Life Is Short But Wide

J. California Cooper is one of my favorite writers and her novels and short story collections will always satisfy your need to read something good.

Her newest novel, Life Is Short But Wide, will be released next week, March 24, and it sounds like another winner. It chronicles two families trying to eek out an existence in Wideland, Oklahoma in the early 1900s. Through the eyes of a community elder, Hattie Brown, you learn the story of the Strong family and their neighbors in this midwestern town just a mere generation post-slavery.

My descriptions never give books justice they deserve. However, if any of you have an elderly relative who tells good stories at your family gatherings and keeps you enraptured, you will find J. California Cooper's writing style fits within that style. Sweeping stories that come together with a great lesson and/or punchline that tells you something about life.

I've shared before that my favorite short story by her is $100 and Nothing (if you've got an ex who has done you wrong, you will love this tale of revenge!) and her novel, Family, is a novel that will have you crying buckets as you witness a mother's love for her family is always there.

Highly recommended from one of our best writers of the day.
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Employ An Artist Today or Tomorrow... If You Can

You know the economy is in a bad state when you notice your inbox and voicemail is spilling over with repeat calls from artists, performers, poets, musicians, writers asking for you to add them to ANYthing you're planning in the next couple weeks or months.

Since I have an opportunity to do so with my day job, I try my best to find local and good talent for events on campus. We have a generous events budget that hasn't faced cutting yet (knock on wood, knowing the state of the State of California). The unfortunate part -- we're planned 6 months in advance. Not the best news for artists/performers who are used to organizations that are on a more spontaneous schedule, or for artists who need/want gigs and cash like today.

But I know a lot of you work/volunteer/chair committees for organizations that are a little more spontaneous... and have a lot more flexibility to hire performers like tomorrow for a gig.

If you do, please take a look at some of your local and good talent and see how you can fit them in. Maybe you can schedule a creativity workshop for your corporate ofice. Or a spoken word luncheon event for the cafeteria. Or add a local acoustic group to a reception you're planning for the workplace. Or if you're planning a graduation party for a nephew, little cousin, neice, etc... you could add a nice cultural and artsy spin to the mix.

How do you find these folks? Well, I often take a look at the independent newspapers in my area (in my case, L.A. Weekly, Pasadena Weekly, L.A. Watts-Times, Los Angeles Sentinel, etc...) to see what events, book readings, festivals, poerty slams are taking place in my area. Da Poetry Lounge in L.A. is another great place I (or my students) have found great talent for campus. Local, independent film festivals are another great place to find new talent and films. Those events serve as two-fers -- entertainment for you, and a chance to find some local, non-discovered artists.

Or you can google for certain types of events, writers or singer associations, etc... in your local area. Or if you read the blogs of local writers and poets and spoken word artists, you can contact them that way.

As for budget. I always ask first, "What do you generally receive as an honorarium for a performance of ____ long?" And from there, we're able to negotiate a time, amount, and honorarium that makes us both happy. I always go on my intuition when talking with an artist to see how professional they are, how non-demanding/non-difficult they are, how they see their work adding to the education of students or social justice. Those are my personal things I ask about, you will have your own.

And another thing the artists will appreciate... having the check ready on the day of the performance. That's partly why my organization is so far ahead of the planning game... we know that performers like to be paid just after they've finished their work. We all do.

So, in my opinion this a quick and easy way to do something on a grassroots level to help an artist. We know that in a bad economy, people tend to put their arts and entertainment on the backburner... or they begin to choose more carefully. If you're part of an organization that can help an artist, it would do everyone a world of good.
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Pearl Cleage. Once In A Lifetime.

Even though you may love your own family to pieces, have you ever met someone and thought -- Wow, I bet it was cool to be raised in their household?

That's how I felt last week when I had the opportunity to meet one of my favorite authors and activists, Pearl Cleage, and her husband and son last week during her two-day stint at my campus. I won't go on with the gushing, but just watching and listening to their interactions as a family told me a lot about communication, sharing, and how being creative, politically-conscious, and culturally-emowered are great qualities to have in a household.

