Category Archives: Writing

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Bishop Eddie Long Accusers Announce Release Date for Book Recounting Sexual Abuse Allegations!

Hello World,

It was just over a year and half ago that the untimely death of Bishop Eddie L. Long, megachurch pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Decatur, Georgia was announced, sending shock waves in the religious community. It was the end of an era if you grew up in the A. Even if you weren’t a member, I will bet that every black person in the metro Atlanta area knew someone who was a member at some point, thereby multiplying his influence well beyond the church’s walls.

But don’t be mistaken! Bishop Long’s ministry garnered worldwide attention as the world came to his church’s doorstep when the funeral for the widow of Atlanta’s greatest native son the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mrs. Coretta Scott King, was held on the premises in 2006. At the time, Dr. King’s youngest daughter Dr. Bernice King was an elder at New Birth.

That’s why it was so devastating when Bishop Long was accused of allegedly priming and eventually convincing four young men to have sexual relationship with him in a 2010 lawsuit. The matter was settled out of court and presumably never to be spoken of again as demanded by the rules of the settlement awarded to the young men. But as has been said truth is stranger than fiction and as I say, the best fiction is based on truth! To that end, the four accusers – Spencer LeGrande, Maurice Robinson, Anthony Flagg and Jamaal Parris – are writing a fictionalized account of their alleged experiences, according to the AJC.

The roman a clef — “Foursaken” — centers around a scandal involving the charismatic preacher of a thriving megachurch. While technically a work of fiction, LeGrande said there should be no doubt the sordid tale of power and betrayal is one they experienced firsthand.

Now this novel has been in the works for at least a year and this book isn’t the only one written about the experience. The fifth accuser, Centino Kemp, who wasn’t included in the initial lawsuit wrote a book entitled “First Lady,” which was published in 2013. If you want to read an interview with Kemp, check out The Christian Post’s interview with him about that work.

According to the AJC, “Foursaken” will be released before the end of 2018. And the leadership of New Birth Missionary Church, which has suffered a loss of membership since this scandal, will be among the novel’s readership if only to ensure that the authors maintain the settlement’s boundaries. New Birth board chairman Thomas W. Dortch Jr. detailed his position to the AJC.

“If they cross the line, then they’ll answer for it,” Dortch said. “If they violate the agreement or, if at this point, try to embarrass Bishop Long’s family, there will be consequences. We’ll take whatever action is necessary within the law.”

Also, as has been said before, there are three sides to every story, mine, yours and the truth. I don’t know whose account is true, but prior to his January 2017 death from cancer, Bishop Long wrote his own story “The Untold Story – The Story of Adversity, Pain, and Resilience.”  Now, according to an interview with Steve Harvey, Long could not address the sexual abuse allegations in the book but all three of these works should give insight into a tragic set of events.

Will you be reading this book when it is published?

Any thoughts?

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Publishing In Color Conference: Unforgettable Sights and Sounds…

This photograph captures me (in the hot pink) and my new friend Joy A. Williams, to my right, at the Publishing in Color conference. Photo credit: Karynthia Phillips

Hello World,

Remember when I said on my About Jacqueline J. Holness page that “I typically blog on Sundays and Wednesdays (to coincide with Sunday Morning Church Service and Wednesday Night Bible Study), but sometimes I may post more or less depending on what is going on in my life?” Well, I have a deadline to meet tomorrow so my creative juices tank is nearly empty this morning! (Although I have plenty of thoughts about that horrific Maryland newspaper shooting…but words not thoughts make a blog post…)However, I did want to share via my writer friend about the Publishing in Color Conference I recently attended in New Brunswick, New Jersey!

Below is an excerpt of Lisa Crayton’s experience at the conference which very much mirrors my experience and I’m even mentioned in her piece! Thanks Lisa!

Is there a need for new writing conferences?

This is a question that sometimes arises when writers gather. The day before the Publishing in Color conference debuted on June 19th a writing friend posted a similar question on Facebook. I didn’t respond because of time, but mostly because I anticipated this new conference for ethnic writers would illustrate my usual multi-part answer:

  • Yes, new conferences are needed, particularly those that address the needs of marginalized writers.
  • Yes, new conferences are needed, especially regional events that are more affordable, and shorter in duration.
  • Yes, new conferences are needed because some have become bastions of elitism where new and emerging writers are thrust into a sink-or-swim environment where they, naturally, sink.

