Thanks for joining this month’s celebration.  I have definitely enjoyed you.  Hope you enjoyed yourselves.  Hope you will continue writing and reading; ultimately it makes the world a bigger, and smaller, and better place. J  Below I’ll answer a few of the questions I received this month.  Hopefully, the answer to your question will be included.  If not, email me and I’ll try to provide a more in depth response.  

Where do I suggest aspiring writers focus their attention first?  Reading.  Read a lot of different authors.  Pay attention to what moves the story along, to what captures and holds your attention, and to what does or does not work or flow well.  After doing this for a while, you’ll instinctively do it to your own writing.

How can people who don’t have “the gift” become better writers?  I don’t believe people are born with the "gift" of writing.  I believe I was born with an extreme emotional capacity - a hypersensitivity that enables me to feel, relate, connect, and understand.  Writing those feelings down and making the reader get them requires training and practice.  Didn’t I tell y’all I’m in the Master of Fine Arts Creative Writing Program at CSU?  J

• Yeh, you’re right, I was writing before I came to this program.  So then I guess I’ll say… all you need to do is seek truth and be unafraid to face it, feel it, and write it.  
• Start by journaling – writing your own truths.  Then your fundamental truths will be infused into your characters and your stories.
• I already said read – right?

How do I find time to write?  I make time; late night or early morning works best for me.  For me writing is much like washing my butt, brushing my teeth, combing my hair, breathing, eating (scratch eating) - all the things I don’t think I have time to do, but I can’t not do.

How much money do I make?  That ain’t your bit-ness! J  No, really, your earnings will vary.  Ninety-five percent of authors won’t get rich from writing.  Ninety percent won’t even earn a living at it.  This is my full time job.

Where do I get my ideas and inspiration for my stories?  Real life.  If something pisses me off, saddens me, makes me happy, or proud, visits me in my dreams… you’ll read about it.  It will be somewhere tucked between the lines and lives on the page.  For instance, I was interviewed the other day.  The interview focused on a topic that really, really troubles me.  I’ve done several interviews with major media sources, to no effect; it seems to change nothing regarding this particular troubling issue.  So, the other night long, after the interview had concluded, a story came to me.  It was about 4am.  I got out of the bed and wrote a story.  That is why I write.  That is how I cope with life.

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Congrats to Barack Obama on his BIG announcement (hear his speech at http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm), and to Tavis Smiley on The Covenant In Action reaching Best-Selling status!

Week 3:

This week we'll look at a couple of great writings by African Americans.  Each of these writings, as different as they are, have the same basic essay model at their foundation.

I'll start with Tupac Shakur (his piece is shorter), then move to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Tupac's "Me Against the World" - Intro and conclusion in maroon, point 1 in black, 2 in purple, 3 in blue, green is just the chorus, reiterating the intro, which is the thesis for the piece:

Album: Me Against the World

Song: Me Against the World




It's just me against tha World



ooohhhhh ooohhhhh



just me against tha world baby



ohhhhhh ohhhhhh



I got nothin' ta lose

it's just me against tha world



ohhhhh



stuck in tha game

me against tha world baby


Can you picture my prophecy?

stress in tha city

tha cops is hot for me

tha projects is full of bullets

tha bodies is droppin'

there ain't no stoppin me

constantly moven while makin millions

witnessin' killins

leavin dead bodies in abandoned buildings

caries tha children

cause they're illin'

addicted to killin'

a near appeal from tha cap pealin'

what i'm feelin'

but will they last or be blasted

hard headed bastard

maybe he'll listen in his casket

tha aftermath

more bodies being buried

i'm losen my homies in a hurry

they're relocating to tha cemetary

got me worried

stressin'

my visions bluried

tha question is will I live

no one in tha world loves me

i'm headed for danger

don't trust strangers

put one in tha chamber

whatever i'm feelin' is anger

don't wanna make excuses

cause this is how it is

what's tha use

unless we're shootin'

no one notices tha youth

It's Just Me against tha World baby


Chorus



ooohhhhh

Me against tha world

It's Just me against tha World

ooohhhhh



It's Just Me Against tha World

Me Against tha World

cause it's just me against tha world baby



Me against tha World



ooohhhh yeeah



I got nothin' ta lose

It's Just me against tha world baby



I got nothin' ta lose



[Dramacydal's verse]



