Readin' Writin' and Racism 2010

Writing White---Redux 2010

We first wrote this piece as an article back in 2005 but it never found a home. So we posted it on our blog in September 2007 and again in November 2008 and 2009. Last fall, Virginia’s Open Letter to Oprah made the cyber-rounds, author-friend Bernice McFadden took a stance on Seg-Book-Gation, and Carleen Brice's blog Welcome White Folks and December is National Buy a Book by a Black Author and Give it to Somebody Not Black Month, celebrated it’s first anniversary, but it’s evident things haven’t improved significantly. There’s the recent post by Laina Dawes on Blogher.com, Reading While Black or White: Do Readers Prefer Books Written by their Own and Black and Blues, by Cheri Paris Edwards. Seems we’re touching a nerve. Some react negatively-there are some truly hateful comments on Bernice McFadden’s recent Op Ed piece in the Washington Post, Black Writers in a Ghetto of the Publishing Industry’s Making, but we have new voices joining the conversation--white voices. Virginia participated in a Shewrites Radio chat yesterday about this issue and while those of us who were present (Bernice, Carleen, Martha Southgate) and vocal were not surprised to discover the audience was mostly black, Kamy Wicoff, founder of Shewrites was taken aback and wrote this post after our hour of (black) power radio: Books by Women of Color: Separated, and Not Treated Equally, Either. Speak Up, On This, She Writes! It is the opportunity to have these conversations; to have them aloud and not just with others who have similar experience that we hope will initiate a broader understanding on all sides.

For now, it seems that white readers prefer books about black people written by other white people, like Kathryn’ Stockett’s The Help, (the most recent), Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees and Chris Cleve’s Little Bee. And why are the black characters in so many of these stories caught in some kind of Antebellum, Reconstruction, Jim Crow or Civil Rights era, generally separate and unequal historically? Do the lines of demarcation lessen a kind of general uneasiness? Is it too uncomfortable to see the wide variety of ways black people exist today, and therefore easier to portray us as the “Magical Negro” -- always good, and selfless with a little noble savage thrown in for good measure? Is it simpler to write off Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey as anomalies and accept the thug/athlete/rapper as more accurate representations of black people today, and therefore more easily dismissed?

Readin’, Writin’ and Racism—Do You Want a Mirror or a Window?

When a black writer or entertainer achieves success with a wider (read white) audience, a la Will Smith, Denzel Washington, Oprah Winfrey or Terry McMillan, they are said to have cross-over appeal. Why isn’t the reverse true? When blacks watch CSI, Iron Man 3 or pick up the latest James Patterson, no one attributes that to cross-over. Is it assumed that everyone will find these diversions entertaining? That race doesn’t matter as long as it’s white? That African Americans, Mexicans, Chinese, Lakhota Sioux, Lebanese and whomever else the census separates out will “get” the storyline and generate the dollars requisite for success?

Even in one of the most racially diverse television shows, “Grey’s Anatomy”, the central character, intern Meredith Grey, is a white woman, despite the fact that series writer/producer Shonda Rhimes, is African American. Happenstance or economics? Quiet as it’s kept, in our first novel, Exposures, we “wrote white”, deciding it was the surest way to test our joint writing chops--and get published. It worked; the novel sold in two weeks. It took a lot longer to find a home for our first book with black characters. At the time we didn’t fit the established categories (we weren’t Toni or Terry—Morrison or McMillan in case you’ve been under a literary rock for the past twenty or thirty years), so many editors didn’t believe we would find an audience.

Are these situations silent testimony to the more refined racism that lives with us everyday—the kind of de facto pecking order largely unrecognized by those who perpetuate it, and unchallenged by those of us who are aware, but just grateful to be in the game? Maybe it’s not so silent. The movie “Crash” asked questions about who we are, and what we think about all those other people. There was awkward, knowing laughter in the theater when our not so secret little prejudices were laid bare. We wonder what people who watch on Blue Ray in the privacy of their own homes have to say.

Not so long ago, a White reader (one of several who identify themselves that way) emailed to say how much she enjoyed one of our books, but wondered if she was welcome to read our work since she wasn’t black. We were stunned by the question, but it spoke to the segregated reading habits that are more the norm than we would like to admit. Are we so tired of dealing with each other at work, in the supermarket, on the bus, that it’s a relief to open a book and find people with strange accents and hairdos banished from our fictional world? Or is it more insidious? Are books our mirrors, and we only look for reflections of ourselves?

Shouldn’t reading provide a window to the greater world? We read Anna Karenina without being Russian, The 100 Secret Senses without being Chinese, Catcher in the Rye without being teenaged prep school boys, Shelters of Stone without being Cro-Magnon—Anne Rice without being a vampire. We delight in Carl Hiassen without being Floridians, Sandra Cisneros with no experience of being Latinas from Chicago, understand the plight of a Nigerian girl as told by Chimamanda Adichie, never having set foot in Lagos. Since childhood, we have read thousands of books about people who didn’t look like us and found them enlightening, hilarious, heartbreaking, and know, without doubt, we are better people because of it.

Why then is it so surprising when works of fiction, save for “literary” efforts like those of Alice Walker and Edward P. Jones, which mostly recount our collective, tragic, post middle passage history, cross over? Are we to believe that as fully franchised, contemporary Americans living a variety of social, educational, and economic circumstances that our stories are so foreign as to be incomprehensible? That we share no universal human truths?

After the surprise success of Tryin’ to Sleep in the Bed You Made, (Almost 800,000 copies later, we are happy to report those who didn’t think people would get it, were wrong—at least they were then.) which featured drawings of two brown-skinned women on the cover, our publisher made a conscious effort to cross over our next book. The resulting cover was dominated by a house, flanked by a lush tree. Our three main characters were rendered the size of carpenter ants, their color indistinguishable. So, to appeal to a wider audience we had to lose face? What must we sacrifice to be palatable to the culture at large?

Some bookstores have separate African American areas. Is this to make us more comfortable in unfamiliar territory? Does this highlight our work, or let other people know they can skip this aisle? Granted, some argue that having a unique section celebrates the black experience. But are they really separate but unequal niches, a publishing ghetto with very different real estate values?

