Posted on Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Do Women Write Better Than Men?

Hello World,

I admit it. I’m a female chauvinist when it comes to fiction. As women are the primary consumers of novels, I tend to believe that women can best write for women. However, I must say that I’m really quite impressed with Curtis Bunn’s novel “Homecoming Weekend: A Novel (Zane Presents)” which I am reading right now. He does an excellent job of characterizing the women in the book. I’m also a fan of Eric Jerome Dickey’s work. And we all know that Nicholas Sparks is a master at writing women’s fiction so there are some male authors that do write masterfully for female readers, but since this is National Women’s History Month, I thought I would pose the question, “Do Women Write Better Than Men?” The Grammarly infographic — which includes statistics based on a poll of more than 3,000 men and women about plot development, pronouns & determiners, characters and sentences — below answers this question…

This post was sponsored by Grammarly…Be sure to check out Grammarly out here!

Any thoughts?

Posted on Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Where Was Issa Rae When I Was an ‘Awkward Black Girl?’ Check Out Her New Book!!!

Issa Rae and Me 🙂

Hello World,

On Monday, awkward black girls from around the A as well as people that appreciate Issa Rae’s special brand of quirky, self-deprecating and smart humor swarmed the Alliance Theatre to attend a book signing for debut author Issa Rae. Her recently released book The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, now a New York Times Best Seller, is a collection of heartfelt essays charting her love affair with the Internet and how she become a YouTube sensation with her comedy series Awkward Black Girl, her journey to loving her natural hair and weight, growing up with an African dad, connecting with other types of (not awkward) black people and more. Since she created her web series in 2011, she has secured more than 25 million views and over 200,000 subscribers on YouTube. And her astonishing success has led to other opportunities including being one of the co-hosts of ASPire’s popularly weekly talk series exhale which will have four new episodes in June. In addition, she developed a TV series with Shonda Rhimes for ABC and is currently developing a half-hour comedy for HBO.

“I ultimately want to be a super producer like a Shonda Rhimes meets Oprah meets Diddy meets Ellen,” Issa Rae said with a laugh after I asked what is her ultimate career goal.

So that ends my official journo recap of Issa Rae’s book signing…Up next, my personal connection with “Awkward Black Girl.”

Author and playwright Pearl Cleage interviewing Issa Rae….

I’m now at that age (41) where I’m still young enough to look up to people, but I’m just old enough to be inspired by people younger than me as well. It’s an awkward age, but I’m trying to embrace it a day at a time. While chatting with (interviewing) Issa Rae, watching her officially be interviewed by Pearl Cleage at the book signing and listening to her read from her book, I realized that knowing that someone like her would have gone a long way to encouraging the awkward black girl that I was…

So here is a picture of me when I was at my most awkward…that’s me in the pink sweater vest…so cool, lemme tell ya…I was one of three black people in my sixth grade class at Sandy Springs Middle School as you can see…That was awkward enough, but there is more…Although I was of one of three black people, I was the only one bussed to the school that was in a primarily white neighborhood from the south side of Fulton County as a part of the Minority to Majority Program. People assumed I came from the ghetto although I was in private school the year before…I remember one of the white boys in my class asked me if I could rap seeing I was from the hood and all…Did I look I could rap? Yeah, right…With my button-down shirt and clear school boy glasses…My best friends were Judy Blume books and chocolate bars…I think not…(Although Issa Rae can bus a rhyme) And this was around the time that my interest in boys was most painful (other than in my ’30s) because I liked black boys and there were very few of them at the school…And then I couldn’t figure out what to do with my hair…My hair was permed, but I didn’t know how to style it…And let’s just say my fashion sense was in transition…Did I mention I love/loved chocolate? (Yes, I did. See above…) So I was plump (not fat) on top of everything else that made me awkward…

So last night, all of this came back to me particularly as Issa Rae read from her book and later as I sped read through a few of her essays…(I will leisurely read and highlight over the weekend)…

Issa Rae read an excerpt of her first essay, A/S/L, of her book last night in which she described being drawn to the Internet at 11 years old and how her interest in boys burgeoned behind the safe or not-so-safe anonymity of a computer screen…(So glad the Internet wasn’t around when I was that age or I would have been in trooouble…)

Before my parents caught wind of frightening news reports of child predators, I spent my days and after-school evenings in chat rooms, learning to speed read, talking to kids my age who were also ahead of the curve. Or pedophiles, who were remarkably creative and persistent in their forbidden pursuit. Pedos actually had it made in the mid-nineties, before the media exposed them. Talk about the glory days.