Could somebody help me?

i'm out here all by myself

seeing ladies in stores 

baby Capones

livin wealthy 

pictures of my birth

on tha surface what i'm dreamin'

seein' daddy seein' 

full of crooked demons

already crazy and screamin'

I guess them nightmares as a child

had me scared

but left me prepared

for awhile

is there another route?

for crooked outlaws

that are in a villain of young thugs



everyday is more death

plus i'm more rollin

i'm seein more beatins

for me

to proceed with fear

scheme on scheming 

and leavin' their peeps grievin'

cause ain't no bucks ta stack up

my nuts is backed up

i'm about ta act up

go load tha mack up

now watch me klack up

try makin' fat cuts

but yo it ain't workin

and evils lurkin

I can see him smirkin

when I gets tha bourbon

so what

go put some work in

and make my mail

makin' sells

riskin 25 with a 'L'

but oh well



Chorus



Me Against tha World

with nothin' ta lose 

it's just me against tha world



ooohhhh



It's just Me Against tha World baby

Me Against tha world

I got nothin' ta lose

It's just Me Against tha World



heeeyyy



It's just Me Against tha World baby



with nothin ta lose

it's just me against tha world baby

Me against tha world



Me against tha world



I got nothin' ta lose

it's just me against tha World baby



heeeyyy



[Tupac's verse]



With all this extra stressin'

tha question I wonder is after death

I feel my last breath

when will I finally get to rest from this suppression

they punish tha people that's askin' questions

and those that possess

steal from tha ones without possessions

tha message I stress

to make it stop

study your lessons

don't settle for less

even tha genius asks questions

be grateful for blessins

don't ever change

keep your essence

tha powers in tha people and tha politics we address

always do your best

don't let this pressure make ya panic

and when ya get stranded

and things don't go tha way ya planed it

dreaming of riches

in a position of makin' a difference

politicians and hypocrites

they don't wanna listen

if i'm insane

then tha fame ain't about ta change

it wasn't nothin' like tha game

it's just me Against tha World



Chorus



Me against tha World

nothin ta lose

It's just Me Against tha world baby



Me Against tha World

got me stuck in tha game

It's just Me Against tha World

ooohhhh


i'm outshining [???] tha news

It's just me against tha world baby

hahaha

Me against tha World

that's right...

I know it seem hard sometimes, but uh...

remember one thing

through every dark night

there's a bright day after that

so no matter how hard it get

stick ya chest out

keep ya head up

and handle it


Me against tha World

Me against tha world

Me against tha world

fades... 

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In this second piece, written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the basic essay model is apparent: intro and conclusion in maroon, body and points in black. 

Also, upon close examination you'll see evidence of the basic essay model in the structure of successful "movements" as noted by Dr. King (look for blue highlights in the letter). King writes of the structure of a non-violent campaign (my explanation in red):

1) Collection of the facts to determine whether injustices are alive.    Intro to the issue - why care?

 2) Negotiation.   What are your points?

3) Self-purification     Have you addressed opposing opinions and positions fairly, and adequately? - Counter

and 4) Direct action.   Conclusion - Again, what's your point and what are you gonna do about it?

There is a basic essay model all writing follows (at least to some general degree).  This model is used in all academic writing classes.  It is as follows: 

Okay.  Since we have high school and college students being forced to participate :-), and high school dropouts, as well as aspring PhD's watching, first let me describe the setting for this function.  You are all gathered up front in my livingroom.  Some folks are sitting on the floor, others are on the couch and standing along the walls.  It is cramped, and folks could easily be frustrated :-).  So be considerate of other's opinions, and be patient with us.

Week 2:

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2006 - Success!

This this month we will be dealing with the issue, or notion of success.  What is success?  What does it look like to you?  How did you determine the criteria for your definition of success?  Let's look at it.  Let's explore our history to discover what success looked like for our ancestors.  Then let's see if we can draw upon the experience of our ancestors and contemporary others to help us realize our own success.

2/1/06:  Food for thought:  In African culture, times were considered good if the rain came in spring, the sun showed up and provided the necessary rays to foster the photosynthesis process that made for good and plentiful crop, which allowed for strong and healthy kinfolk and workers, to plant crop in fall...  Folks were busy working to eat.  History shows that countries and cultures meet their demise when they are afforded too much luxury for too little effort...  Hmmm.

2/2/06:  Centerstage:  What have you done for others lately?  In ancient African cultures it was believed that life existed in a circular mode on a circular structure - So then everything was connected.  Using this understanding as the basis for their existence, it is understandable why all efforts were given to uplift or strengthen the whole of society.  Therefore, those who were exalted (in positions similiar to America's president role) in the society were persons who demonstrated the greatest concern for the group's best interest.  Bush?   

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2005...

Black Thought

There needs to be a discussion about thought.  We need to know why we think what we think.  Have you witnessed things that are unique to African American culture and wondered "Where'd that come from?  Why do Black folks do that?"  Well, I'm glad you asked.  There are legitimate explanations for things like:  CP-Time, folks all up in yo' business, thug passion, trash talkin, soul music, etc.  This month we'll explore some of these things and see if we can trace their origin back to historic African culture.

2/25/05:  "Trash Talkin' ":  Imagine you are in a place where there's no television, no telephone, no radio, no internet, no newspapers, no magazines, no books... no media.  This is the place where trash talkin' was born.  In historic African cultures, Africans nearly worshipped language.  Language was not only their means of communicating facts and pertinent details it was used as their form of entertainment as well.  Metaphors, parables and vivid imagery was fused with life-lessons, historical facts and traditional values and beliefs.  Wide dark eyes, tear-streaked cheeks, bruised aching legs, tightly held hands, sweaty compacted breathing bodies, large lonely ears, smiling fully-inflated lips, angry aching arms, happy hearts and soaring souls were all ushered to a state of equilibrium through the magical power of language.  Language is our gift.  It's just what we do.  Africans and all African descendants are natural linguists.  Slang, proper, swear... whatever.  We love words!  Whether they're over heavy, hollow horns and a tight baseline, or lightly interspersed around the melodic notes of a saxophone’s sullen pleas... WORDS... behind the podium spewing from the guts of the impassioned, incomparable Malcolm X, or in the alley behind Mr. Jones' raised-door garage lounging neatly atop embellished accounts of yesteryear... WORDS... whenever, whatever, wherever there is a space, the African has had and will always have a WORD to fill it.   

2/23/05:  "Soul Music":  The notion that black folks' music is soul music, the depth of emotion put into words carefully chosen to create images in your mind, melodies meant to coerce your blood to attention beneath your skin, the boom-boom-boom drum bass that meets you at your core - can all be traced back to Ancient African culture.  In Africa music was not just music for music's sake.  In ancient African culture nothing was done purely for one's own satisfaction.  Self-gratification was not the order of the time.  Everything that was done was done with the purpose of honoring God or the ancestors or basically something or someone outside of one's self.  Africans believed their fate was in the hands of God and the ancestors so when they made music or danced to honor the source of their survival, the source of their peace, the architects of their very existence, they did so with every bit of borrowed or gifted breath they possessed - they gave of their hearts and "soul."

2/17/05:  "Thug Passion":  It's true... African American women have a tendency to favor fellas that possess a lil' edge.  Yep.  We "don't want no punks!"  We tend to equate manhood with aggression of various sorts.  In the "hood" or street settings we want physical strength.  In the boardroom we want intellectual strength.  In this capitalistic society we look for financial strength.  We want these things and we want them in abundance!  That reality grows out of our most intimate fears.  Most actions and ideas people possess are intiated in response to their environment.  Our security (being black and female) is extremely fragile, so we seek an increase in stability in our mate.  This is not new, people.  Even in traditional African cultures that practiced communalism (where folks shared almost everything), there was almost always relative drama or heightened activity with regard to match-making or partner selection.  Here enters the aggression factor.  Africans negotiated "bride-prices."  Not out of greed, but more so as means for gaging the man's commitment to the female which was an indirect means of gauging the likelihood of her security.  Families invested gifts to familes.  Security!  Several African cultures even had a staged "capture" ceremony after the bride-price had been agreed upon by the families and mates involved.  During the "capture" ritual the groom would go into a designated place and pretend to "take his woman."  The bride would then pretend to resist. Ultimately, the bride would be literally carried away by the sheer strength and will of her man leaving the onlookers with the understanding that this dude would do whatever necessary for his woman!            

