Sharing the Stage with Bernice McFadden
Had a wonderful signing at the St. Marks Bookstore on the Lower East Side yesterday. Happily joined in with Nathan Larson, David Unger, Nina Revoyr, and Kevin Holohan, each of us giving a reading from our respective works. It was the first time I'd met David, Nina and Kevin and it was a pleasure. We're all such different writers and yet we're each Akashic writers. Kudoes to Johnny Temple and his team for the diversity of their literary tastes! The crowd was great, too, very enthusiastic and attentive, and the store itself is amazing. Everyone should stop by there. It's got a great selection and fantastic, warm atmosphere.
Tomorrow I have the great pleasure of sharing the podium with Bernice L. McFadden. Yes, that's right: the Bernice L. McFadden, Pulitzer Prize nominee and winner of many prestigious literary awards. The awards are impressive, no? But what's really good to know is that Bernice is one of the warmest, most generous people around. She's not only a great writer, but a great person to boot. So am I happy? Yes, I'm happy.
We'll be appearing at the Hue-Man Bookstore & Cafe in Harlem, starting at 6 p.m. I think it's a stroke of genius to have us both on the same program. We both have out books set in the 1920s against the backdrop of the Harlem Renaissance. Her book, Glorious, tells the story of Easter Bartlett as she journeys from the violent Jim Crow South to jazz age New York. My book, Black Orchid Blues, concerns the race to save a kidnapped blues singer and the dark secrets propelling it. Hers is an achingly beautiful literary experience. Mine is pure literary mischief.
If we're lucky, Bernice will also share a word about her new upcoming book, A Gathering of Waters, due out in February 2012. Gathering promises to be an engrossing novel reportedly featuring the spirit of Emmett Till. Till, 14, was murdered in 1955 by three white men in Mississippi. They kidnapped him, took him out and beat him to death. His killers were caught but acquitted and at least one of them went on to publicly admit his guilt, even stating that one of the reasons they ended up killing the boy was because he refused to show fear. Till was a beautiful child and his spirit definitely lives on in tales of courage and innocence. His brutal murder galvanized the civil rights movement. This is powerful material. In the hands of a lesser storyteller, I would be concerned. But given that Bernice is a master, I can only anticipate this book with joy.
If that isn't enough, I'm hoping that Bernice might also share a word or two about Winter People, her work-in-progress. As Bernice describes it on her blog:
"Winter People is a fictionalized account of the real-life African-American pilot Lieutenant Darwin Nichols, who was shot down, captured and imprisoned in the Gestapo prison in Butzbach. My research thus far has revealed a some-what clouded history of Nichols' final days. Some accounts declare that he was shot and killed right before the end of the war; others claim that his body was never found. My fictional version of his life will return him safely to America, where Nichols' will recount his story of his time in Butzbach.
"This story is important because it will give voice to those "forgotten" victims of the Holocaust..
"According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C., "The fate of black people from 1933 to 1945 in Nazi Germany and in German-occupied territories ranged from isolation to persecution, sterilization, medical experimentation, incarceration, brutality, and murder."
"I believe that Winter People will serve to introduce readers to a larger historical text, which will be appreciated by the widest possible audience."
Now, Bernice has been invited to take part in the El Gouna Writer's Residency, in Egypt. It would be the perfect place for her to do research on Winter People. However, there are some financial issues to be dealt with. Toward that end, she's running a donation campaign. Please visit her CAMPAIGN PAGE to read all about this amazing trip and the book it will benefit.
As we know, I have a weakness for history-driven stories, so I'm totally looking forward to reading A Gathering of Water (due out next February) and the eventual Winter People.
Of course, all this chatter about what Bernice is working on begs the question of what I'm working on. Am I working on anything? Yes, I am. Will I share this info? Not at this time. Mum's the word, folks! Mum's the word.
In the meantime, I hope lots of folks will show up tomorrow eveninng. I'm sure everyone will have a good time. With Bernice sharing the stage, I'm sure I will!