Until Waiting to Exhale made publishers understand that black people buy books, we were mostly left outside the gates. Clearly they did not learn in American history that we risked and often lost our lives to learn to read. The Exhale phenomenon is the reason many of us were given a chance. Walter Mosley reached a wider readership thanks to the endorsement of President Clinton. But is it really so hard to throw open our windows and get some fresh air? Browse a bookstore section you usually pass without Oprah to lead the way? Ask a librarian or a co-worker for a recommendation; that’s how many non-black readers found our work. You might discover a good read on an unexpected shelf—maybe gain insight into someone else, or surprisingly, yourself.

Re-segregating Black Authors, Can I Get a Witness...

This post is from Keryl McCord's blog, Musing on the New South

I sincerely hope that I can write this post and not melt the keys on my lap top. Going into this I know my blood pressure is going to rise. But as you will see, not without reason.Barnes and Noble is one of my most favorite places in the world. It probably has something to do with growing up in New York City and the original B&N being almost a second home, the New Public Library was first. Then B&N caught the expansion bug and went global. But I digress.

Moving to Georgia almost four years ago now, and discovering a B&N within five minutes of my house was a source of great great joy. I've spent a lot of time there sitting, sipping, wandering, listening, reading, and of course buying books.

Last night though, I wandered in to my favorite B&N and inquired, "I'm looking for UPTOWN, by Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant." Now understand, I only inquired after trying on my own to find this new book that was just published a month ago! It wasn't with the NEW FICTION-JUST RELEASED. It wasn't in the Fiction section that also has a space for JUST RELEASED. By now I'm scratching my head and feeling slightly perturbed.

So the kindly well trained clerk rapidly begins walking away from the fiction section, actually it looks like she's heading to the kiddie section, then a detour around a couple more areas that look like research and non-fiction and voila, she points to the African American section. Huh? To add insult to injury it is a right pitiful African American section at that. It can't rightly be called a section as it is only one book case and it isn't full. Hello. What's wrong with this picture?

My kindly clerk checks the few books in Afr Am, UPTOWN is absent. Like a run away slave, I wonder, maybe it ran to another section? So back we go toward the fiction section but we only get as far as the entrance to the golden gates for there on what I now know is called an end-cap, there are more books by Black authors! About six of them, and at the very bottom, there is UPTOWN. Your two or three year-old might find it, it would be at eye level for them. But for adults? I don't think so.

So even if not in the Af-Am section, just in case you don't get the message, it is "segregated" with other books by Black authors because they just have so so much in common.

Sensing the heat radiating from my head, the clerk inquired, "Is there something wrong?"

Is there something wrong? Hell yeah there's something wrong. Because as I looked around the fiction section, prominently displayed in the front so that it can't be missed with all the other books they want you to see as you come in the door is a book, Little Bee, by a white male British author, telling the story of a Nigerian girl in England. Excuse me! Why is his book featuring a story about a black female considered "General" fiction and put up front but a book by two black authors about black people is considered Afr Am and relegated to the back of the book bus? To read the rest of this post, click here.

First Review for Uptown!!

FICTION REVIEWS Publisher's Weekly 1/4/10


Uptown Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant. Touchstone, $14.99 paper (384p) ISBN 978-1-4391-3776-5

DeBerry and Grant (Exposures) continue both their ongoing love affair with Harlem and the story of the Dixon real estate empire in this smart and compelling tale of how selfishness and avarice can destroy a family’s work and reputation. Dwight Dixon takes the reins from his elderly father, “King” Dixon, moving the family real estate holdings to the big-time New York stage with the development of Dixon Plaza on Central Park North, a controversial development aimed at transforming Harlem. But problems abound: defective Chinese drywall, cheap fixtures and myriad changes to the project. Then Dwight’s cousin, Avery Lyons, returns to tend to the affairs of her dead mother and an uneasy and disturbing past is revealed that causes the empire to crumble. DeBerry and Grant capture timely and increasingly universal themes with this dramatic, epic and often tragic story of triumph and failure. New York and Harlem come alive and the occasional stereotypical characters and a few contrived situations are minor quibbles with a novel that is both relevant and entertaining (Mar.)

Writing White-Redux 2009

We wrote this as an article back in 2005 but it never found a home. So we first posted this here in September 2007 and again in November 2008. We had no idea how many comments it would generate. We obviously touched a nerve with many people felt. And now, with Virginia’s Open Letter to Oprah making the cyber-rounds, Bernice McFadden’s (Sugar, Nowhere is a Place, This Bitter Earth) stance on Seg-Book-Gation, (http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/trends/segbookgation_in_publishing_144019.asp) and the first anniversary of Carleen Brice's —Children of the Waters &Orange Mint & Honey) December is National Buy a Book by a Black Author and Give it to Somebody Not Black Month.( http://welcomewhitefolks.blogspot.com/) it is evident that things haven’t improved and so here we post it again.

If you haven’t seen this before, please read our take on readin’ writin’ and racism below and let us know what you think. Please feel free to share a link to this on your social networks!

Crossing Over—Mirror vs Window

When an African American writer or entertainer achieves success with a wider (read White) audience, a la Will Smith or Terry McMillan, they are said to have cross-over appeal. Why isn’t the reverse true? When Blacks watch CSI, Spiderman 3 or pick up the latest John Grisham, no one attributes that to cross-over. Is it assumed that everyone will find these diversions entertaining? That race doesn’t matter as long as it’s White? That Blacks, Mexicans, Chinese, Lakhota Sioux, Lebanese and whomever else the census separates out will “get” the storyline and generate the dollars requisite for success?

Even in the racially diverse “Grey’s Anatomy”, the central character, intern Meredith Grey, is a White woman, despite the fact series writer/producer Shonda Rhimes, is African American. Happenstance or economics? Quiet as it’s kept, in our first novel, Exposures, we “wrote White”, deciding it was the surest way to test our joint writing chops--and get published. It worked; the novel sold in two weeks. It took a lot longer to find a home for our first book with Black characters. At the time we didn’t fit the established categories (we weren’t Toni or Terry), so many editors didn’t believe we would find an audience. They were wrong.