Good News!

I heard about Publishing in Color from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association’s Rush to Press newsletter. Excited I rushed to the Conference website for more details. I didn’t know the host, Brian Allain. But, I did know some of the faculty, individuals with solid reputations in Christian publishing. Their participation assured me the event would be Christ-centered, professional, welcoming and delightful, so I promoted it heavily on Facebook and Twitter, through email, and text.

After registering, I also had an opportunity to interact via email with Brian after a Latina writing friend questioned whether she’d be welcome at the first event designed to reach African American spiritual writers. I assured her she would be, but emailed Brian. He confirmed my response. More so, he slightly tweaked the Conference website and social media descriptions to help alleviate confusion. That spoke volumes!

 WHY I ATTENDED

I attended out of curiosity – and hope. I was curious whether some of the publishing reps really were ready to embrace more ethnic writing. I hoped they were.

As I geared up for attending, I mulled Matthew 11:1-6. In the passage John the Baptist was in prison and heard about Jesus’ deeds. He sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” (v. 3)

Jesus’ answer encouraged a review of evidence – including things seen and heard – during His ministry. At different points in my life, God has given me of this Scripture to remind me that evidence exists to prove God’s hand in specific situations.

With this passage uppermost in my mind, I went to the conference with one goal: to hear and see what this event could offer ethnic writers.

CHRONICLING THE UNFORGETTABLE

So what did I see and hear?

Following are just a few unforgettable sights and sounds from the event. Note: here, I don’t mention every keynote, but they were all spectacular. Most of the workshop speakers I heard also did a phenomenal job of providing timely, useful content.

Hope. Comments shared with me and overheard reverberated with hope. I heard many share about their “AHA” moments of knowing that they, too, could actually do what God called them to. I had mine during the tail-end of Sophfronia Scott’s Tuesday morning keynote that opened the Conference.

To read the rest of her post about the Publishing in Color conference, go to lisacrayton.wordpress.com. 

Any thoughts?

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Soul Force: Seven Pivots toward Courage, Community, and Change – NEW BOOK ALERT!!!

Hello World,

Speaking of Father’s Day this Sunday, this will be the first Father’s Day that my father is celebrating as a retired pastor! As my father retired last December, sometimes I get worried that my father won’t have enough to do in his retirement. He says that I need not worry since he has always wanted to devote more time to his writing projects. Still, I asked him if he wouldn’t mind reviewing a book Soul Force: Seven Pivots toward Courage, Community, and Change by Reesheda Graham-Washington and Shawn Casselberry that I received Herald Press earlier this year. He obliged. So below is a brief book review by my father Dr. Denzil D. Holness.

If you are a community leader, a change-agent or an activist Soul Force is a book you must read, mark, study and digest. For in its pages, Reesheda Graham-Washington and Shawn Casselberry, drawing on their discoveries and rich experiences, have given you a timely resource on how to bring about positive changes both in yourself and in your community in seven key areas.

You will undoubtedly find this book very enlightening as it gives you a critical knowledge and understanding of the following seven key areas you will have to move from and pivot to: from fear to freedom, from barriers to bridge-building, from self-centeredness to solidarity, from hurt to hope, from consuming to creating, from charity to change and from maintenance to movement. Additionally, it will open your eyes to see what it implies to use your soul force to bring about positive changes both in yourself and in your community in the seven key areas you must pivot to.

Futhermore, you will find this book empowering. For it assures you that by tapping into your “soul force” – that creative power or energy within all of us – you can indeed overcome negative messages or lies that you are powerless to affect such personal and social changes.

Moreover, you will find this book challenging. By its “indicator of growth” and set of searching questions under each pivot area, this book is a serious call to self-examination and reflection. So it is an invitation to enter into an honest dialogue with yourself and others.

Finally, you will find this book inspiring. In addition to the growth indicators and set of searching questions, each pivot area also includes inspiring stories from the experiences of the authors and from several people who have tapped into their creative power to affect positive personal and societal changes. You too will be inspired by their honesty, vulnerability and courage to affect such changes.

Well-written and well-organized, Soul Force is indeed a timely and valuable resource for personal and social changes to community leaders, change agents and activists.

Below is more information about the authors: