Who are You?

One of the first questions we have to answer when we start to write is, “who is this story about?” For some stories, like What Doesn’t Kill You (just out in paperback), the character is someone we haven’t met before and we have to get to know her from scratch—where she’s from, how she speaks, what she likes, how she acts and who are her family and friends. We issue her a DeBerry & Grant birth certificate and fill in her history so we know where’s she’s been and how she got to where the story begins.

But when we started discussing Uptown, a story that centered around the development of real estate in Harlem and the family secrets, betrayals, and greed that plague the developer’s family, we realized we already “knew” those people. Dwight Dixon, a Councilman from a Harlem district with an eye toward running for Congress, courted and proposed to Jewell Prescott in Better Than I Know Myself. His father, King Dixon, owned a considerable amount of Harlem real estate—including the 110th Street building where Jewell, Regina and Carmen shared apartment 5D during college and beyond.

Father and son were a toxic twosome—King always demanding more of his son while managing to demean even his accomplishments, and Dwight, driven to prove himself to the man who would never be satisfied. We didn’t have a chance to explore how they got that way in Better, or to fully understand Dwight’s unusual. . .habits, but it could all come out in Uptown (we even get a chance to check in on Regina and Ty).

We already knew Dwight’s family house was on Striver’s Row, and that his favorite aunt, Forestina, lived down the block, so this gave us the chance to add leaves to the family tree, like his cousin, Avery Lyons. But if Dwight was
so close to Auntie Tina, how come he never mentioned Avery? Were they at odds, even as children? Was there some kind of rift? What has Avery been doing with her life, and what would happen if we reunited Dwight and Avery after decades apart? The more we explored, the juicier the story became. And the family saga of betrayal and forgiveness was a perfect accompaniment to the story of Dwight and the Dixon Group, doing whatever it takes to turn their stretch of tenements on 110th into the sparkling towers of Dixon Plaza, which Dwight envisions as the exclamation points at the top of Central Park.

As we write we have always found that fully knowing our characters gave us the key to how they would behave in any situation we put them in. It has also allowed readers to understand why characters act in certain ways, even when

you hope they don’t do it. And sometimes we find that although we thought we were done with a particular character in another book, sometimes they have more story to tell.

With five novels to their credit, Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant, best friends for 25 years, have turned a friendship into the most successful and enduring writing collaboration in African American fiction.

Donna and Virginia first met as plus size models vying for the same assignments. They were both featured in catalogs, ads, magazines and made national television appearances. Their modeling careers led to the opportunity to launch Maxima, a fashion and lifestyle magazine for plus-size women, where Virginia was editor-in-chief and Donna the managing editor. When publication of Maxima ceased, Virginia and Donna decided to try writing a book together. The result, Tryin’ to Sleep in the Bed You Made, was a critical success, an Essence Bestseller, as are all three of their books, and won the Merit Award for Fiction from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, as well as the 1998 Book of the Year Award from the Blackboard Bestseller List/African American Booksellers Conference-Book Expo America.

Over at Read.Write.Poem I heard about a this mini-challenge to fall in love with a poet. The challenge calls for creating cento poems as the means to fall in love. A cento – as I have recently learned – is a patchwork poem of lines taken from other poets. Normally the cento draws from many poets, but for this mini-challenge, you are to focus on one poet only; this is where the love part comes in.

I selected Nikki Giovanni because her poetry has inspired me so much in the past (present, and future). I foraged through two of her books to find the lines for my first cento: Acolytes and Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea. Here is what I came up with:

Quilting Acolytes

I know poems get lost…because they’re always being found
sometimes this poem feels lonely…sometimes this poem yearns
struggling…to lift itself into the wind
we need poetry…we deserve poetry
poetry is the antidote…to arrogance
poems are serious business
let’s write poems

In celebration of Black History Month we are offering everyone FREE SHIPPING on their order at MahoganyBooks.com.

This offer is valid through February 28th.