2/15/05:  Workaholic Women:  African American women are often criticized for working too much or too hard.  What is "too" much?  Traditionally women of African descent have simply done what was necessary to sustain their families.  In traditional African cultures women and children most often did the bulk of the planting and tending to the crop while the men went away from the village to do other, more dangerous tasks.  There was no measurement of what was too hard for folks.  People did what worked as dictated by the environmental and social restraints of their particular situations.  For Africans in America, slavery has been a constant influence on the way in which we function.  During slavery families were frequently torn apart so women had to be prepared to take care of themselves and their families in the absence of the man.  After slavery men weren't afforded jobs that paid incomes that would support the family, so women had to work to earn money to subsidize the man's earnings.  Still today, many men are disenfranchised by the American system which forces them to the margins of American society.  So then, African American women do what African women have always done - they do what they must!  Don't hate,  Congratulate!  Massage a back and give a Sista a break!

2/14/05:  "Playa-Playa":  Some brothers believe it's natural to have more than one woman.  They grab and tug at their African roots when they want to justify infidelity.  They say it's innate, it's a natural part of their heritage and there is nothing they can do to overcome it.  It seems they may have inherited only a minute portion of their "natural" genes :-).  The fact is many Africans traditionally have had more than one mate at a time - but it wasn't exclusive to men.  There have been African societies where the women had several mates at a time and the women ruled the society.  In either case, it wasn't the majority that participated in this practice.  It wasn't uncommon but it wasn't the case most of the time.  There were rigid stipulations that had to be adhered to in order to participate in multiples.  The main factor which was consistent throughout historical African societies was the fact that in order to indulge in multiples, one had to be able to "properly provide" for each of their multiple partners and all offsprings!  The term "provide" covered all realms: financial, emotional, spiritual,etc.  Sound inviting?!      

2/11/05:  In African tradition the naming process is very important.  At birth a child might receive a name associated with something the parents wish for him or her.  As the child matures he or she is renamed in accordance with his unique character traits or qualities.  If this were the practice in America, what would your name be?!  A little something to think about...

2/10/05:  David Walker said: "Man is a peculiar creature - he is the image of his God, though he may be subject to the most wretched conditions upon earth, yet the spirit and feeling which constitute the creature, man, can never be entirely erased from his breast, because the God who made him after his own image, planted it in his heart."

An Old Ashanti proverb says:  "Rain beats a leopard's skin, but it does not wash out the spots."

2/9/05 "My Brother's Keeper":  The closest thing to ancient African culture that urban America has witnessed is street "gang" culture.  What evolved into violent gang-banging culture began as a basic clan.  Guys got together and sought a means of survival in a system that was socially constructed to exclude them.  Brothers decided they would create their own markets, schools, programs, support systems, governing rules, etc.  They had meetings.  They had the "LAW" which had to be learned and adhered to.  Guys who were disruptive to the system or the neighborhood would be in "violation" and might be subjected to what was called a "pumpkin head."  There were chiefs, soldiers, enforcement officers, committeemen and every other role player needed to have a full functioning society.  Communalism was realized.  People shared outgrown clothes, shoes and work carpools.  Gang members had hook-ups with hook-ups who could magically make fifty dollars worth of meat fill the fridge and deep freezers of at least half the homes on the block.  Painters painted.  Mechanics fixed cars.  Meals were bartered for carpentry work, plumbing, hairdo's and news.  Black folks succeeded at creating a culture within a culture, where every turtle-necked man and Kangol donned boy proudly echoed the African's sentiment - I am my brother's keeper.