Anchors

When I was a kid, my dream job was to be a news anchor. On the right are some of the locals from Detroit when I was young... right, working your way in... Dayna Eubanks, Doris Biscoe, Diana Lewis... and in the collage, top right Kathy Adams, bottom right Amyre Makupson, bottom left Carmen Harlan. All Detroiters at some point. Since we didn't have "movie star" celebrities in the Motor City, we looked to news anchors as our celebs.


Since being a news anchor was my childhood career dream. I used to follow anchors, formats, and set changes religiously in Detroit. Used to sit in the mirror and practice reading from sheets of paper, my "scripts", to get just the right delivery. Would practice cheesy transition jokes to my fake weather and sports anchors. Would beg my parents to tape local Detroit news and send me the tapes while in college. In the Missouri School of Journalism I got a bit more practice. Got raves for my acceptable and crisp "Midwestern" accent. Kept it through the year I worked doing local news cut-ins for the Today Show at 6:25, 7:25, and 8:25 in the morning in Columbia, Missouri: Fred Smith, NewsCenter 8, Columbia.

Anyway, been thinking a lot about anchors this week... since the death of Peter Jennings. News is changing a lot. Dan Rather has new assignments at CBS. Tom Brokaw retired from NBC. News isn't news anymore. At least it seems that way. It's press kits and releases from government officials. Or celebrity news that isn't really news. No one investigates or questions anymore. We don't rely on a single anchor to reassure us anymore. We have internet news and the revolving door of folks on 24-hour news channels. Just an observation. But kinda missing the days of running home to see my favorite anchors sitting at the desk reassuring us everything would be okay in the world.

Brooklyn Recaps. Part 1. Of a Billion.

These are some of the guys from the Books Are Sexy meeting that Derrick L. Briggs put together this past weekend. Yeah, there was a little bit of libations to go along with the discussion. More pics to come... More updates to come.

But... for those of you not familiar with No4Real4Real, run over to his blog for a fun and well-written run down of what happened this weekend in NYC. I was at a lot of those events for book work... yeah... book work. And lots of fun too.
:-)
fs

Work Hard. Play Hard. The BK Way.

I'm baaaaaack in L.A. after five fabulous days in Brooklyn and other parts of NYC. Five days of book work. Kinda tired. Just had to get a few things and thanks out on behalf of Daniel and me:

Bluestockings: a great social justice bookstore and space in Lower East Side on Allen St; so happy to meet a new friend, Clay, who's got a book proposal that'll knock your socks off. Thanks Brooke and company!

Chi Chiz: a great drinking spot on Christopher Street in the Village, that welcomed me with open arms, quite a few Cuba Libres, and a ton of book sales believe it or not... in a bar! Thanks Kraig and the crew at Chi Chiz for a great night... and for keeping a visible black presence on Christopher Street!

BlackOut Arts Series: sponsored by the Pride In The City organizers, this night was a great kickoff to a fun, educational, and community-building weekend. Loved hearing and seeing the work of so many artists. I could go down a long list of names... but trust me... they put a lot of pride events to shame with how organized it is... and the great mix of both fun and information.

Books Are Sexy Book Club: What can I say? Derrick L. Briggs and company know how to do it right... and I had so much fun talking with a group of people who had finished the book and had a billion insights into Down For Whatever. Alex, No4Real4Real, Marcus, Carol, Dwayne, Sam... everyone... too many names to mention... loved all your comments and questions! And now Daniel and I are brainstorming the West Coast brother book club to compliment your work...

Got pics. Got stories. Gotta check with a few folks to respect their confidentiality on pictures first... Hopefully over the next couple days will have a story or two to tell...

I thank all the guys in Brooklyn for making this a weekend to remember. And the organizers of Pride in the City, People of Color in Crisis... two standing ovations for your hard work!

And to my new friends... and you truly are friends for driving me and Daniel around, hanging out with us, buying the book at events, recommending the book after events, supplying us with sleeping quarters, drinks, parties, and laughs after events... I'm really honored you took this West Coast boy in. You're making me want to move there! You know who you are...
fs

Halos. Horns. And Happy Trails.

One of my favorite CDs of late is Dolly Parton's Halos and Horns. The good and bad in us that we all try to come to grips with. Great stories on this one. Hmmm...