One of the most rewarding experiences I have had since the publishing of my book, The Entrepreneurial Secret, has been building with those who have been previously incarcerated, members of street organizations (so-called ‘gangs,’) and young people that the school system can’t seem to reach.

To me, with cities and rural areas all over America experiencing Black male unemployment at 50% (listen to this Senate hearing from 2007 to learn how bad the problem is, particularly in New York: http://www.jec.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.HearingsCalendar&ContentRecord_id=7E728436-7E9C-9AF9-7061-00CA0C098FF7) and Black teenage unemployment at over 40% there simply is no more important subject than business, economics, and entrepreneurship.

These subjects relate to each of these three groups in different ways.

With young people who are failing in school, having behavioral issues, or bored to tears by the subject matter I discuss and try to find out what it is that they like to do.  It usually is sports or entertainment at first, that they express an interest in, but as I dig down deeper it is amazing how often I identify a hobby or interest that they have either hidden from the view of their friends, teachers and parents or which others overlook and therefore haven’t watered.  Whether working with computers, building things, drawing, or playing video games, there is always something that a young person likes to do that could be the basis for a business and a key to their accepting that discipline, study, and proper conduct (all of which they are supposed to have reinforced in school) are necessary to make progress or become a success in life.  I also always encourage parents and teachers to understand that the qualities that they call ‘undisciplined’ and ‘rebellious’ are actually good traits for entrepreneurs and businesspersons – people who have to think outside of the box and often make their own way.  A person who understands this is Shonika Proctor (http://www.pbs.org/nbr/site/about/bio/proctor/) a Washington, DC based entrepreneur, speaker, and blogger (TeenEntrepreneurBlog.com).

Among those in street organizations I build with them on the subject of my last blog here at Mahogany Books, “Trust – The Greatest Form Of Wealth, In Business and in Life.” So-called ‘gangs’ are really nothing more than a kinship system with high quantities of the trust necessary to produce the mutual support and financial capital that a risk-taker (entrepreneur) needs to get an idea off the ground.  An entrepreneur is one who perceives or conceives of an opportunity and builds an organization to pursue it.  A business organization is a society where a group of people pool resources.  There is no denying that a street organization has those necessary elements and only needs to have its energies directed in a positive and constructive manner.  In Volume II of my book I describe how the personality of so-called hustlers and gangsters can be directed in business.  The chapter is called “The Secret Of Team – The 9 Personality Types.”

And lastly, I love working with the previously incarcerated individuals and those who have been homeless – people that society denies opportunities to earn a living  (just look at the jobs in certain states that ex-offenders can’t legally hold) or doubt can find a calling in life.  On this latter point, I always reject the notion that someone who has been down on their luck or made bad decisions or did not have formal education somehow cannot find a purpose, talent or skill set that they can market.  In my book I write about a method that can be used.

I direct people to the free online version of the United States Department of Labor “Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH).”  This book tells you – for hundreds of jobs –

the training and education needed
•    earnings
•    expected job prospects
•    what workers do on the job
•    working conditions

By simply reading the OOH, a person begins to imagine themselves in a variety of roles, noticing if they have qualities and a background that might make them a good fit in any particular area.  By seeing what is possible, and what makes people good fits for certain jobs, anyone can become an economist in an instant, visualizing themselves working in any field, anywhere, anytime, any place!

This book is rare in its ability to cultivate critical and creative thinking simultaneously.  And all you have to do is pick it up and just start reading.  Within minutes, a person who feels they aren’t good at anything, bored by everything, or unmotivated to pursue a line of work, will begin to become interested not only in all of the fields available, how much money they attract, and what is needed to qualify; but they will also immediately begin to think of their own inventory of talents, skills, and interests in relation to these fields.

As long as the individual can read, anyone can be impacted by this kind of an exercise.

