follow or bookmark Kalisha's Tumblr Page.
Again, thank you for following Kalisha here on Goodreads.
A Goodreads Page is now available for Kalisha's next novel Speaking of Summer, to be published Spring/Summer 2019 from Counterpoint Press. The novel pulls readers into a woman's quest for answers and justice about her twin sister's disappearance from Harlem, leading to revelations about their past and history in a Midwest small town.
Head Here to add Speaking of Summer to your 'To Read' shelf or post a question about the book. This blog is also a good way to keep up with information on giveaways, the cover, availability and more.
For exclusive sneak-peek excerpts, follow or bookmark Kalisha's Tumblr Page.
Again, thank you for following Kalisha here on Goodreads.
July 19, 2018
Kalisha's powerful new writings on negression...
On negression, Kalisha has shared her dismay for the continued imprisonment of Cyntoia Brown, her amusement to rediscover an old film co-starring Beah Richards and Bette Davis, and a new trend for Black women in film.
Travel to negression to read her thoughts, and don't forget to share with friends and Subscribe. Thank you!
"Cyntoia's Done Her Time. Have Mercy and Let Her Go."
"Beah Richards, Bette Davis and the Male Member"
"At the Movies, Mammies Make Way for Mourners"
Travel to negression to read her thoughts, and don't forget to share with friends and Subscribe. Thank you!
"Cyntoia's Done Her Time. Have Mercy and Let Her Go."
"Beah Richards, Bette Davis and the Male Member"
"At the Movies, Mammies Make Way for Mourners"
July 9, 2018
Subscribe to negression from Kalisha Buckhanon.
Join
negression
: your elegant online retreat to an eclectic blend of candid features engaging the arts, culture, women and justice from Kalisha Buckhanon‘s Black female perspective, including occasional interviews with emerging creators and thinkers.
Read through latest posts, search categories of your interests, check out NegressionSuggests and subscribe to receive all updates. Also, follow @negression.
Read through latest posts, search categories of your interests, check out NegressionSuggests and subscribe to receive all updates. Also, follow @negression.
Buy Kalisha Buckhanon's award-winning UPSTATE audiobook read by Chadwick Boseman.
Winner of the 2006 Audie Award in Literary Fiction, Upstate, a powerful story told through letters between seventeen-year-old Antonio and his sixteen-year-old girlfriend, Natasha, set in the 1990's in New York. Actors Chadwick Boseman (Antonio) and Heather Simms (Natasha) provide brilliant character studies for Kalisha Buckhanon's debut novel.
Order the Upstate audiobook Here and leave a review.
Order the Upstate audiobook Here and leave a review.
February 4, 2018
Remembering Trayvon Martin On His Birthday...
February 5, 2018, would have been Trayvon Martin's 23rd birthday. Yet, we have largely moved on in America. As new causes, oppression groups and hashtags have come to dominate news reports and social media posts, the life of Trayvon Martin and what its ending meant for all of us has faded out of vogue. I mean no disrespect to other groups who need a fight for them, but I am most concerned with the Black American fight that is still facing delegitimacy on a daily basis.
I have my own thoughts about why this is, why a fiery explosion of furor and activism erupted only to carry on today by a small group of enormously dedicated or intimately affected stalwarts, why the most our national leadership says about the loss of Black lives is in degradation of Chicago for its death tolls, but that is an essay for another day. Today, I want to encourage remembrance of a young man I never met but felt like I knew anyway.
I am reminding myself how much everything mainstream society condemned about Trayvon Martin, to ultimately blame him for his own death, were the sweet and normal traits I recognized in my Black male little brother, father, other relatives, friends, loves, and classmates.
I am unhappy this young man is gone, so we will never know what his future accomplishments would have been to our nation and world, and his family.
I am reminding myself that before I walked into a meeting to hear about something going on in Florida, even I had gotten lazy and complacent and (I suppose) privileged to not pay as much attention to the ongoing genocide of not just Black men and boys, but women and girls as well. I am remembering I was ashamed a young brother had to die for me to wake up, quickly. I remember now so I will not forget again.
Because of the unimaginable loss for family and friends of Trayvon, we have a bevy of national organizations sparked and dedicated movement now. Don't be apathetic or content; you can get involved through them, for a ready-made community to navigate these painful waters with. They include The Trayvon Martin Foundation, Black Lives Matter, Mothers of the Movement and the longstanding American Civil Liberties Union. And of course, you may simply reflect quietly and privately or with a group, on these stellar titles that illuminate their readers about his life and this struggle. Share them, especially with young people whom we need to brace and embrace in these challenging times for them.
I have my own thoughts about why this is, why a fiery explosion of furor and activism erupted only to carry on today by a small group of enormously dedicated or intimately affected stalwarts, why the most our national leadership says about the loss of Black lives is in degradation of Chicago for its death tolls, but that is an essay for another day. Today, I want to encourage remembrance of a young man I never met but felt like I knew anyway.
I am reminding myself how much everything mainstream society condemned about Trayvon Martin, to ultimately blame him for his own death, were the sweet and normal traits I recognized in my Black male little brother, father, other relatives, friends, loves, and classmates.
I am unhappy this young man is gone, so we will never know what his future accomplishments would have been to our nation and world, and his family.
I am reminding myself that before I walked into a meeting to hear about something going on in Florida, even I had gotten lazy and complacent and (I suppose) privileged to not pay as much attention to the ongoing genocide of not just Black men and boys, but women and girls as well. I am remembering I was ashamed a young brother had to die for me to wake up, quickly. I remember now so I will not forget again.
Because of the unimaginable loss for family and friends of Trayvon, we have a bevy of national organizations sparked and dedicated movement now. Don't be apathetic or content; you can get involved through them, for a ready-made community to navigate these painful waters with. They include The Trayvon Martin Foundation, Black Lives Matter, Mothers of the Movement and the longstanding American Civil Liberties Union. And of course, you may simply reflect quietly and privately or with a group, on these stellar titles that illuminate their readers about his life and this struggle. Share them, especially with young people whom we need to brace and embrace in these challenging times for them.