Enough of the family dynamics. Because I do love my own family and the ways we were raised.

But back to Pearl Cleage's talk at Cal State L.A. Phenomenal! She presented a keynote address for Women's History Month (or Womyn's Herstory Month, for the progressive types). It was a requiem in four-parts that spoke to the overall topic of violence against women, and how our personal decisions and collective responses are vital parts of making sure we have safe communities for our women, children, and ultimately men.

Though much of her initial writings centered on the abusive couple of her day, Miles Davis and Cicely Tyson, in her work Mad At Miles, Pearl Cleage was able to interchange the current Chris Brown and Rihanna situation into her pieces and it made the issues so current and relevant to college students today. Here's her thoughts on Womanist-Centered Theater.

I could go on and on. All I have to say is if you EVER get a chance to go hear her speak or do a book reading, please go. If you get a chance to buy, borrow, or read any of her novels or plays, please do. You'll find that her characters, and the issues they deal with, are just like the people you and I know... and the communities we WISH to see.

If you've had a chance to see, read, or hear Pearl Cleage or her work, how does it make you feel or think?
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Nickname Daydreams

You know how you make up nicknames about people you see on a regular basis, but you don't know them?

Do you every wonder what kinds of nicknames they make up for you?

I wish I knew. I wish I could read their minds.
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Another Sort Of Belt-Tightening

Guys, be on the lookout in a few weeks for the "Mirdle"... a waist-cinching undergarment for men.

Found the story on MSN: Male Girdle Tummy Tuck. Found the website to order these core-precision undershirts: Equmen.

I've never tried one and don't know how it feels physically, but I think it's cool... everyone could use a little cinching now and then, huh?
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Garage Sale Saturday

To me it seems like a sign of the economic times.

My gym is about a 10 minute drive from where I live. And in that short drive, I saw almost 20 garage sales. A legal and easy way to get rid of some things, and get some cash to get through the month.

But it's definitely more garage sales than I'm used to seeing around where I live. And definitely more that I'm used to seeing at the end of winter. When growing up, I tended to associate garage sales with summertime. And my grandma used to get us up at the crack of dawn to get through a list of "the good sales" in the so-called good neighborhoods.

Fun memory. But not-so-fun when you know that many people are selling their things to get through the month. This economy... (list your cliche of how bad it is here...)
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Who's Been Sleeping In Your Head?

We've all had one of THOSE dreams. You know the type. And when you have them, especially if they involve someone you know, you're totally in a daze of confusion.

Well, there's a new book, Who's Been Sleeping In Your Head? by Brett Kahr, which may give you an academic and personal glimpse into what's behind these nighttime fantasies.

Does it weird you out to have one of THOSE dreams about someone you know? Have you shared it with the person, or kept it to yourself?
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Hungry For Knowledge

It's one of those days where I woke up hungry and have been wanting to snack all morning. Good thing I brought my good snacks, little 100-cal packs, baked doritos, pieces of fruit, etc... to tide me over in between meals. Bad snacks, I've found, can lead to extra waistline cushion.

Maybe that's why I've been looking at Orangette blog this morning. Some RICH recipes. Or also listening to The Splendid Table podcast for the tales of food.

How about feeding my love for books? Author and playwright Pearl Cleage is going to be on my campus today and tomorrow in L.A. In fact, a student and I get to pick her up at where she's staying to bring to campus. I'll try not to oogle and awe at her wisdom and fabulousness.

A student of Pearl Cleage's, Tayari Jones, had some good knowledge to share on her blog. Thanks for the news that Angela Bassett is making her directoral debut, filming a movie version of Percival Everett's novel, Erasure. I love, Love, LOVE that book and I'm sure Ms. Bassett will do it justice with a classy film adaptation.

That's all for now. Got a bit of running around to do... and some last-minute reading before black literature class this afternoon.
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