The time has come for us to embrace alternative ways of viewing and working with those that are called ‘at risk,’ the ‘underclass,’ ‘criminals,’ and ‘ex-offenders.’  With a president with his hands full; a public school system that doesn’t teach economics; politicians that are too ‘correct,’ to meet with controversial leaders and those with ideas that could work; and a media that treats the homeless, the previously incarcerated, and youth as if they were invisible, we can’t wait on change to come, we have to become it.

Here’s to entrepreneurship for the streets!

Cedric Muhammad is a business consultant, political strategist, and monetary economist.  He is also a former GM of Wu-Tang Management and a Member of the African Union’s First Congress of African Economists.  He is author of the book, The Entrepreneurial Secret. His talk show, ‘The Cedric Muhammad and Black Coffee Program’ can be viewed every Wednesday from 12 to 5 PM EST (USA) at: http://www.cedricmuhammad.com/media/. He can be contacted via e-mail at: cedric@cmcap.com

January 28th, 6-pm-8pm
Ulah Bistro
1214 U St, N.W.
Washington, DC 2009

Join us as we kick off the new year and hit the literary ground running in 2010!  We’ll meet at the swanky Ulah Bistro where you’ll have the chance to meet a host of diverse literary players from around the Washington DC metro area including: authors, publicists, publishers, graphic artists and more! Be apart of the movement to unify the DC Black Book Community.Black Book Coalition  and stay abreast of events, publishing news, as well as, connect with other book professionals attending the event.

As with all of our events, our goal is to encourage, educate, and promote.  This specific event will provide resources and opportunities for authors and book professionals to:

• Sign up to be interviewed about your book or service and have it promoted to potential customers in the DC area and beyond.  Space is limited.  Video service is provided courtesy of Forever Entertainment Media.
• Take home a national listing of Black Bookstores eager to serve the writing community.
• Get details on an information rich seminar coming this April…

The new year also marks the beginning of our “Book Drive” which well benefit the DC metro area youth.  We are collecting gently used children, juvenile, & young adult books.  As readers and writers we all understand the power of words and the impact they’ve had in our lives as youth and adults.  If you are able to donate, please bring an content appropriate book from your bookshelf and share the gift of words with our children. 

Don’t forget to join our new Facebook Fan Page at the 

The Black Book Coalition was founded by MahoganyBooks in conjunction with The Renaissance Group, LLC, and The Hurston/Wright Foundation.  Our mission is “to achieve success and value for our literary community through the combined talents and expertise of area book professionals.”

Looking forward to connecting with you  soon!

Event Presented by: MahoganyBooks, The Renaissance Group, LLC, The Hurston/Wright Foundation.

For more information: contact MahoganyBooks at Info@MahoganyBooks.com or by phone at 703.730.3873

Trust – The Greatest Form Of Wealth, In Business and In Life

If there is one thing that life and business have taught me in my personal, professional and spiritual travels, it is that you cannot build anything of lasting impact – a relationship, a business, or an institution – without trust.

It is the glue that cements love.  It is the objective of all contracts.  And it is the product of duty and responsibility.

Trust is so valuable because it is the bridge between the past, present and future.

It gives us confidence in what lies ahead because it is tied to the consistency of what came before, and is rooted in the reliability of our present reality.

Of all of the chapters in my new three volume book series, The Entrepreneurial Secret: Starting A Business Without A Bank Loan, Collateral or Revenue perhaps the most intriguing and provocative is a chapter in ‘Volume 1: The Political Economy,’ “The Secret Of Kinship Systems and Group Economics” which connects the prospects for success of today’s entrepreneur, with the past history of how immigrant ethnic and religious communities have developed and prospered as a result of their savings practices.  These cultural traditions for pooling money – whether the Partners of Jamaicans; the Gae of Korean immigrants; the Aktsiyes of the Jewish community or the Esusu of the West African community – all revolve around the principle that one’s word is their bond and that in unity there is strength, as the sum of the group is greater than the individual parts.

So is the success of these institutions in financing talented entrepreneurs based upon the group finding the most trust-worthy entrepreneurs with the best ideas?

No.

