Me and My Ex-Zombie Girlfriend

You might think that she was a monster, but she really wasn’t.

I’d met her at Nirvana last Friday and the sex was non-stop. Well, if you don't count getting up at five in the morning to work security at the mall: putting on a dry-cleaned uniform and Ray-Bans, smoking primo weed, and doing nothing except watching other people live their boring lives. And then, buffing up at Bally's, smoking more weed, riding my Italian custom-fitted bicycle home, showering, and afterwards, heading to X-Treme where I work as a bouncer. 

As usual, I'd just come off my six-hour shift at X-Treme and went over to Nirvana. It was about one in the morning. She'd put her credit card on the counter and motioned to the bartender to keep the drinks coming. But after five drinks, I could see she was in trouble. Everything was spilling down the front of her dress. I pretended to help her. This is my routine for picking up women. I wait until they are high on X or some other drug and sneak them out the back door. And then, like Emeril says, "Bam!"

We did the nasty in the alley. When I told her we could go home and do it some more, she came along. Luckily, my mom was out of town. I'd "borrowed" her car. When we got home, we did it with handcuffs. Underneath I guess she was a nice girl who didn't want to hurt my feelings, so that's why she agreed. She was the only girl that I didn’t have slip a roofie to do it with handcuffs. The others that got away called me a pervert.

But she was different. She went along with everything. And even though she smelled bad (I thought it was because she didn't go home to shower), I doused her with mom's Chanel No.5 and went at it! Did I ever go at it!

She was perfect! She didn't eat anything and she had a killer body: 36-24-38. Plus, she never talked back. The only thing she ever said was, "Uh-huh" or something like that. Except for the zombie part, who wouldn't want a girlfriend like that?

But the next day, I had to break up with her. It was predictable. She was getting serious. When I came home, she was waiting in my room. Okay, I locked her in.

I told her I didn't want to do it with handcuffs. I wanted to make love. I even broke my pattern and let her get on top. That's when she came at me. I really think she was trying to open up to me, so I told her she had to leave.

 "Go. Leave now!" I screamed and all she could say was, "Uh-huh." But you have to understand, I felt so used, so misunderstood. I had to take a shower. To think, she only wanted me for my brains.

***

Miami Artists and Writers SWEAT

MDC’s Galleries of Art + Design Presents The SWEAT Broadsheet Collaboration


Miami, October 23, 2012 - Miami Dade College’s (MDC) Galleries of Art + Design will present The SWEAT Broadsheet Collaboration, a project that originated with a small group of South Florida artists and writers, from Friday, Nov. 2 through Friday, Dec. 21 at the Wolfson Campus Centre Gallery. An opening reception will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, November 1.The reception and exhibition are free and open to the public.    

The 46 artists and 40 participating writers were interested in the intersection of their respective genres – that is, artists interested in text and book arts, and poets and fiction writers attracted to visual images. Through a series of planned meetings, artists and writers from Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach counties met, shared their work and began to collaborate to create varied and vibrant limited edition artworks.

Nearly four years in the making, this exhibition includes seventy-eight broadsheets, fine art prints created in a wide variety of media. Media included in the exhibition include letterpress, silkscreen, etching, digital pigment prints, relief prints, monoprints and many forms of hand work, including hand coloring, hand-cut paper and applique on fabric.

The theme was “sweat,” partly as homage to South Florida’s tropical climate, partly as a nod to Sweat Records, the beloved store in Little Haiti where the group’s first meeting was held, and wholly intended as a flexible, broadly defined concept to be interpreted widely by the participants in the project.

MDC will host two related events. On Saturday, Nov. 17, a reading and discussion will be presented as part of the college’s Miami Book Fair International. A panel discussion with Alex Campos, executive director of the Center for Book Arts in New York, will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 10. Panelists will include visual artist Rosemary Chiarlone; Michael Hettich, poet and professor at MDC; Jogn Cutrone, director of Jaffe Center for Book Arts and Frank Luca, Chief Librarian at the Wolfson Library

The participating artists are as follows: David Almeida, Diane Arrieta, Andrew Binder, Pip Brant, Abraham Camayd, Rosemarie Chiarlone, Xavier Cortada, John Cutrone and Seth Thompson (printers) with John Rachell (image), Denise Delgado, Ashley Ford, Robin Griffiths, Charles E. Humes Jr., Dorothy Kraus, Eddie A. López, Park McArthur, Alberto Meza, Scott Miller, Beatriz Monteavaro, Gary L Moore, Hugo Moro, Ania Moussawel, Joe Nicastri, Lea Nickless, Maria Pasita Andino, Celeste Pierson, Brian Reedy, Karen Rifas, Lydia Rubio, Beatricia Sagar, Samantha Salzinger, Pete Santa-Maria, Claudia Scalise, Onajide Shabaka, Alette Simmons-Jimenez, Victoria Skinner, Kari Snyder, Sara Stites, Lara Stein Pardo, Laura Tan, Sherri Tan, Carol Todaro, Alfredo Useche, Tom Virgin and Michelle Weinberg.