Are these situations silent testimony to the more refined racism that lives with us everyday—the kind of de facto pecking order largely unrecognized by those who perpetuate it, and unchallenged by those of us who are aware, but just grateful to be in the game? Maybe it’s not so silent. The movie “Crash” asks questions about who we are, and what we think about all those other people. There was awkward, knowing laughter in the theater when our not so secret little prejudices were laid bare.

Not so long ago, a White reader (one of many who identify themselves that way) emailed to say how much she enjoyed one of our books, but wondered if she was welcome to read our work since she wasn’t Black. We were stunned by the question, but it spoke to the segregated reading habits which are more the norm than we would like to admit. Are we so tired of dealing with each other at work, in the supermarket, on the bus, that it’s a relief to open a book and find people with strange accents and hairdos banished from our fictional world? Or is it more insidious? Are books our mirrors, and we only look for reflections of ourselves?

Shouldn’t reading provide a window to the greater world? We read Anna Karenina without being Russian,The 100 Secret Senses without being Chinese, Catcher in the Rye without being teenaged prep school boys,Shelters of Stone without being Cro-Magnon—Anne Rice without being a vampire. We delight in Carl Hiassen without being Floridians, Sandra Cisneros with no experience of being Latinas from Chicago, understand the plight of a Nigerian girl as told by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, never having set foot in Lagos. Since childhood we have read thousands of books about people who didn’t look like us and found them enlightening, hilarious, heartbreaking, and know, without doubt, we are better people because of it.

Why then is it so surprising when works of fiction, save for “literary” efforts like those of Alice Walker and Edward P. Jones, which mostly recount our collective, tragic, post middle passage history, cross over? Are we to believe that as fully franchised, contemporary Americans living a variety of social, educational, and economic circumstances that our stories are so foreign as to be incomprehensible? That we share no universal human truths?

After the surprise success of Tryin’ to Sleep in the Bed You Made, which featured drawings of two brown-skinned women on the cover, our publisher made a conscious effort to cross over our next book. That cover was dominated by a house flanked by a lush tree. Our three main characters were rendered the size of carpenter ants, their color indistinguishable. So, to appeal to a wider audience we had to lose face? What must we sacrifice to be palatable to the culture at large?

Some bookstores even have separate African American areas. Is this to make us more comfortable in unfamiliar territory? Does this highlight our work, or let other people know they can skip this aisle? Granted, some argue that having a unique section celebrates the Black experience. But are they really separate but unequal niches, a publishing ghetto with very different real estate values?

Until Waiting to Exhale made publishers understand that Black people buy books, we were mostly left outside the gates. Clearly they did not learn in American history that we risked and often lost our lives to learn to read. The Exhale phenomenon is the reason many of us were given a chance. Walter Mosley reached a wider readership thanks to the endorsement of President Clinton. But is it really so hard to throw open our windows and get some fresh air? Browse a bookstore section you usually pass without Oprah to lead the way? Ask a librarian or a co-worker for a recommendation; that’s how many non-Black readers found our work. You might discover a good read on an unexpected shelf—maybe gain insight into someone else, or surprisingly, yourself.

An Open Letter to Oprah Winfrey (From Virginia DeBerry)

Dear Oprah:

We don't sing karaoke or dance with the stars. We have been contributing to the cultural landscape long before Jon & Kate, Britney,Rhianna and Chris or Stephanie Meyer and most of America, including you have probably never even heard of us.

We have railed against Kanye's proud pronouncement upon the publication of his 52 page book: Thank You and You're Welcome, that "I am not a fan of books. I would never want a book's autograph." Huh?

We are writers and we are in trouble. Big trouble.

I would never have imagined myself writing this with the hundreds of thousands of emails and letters the show receives, I know the chances of this one actually getting through are somewhere between slim and non-existent. But one of the mantras my best friend/business partner and I lived by in the early days, was “It’s only postage.” Now it’s not even that. So I could not find a reason not to write and hit ‘send’. Like I said--we are in trouble.

Everyone knows that Oprah is a champion of reading, that books are one of her favorite things and it is precisely because of that passion that I send this note. I’m sure you are aware that publishing, like so many industries today—especially those centered around the arts, is struggling to keep up and figure their way through the maze of new media. What I’m not sure you know is how that struggle is affecting, or more accurately disaffecting an entire segment of writers--black novelists. Not the few who live in the rarefied literary echelons—Toni Morrison, Stephen Carter, Edwidge Dandicat etc. are doing fine—they enjoy the support of the media and the "wider" (whiter) population. These struggling authors also don’t include those who now make up the largest growing segment of Af-Am writers—urban/erotica authors whose books are acquired by publishers at little expense and sold at great profit. A quick look at the Af-Am displays in bookstores will make this trend abundantly clear.

The literary marginalization that is taking place largely affects those of us in the middle-much like the economy today. There are many of us who have/had careers courtesy of Terry McMillan, we came along right after the success of Waiting to Exhale and found a warm welcome and an open door for a career we had longed for but so often found beyond our reach. Terry proved, what we had always known, that black folks read, and would buy books featuring characters they personally identify with. Not that we would stop reading all the non-black authors we supported, we would just enjoy a wider choice.

Members of our ‘class’ include among others, Tina McElroy Ansa, Bernice McFadden and Connie Briscoe. Carleen Brice, a newcomer to writing fiction-though she has written non-fiction, last year started “December is National Buy a Book by a Black Author and Give it to Someone Not Black Month.” She also created a blog and pretty funny video welcoming white people to the AA section of the book store.

For the past 20 years, Donna Grant, my writing partner, and I have been writing novels,7 in total. No Pulitzer or Nobel winners, but well crafted stories that have enlightened and entertained tens of thousands of readers. Our first “big book” Tryin’ to Sleep in the Bed You Made was published in 1997, has never been out of print, is in its fifth edition and sold over 750,000 copies, without any major advertising or endorsements.

But that was then. This is now.

