I promised a review of the George Lucas film directed by Anthony Hemingway with screenplay by John Ridley and Aaron McGruder. Here it is: As with other areas of American culture, so much hope rides on a big-budget mainstream action movie with a black theme—certainly not something we’ve EVER seen before, sadly. As a result,… Continue reading Red Tails ~ My Review
Jacqueline Luckett and “Passing Love”
Tonight I went to Book Passage in Corte Madera to raise a glass and hear my friend Jacqueline Luckett read from her new novel, Passing Love. Extra bonus ~ Jackie’s very cool mom made killer chocolate chip cookies for the occasion! Passing Love is novel #2 for Jackie. Her first ~ Searching For Tina Turner… Continue reading Jacqueline Luckett and “Passing Love”
Red Tails Movie Salutes Tuskegee Airmen
Bring on the buzz! We all need to be makin’ lots-o-noise for this movie, which is now in theaters everywhere. My family went opening night, and as hard has it is to hold back, I’ll wait to write a review until more of you have seen it. IT IS WORTH SEEING, even if you don’t… Continue reading Red Tails Movie Salutes Tuskegee Airmen
What Say You?
As my dad would say, “it does my heart good” to know you’re out there reading these words, and perhaps actually interested in what gets posted here. After over twenty years of oral tradition storytelling in schools, libraries, corporations, living rooms, etc, I can speak firsthand about that space between teller and listener where magic… Continue reading What Say You?
New Year ~ Good Food brings Good Luck
In the 1960s, living out my southern childhood amongst the gray walls of 325 Hazard Drive, it was enough to know that collard greens, black-eyed peas and rice were necessary to good luck in the New Year. I didn’t know anything about “customs” or “superstitions”, but peas and rice would bring change to jingle in… Continue reading New Year ~ Good Food brings Good Luck
Angela Davis in 2011 Documentary
We found this over the holidays while browsing Netflix instant play. Highly recommending: Leave it to a Swedish film crew to deliver a deeply insightful look at America’s Black Panther Party with rare, rare footage of such icons as Stokely Carmichael (and his mother, Mabel R. Carmichael), Huey Newton, Eldridge Cleaver, and Angela Davis (a potent… Continue reading Angela Davis in 2011 Documentary
2011 in review
THANK YOU to all who visited, commented on and shared my blog in this debut year… Looking forward to continuing my connection with you and making 2012 the year I publish my novel, Peach Seed Monkey. The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared this 2011 annual report for the blog ~ Here’s an excerpt: A San… Continue reading 2011 in review
I Believe
‘Tis the season. (Written December 29, 2011) A few nights ago my husband Rob was watching the movie version of Chris Van Allsburg’s classic children’s book, The Polar Express (creepy animation, but I love the book). I caught the tail end when the boy holds up the bell and says, “I believe, I believe!” and… Continue reading I Believe
A Phenomenal Woman
My sister, Dr. Betty Jean Jones: December 11, 1949 ~ January 9, 1997 When I think of Betty, I see her leading; at home, school, in the community or church, she was out front, leading. She was full of ideas and put them to good in the classroom, the theater and life~also her classroom. She… Continue reading A Phenomenal Woman
Checkmate
The movie Casablanca came out in 1942, the same year my characters Fletcher Dukes and Altovise Benson were born. I love the opening scene for Bogart where director Michael Curtiz has the camera find character, Rick Blaine, playing a solitary game of chess. At the start of my writing process for Peach Seed Monkey, before deciding… Continue reading Checkmate