The participating writers are as follows: Lynne Barrett, David Beaty, Birds are Nice, Peter Borrebach, Crissa-Jean Chappell, C. M. Clark, K. C. Culver, P. Scott Cunningham, Purvis Daniels, Edwidge Danticat, Hector Duarte, John Dufresne, Denise Duhamel, Chloe Firetto-Toomey, Andrea Gollin, David Gonzalez, Nadege Green, Michael Hettich, Walter Hnatyish, Joanne Hyppolite, Brad Johnson, Brian Lehnen, Mia Leonin, Truman Lusson, Jessica Machado, Nick Mansito, Campbell McGrath, Astrid Justine

Nicastri, Yaddyra Peralta, Geoffrey Philp, Rochelle Theo Pienn, Phil Santa-Maria, Thomas Sleeper, Gabreil Spera, Nick Vagnoni, Susan Weiner, Antonia Wright, Stephen Caldwell Wright and Cyn. Zarco.

The Wolfson Campus Centre Gallery is located at 300 NE Second Ave., Building 1, Third Floor. Gallery hours are Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 1 – 6 p.m.

For more information, please call 305-237-7700, or e-mail galleries@mdc.edu. 

***

Blog Disclosure Policy

Geoffrey Philp’s Blog Spot receives a percentage of the purchase price on anything you buy through links to Amazon, Shambala Books, Hay House, or any of the Google ads or Google Custom Search.


***

Disclaimer of Endorsement

The documents posted on this Web site may contain hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links and pointers are provided for visitors' convenience. I do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any linked information. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to other Web sites or agencies is not intended to assign importance to those sites and the information contained therein, nor is it intended to endorse, recommend, or favor any views expressed, or commercial products or services offered on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites, by trade name, trademark, manufacture, or otherwise.

Reference in this Web site to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the site's visitors, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by this blog.

Wordle of Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories:

Wordle of my children's e-book Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories: http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/5916316/Wordle_of_Grandpa_Sydney%27s_Anancy_Stories


***
Blog Disclosure Policy

Geoffrey Philp’s Blog Spot receives a percentage of the purchase price on anything you buy through links to Amazon, Shambala Books, Hay House, or any of the Google ads or Google Custom Search.


***

Disclaimer of Endorsement

The documents posted on this Web site may contain hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links and pointers are provided for visitors' convenience. I do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any linked information. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to other Web sites or agencies is not intended to assign importance to those sites and the information contained therein, nor is it intended to endorse, recommend, or favor any views expressed, or commercial products or services offered on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites, by trade name, trademark, manufacture, or otherwise.

Reference in this Web site to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the site's visitors, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by this blog.

Reviews of Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories

Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories has been receiving some encouraging reviews from customers, including Andrew Blackman:

"This was a charming and well-written children's book, with great illustrations. It integrates a modern-day story about bullying in a Florida school with a traditional Anancy story from the Caribbean. Jimmy doesn't know how to deal with the new kid at school who steals his lunch, until he realises that the key lies in the story his Jamaican grandfather is always telling him about Anancy the spider, a trickster who manages to capture the more powerful Snake by fooling him and appealing to his ego."

To read more, please follow this link:

http://www.amazon.com/Grandpa-Sydneys-Anancy-Stories-ebook/product-reviews/B009JYLDZO/ref=cm_cr_dp_see_all_summary?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1


 
  ***
Blog Disclosure Policy

Geoffrey Philp’s Blog Spot receives a percentage of the purchase price on anything you buy through links to Amazon, Shambala Books, Hay House, or any of the Google ads or Google Custom Search.


***

Disclaimer of Endorsement

The documents posted on this Web site may contain hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links and pointers are provided for visitors' convenience. I do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any linked information. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to other Web sites or agencies is not intended to assign importance to those sites and the information contained therein, nor is it intended to endorse, recommend, or favor any views expressed, or commercial products or services offered on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites, by trade name, trademark, manufacture, or otherwise.