It is not the character of the person receiving the monies that is the most important attribute in the arrangement, it is, rather, that there are others in the group who are willing to guarantee that the person will make good on the loan or investment.  The beauty of the arrangement is that even if a person has poor credit, and a past full of mistakes and errors, their interest in maintaining good relations with those who are willing to vouch for them, is sufficient for the larger group to trust them with their money.

The group understands that peer pressure, and the desire for solidarity and the maintenance of unity within a society can substitute for personal failings and offer an alternative way for people to ‘trust’ one another.

Over the holidays I was blessed to lead a group discussion of my nuclear and extended family about these principles and histories, and had the honor of having my Mother – raised in Jamaica – as a star witness, explaining in detail how the savings culture works in Caribbean tradition.

Some of my family members – born in America – had never heard this before and were amazed to learn that any group where trust exists, could immediately work out arrangements to back one another financially.

Specifically, I pointed to three areas where these principles could be applied: lifting family members out of poverty; providing start-up capital for business ventures; and funding the education of young family members.  One individual afterward remarked, “…hearing the conversations reminded me that we have so many resources just within the family circles!”

One of the greatest effects of slavery, particularly on those enslaved in the United States of America, is that it stripped us of this greatest form of wealth – trust which is the key to tapping into the ‘many resources just within the family circle,’ as my family member put it.  As I explain in my book, when one considers that family and friends are usually the second or third greatest source of financing for start-up businesses, one can see how devastating the destruction or breakdown of a family can be – and even worse, the lack of trust that extends beyond the nuclear family structure and into the broader community.

This is why I advocate that all of us who are members organizations and groups that are primarily little more than cliques, excuses to party, or casual in nature, find ways to gradually reform them and transform these institutions into kinship systems, where traditions and principles of group economics can be practiced.  

These don’t have to be based on blood-ties.  In fact, some of the greatest units accomplishing good in history have been women and men who were united for a common cause but who were not related by blood.

Religious communities, fraternities and sororities, professional and trade societies, sports teams, ethnic groups and even street organizations (so-called ‘gangs’) have what it takes to develop and use trust as means to support one another in positive ways.

As long as there is respect for and accountability to a third-party, a process, a common set of beliefs, or a teaching or philosophy, any group can develop the accountability and rules that are necessary to form a small economy among themselves.

I saw this at work, and participated in it, when I served as General Manager for Wu-Tang Management, helping to coordinate the affairs of the multi-platinum group, Wu Tang Clan.  Because everyone involved was either a family member, childhood friend, had respect for the leader (RZA), or respected universal principles that were part of a Teaching, we were able to accomplish what other groups couldn’t and haven’t since in the music business.

In business and life, trust is not everything, but without it you have nothing.

Cedric Muhammad is a business consultant, political strategist, and monetary economist and is author of the book, The Entrepreneurial Secret: To Starting a Business Without A Bank Loan, Collateral Or Revenue. He  is a former GM of Wu-Tang Management and currently a Member of the African Union’s First Congress of African Economists. His Hip-Hoppreneur ™ column can be read each week exclusively at AllHipHip.com. Cedric can be contacted via e-mail at: cedric(at)cmcap.com

2009 was a great year for African-American Literature because it made a distinct mark upon the publishing world. MahoganyBooks itself was featured in the controversial December 2009 issue of Publishers Weekly in a feature on African-American publishing. Co-founder R. Lark Young commented on how MahoganyBooks has worked to bridge the gap between writers and readers by establishing its Ning social networking page The Lit Lounge.

Author Sapphire saw a meteoric rise to fame with her book, Push that became the Golden Globe nominated as well as Oscar hopeful movie, Precious. Writing duo Ashley Antoinette and JaQuavis Coleman known simply as Ashley JaQuavis have brought Urban Lit into the mainstream publishing world when their book; The Cartel 2, recently made its first appearance on the New York Times Bestsellers List.

