Falling Into September....

 We are now in the first week of September.  Summer has unofficially come to an end, and we are now in the last quarter of the year.  Only FOUR MORE MONTHS remain for the rest of the year.  :-O!!!  At last count, deaths from the coronavirus was at around 187,000, and still climbing.  At the beginning of this whole pandemic, the experts were saying that we would suffer anywhere between 100,000-200,000 death from the virus.  Looks like they're n track to be right....   :'-(

My heart goes out to the family of John Thompson, the legendary coach from Georgetown University.  I remember when he was still coaching, and how I used to love to watch his teams take the court, as they were beasts in the Big East Conference.  He wasn't just a great coach, he also stood up for our people, and was unapologetic about it.  He will be sorely missed.  :'-(

 

As far as my work(s)-in-progress are concerned, Knuckle Up  (2021) is going very well.  The cover art is done to my liking, and I'm pretty satisfied with the manuscript.  Looks like it's ready to be published, to me.  I'm still deciding on when I'm going to release it next year.  Hopefully, I'll be able to do some in-person appearances to promote it.  Of course, I'm also planning on repatriating to the continent by next year.  Maybe I'll release it, while I'm living in Africa...?  I sure as hell don't receive much support here in the Sates, that's for fucking sure!  But, I digress....

 

I'm also working on another book project.  I've decided to write a sequel to "Seductra: Web of Desire" (CreateSpace, 2017).  This time around, I'm featuring the character of Kenya Slade.  I'm kind of taking the story full circle, as KENYA was originally supposed to be the main character of the story, not Dasha.  Kenya is a little bit older, and more mature this time around.  The story is kinda interesting and different this time around, as I'm adding some other brand new characters to the story.  The working title is "Seductra: Back 2 Da Stage" (???2022???).  I already have a concept for the cover design.  I'll try to keep you guys in the loop...

 

I'm considering creating an account on Patreon.  I need to find some way to get compensated for my work.  I'm sick of these nonexistent book sales.  I need to find a way to make a living off of my writing career somehow.  Perhaps having patrons investing in my work is a great way to go...?  I don't know too many authors/writers that use the Patreon platform, but I'm interested in using it.  What have I got to lose...?  Anything is better than always seeing a big, fat zero whenever I check my sales...

 

Latino Heritage Month starts in another week, or two (September 15th-Otocber 15th).  I'm considering doing a special about it on "The Rough Draft", and posting them to YouTube.  I'm going to be featuring my novels that star my Afro Latino characters.  Hopefully, the weather will agree with me, and I'll be able to shoot the episodes simultaneously.  I have enough novels that will be able to stretch the entire month long celebration.  I'll probably post the first video by next week...

 

That's all for now.  Trying to start the fall season off strong.  Haven't really been able to do much with the Universal Africana Literary Arts Movement.  With the pandemic cancelling out most of the festivals, and other literary events, there's not much information for me to pass on to the other members :-(.  I guess that's just a greater hint that I need to be focusing more on my own literary career, than other people's careers.  Hopefully, things will pick up sooner, than later...

 

I'm out, peoples.  Hope that you enjoyed this post.  Let me know what you think.

 

Keep the fist raised.

 

#AlwaysOnMyLiteraryGrind

 

 

      

May Happenings......

It's now MAY!!!!  Man...time really is flying, ain't it...?  we're already FIVE months into the new year!  :-O

First off, there a few events that I know of that are happening in May.  I just found out about this one the other week.  The 1st annual Dominican Writers Conference will be taking place THIS SATURDAY, May 4th in NYC on the campus of City College of New York, or, CCNY as we like to call it back home.  I won't be attending this event, but I just wanted to shout them out....

Also, later in the month, my FAVORITE Black comic con will be taking place in Philadelphia.  Coming on May 18th, the East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention, or ECBACC for short, will be taking place!!!

 

 YAAAAAY!!!  Hopefully, I can attend it this year.  Now that I have the hat and t-shirt to represent the Universal Africana Literary Arts Movement, I can look official at the event, or any other literary events that I go to.

ALSO...

May is the publishing anniversary for my novel "Seductra: Web of Desire" (CreateSpace, 2017)!!!

Two years ago, I was able to publish this novel, and release it to the world.  Help me to celebrate this particular novel turning 2 years old. It's a good Urban Lit story about a trained dancer (and transplant NYer) trying to make ends meet.  Available in both paperback AND eBook formats!!!

Haven't been writing as much, but I'm still promoting the latest novel.  Trying to push "The Chronicles of The Black Fist: F.U.R.I. of the People" (Kindle Direct Publishing, 2019) as much as I can.  Doing public appearances for it would help, but I don't necessarily have the funds to do any festivals/book fairs/comic cons right now.  Being in-between jobs ain't fun, and I'm getting nowhere with online sales. I'm considering doing a few readings of it, but I don't really trust the crowd here in Delaware.  Maybe if I set up a few reading in Philly, it would work; the crowd out there might be more receptive to my work.  Delaware folks....?  Hmmmm....I don't know about them....