Reference in this Web site to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the site's visitors, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by this blog.

Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories on YouTube

When a bully threatens little Jimmy Harrison at school, Grandpa Sydney comes to the rescue and reads to him the story of "Anancy, Snake, and Tiger." How does the Anancy story help Jimmy to overcome the bully?  Find out in Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories.


Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories is available  exclusively at Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/SWM6wQ
***
Blog Disclosure Policy

Geoffrey Philp’s Blog Spot receives a percentage of the purchase price on anything you buy through links to Amazon, Shambala Books, Hay House, or any of the Google ads or Google Custom Search.


***

Disclaimer of Endorsement

The documents posted on this Web site may contain hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links and pointers are provided for visitors' convenience. I do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any linked information. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to other Web sites or agencies is not intended to assign importance to those sites and the information contained therein, nor is it intended to endorse, recommend, or favor any views expressed, or commercial products or services offered on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites, by trade name, trademark, manufacture, or otherwise.

Reference in this Web site to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the site's visitors, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by this blog.

Marcus, they're still dancing on your grave

Exonerate Marcus Garvey: http://signon.org/sign/exonerate-marcus-garvey?source=c.url&r_by=4631897

***
Blog Disclosure Policy

Geoffrey Philp’s Blog Spot receives a percentage of the purchase price on anything you buy through links to Amazon, Shambala Books, Hay House, or any of the Google ads or Google Custom Search.


***

Disclaimer of Endorsement

The documents posted on this Web site may contain hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links and pointers are provided for visitors' convenience. I do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any linked information. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to other Web sites or agencies is not intended to assign importance to those sites and the information contained therein, nor is it intended to endorse, recommend, or favor any views expressed, or commercial products or services offered on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites, by trade name, trademark, manufacture, or otherwise.

Reference in this Web site to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the site's visitors, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by this blog.

Jamaican Gentlemen @ The Good Men Project

For a revolutionary generation of young Jamaican men, the strong and available role models looked like the enemy.

I count myself among the fortunate to have known a few people who have been my Morning Stars or heroes: Dennis Scott, friend and mentor; Melvyn Smith, family friend and supervisor, and James Carnegie, teacher and scholar. These three men personified what it meant to be, as Mr. Carnegie often reminded me at Jamaica College, a “Jamaican gentleman.” That phrase stuck with me. As someone who came of age in post-Independence Jamaica, I grew up in revolutionary times in which the idea of resistance, especially to British colonialism, became my raison d’être.

Read more at http://goodmenproject.com/mentoring-and-volunteering/the-good-life-jamaican-gentlemen/#TdEG6Ctfl64PeI8K.99 


Blog Disclosure Policy

Geoffrey Philp’s Blog Spot receives a percentage of the purchase price on anything you buy through links to Amazon, Shambala Books, Hay House, or any of the Google ads or Google Custom Search.


***

Disclaimer of Endorsement

The documents posted on this Web site may contain hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links and pointers are provided for visitors' convenience. I do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any linked information. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to other Web sites or agencies is not intended to assign importance to those sites and the information contained therein, nor is it intended to endorse, recommend, or favor any views expressed, or commercial products or services offered on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites, by trade name, trademark, manufacture, or otherwise.

Reference in this Web site to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the site's visitors, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by this blog.

Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories @ Madie Ives Elementary

Over the next few days, I’ll be visiting Madie Ives Elementary to read from Grandpa Sydney’s Anancy Stories. I hope the children will fall in love with Jimmy, Grandpa Sydney, and Anancy as much as I have.

The Language Arts/Reading/ESOL teachers have chosen The Trickster Tricked (Creek/MusocqeeTribe) retold by S.E. Schlosser; Tops & Bottoms by Janet Stevens, and Grandpa Sydney’s Anancy stories to meet the Common Core State Standards Initiative within Miami Dade County Public Schools:

RL.2.1 – Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why and how, to demonstrated understanding of key details in a text.
RL.2.2 – Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, or moral.
RL.2.3 – Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.
RL.2.4 – Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.
RL.2.5- Describe the overall structure of the story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.
RL.2.6 – Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud.
RL.2.7 – Use information gained from the illustration and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.
RL.2.10-By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories and poetry, in the grades 2-3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

My presentation, Trickster Tales from the Caribbean, will cover literal, inferential, and analytical readings of Grandpa Sydney’s Anancy Stories, and Question Answer Relationships (QARs) within the text.