And we, along with many of our “classmates” find our careers in jeopardy. (After 20 years, and at the age of 60, I personally am on the verge of throwing in towel and looking for a "real" job.) This precarious position is not because we write bad books, but because we all fall in the came category “African American Fiction” and we just aren’t selling as well as our “street-lit” sisters and brothers. What we write is women's fiction with Af-Am characters--stories of struggle and triumph, loss, coping, love, and life, learning. But we are labeled, handicapped, before we're out of the gate. Those who are expecting urban lit are disappointed, and those (white folks) who might enjoy our work because the theme might be relevant to their life (like What Doesn't Kill You, our last book about a woman who loses her job after 25 yrs), don't ever see it because it's in "that" section and they aren't going "there." We wrote a blog about this subject a few years ago and repost it every year--because, sadly, it's still relevant. (Nov 20 entry-Writing White. http://bit.ly/3isaSI)

We do our best with our craft, but get “editorial” requests to add “more grit” or “more sex” and when we don’t, can find ourselves without a publisher. This tactic has already cost us the final payment of a very lucrative contract---and a publisher. And despite exuberant praise from our editor about our new book (March 2010) “I kissed the manuscript when I finished...” we find ourselves wondering if we will get a deal for another book. We certainly know that if we were starting out in today’s climate, it is unlikely we would have ever been given a chance.

I am going to resist the urge to be pejorative about urban fiction, but it is well known that most of these books are “under-written and under-edited” and are viewed strictly as profit centers. I do question what it means when books about pimps, hos and thugs, are fast becoming the predominant image we have on display in bookstores—a kind of anti-Obama if you will. What will happen when our young people find their choices limited like they were only a couple of decades ago?

I will not ask that Oprah select a book by one of us mid-list AA authors for her book club. I will not ask her to condemn the proliferation of badly written urban lit which would likely instigate another rap/hip-hop debacle. (While I do liken it to the crack epidemic in our communities in the '80's.) But I will ask for her attention. A word or two on this subject from Oprah, Champion of Things Literary, would I believe, make a world of difference in our plight. It might even mean that we keep encouraging young writers and continue to get emails like this one we received 2 weeks ago:

Hi,
My name is Carlie and I am a writer. I have loved books my entire life but have never been as inspired to write a full novel myself, until I met you when I was in high school. Up until then, I had dreams of becoming a published author, but was afraid to step put and do more than just a collection of short stories and poetry. Not that writing those don't require equal talent, but I have found that there is something about the dedication it takes to write a full length novel that I admire. I believe it was my sophomore year when you two came to my high school (Lanier High School in Austin, TX). You did a reading of Trying... and then handed out copies that you autographed for us. I have read my copy over and over again over the years and I fall in love with the characters every time as if for the first time. I was so excited when the second book came out because it felt like a chance for me to catch up with old friends lol. I have been working on a novel and have almost completed the first manuscript. I know I still have a lot of revision ahead of me but I thought it would be nice to get some advice from someone who has inspired me on how to begin my journey into the world of publishing. I would really appreciate it if you have a few minutes to share some of your words of wisdom and advice. Thank you so much for continuing to do what you do because you give women like me hope for my own future success. Love, Carlie Dempsey

Thanks for letting me rant,
Virginia DeBerry
http://deberryandgrant.com

E. Lynn Harris Day Friday Sept. 25, 2009

MAMA DEAREST, E. Lynn Harris's last work is on sale today! Buy your copy now. We want to get him to Number 1 on the NY Times bestseller list--a spot he did not reach in life.

E. Lynn Harris Day Schedule
Check For Your City; And Tell Friends


The E. Lynn Tour kicks off today in Atlanta. On Friday, Sept. 25, is authors will be at designated book stores. Here is the schedule.

E. Lynn Harris Tribute Tour Tuesday, September 22, 2009, 7:30 pm
BOOK LAUNCH
Outwrite Books
991 Piedmont Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30309
404-607-0082
Hosted by: Eric Jerome Dickey, RM Johnson, Tina McElroy Ansa, Clarence Nero, Tracie Howard, and Laura Gilmore

Friday, September 25, 2009
E. Lynn Harris Day: Author tribute tour at bookstores across the country

BALTIMORE, MD
Barnes & Noble @ 7:00 pm
1819 Reisterstown Road
Phone: 410- 415-5758
Hosted by: Tracie Howard

BIRMINGHAM, AL
Books-A-Million @ 7:00 pm
140 Wildwood Pkwy
Phone: 205-942-4220
Hosted by: Brandon Hammons

CLEVELAND, OH
Joseph Beth @ 7:00 pm
Legacy Village
24519 Cedar Road
Phone: 216- 912-1975
Hosted by: Lolita Files

CHICAGO, IL
Borders @ 7:00 pm
2210 W. 95th Street
Phone: 773-445-5471
Hosted by: Yolanda Joe

DALLAS, TX
Barnes & Noble @ 7:00 pm
7700 West Northwest Hwy
Phone: 214-739-1124
Hosted by: Mary B. Morrison

DETROIT, MI
Borders @ 7:00 pm
5601 Mercury Drive
Dearborn, MI 48126
Phone: 313-271-4441
Hosted by: Terrance Dean

HOUSTON, TX
Barnes & Noble @ 7:00 pm
7626 Westheimer
Phone: 713-783-6016
Hosted by: ReShonda Tate Billingsley

JACKSONVILLE, FL
Books-A-Million @ 7:00 pm
25A 1910 Wells Road
Orange Park, FL
Phone: 904-215-2300
Hosted by: Tina McElroy Ansa

LITTLE ROCK, AK
Presented by Pyramid Books
The Mosaic Templars Cultural Center @ 6:30 pm
500 West Ninth Street
Phone: 501-372-5824
Hosted by: Celia Anderson and Rhonda Holmes

LIVINGSTON, NJ
Barnes & Noble @ 7:00 pm
Livingston Mall
112 Eisenhower Parkway
Phone: 973-758-1310
Hosted by: Karen Hunter, Dr. LaJoyce Brookshire and Karen Thomas

LOS ANGELES, CA
ESO Won Books @ 7:00 pm
4311 Degnan Blvd.
Phone: 323-290-1048
Hosted by: Tananarive Due

NEW ORLEANS, LA
Afro-American Book Stop @ 5:30 pm
7056 Read Blvd
Phone: 504-243-2436
Hosted by: Clarence Nero and Ms. Dupre

NEW YORK. NY
Borders @ 7:00 pm
10 Columbus Circle
Phone: 212- 823-9775
Hosted by: Erika Kendrick and Sean Lewis

PHILADELPHIA, PA
Borders 21 @ 12:30 pm
1 S. Broad, Suite 100
Phone: 215-568-7400
Hosted by: Brenda L. Thomas

SAVANNAH, GA
Barnes & Noble @ 7:00 pm
7804 Abercorn Extension
Phone: 912-353-7757
Hosted by: Dr. Bertice Berry

WASHINGTON, DC
Borders @ 7:00 pm
931 Capital Centre Blvd
Largo, MD 20744
Phone: 301-499-2173
Hosted by: Victoria Christopher Murray and Kimberla Lawson Roby

Uptown Cover

A few weeks ago we told you we had approved the cover for Uptown--and that we LOVED it--and many of you said...."Well?"--wondering where it was. We wanted to wait, since the cover for WDKY changed before pub. But now we are 99.9% certain this is the cover so....here it is! Whaddaya think?!

How do YOU like it?

Reading your books that is.
Are you a diehard gotta hold the book in your hand reader?
Do you like to listen? If so what are you doing while you listen--driving? Exercising? Relaxing?
If you like to listen--what's your format of choice?
And as fellow blogger K.L. Pinson(myspace.com/klpinson ) asked the other day--what do you think of the new "EReaders" like Kindle?
We're curious--so let us know what you think...

Today's the Day! Buy the Book!!!

Today, January 6, is the official release date for our new book, What Doesn't Kill You and we’re totally jazzed! When we were writing this book we couldn’t have imagined that our character’s story would be so current. Life is funny that way. This is the book we thought would be our first with Simon & Schuster, our new publisher, but they requested a sequel to Tryin' to Sleep in the Bed You Made, so we put the story of Tee Hodges' personal economic meltdown on the back burner and decided to write Gotta Keep on Tryin' which you all know came out last year. We guess things happen in the way and at the time they are supposed to--whatever we think!

So because of Grace and serendipity, here we are in January 2009 and What Doesn’t Kill You is coming to a bookstore near you. And, in light of what is happening in our country's economy--with so many people facing unemployment and dealing with all of the fallout from a sudden, drastic and unexpected change in their lives, this seems like just the RIGHT time for this book!

FYI this book is NOT a downer-- in September, the Publisher's Weekly review said it was "The anti-pity party: snappy, fun and inspiring." And we've told you before--WE LOVE THIS BOOK AND WE LOVE TEE HODGES. She is everywoman--in more ways than we can count.

What Doesn't Kill You, is perhaps one of the most personal of any of the novels we have written-- for a number of reasons. And while neither of us is exactly Tee many of her trials and tribulations are ones we became all too familiar with back in 2002 after our deal with our previous publisher fell apart and left us in a financial lurch. We will post a blog (http://twomindsfull.blogspot.com) about the personal side of this story next week as we approach the Jan. 20 deadline for our contest: "Tell Us Your Best Broke Story" (http://deberryandgrant.com)


You may or may not be aware that for better or worse, books have now fallen into the same category as movies--they REQUIRE a "strong opening week" in order to remain on the shelves. So we’re asking you to shop early for your copy of What Doesn't Kill You, even if it’s not your book club pick until April or July. (It's OK if you shop often too--WDKY will make a great gift!). Some of you may be planning to get your copy at one of the signing events we're having and that's wonderful. But if your city isn't one of the tour cities (http://deberryandgrant.com/DGTours.html), please go to your local bookstore or one of the online booksellers to place your order--we'll be happy to sign it whenever we see you--or you can mail us the book (return postage please!) and we'll happily sign and return! AND please feel free to pass the word along to your lists!

Thank you for supporting us and all the other writers who give you the kind of stories you want to read and share, for emailing us, for telling your friends about our books—and convincing them to buy their own copies, for coming to our events, for encouraging us to keep on writin'!

We wish for you a 2009 chock full of the good stuff!
V&D

No Is Not an Option!

This is another message from Sherri James the producer of the film of our book Far From the Tree...

Many of you know from the previous blog that Jessica and I have begun fundraising for Far From the Tree. Prior to starting what I call the "no-is-not-an-option" fundraising cycle, we invested 4 1/2 months of our time into developing an organized production plan that will ultimately deliver a product that is technically superior, dramatically compelling and financially profitable. A curious by-product of the "no-is-not-an-option" fundraising cycle is that it makes one incredibly self-reflective.

This self-reflection has caused us to unearth the fundamental motives behind our desire to turn Far From the Tree into a movie. After all, when no is not an option, you need some strong fuel to keep going after you get the obligatory no's that inevitably come with any fundraising process. Some of what I discovered was pretty basic. I want to create good entertainment. I need to continue fulfilling my dream of being a movie producer through making my third feature film. And, I enjoy doing work that feels like play.

But one of the drivers I uncovered was that I care deeply about the way Black/African American women are represented in cinema. These images travel all over the world as statements about who we are. And, I feel compelled to take some responsibility for which images get pushed out through cinema.

Now, don't worry…I'm not going to get on another soapbox. But, I do want to share with you why Far From the Tree is such an important story for me. As a child, I went to the movies a lot and my favorite films were E.T., Star Wars and Big. The fantasy in those stories was captivating and I remember wishing I could live out some of the things that were being shown to me on screen. But, no matter how much I loved those movies, it never made sense to me that not even one of the characters in these really fun worlds looked like me.

Of course, at ages 7, 8 and 9, I had no way to articulate the intricacies of race, discrimination and prejudice. I just knew that something wasn't right.

I didn't revisit this feeling until I was out of film school. Today, one of my favorite movies is Stepmom, which starred Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts. I saw this film shortly after graduating from film school. What struck me most about Stepmom was that, except for the cancer storyline, that movie could have been my story. And, I began to wonder, "Why couldn't a story like that succeed with African American women in those roles?" The thinking in the industry is that stories like that with African American characters won't find an audience. But, clearly those stories happen in our world because it had happened to me. So, why wasn't I seeing those stories show up in our storytelling? That bothered me. And, you know when something bothers you, that's the universe's way of calling on you to do something about it.