These advancements make a publishing hopeful like me very optimistic about finding my place in the literary world. Once upon a time African-American literature was read primarily only among African-American readers but, it has now branched out and is beginning to be embraced by all groups. This can be attributed to great writing and exposure to wider audiences by means of promotion as well as bookstores such as MahoganyBooks.  Author Carleen Brice focuses on introducing readers to African American authors with her blog, White Readers meet Black Authors, where you guessed it, she introduces white readers to a plethora of books written by Black authors.

So what can be expected in 2010? Carleen Brice herself is seeing her book; Orange Mint and Honey, turned into a Lifetime Movie Network film starring Jill Scott, Nicole Beharie and Mimi Rogers entitled, “Sins of the Mother,” which will air on LMN February 7th, 2010. I am also hoping to have my first children’s book; The Absolutely True Adventures of Ana in Wheel Life published as well.  No doubt in 2010 African American literature will continue to embed its place in the literary scene thus paving the way for writing hopefuls for years to come.

SAVE THE DATE:  JANUARY 28TH, 6:00 PM
Ulah Bistro, 1214 U. Street NW
Washington, DC 20009  (Across from Ben’s Chili Bowl)

Join us as we kick off the new year and hit the literary ground running in 2010!  We’ll meet at the swanky Ulah Bistro where you’ll have the chance to meet a host of diverse literary players from around the Washington DC metro area including: authors, publicists, publishers, graphic artists and more! Be apart of the movement to unify the DC Black Book Community.

Don’t forget to sign up on our new Facebook Fan Page at Black Book Coalition and stay abreast of events, publishing news, and  connect with other book professionals attending the event.

The Black Book Coalition was founded by MahoganyBooks in conjunction with The Renaissance Group, LLC, and The Hurston/Wright Foundation.  Our mission is “to achieve success and value for our literary community through the combined talents and expertise of area book professionals.”

Coming April 2010:  Black Book Coalition
Special Event To Be Announced…Stay Tuned!!!

Looking forward to connecting with you  soon!

Event Presented by: MahoganyBooks, The Renaissance Group, LLC, The Hurston/Wright Foundation.

For more information: contact MahoganyBooks at Info@MahoganyBooks.com or by phone at 703.730.3873

I love new authors…I love their perspective and I love the depth and complexity they add to the literary landscape.  Hence the focus of our first Blog Series: Dolen Valdez-Perkins.  Dolen has been garnering much attention from the likes of Essence Magazine & Publishers Weekly with her debut novel, Wench.

Here at the WritersBloc, it is our aim to bridge the divide between readers and writers.  After all, they are just like you and me…book lovers in search of the next great story.

Over the next few posts, in her own words, Dolen will talk about her journey to becoming a newly published author.  She will talk about a few of the intricacies of her characters and give you all insight into the book that will deepen the reading experience have with Wench: A Novel.

Enjoy her entry below and check back for the follow-up post from Dolen Valdez-Perkins.

Introducing Dolen:

I have been writing seriously for about thirteen years.  I finished my MFA in Creative Writing back in 1998 in my birthplace and hometown of Memphis, TN.  When I didn’t strike immediate success with my writing, I dutifully followed the advice of my parents and  went back to school.  While studying for my Ph.D., I found that I rather liked scholarly research.  After graduating, I spent a year as a postdoctoral research fellow at the Ralph Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA.  Afterwards, I landed a tenure-track job teaching African American literature.  Throughout those years, however, I continued to read and write fiction.  I wrote short stories and two novels that never saw the light of day.  I found that my scholarship and my fiction writing fed two different parts of my soul.  I needed both.

In 2004, I changed my professional track and accepted a Creative Writing professorial job.  I immediately began to refocus my energies full-time on my fiction.  Being in the Creative Writing workshop with a phenomenally talented group of students was very invigorating for me.  As I read short stories and fiction, I was no longer peering through a scholarly lens.  I studied character, voice, point-of-view, dialogue, and other fictional techniques.  By that time, I was married with a child and a fifty-minute work commute.  All of these demands forced me to organize my time wisely.  Oddly enough, I write more when I have to fight for the time.  For four years, I wrote and re-wrote the novel that would become WENCH.