In addition, we’ll discuss the origins of Anancy stories and the counterparts in Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, and the American South.

We’ll also examine the following elements of a Trickster tale and their relationship to “Anancy, Snake, and Tiger’:

A clever animal or person who plays a trick on other characters.
One of the characters has a problem to solve.
The trickster has one or two main characteristics such as greediness or boastfulness.
There is a moral or lesson to learn.

Of course, Grandpa Sydney’s Anancy Stories is a story within a story, so the children will also have another level of complexity when they compare Jimmy's serious need--to outsmart a bully-- and Anancy's in the story, “Anancy, Snake, and Tiger.” They’ll also compare the methods that Jimmy and Anancy used to achieve their goals and the lessons to be learned from their actions.

I think it’s going to be a lot of fun!

Jamaican Hero, American Criminal?

On October 15, 2012, National Heroes Day, the Jamaican government will be holding island-wide ceremonies to honor the heroes who imagined the nation into existence: Nanny of the Maroons, Sam Sharp, Paul Bogle, George William Gordon, Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Norman Washington Manley, and Sir Alexander Bustamante. Among the heroes of the twentieth century, only one, Marcus Mosiah Garvey, achieved international status as a liberator of the Jamaican people and as the inspiration for independence movements in the Caribbean and Africa.

Yet, sadly, amidst the pomp and circumstance with the flowers and the twenty-one gun salutes, Marcus Garvey, who once described America as “the greatest democracy in the world,” remains as far as the US government is concerned, a convicted felon.

This tarnishing of a Garvey’s good name and reputation continues, despite the Hon. Charles Rangel’s introduction on February 10, 2009, in the United States House of Representatives, H. Con. Res. 44:111th, which demonstrated conclusively that Marcus Garvey was wrongfully convicted and imprisoned by the United States Department of Justice on charges of mail fraud.

It is for this reason, the Marcus Garvey Celebrations Committee (South Florida), Rootz Foundation, and the Institute for Caribbean Studies, have joined to petition President Barack Obama to exonerate the Right Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey, the first National Hero of Jamaica, a nation that has been a staunch ally of the USA for over fifty years.

If you would like to join in this cause to end this vulgar contradiction please sign the petition:

http://signon.org/sign/exonerate-marcus-garvey?source=c.url&r_by=4631897


***

Blog Disclosure Policy

Geoffrey Philp’s Blog Spot receives a percentage of the purchase price on anything you buy through links to Amazon, Shambala Books, Hay House, or any of the Google ads or Google Custom Search.


***

Disclaimer of Endorsement

The documents posted on this Web site may contain hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links and pointers are provided for visitors' convenience. I do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any linked information. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to other Web sites or agencies is not intended to assign importance to those sites and the information contained therein, nor is it intended to endorse, recommend, or favor any views expressed, or commercial products or services offered on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites, by trade name, trademark, manufacture, or otherwise.

Reference in this Web site to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the site's visitors, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by this blog.

Blog Action Day: Exonerate Marcus Garvey

There's an Ethiopian proverb that states, “When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion.” That’s how I feel about the petition to exonerate Marcus Garvey, which has drawn me out of my comfortable role as a writer and into the world of activism.

If you had asked me three years ago what I’d be doing now, I’d probably tell you with certainty that I’d be working on a book of poems, short stories, or a novel. This is not to say that I’ve stopped writing. I just never imagined activism as being part of my life.

But I blame my children’s book for all this. For once I wrote Marcus and the Amazons, a fable about a courageous ant whose rallying cry against invading Amazon ants was “Set the captives free,” it led me to consider the ways that all of us, and especially young Black children are held captive by a system that robs us of our dignity. And when I went into neighborhoods to read to the children, I saw the evidence all around me of their lack of self-esteem.

This bothered me into action. The more I looked, the more I realized that whatever challenges they faced, these were a direct result of their self-identity. For whatever “names” we call ourselves, these determine the types of experiences we will have. In other words, our children have been giving unwise answers to the question, ”Who are you?”

It was the same challenge that Marcus Garvey faced almost a hundred years ago. His question was linked another question that everyone in the Americas must confront: “How do I negotiate the African presence in my life?”
Unfortunately, Marcus Garvey was wrongfully arrested and convicted on trumped charges of mail fraud and Africans at home and abroad have never realized the full benefits of his answers. Since then, Garvey’s work has been deliberately distorted and his legacy has been all but erased from our collective memory.

It’s for this reason why I have joined with the Marcus Garvey Celebrations Committee (South Florida) Rootz Foundation, and the Institute for Caribbean Studies, to petition to President Barack Obama for the exoneration the Right Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey, the father of Pan-Africanism.

For although Marcus Garvey does not need to be exonerated in our eyes, it will take political pressure to bring about change.

Garvey’s exoneration we hope will accomplish 3 things:
 
1. In the name of justice, initiate the PUBLIC rehabilitation of the good name/character of Marcus Garvey
2. Honor the legacy hero in the struggle for Black identity
3. Reintroduce Marcus Garvey's ideas of self-reliance, personal responsibility, and success into the body politic.
 
But that means organization. For us to achieve our goal, the exoneration of Marcus Garvey, all the “spiders" will have to unite to tie up the lions that stalk our children. I like the image of spiders because it is reminiscent of Anancy, our Trickster hero from West African folklore.

The exoneration of Marcus Garvey is the cause to which I am committed and if you would like to join, here is the link: http://signon.org/sign/exonerate-marcus-garvey?source=c.url&r_by=4631897

***

Poetry Friday: Cynthia James

Writing Forward
 
Hold nothing against the daffodil,
potent against the cancer of self-love and aged forgetfulness;
but beware the bulb; mistake it not for the onion;
it can kill; it’s subtext for the Ides of March, but also
‘comes before the swallow dares’ in The Winter’s Tale;
grind and smear it on topical wounds only;
for it’s death and spring, bad luck and morning glory;
it flowered in the Garden of Gethsemane and at Stonehenge;
meanwhile turn the page; it’s the only way to complete
your chapter of the story, you Mau-Mau-ed, castrated,
you waiting for the return of the Balangiga and the Kohinoor;
the eye of history is longer than you can imagine;
learn the lore of all bush medicine with thanksgiving;
go where you will, love where you will, live where you will
 
© Cynthia James October 2012


About Cynthia James

 
Cynthia James is a Trinidadian, living for the past 3 years in Toronto. She writes poetry and fiction and her work can be found in publications such as Callaloo,Caribbean Writer and The Oxford Book of Caribbean Verse.

Garveyism and Self-Reliance: A Personal Journey

On August 17, 2012, I was given the opportunity by Jabulani Tafari to speak at the Rootz Foundation's 125th celebration of Marcus Garvey's birthday. I presented the petition to exonerate Marcus Garvey and it was enthusiastically accepted. Since then, I've been speaking at other venues about the importance of Marcus Garvey's work.
Now although some have criticized me as being a new convert to Marcus Garvey, this is not true. During my tenure as a professor at Miami Dade College, I taught Marcus Garvey for almost ten years as part of a course on heroes. 
I've also been cautioned about the timing of the petition. Some say it could be seen as an attempt to embarrass President Obama. That is not my intention. Maybe I'm still naïve, but I believe President Obama is the only choice that we have in the foreseeable future for the exoneration of Marcus Garvey. And that is why I am going to vote for him.
The exoneration of Marcus Garvey is a cause that I've believed in for a long time. But for one reason or another, I kept putting it off. Finally, about two years ago, I started the petition to clear Marcus Garvey's name and had about 1,500 signatures. But then, several Garveyites counseled me on their position and I accepted their advice. I shut down the original petition and launched the new one on June 16, 2012. I had hoped to have at least 5, 000 signatures by August 17, 2012, but that was not to be.
Since then, the signatures have been coming in and I give thanks. The work of Marcus Garvey needs to be re-examined because of its potential to change the lives of Africans at home and abroad. It's changed my life.
For if there was one thing that I learned from Marcus Garvey, it has been self-reliance.
It's because of Marcus Garvey's work that I started to self-publish. Sure, I went through the normal self-doubt that accompanies being a young writer. I sought validation by submitting my work to many prestigious journals and a few of them published my poems and stories. The payment was often one or two complimentary copies and I was happy with that. 
But then, I realized that I did not need the validation of these journals and I was giving away my work for free. So, I've published my own books and relied on my own skills to tell the stories about my people. Maybe my practice doesn't come close to the grand vision that Arundhati Roy spoke of in War Talk, but it comes close: “Our strategy should be not only to confront empire, but to lay siege to it. To deprive it of oxygen. To shame it. To mock it. With our art, our music, our literature, our stubbornness, our joy, our brilliance, our sheer relentlessness – and our ability to tell our own stories. Stories that are different from the ones we’re being brainwashed to believe." 
Now more than ever, we are going to need this spirit of self-reliance. With the Supreme Court threatening to do away with affirmative action in colleges and universities, the Black community will also have to re-examine many of Garvey's ideas about education. For I will tell you, I've never met an ignorant Garveyite.
In the meantime, we have work to do and it begins with the exoneration of Marcus Garvey. If you believe in this cause, here's the link:
http://signon.org/sign/exonerate-marcus-garvey?source=c.url&r_by=4631897

Blog Disclosure Policy

Geoffrey Philp’s Blog Spot receives a percentage of the purchase price on anything you buy through links to Amazon, Shambala Books, Hay House, or any of the Google ads or Google Custom Search.

***

Disclaimer of Endorsement

The documents posted on this Web site may contain hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links and pointers are provided for visitors' convenience. I do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any linked information. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to other Web sites or agencies is not intended to assign importance to those sites and the information contained therein, nor is it intended to endorse, recommend, or favor any views expressed, or commercial products or services offered on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites, by trade name, trademark, manufacture, or otherwise.

Reference in this Web site to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the site's visitors, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by this blog.

Closure: Call for Submisions for our new fiction anthology

Internationally renowned and award winning novelist and short story writer, Jacob Ross is editing a new anthology of contemporary Black British fiction. The theme for this exciting new anthology is CLOSURE.
Closure is open to submissions from Black British writers. Our definition is broad. Visit the Peepal Tree Press website or the Inscribe Facebook page for our guidelines, which is simply one of self-identification i.e., if you are a writer ‘of colour’ born, raised, living, or have lived in Britain and ‘self identify’ as Black British, then we welcome your submission.
The anthology will be published by Peepal Tree Press in Autumn 2014, under their ‘Inscribe’ imprint.
FOR FULL DETAILS:
‘Triggers’ to get you started/Guidelines To Submissions/How To Submit Your Story/How To Prepare Your Manuscript/How To Submit Your Story Visit http://www.peepaltreepress.com/whappen_display.asp?id=54
NB: Jacob Ross, Peepal Tree Press’s Associate Fiction Editor will be running Masterclasses around the country well before the submission deadline (between October 2012 and June 2013) to enable writers to develop their craft before submitting a story. You are advised to sign-up for the Inscribe mailing list through the Peepal Tree Press website as spaces will be limited and will be filled on a first come, first served basis.
Visit www.peepaltreepress.com for full details of the Closure anthology ‘Call for submissions’ and to find out how to get a special offer discount on selected short story collections.
If you have any queries regarding the Closure anthology or Inscribe, please visit the Peepal Tree website in the first instance.
If you cannot find the information you request, then please contact, Kadija.inscribe@peepaltreepress.com
To encourage your short story writing, Peepal Tree have a special offer available on 6 of its popular short story collections!
South of South – anthology edited by Nii Parkes Near Open Water – Keith Jardim Geoffrey Philp – Who’s Your Daddy? Music For The Off Key – Courttia Newland The Ladies Are Upstairs – Merle Collins Until Judgement Comes – Opal Palmer Adisa
For orders over £10 you can receive a 20% discount !
Enter the following code [phuHBbf ] at the shopping basket when it prompts for a promotional code.
(Special offer available for a limited period only. Peepal Tree Press reserve the right to replace any of these titles mentioned if one or more is no longer available)
***
Blog Disclosure Policy

Geoffrey Philp’s Blog Spot receives a percentage of the purchase price on anything you buy through links to Amazon, Shambala Books, Hay House, or any of the Google ads or Google Custom Search.

***

Disclaimer of Endorsement

The documents posted on this Web site may contain hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links and pointers are provided for visitors' convenience. I do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any linked information. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to other Web sites or agencies is not intended to assign importance to those sites and the information contained therein, nor is it intended to endorse, recommend, or favor any views expressed, or commercial products or services offered on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites, by trade name, trademark, manufacture, or otherwise.

Reference in this Web site to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the site's visitors, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by this blog.

Brer Anancy to the Rescue: A Review of Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories

By Hazel Campbell

By this point in the school year, the bullies will have established their territory and there may well be many youngsters fearful of facing another day of school and not knowing what to do about the bullying. If you have gone through school without meeting a bully, lucky you.

In this story, the newcomer to the class, (grade 3?) a big boy named Kevin, immediately begins to terrorize first, our protagonist, Jimmy, and then the other children. Coupled with the sense of outrage is the feeling of helplessness, which threatens to overwhelm Jimmy. If he tells the teacher, he risks being branded as a tattletale, also an unwelcome situation.

Grandpa Sydney's Anancy Stories places Jimmy in a warm family setting in multicultural South Florida, with his Jamaican grandpa being his main ally. Geoffrey Philp cleverly uses an Anancy story - a Jamaican folk tale - recounted by grandpa, to give Jimmy an idea on how to outsmart the bully, which he does to the immense relief of himself and all the other children in the class. I have a small personal problem with the solution as I would have liked to see some hint of remorse and salvation for the bully at the end - but perhaps that is not realistic.

Illustrations by the author's daughter (lucky him) enliven the story. This is an entertaining story in its own right, and a story, which could be used in classes to spark discussion on aspects of family life, as well as its main theme – bullying, and get children to express their feelings about this.

A good read, and you get to meet Brer Anancy, if you didn't know him before.

Blog Disclosure Policy

Geoffrey Philp’s Blog Spot receives a percentage of the purchase price on anything you buy through links to Amazon, Shambala Books, Hay House, or any of the Google ads or Google Custom Search.

*** 

Disclaimer of Endorsement

The documents posted on this Web site may contain hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links and pointers are provided for visitors' convenience. I do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any linked information. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to other Web sites or agencies is not intended to assign importance to those sites and the information contained therein, nor is it intended to endorse, recommend, or favor any views expressed, or commercial products or services offered on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites, by trade name, trademark, manufacture, or otherwise.

Reference in this Web site to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the site's visitors, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by this blog.

Open Registration for 2012 Miami Writers Institute

The Center for Literature and Theatre at MDC Announces Schedule for Its Fall 2012 Miami Writers Institute during the 29th Edition of its Miami Book Fair International.
Space is limited so early registration is encouraged.
This fall, aspiring writers will have the opportunity to learn techniques and get publishing advice when The Center of Literature and Theatre @ Miami Dade College (MDC), formerly known as the Florida Center for the Literary Arts, presents its prestigious Miami Writers Institute from Wednesday, Nov. 14 through Friday, Nov. 16, during the Miami Book Fair International at the Wolfson Campus in downtown Miami. This year, the Writer’s Institute will offer a variety of workshops for both beginners and advanced writers, which include one- and three-day workshops with authors, as well as one-on-one manuscript consultations with an editor.
The comprehensive set of workshops will focus on topics such as dialogue, marketing for authors, turning ideas into words, as well as the business of publishing. All courses are taught by accomplished authors or publishing professionals with extensive teaching experience. The Writers Institute offers flexible packages; participants may attend just one workshop if their time is limited or take part of the full creative writing program for a deep discount. Full workshop descriptions, as well as dates, times and other details, are available at www.thecenteratmdc.org, click on the Writers Institute link. Workshops offered at the 2012 Fall Miami Writers Institute:
Vivir de escribir con Teresa Dovalpage (in Spanish) Create YOU and Unleash Your JOY: A Writing Workshop with Lisa McCourt How to Convert Your Ideas into Novels and Stories with Colin Channer The Novelette: Science Fiction's Little Jewel with Hugh Howey Master Class on Dialogue with Margot Livesey How to Get Published with Kimberly Witherspoon and Ibrahim Ahmad Cómo escribir (¡y leer!) textos narrativos con Abilio Estévez (in Spanish) Buzz Your Book with MJ Rose Publishing Today with Johnny Temple
Since space is limited, The Center encourages everyone who is interested to register now at www.thecenteratmdc.org.
All 2012 Miami Writers Institute workshops will be held at MDC’s Wolfson Campus, 300 NE Second Ave. Discounted rates are available for MDC staff, as well as students currently enrolled in credit courses. To register, or to obtain more information, please call the Center’s main line, 305-237-3940, or Nicole Swift at 305-237-3023, nicole.swift@mdc.edu, or visit The Center at MDC website at www.thecenteratmdc.org.
The Center for Literature and Theatre at Miami Dade College promotes reading, writing and theater at locations throughout South Florida by consistently presenting activities open to all Its Generation Genius programs for children and teens promote literacy and learning. Its creative writing program has national appeal, and courses are taught by local and visiting authors. The Center produces the annual Miami Book Fair International, regarded as the largest and finest literary gathering in the U.S. It is also home to Prometeo Theatre, the nation's leading Spanish language, conservatory-style program offering training for actors, and featuring performances throughout the year. In 2012, the Center celebrates its tenth year with a renewed commitment to the advancement of literary and theatre arts.
***
Blog Disclosure Policy

Geoffrey Philp’s Blog Spot receives a percentage of the purchase price on anything you buy through links to Amazon, Shambala Books, Hay House, or any of the Google ads or Google Custom Search.