Well, this blog is winding down for a few days. At least five or six days without new entries... while I'm on the road. (Not taking my laptop and not sure of computer access)

So... Glance through some old entries here. Visit some of my friends listed on the left side of this page. Write some songs or poetry. Start on your book or short story. Get out from in front of the computer screen and enjoy the summer. It's going away quickly... very quickly. Call an old relative or teacher... just because. Look in the mirror, smile at yourself, and tell youself how beautiful/handsome you are. Check out the Kensington Books website... all books on the label are currently 30% off if you order from the site. Might find some cool summer reading... Or visit your local library and check out something for free!

And if you're in NYC, welcome me and Daniel with open arms. We're just two innocent L.A. boys looking to navigate the halos and horns of NYC.

Happy Trails!
fs

Writing. Blogs.

I love the Paperback Writer blog. Such great advice and discussion for authors and those who'd like to be published. I have to give a shout out... even though she doesn't know me. I learn so much from the site. And... if you're new to the game, or want to get into the game, definitely check out the site.

I like to read the blog of Donna Hill. Again, though I don't know her personally, I learn a lot from her experiences working full-time and writing several novels. It shows that it can be done... that time is available. She recently took a leap of faith and quit her full-time to write full-time. Bravo! Some day the same will happen for me, I hope.

The blog of Tayari Jones is so classy and always challenging you to think. Much like Tayari does in the times I've met her. She does something that authors should do, and I'm guilty sometimes of not doing... keeping the blog strictly literary. I think there's a lot to be said for keeping the professional professional, and the personal just that.

And Monica Jackson is a mixture of fun, literary news, and keeping people aware of the issues of African American writers and books.

I love reading the daily blogs of two guys who I consider peers, and part of the Class of 2005 in terms of releasing books and doing the same thing I'm doing.

Rashid Darden keeps a diary of his ongoing work with Lazarus, his first novel, and the fun it is to promote.
Trent Jackson gives us news about his first novel, At This Moment, and also keeps us "in the know" about bloggers who are soon to be authors.
Now, if only Alphonso Morgan and Brent Dorian Carpenter kept blogs... my Class of 2005 blog reading would be complete.

One of my favorites, Alisa Valdes Rodriguez, just shut down her blog. I was sad. But I definitely respect her reasoning. She said the amount of time spent writing blog entries could be used doing what she's paid to do... write novels.

Something to think about. But in the meantime, happy reading... and writing!
fs

Journaling.

Got out the pen and paper last night. After a week's delay, got back to writing in a real journal instead of relying solely on blogs, computers, etc... for recording my thoughts and activities. It was cool. A little weird. The last entry prior to last night was January 5, 2005. So much has changed. Old crushes are just that... old. New crush has replaced winter's woes. The unknown about the book is now known. Everything I worried about in terms of how this summer would be is no longer a worry. I think it was Marianne Williamson... or some former regular guest on Oprah... who said the only thing that's real is the current moment; everything else is not real. That's a cool little thought process to apply sometimes.

The biggest part of my return to journaling, other than crush, was jotting notes and thoughts about NYC this week. Figuring out maps. Subways. All those frigging streets. Time schedules. I ended up going to the computer for that. But otherwise, I like the old fashioned paper and pen... and may just use that process while in NYC to start work/notes on book number three. I think NYC would be a great place to start a book. Hmmm...
fs

Happy People

L.A. Black Pride Kickoff at Here Lounge (Ivan's Club Metro night) in early July, with the guys who help me with events: Daniel on my left, Oskar on my right, and a new friend whose name escapes me at the moment.

Daniel and Oskar are the guys who help me on the road with all my events and reading. They're cool guys. Really cool guys. Get ready NYC and Atlanta!
fs

Books Are Sexy. Latino 96.3. Taylor Forrester.

You'd never guess those three things would have something in common but they do.

It's funny the various paths people take to end up at your site. I did a quick survey of how people end up at my blog -- other than the obvious, Down For Whatever-- and I found the following searches:

• "Derrick L. Briggs" and "Books Are Sexy Book Club". That's hot. Books are sexy!
• "Latino 96.3" and "Los Angeles Reggaeton Station". Probably because of a previous blog entry on how that station got me through the writing and revising of my second book.
• "Hunter Tylo" and "Taylor Forrester, Bold and the Beautiful". Don't ask on this one!!!??? Maybe because I wrote about how excited I was her character was returning? Bold/Beautiful is one of my favorite daytime dramas, behind Young & Restless, and the show has gotten a million times more interesting since Taylor's return.

Anyway, random blog entry. Has nothing to do with writing. But, it's interesting to see how people find their way to you... or to me!

fs