Cut to ten years later. I now have the talent, resources and expertise to take responsibility and deal with the things that bother me. Far From the Tree has given me the opportunity to positively contribute to the images of Black/African American womanhood. We love the Frazier women – they are real and highly relatable. We know these women. They are our mothers, our daughters, our sisters, our friends.

For me, this story must be told. No is not an option.

SJ

Art = Legacy?

We're back from the NBCC in Atlanta--just and haven't recovered enough to gather our thoughts into a blog yet. But the current post from Sherri at http://myspace.com/farfromthetreemovie reads like it came directly from one of the hundreds of conversations we had while we were away. We found ourselves in a number of discussions about the responsibility of art, culure and commerce and you will hear more from us in the coming weeks about the convergence and clash of these three elements in contemporary life.

But in the meantime--please check out Sherri's blog this week!

"When governments have crumbled and empires have faded away, what remains to tell the story is the art."

Thx,
V&D

"The Responsibility of the Artist - Part 1."
When governments have crumbled and empires have faded away, what remains to tell the story is the art. To the students in the year 2525 who study our music to know who we are, what will they say to learn that we routinely referred to our women as b's and h's and we thought calling ourselves the n-word was cool? Will it sustain them in the same way that we find power in the words of Langston Hughes? Or will it be so full of self-hate that no motivation can be found?http://blog.myspace.com/farfromthetreemovie.
Check it out. If you like what you read, leave a comment and if you really, really dig what I'm saying, please share it with a friend. The blog can be found at www.myspace.com/farfromthetreemovie.

Number One at the Box Office?

This blog is a repost from the producer of Far From the Tree—Yep it’s being made into a movie too!! Please take a read, visit their page at http://Myspace.com/farfromthetreemovie (if you’re on MySpace please “friend” them), and of course spread the word!!! Thanks—V&D

Imagine This: Far From the Tree Number 1 at the Box Office!

My name is Sherri James. And, I am the producer for Far From the Tree. If you'll allow me, I want to blog about what it takes to produce a thoughtful, entertaining feature film about Black women. I want to bring you along as I figure out how to make a great movie with Black women in the lead roles and not have the film end up going straight to DVD.

Has it been done before? Absolutely! My sister in spirit, Stephanie Allain, did it with Something New but Black women didn't show up for the film in big enough numbers and the movie quickly went away from the box office. And, she went on Oprah!

So, I guess the real question is why do I think my film is any different. Actually, I don't. Stephanie did a great job and so did all the Black women who worked on the film - Sanaa Lathan (actress), Sanaa Hamri (director), Kriss Turner (writer)...amazing women!

Even though Black women didn't vote with their dollars in favor of Something New, I'm hoping you'll make my movie an event film like Sex and the City! I'm bold enough to hope that you'll fall in love with the characters in Far From the Tree, see yourselves in the women we're portraying and return to the theaters again and again for your Far From the Tree fix! I'm betting that perhaps you didn't know enough about Something New to support the film. I'm betting that if I give you enough information about Far From the Tree, then you'll support us when the film hits the theaters on the first weekend.

Okay...I'm going to stand on my soapbox for a minute. Bear with me...

Stories about Black women are WORTH putting on the big screen. I believe you want to see more than just a story about a woman who cannot choose the right man. I believe the intricacies of our lives are actually INTERESTING and COMPELLING enough to carry a feature film. I'm betting that if you and I get to know one another through this process, I'll learn EXACTLY what you want to see in a film and you'll learn enough about what I'm doing as a filmmaker that you'll decide to support that effort by going to the box office on the FIRST WEEKEND.

Okay, I'm off the soapbox...for now...For past three months, Jessica and I have been working on the business plan for Far From the Tree. We are raising approximately $2.5million to shoot Far From the Tree. Both of us are excited about the prospect of creating a movie that fans of Virginia and Donna's book will be proud of. We're both fans of Virginia and Donna and look forward to turning this book into a visual masterpiece.

As the producer for the film, I am very concerned about making sure Far From the Tree doesn't get overlooked in the marketplace. Films like Far From the Tree are considered "softer" fare - read movies made for women - and they tend to get squeezed out of the marketplace by larger studio films - read movies made for boys, probably white boys, ages 15 - 35.

While Jessica has to answer the question of what to include in the movie so that you have a satisfying movie experience, the perennial question on my mind is WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO MAKE YOU COME OUT TO THE THEATER ON THE FIRST WEEKEND, see the movie and then tell your friends about it so that they come out on the second weekend.

I think about Tyler Perry and I love the success he's enjoying right now with his films and I'm hoping that we can do the same kind of business with this film. i know you don't know me. And I don't have a funny character like Madea to entice you. But I promise you, we're creating an incredible story that will entertain you, make you laugh, make you cry and MOST IMPORTANTLY, depict positive images of Black women that will make you feel good about yourselves.

I think about Lil Wayne and how he just sold 1 million albums in one week and I'm astonished. Someone - I don't remember whom - told me that he spent hours each day building an audience for his music through social networking sites like myspace and facebook. And, I think to myself, "could I do the same thing for Far From the Tree?" so that when the film hits the theaters, MY AUDIENCE SHOWS UP and makes the film a number one movie. Do you think that can happen for this wonderful book? Do you think we can do that for one another? I give you a movie that makes you feel good and you give me a number one box office hit. Hmmm...imagine that...

I'm willing to dream big! I'm willing to imagine Far From the Tree is No. 1 at the box office!

And the survey says...

When we asked you to break down the five ‘must have’ scenes for Tryin’ to Sleep in the Bed You Made—the Movie, we knew it was a hard assignment. Even David Letterman does a top ten list. Some of you flat out told us it was impossible and gave us more. Some combined events to make a kind of flow of scenes. Hey, we can work with it. Thanks for taking on the challenge. Here are the results:

5—TIE—Pat and Gayle’s reunion at A Hand Up, the shelter.
&
Ramsey finds Gayle at the cemetery, asks for the picture frame. Then Gayle finds there is money hidden in it.

4—Gayle meets Ramsey and falls for him. They elope.

3—Pat and Marcus kiss in the basement.

2—TIE—The hotel room. Pat has confronted her father, storms back to her room, but doesn’t realize that Gayle is the maid.
&
Pat goes with Marcus for a trip on his boat. They admit they are in love. They elope.

And the number one ‘gotta have it’ scene—this one was on pretty much everybody’s list:

Pat, Gayle and Marcus walk home from school. Freddy is accidentally shot.

There were several scenes that just missed the list:
--Gayle loosing her house.
--Gayle and Pat fall out after Gayle does not accompany Pat for the abortion.
--Pat on the ferry for her Martha’s Vineyard summer

The good news is we get to bring you more than five scenes, but it’s still hard to make choices! Thanks for your input. We’ll have other questions to ask you along the way.

And congratulations to our winner of the galley of our next book, MELISSA WELLS of Florida!!! Her galley of What Doesn’t Kill You –coming in January of 2009—is on the way.

Together Again!

We survived last weekend! You probably already guessed that we would. It wasn’t easy, but we did it!! Donna’s events in Galveston with Sisters Sippin’ Tea went off without a hitch as did Virginia’s in Jacksonville.

It certainly felt odd—almost like the other one was still there, like the phantom limb feeling that amputees experience. So while talking we had to resist the urge to turn to the right (Donna) or left (Virginia) for either our “straight woman” or the punch line. But it seems we managed to be able to speak in complete sentences and be reasonably coherent—so we hear tell from those who attended our panels. We signed books in our usual spot, over our individual name on the title page—leaving room in case the reader might run into the other of us sometime in the future. It looked a little strange to us, but apparently not to anyone else!

Donna got to hang out not only with SST’s from all over the country who gathered for their annual reunion, but also with the wonderful Jewel Parker Rhodes (Yellow Moon—August 2008, Vodoo Dreams, Voodoo Season). And Virginia partied with R.L. Stine (Goosebumps series) and Jane O’Connor author of the Fancy Nancy children’s books—and yes, there were adult authors in Jacksonville too, but these two writers definitely impressed VDB..

We each kept up with our own hotel room keys (and remembered our room numbers) which are tasks that we normally share (and have built in backup for—“Turn left off the elevator—it’s room 414, not 441. That was the last hotel.”) when we’re on the road together. But we were really happy to see each other when we met up in the Atlanta airport on Sunday for our flight to Washington. Our flights landed at Hartsfield within 15 minutes of each other and in our separate arrival terminals we each whipped out our cells to text the gate location of our next flight and a convenient rendezvous spot—because we had two hours to kill. Excellent catch up time—which we did over burgers and vino. So that by the time we arrived in DC, we were back to normal—or as normal as ever are.

Our Sunday Dessert with the Authors was a tremendous success---and our signatures on Gotta Keep on Tryin’ didn’t look quite so lonely any more.

A Brand New Venture!

They're Here!!!!

Get your original TiffiBag™, by DeBerry & Grant

TiffiBag—we did it just like Tiffan”I” did in Gotta Keep on Tryin'—scouting for funky-cool remnants and having totes made to accompany us everywhere— evening, church, brunch, or book club meeting! The Tiffi size we’ve started with is big enough for a book, your water, a snack—maybe for two. . . Small enough to tuck in your purse for whatever comes your way.

All the fabrics are limited editions--so when it's gone, it's gone!

Sure you’ve got bags from work, conferences and conventions but Tiffani Alexander thought you might like a bag that says a little more—about you.

A tote bag with style.
A tote bag with sophistication.
A tote bag like no other.

A bag made to go with you everywhere looking good matters.

Each Original TiffiBag measures approximately 11” x 13” and is hand crafted from an array of beautiful, limited edition, upholstery quality fabrics and each is embellished with an imported, handmade, glass beaded tassel—because you know Tiffani likes a little sparkle and flash.

AND they make great gifts!

Here’s a preview but please visit our website for prices, individual photos and descriptions!!

http://deberryandgrant.com/DGShopping.html

READIN' & WRITIN' : WHO? WHAT? AND WHY?

As we traveled on book tour we always mentioned that if there are authors you love, you need to support them or you won’t find them on the shelves any longer. Readers are generally horrified to find that we did not have an easy time finding a publisher—either back when Tryin’ to Sleep in the Bed You Made was published, or eleven years later for the sequel. We’ve even wondered whether Tryin’ or any of our other books would be published now at all, given the current climate. This always led to the hot topic—the prevalence of “street lit” and erotica in African-American fiction. Whether we’re talking with book clubs or solo readers—even booksellers—we hear concern about the direction of fiction written by and about Black folks. Where are the “good” books? they ask.

In an article in thedailyvoice.com written by Linda Villarosa (see excerpt and link below) discussing the formation of ringShout, “a group dedicated to "recognizing, reclaiming and celebrating literary fiction and non fiction by black writers," she hits upon the difficulty of defining “good”. And for us the even word “literary” sets off alarm bells, since we have been dissed and dismissed, more than a time or two by “literary” writers.

With any form of media—television, movies, music, the written word—the argument can be made that people buy what they want to consume. Does that mean that by and large readers are happy with the available offerings? Are they buying erotica and street lit because it’s readily available and fits in the budget? Because it’s an exciting escape from “real life”? Because it is telling some truth about “us” that is not being spoken elsewhere?
So we ask are you satisfied with the Black fiction you find on the shelves now? If not, what do you want to see more of?

Bookz in da Hood? by LINDA VILLAROSA

Posted February 12, 2008 1:00 PM

Novels like "Making Him Want It," "Crackhead," "Freak in the Sheets" and "Nasty Girls," are hip-checking literary superstars like Toni Morrison off the shelves. Other authors never make it into print, squeezed out by dirty girls (and boys) like Zane, Nikki Turner, Karrine Steffans and their lower rent offspring.