My friends at school, other fifth graders, didn’t seem to relate when I mentioned “chat rooms” and “profiles” or when I sang along to the dial-up internet song I made up in my head. It seemed that, for a brief moment, only I was privy to this alternate American universe that lived online.By the time my family moved to Los Angeles to join my dad, a pediatrician, who had seized an opportunity to open his own family clinic there, my relationship with the computer had grown immensely, much to the dismay and irritation of my mother.“You’re always on the computer! Go do your homework.”“I already finished.”“Well then, go outside and play!”She just didn’t get it. Only recently, in my late twenties, did she come to realize that my excessive computer use is what led me to becoming the self-employed, almost-focused career woman I am today.

Just delicious, don’t you think?!!! And if you want to read more, you have to buy your own copy of The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl!!!

But before you go, check out more pics from this fun book signing….Shout out to my soror and photographer extraordinaire Tiffany Powell for the awesome pics!!!…Check out her blog www.powell-pics.com.

Issa Rae reading an excerpt of her book…

Pearl interviewing Issa Rae…The sponsors for the evening behind them…

Angela Burt-Murray, co-founder of Cocoa Media Group and Issa Rae having a moment...

Angela Burt-Murray, co-founder of Cocoa Media Group and and Issa Rae having a moment…

Me interviewing Issa Rae…

Wow, this shot made my year…Me and Pearl Cleage…#inspiration…

The long line of people waiting for Issa Rae to sign their books…Incidentally, it was Natural Hair Nirvana up in there…

Any thoughts?

Posted on Wednesday, January 28, 2015

See “Black or White” Starting This Friday!!!

Hello World,

Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to attend the Atlanta screening of Kevin Costner’s new film “Black or White.” In a word, the film was “heartwarming.” Below is the official description of the film:

“Black or White” is the story of a grandfather Elliot (Academy Award® winner Kevin Costner) who is suddenly left to care for his beloved granddaughter Eloise. When her paternal grandmother Rowena (Academy Award® winner Octavia Spencer) seeks custody with the help of her attorney brother Jeremiah (Anthony Mackie), the little girl is torn between two families who love her deeply. With the best intentions at heart, both families fight for what they feel is right and are soon forced to confront their true feelings about race, forgiveness, and understanding. Anchored by an all-star cast and based on real events, the movie is a look at two seemingly different worlds, in which nothing is as simple as black or white.

Journalist Monica Pearson interviews Anthony Mackie & Kevin Costner at the screening…(still learning how to use my first smartphone 🙂 )

Although “Black or White” is a family-friendly story, assumptions that black and white people have of each other are uncovered and harsh truths on either side are also addressed, which is timely considering the current climate of American race relations in the wake of the Trayvon Martin and Mike Brown shootings. The end result is that both families, black or white, are equally loving and stable, although different and flawed. Also, in spite of some of the heavy topics of the film such as drug addiction and white privilege, there is plenty of humor! Look out for the character Duvan!

Kevin Costner & Anthony Mackie attended the screening and illuminated more about the film and what led them to get involved. Costner revealed that he believed in the film so much that he gave $9 million of his own money to make sure the film was made. “This film doesn’t victimize black people. It doesn’t victimize white people.” He also expressed his hope that as many people as possible would see what he saw in the film, but admitted that he doesn’t have control over that. “I have to turn this film over to God now because it’s not mine anymore.”

Anthony Mackie revealed that like his character Jeremiah who confronted his drug-addicted nephew, Eloise’ father, about his failure to take responsibility for his life, Mackie’s older brother Calvin Mackie, a successful entrepreneur, had a similar conversation with him years ago. Mackie also said, “Your first thought isn’t what makes you racist. It’s your second and third thought.”

Here is a trailer for the film: