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The Reader's Zone
1. Bernice McFadden’s Glorious
2. Kwei Quartey's Wife of the Gods 3. Nnedi Okorafor’sWho Fears Death
4. Tananarive Due'sJoplin's Ghost
5. Tayari Jones' Silver Sparrow
6. Anthony Grooms' Bombingham
7. Marlon James' The Book of Night Women
8. Kadir Nelson’s Heart and Soul
9. Calvin Ramsey’s Ruth and the Green Book
10.Akosua Busia's The Seasons of Beento Blackbird
11.Daniel Black'sTwelve Gates to the City
The Writer's Zone
Black Orchid Blues by Persia Walker - The connection to the Harlem Renaissance first drew me to Walker’s work. Indeed, I am fascinated by all that I have read and heard about the Harlem Renaissance, where some of the most talented Black people in the world created music, literature and art in volumes that have never been replicated—in Harlem. What I loved most about Black Orchid Blues is the history lesson interspersed throughout the fictional story. I found myself walking the streets of Harlem, peeping into the lives of the characters who lived on Striver's Row; who frequented the not-so-sedate parties given by Harlem socialites; who attended the wild affairs at Harlem's clubs and ballrooms; and who hobnobbed with real Harlem Renaissance notables like Langston Hughes. Walker also gives readers, more than a glimpse into Harlem's underworld of criminal, racial unrest and social injustices, underscored by the white folks who flock to Harlem to experience what they can not or dare not, in Manhattan or on Long Island. All of this creates the backdrop for Walker's heroine, Lanie Price, a journalist with a keen eye for recognizing and "digging up the dirt," often putting herself in danger to get and write her stories. Lanie has not lost the edge she had as a crime reporter, who supposedly now writes a society column. In Black Orchid Blues, she is drawn into a criminal plot to extort money after a deadly and vicious kidnapping of a flamboyant Harlem entertainer, Queenie Lovetree--the Black Orchid. That's the beginning of the story; what comes afterward had me sitting up till early morning to find out what happens to colorful characters that inhabit the pages of Black Orchid Blues.
Wife of the Gods by Dr. Kwei Quartey -As a true lover of a good “Who Done It,” I was pleasantly surprised to begin reading Wife of the Gods. In this amazing murder mystery/detective novel by Kwei Quartey, I found all the elements of a book to make me curl up by the fireplace with a cup of hot tea and a bowl of popcorn, turning its pages--noting the clues, disregarding some suspects, becoming suspicious of others, holding my breath as the action unfolded--until the story ended and I closed the cover with satisfaction—hoping that the next Darko Dawson tale would soon reach my eager hands! What made this such a great novel? The characters are so well-developed that I as a reader become involved in their lives, admiring some, relating to others and hating a few. The setting of modern-day Ghana is vividly portrayed without taking away from the fast-paced suspense-filled plot. What I love most about Wife of the Gods is how believable the spiritual world is interwoven with the physical world; even as skeptical and methodical as Darko’s character is, he even experienced and accepted the connections. I have enjoyed reading mysteries since I was eleven years old, and usually know how they will end before I am half-way finished reading them. Wife of the Gods is exceptional in that I was about three-fourths of the way through the book, keeping in mind the subtle clues Quartey sprinkled throughout the narrative, before I figured out who the murderous culprit was! I truly do not understand why this book, published in 2009, has NOT been the topic of conversation in reading circles; however, I am so glad that a book club member suggested that we read it. NOW, we are talking about it and recommending it to others as a book club read. Quartey will be on my reading radar from now on.
The Listener's Zone
The Voices of Distinction was founded in August 1997. Most of the members are active duty or retired military men who sing during the Gospel Services at Wood Memorial Chapel, Fort Bragg, NC and at functions and venues up and down the eastern states. In May 2007, The Voices of Distinction were awarded the Coin of Excellence, presented by the Chief Chaplain of the United States Army,at Fort Bragg during a concert in honor of his retirement; in December 2008, the Shirley Caesar Music Outreach Award, sponsored by 103.9 FM, Raleigh, North Carolina. At last, the debut CD, What You Gonna Do With Me? Is available at www.CDBaby.com The men, including Pop Fletcher Reid, acknowledge God as He directs their path.
A LOVER OF LYRICAL BEAUTY
I am a lover of lyrical beauty and a believer in a life full of love
I wonder why people don't appreciate the power of the pen
I hear poetry in the prose and music in the words of hundreds of authors
I see words and phrases that describe my world and other worlds
I am a lover of lyrical beauty and a believer in a life full of love
I pretend to replace the characters,
especially the heroines in the novels I read
I feel their joy, their sadness, their excitement, their pain
I touch the pages upon pages of wonderful poems and stories
I worry that I have so little time and so much to discover in my world of books
I cry with the heroines in the novels I read
I am a lover of lyrical beauty and a believer in
a life full of love
I understand that everyone does not share my passion for the printed word
I say to them that literature can help one dream a world that should exist
I dream of the day I can express my thoughts and feelings in print
I try desperately to weave tales and make worlds live through my words
I hope to one day leave my letter to the world, my message to posterity
I am a lover of lyrical beauty and a believer in a life full of love ayr
The Viewer's Zone
Manuscript Editor