For more on author and journalist Linda Villarosa, go to http://lindavillarosa.com

A new group offers an alternative to "street lit."

A few weeks ago, publishing's Talented Tenth gathered at Random House to celebrate the launch of ringShout, a group dedicated to "recognizing, reclaiming and celebrating literary fiction and non fiction by black writers." The organization's founders--authors Martha Southgate, Eisa Nefertari Ulen and Bridgett Davis; Cave Canem 's Alison Myers and Random House editor Chris Jackson--call ringShout "a place for black literature."

But even as the night sparkled with writers, editors, booksellers and other black literati, a 10,000 pound elephant sat squarely in the center of the room: ghetto fiction, street lit or as one writer has called it "ho for dough books." --- (To read the rest of the article please visit http://thedailyvoice.com/voice/2008/02/bookz-in-da-hood-000079.php )

US on YOUTUBE

Do book/author videos matter? Do they affect your decision to buy/read a particular author?

We’re Baaaaaack!

. . .And we’re whupped. Seriously. Book tour is no joke. And it’s definitely not for sissies. It is in fact, a lot like the movie Groundhog Day—in different cities.

Typical 24hour Tour Day:

4:30 alarm for 7AM flight.
9AM meet your escort at baggage claim
9:30 AM Drive by stock signing
10:00 AM Drive by stock signing
10:30 AM Drive by stock signing
Munch on granola bar
11:00 AM Newspaper interview (after checking teeth for telltale leftover granola bits)
11:30 AM arrival for reading /signing event (and a bathroom yea!!)
12:00-2PM Bookstore signing event
2:30 PM Drive by stock signing on way to hotel check in
3:00 PM Hotel check in
3:15-4:30PM unpack, brush teeth, freshen up, check email, return calls
4:45PM Newspaper interview
5:30PM Drive by stock signing on way to evening book signing event
6:00PM Another drive by stock signing on way to evening signing.
Munch on string cheese and another granola bar
6:45 arrival for reading/signing event (and a bathroom yea!!)
7:00-9:00 Reading/Signing
9:30 depart event
10:00 back to hotel, or dinner with friends and/or family who came to see you. Hmmmm? Sleep or Eat? What a choice.
12:00 midnight back in hotel, pack for morning departure right after
4:30 AM alarm for a 5AM radio phone interview

But we had a BALL! Thank you for coming out to see us--it made crowded, uncomfortable planes, Whoppers for breakfast and sleep deprivation all worth it.

We’ll be back later in the week with pictures and stories to share.

BOOK TOUR DIARY: JANUARY 27, 2008

The road is great—and we’re really burning the candle at both ends so it’s pretty hard to squeeze a blog. We can’t even squeeze in food. Our first meal on Thursday was at 9:30PM (with Mother Rose—proprietress and guiding spirit of Underground Books in Sacramento). Hell, we had Whoppers for breakfast on Friday morning in the Sacramento Airport.

Our days start with very early mornings—5 am radio talk shows, or making our way to the airport. The middle is filled with a plane ride, a car trip and/or many “drive by” book signings—where we run into a book store (already selected by our publisher and our escort), meet staff and management, deface property—oops we mean sign books (the ones you SHOULD find neatly stacked in the front of the store with the “autographed” stickers on them) then head to a signing event, followed by more drive bys and usually a local news paper and the there’s a evening signing/reading event. That’s about the time we pass out and get ready for the next day. Vitamins alone would not keep us going. It’s the folks we meet along the way who give us energy. Thanks a bunch!

We had a really terrific interview with Dominique DiPrima from the Front Page on KJLH –FM and there were lots of folks who came out because they heard us on the radio! Thanks Dominique! We’ve had a ball meeting many of you Californians who’ve come out to see us including readers of our blog and our MySpace friends!!! Who knew? San Fran, Oakland, Sacramento, Torrence, LA (where it really does rain---REALLY HARD) and today is Long Beach—and what will be a great brunch, sponsored by Tabahani Book Club (guess we should wrap this up and hit the shower), before we head to the airport and on to Atlanta. IF the plane is on time we should arrive around 1AM.

It’s all amazing. Thank you. We’re beat but happy! Pictures are coming, we promise.

BOOK TOUR DIARY JANUARY 24, 2008

Day one—5AM—nothing like leaving for book tour by starlight—it was clear and beautiful. We are grateful that our travels went smoothly. We left on time and arrived in San Francisco, not too much the worse for wear—well, Virginia needs Advil. Short seats, long legs and the guy in the seat in front of you leaning back like he’s at home in his La Z-Boy, are not a good match for six hours.

Our sad news—upon landing we found out that Karibu Books is closing.( Click here: Black Readers Are Jolted by a Chain's Demise - washingtonpost.com )We are STUNNED. We have always enjoyed visiting the stores in the DC-Maryland chain—their variety of books was impressive as was the knowledge of their staff—can’t believe we just used the past tense to describe them. We were looking forward to visiting with readers at their Bowie, MD store later in the book tour. This is quite a blow.

Meanwhile, back at San Francisco International Airport—we collected our luggage and went off to the rental car counter. Touchstone/Simon and Schuster rented us a car with GPS for our travels to Oakland (last night), then on to Sacramento (later today.) Well, they didn’t have a car with GPS so they gave us an SUV. Writers on the road in a truck—sounds like a comedy series. Virginia had the aching leg so Donna drove—she has never driven an SUV and neither of us ever used GPS. The car is talking to us, “Your turn is coming in .01 miles.” Could you tell us a little sooner!!! “You have missed your turn.” No kidding! After a few missteps we found our way out of the airport and into town.

And we had a great time at the Oakland branch of Marcus Books, with co-owner Blanche Richardson (her sister Karen is at the San Francisco store). Marcus Books is in it’s 48th year as a community fixture and is looking toward 50 years and beyond. We were honored to have been invited to be part of the 10th anniversary celebration for the Marcus Book Club. They originally formed around the publication of Tananarive Due’s My Soul to Keep, and they are still reading, opinionating and going strong. The When Sunday Comes Book Club from San Jose, CA and Turning Pages Book Club were also in the house. We had a great time—and we’ll post pics soon.

Day 2 begins!