***

Disclaimer of Endorsement

The documents posted on this Web site may contain hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links and pointers are provided for visitors' convenience. I do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any linked information. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to other Web sites or agencies is not intended to assign importance to those sites and the information contained therein, nor is it intended to endorse, recommend, or favor any views expressed, or commercial products or services offered on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites, by trade name, trademark, manufacture, or otherwise.

Reference in this Web site to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the site's visitors, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by this blog.

I'm Ready to Vote

My absentee ballot came in yesterday, so I'm ready to Rock the Vote!
https://www.gottaregister.com/

***
Blog Disclosure Policy

Geoffrey Philp’s Blog Spot receives a percentage of the purchase price on anything you buy through links to Amazon, Shambala Books, Hay House, or any of the Google ads or Google Custom Search.


***

Disclaimer of Endorsement

The documents posted on this Web site may contain hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links and pointers are provided for visitors' convenience. I do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any linked information. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to other Web sites or agencies is not intended to assign importance to those sites and the information contained therein, nor is it intended to endorse, recommend, or favor any views expressed, or commercial products or services offered on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites, by trade name, trademark, manufacture, or otherwise.

Reference in this Web site to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the site's visitors, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by this blog.

Register to Vote!

In 2008, six million Americans didn't vote because they didn't know how to register or missed the deadline. Don't let that happen to your friends! Share this post as a reminder about the upcoming deadline and encourage them to register. This election is too important for you to miss this historic opportunity!
Here's the link:  https://www.gottaregister.com/

Blog Disclosure Policy

Geoffrey Philp’s Blog Spot receives a percentage of the purchase price on anything you buy through links to Amazon, Shambala Books, Hay House, or any of the Google ads or Google Custom Search.

***

Disclaimer of Endorsement

The documents posted on this Web site may contain hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links and pointers are provided for visitors' convenience. I do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any linked information. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to other Web sites or agencies is not intended to assign importance to those sites and the information contained therein, nor is it intended to endorse, recommend, or favor any views expressed, or commercial products or services offered on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites, by trade name, trademark, manufacture, or otherwise.

Reference in this Web site to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the site's visitors, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by this blog.

Bocas in Miami!

The body of water Miami faces is the Atlantic Ocean, but — 180 miles from Nassau, 220 miles from Havana — there’s no doubt it’s also a Caribbean city. And for a few days in mid-October, Miami will also be a major hub for Caribbean literary scholarship, as the University of Miami hosts the 31st annual West Indian Literature Conference, with the theme “Imagined Nations, 50 Years Later: Reflections on Independence and Federation in the Caribbean.”

And the NGC Bocas Lit Fest will be part of the mix! We’ll be hosting a reading by five remarkable writers of different generations, as part of the closing night events of the WILC — and everyone is invited. The details:

Nations and Imaginations: An Evening with the NGC Bocas Lit Fest in Miami

Featuring 2012 OCM Bocas Prize winner Earl Lovelace, 2013 OCM Bocas Prize chair Olive Senior, Edwidge Danticat, Edward Baugh, and Lisa Allen-Agostini.

Saturday 13 October, 8 pm

Books and Books, 

265 Aragon Avenue, Coral Gables

The event is free and open to the public. Bocas fans in Miami, hope to see you there!

***

Blog Disclosure Policy

Geoffrey Philp’s Blog Spot receives a percentage of the purchase price on anything you buy through links to Amazon, Shambala Books, Hay House, or any of the Google ads or Google Custom Search.

*** 

Disclaimer of Endorsement

The documents posted on this Web site may contain hypertext links or pointers to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links and pointers are provided for visitors' convenience. I do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any linked information. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to other Web sites or agencies is not intended to assign importance to those sites and the information contained therein, nor is it intended to endorse, recommend, or favor any views expressed, or commercial products or services offered on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites, by trade name, trademark, manufacture, or otherwise.

Reference in this Web site to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the site's visitors, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by this blog.