In the spring of 2007, I found an agent.  I submitted the entire manuscript to her, and she accepted it.  I did not believe that it was done, and I asked her to give me time to continue polishing.  She was patient, but she called me every couple of months to inquire about my progress.  That periodic call was good motivation.  Each time, I gave her a date when I thought it would be ready, and then once the date arrived, I extended it.  Finally, in December of that year, I sent her the newest draft of the manuscript.  I felt that it was finished, but I was eager to hear her opinion.  Within a couple of weeks, she called me and said she thought it was ready.  We began with a publishing house that we both admired:  Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins.  The head of this imprint, Dawn Davis, had edited and published Edward P. Jones’ The Known World. We decided to give her an exclusive.  Within days, she wrote us back and said she was interested.  We never submitted the manuscript anywhere else.

Dawn Davis has been a phenomenal editor.  Not only do I feel fortunate to have worked with her, but I also feel fortunate to know her.  She is an inspiration to me.  Amistad is the oldest imprint of a New York publishing house dedicated to publishing books by and about people of African descent.

I love reading contemporary authors, and when I look back at my reading list from 2009, most of the books I read were by young talents.  Yet if you were to ask me from whom I draw my inspiration, I would say Toni Morrison, Edward P. Jones, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Gayl Jones, and Vladimir Nabokov.  My dream would be to meet Toni Morrison and have her say that she read my book.  Then I would listen quietly as she advised me on how I could make the next one stronger.

****

Stay up to date with Dolen and find out how she is feeling with the release of Wench of Twitter.

1. The first part of the process is to pick the topic I want to write about.

Let’s say my topic is reading.

2. Second, I pick two words that relate to the topic. The two words I pick must be words that are easily rhymed. I would never select a word like chartruse because I can’t readily think of rhymes for it. I’d pick yellow or green instead.

The two words I’ll pick for my topic are happy and friend.

3. After I have the two words selected, I create a sun/spider web (a graphic organizer I use when teaching middle school kids) and brainstorm as many words as I can. You’ll have to just imagine it, because I can’t draw pictures on this blog.

friend: bend, blend, spend, end, depend, lend, pretend, mend, recommend
happy: sappy, crappy, nappy

3.1. If during my brainstorm I find out that I can’t create at least 4 rhyminng words, then I select a different one.

So instead of using happy, I’m going to use fiction.

fiction: depiction, eviction, friction, restriction, diction, prediction, addiction, etc.

4. Next, I number my lined paper 1-8 because triolets are 8 lines long.

5. Then, I focus on the first line. Whichever word that I find more rhymes for, is the word that ends the first line.

In this case it would be friend.

Example: Novels can be better than a friend.

6. I do a syllable count once I get the first line. I shoot for 8 or 10 syllables. Ask me why I do that later, if you want to know. It’s not something you should feel required to do.

So if the syllable count is wrong, I revise the first line.

Example: A novel can be better than a friend.

7. On my lined paper, I write this first line on lines 1,4, and 7.

8. I repeat the process for line 2, and write it down on lines 2 & 8

Example: reading is my favorite addiction

9. Then I work on lines 3 & 5 because they both rhyme with line 1.

Example: always ready, on books I can depend
I can tell you which ones I’d recommend

10. Finally I work on line 6, which rhymes with line 2.

Example: memoirs, sci-fi, poetry, and fiction

11. And that’s it. I read the poem a few times and make sure it sounds right, give it a title, add punctuation (if needed), revise a bit, and then I’m finished.

*****************************************

Books > Friends

A novel can be better than a friend
reading is my favorite addiction
always ready, on books I can depend
a novel can be better than a friend
I can tell you which ones I’d recommend
memoirs, sci-fi, and young adult fiction
a novel can be better than a friend
reading is my favorite addiction.