Got a job interview coming up for a part time gig.  Wish me luck on that.  I need SOME sort of income to come it, since the ones for book sales don't exist...

Right now I feel like I'm at a crossroads.  I need to figure out what I'm going to do in regards to my writing career.  I need ot figure out a way to move forward, and make it beneficial to me, specifically financially.  OBVIOUSLY, the people who know me personally don't take my writing career seriously, so I need to take my work to an audience who will.  I need to be able to make a living at this; that's the bottom line.  I need a team around me who is going to help me to promote my work.

That's all for now.  I'll hit y'all back when I have more updates, and other news for you.

Keep the fist raised.

Mosaic Literary Conference 2015

I will DEFINITELY be in the house for this event!  Repping for my peoples out in the Bronx!  I was able to attend last year, and really enjoyed it, and got to make some great connections.  Looking forward to a return engagement.

Mosaic Literary Conference
November 12, 2015
Bronx Museum
1040 Grand Concourse
Bronx, NY 10456

www.mosaiclitcon.com

Conference starts at 11am.

FREE event, and open to the public.

1st Afrodescendant Puerto Rican Congress

Taking place in Viejo San Juan (Old San Juan), Puerto Rico
November 9-12, 2015

Celebrating the African roots of Puerto Rico!!!

RECOGNITION* JUSTICE* DEVELOPMENT

Mosaic Literary Conference 2014

Looking forward to attending this year's Mosaic Literary Conference, taking place this weekend, on Saturday, November 15th.  I am friends with the founder of the conference, Ron Kavanaugh, and I look forward to coming out, and supporting the brother.  He4 also publishes a quarterly magazine called Mosaic Magazine.

The conference is FREE, and located at the Bronx Museum on Grand Concourse, in Bronx, NY.  I registered ahead of time, and have been looking forward to this.

Hope to see you there!!!  :D

Afrolatin@s Now! Conference 2014

Just spent this last weekend enjoying the second annual Afrolatin@s Now Conference held in my hometown of New York City, from Thursday, October 23rd to Saturday, October 25th.  I was able to attend two out of the three days of the Conference, and really enjoy myself.  I got the chance to catch up with some old friends, and see my peoples from The Forum.

I was able to attend the opening night panel discussion that was held at The Schomberg Center.  I was actually quite familiar with two of the panelists; Roland Roebuck who I've actually met personally before at one of my past events in Baltimore, and Peter Noguera who is local here in NYC in the education field.  The other panelists I know moreso by reputation.  it was a very interesting discussion, and a lot of people came up to ask questions during the Q&A session.

(Panelists l-r: Peter Noguera, Tianna Paschell, Roland Roebuck, Tanya K. Hernandez, Leonardo Reales)


I unfortunately missed the Second day of the Conference due to some personal business that I needed to tend to.  I was bothered by that, because I had a friend that was going to be on one of the panels held that day, a budding documentary filmmaker named Magdalena Albizu.  That panel was held at Teacher's College at City College of New York (or CCNY for us real New Yorkers ;)  ).  I wish that I hadn't missed it; I heard some really good things about that particular panel.

I was able to attend the Third and last day of the event, which was held at El Museo Del Barrio in East Harlem.  The opening panel had to do with "Recounting the Afrolatin@ Artist Experience".  That particular panel was supposed to have three artists representing their work (one had a family emergency at the last minute) showcasing their work, and Afrolatinidad in their work.  Their panel was followed by workshops on mask making, and a dance workshop.

(Panelists: l-r: William Villalongo, E. Carmen Ramos, moderator Rocio Aranda-Alvarado)

To cap off the Conference, were were graced with musical and dance performances that showed off our African roots from the Diaspora.  We were dazzled by the cultural dances of the Garifuna people; members of the Chief Joseph Chatoyer Garifuna folkloric Ballet Company blessed us with a few performances, celebrating Garifuna culture.  The drummers and the dances held us all in sway.  I have to admit...I had to literally fight the urge not to go out on the floor, and bust out some Punta moves of my own, lol, lol.

To cap it off, we were graced by the musical stylings of a group called Los Hacheros.  They played a whole host of Afro influenced Latino music; Son, Bomba, Plena, Rumba, Cumbia, Mambo, etc.  They had the whole place rocking and dancing.  They were even requested to do an encore.  We had a cultural conference, and dance party broke out, lol, lol!  ;)

                                                          (Los Hacheros)

So ended the second Afrolatin@s Now! Conference: Race Counts.  I was glad to have been able to attend the conference, and hope to return when they hold the next one.  Shout out to the Afrolatin@ Forum for organizing such a great event.  People came out near and far to support and participate.  I would also like to personally participate as a panelist again.  I enjoyed it the first time they held the conference, and would love to come back again.

Aluta continua!!!