30 July 2012

ARTICLE: Why There's Nothing Wrong with Black Street Lit (2012)

Madame Noire contributor Charing Ball weighs in on the importance of accepting Street Lit as a literary genre that depicts narratives that many readers can relate to.

Check out the article at: http://madamenoire.com/201231/it-might-not-be-the-color-purple-but-theres-nothing-wrong-with-black-street-lit/.

@charingball #streetlit #urbanfiction #literacy #commentary


23 July 2012

NEW READ! Murderville: The Epidemic by Ashley & JaQuavis (2012)


New York Times Bestselling Urban Literary Duo
Ashley & JaQuavis
Are Set to Release New Thriller
On July 24, 2012
 
from Cash Money Records’ publishing division
Cash Money Content
 
New York, NY July 17, 2012  Cash Money Content/Atria books will release the thriller, Murderville: The Epidemic, on July 24, 2012, from New York Times bestselling literary duo, Ashley & JaQuavis.  At age 26, Ashley & JaQuavis, aka Mr. and Mrs. JaQuavis Coleman, are the hottest young voices in African American literature today and are the youngest African American co-authors to make two appearances on the New York Times bestseller list.  The couple has co-authored more than 17 bestselling novels, and ghost-written 15 for other well known authors.
 
Murderville: The Epidemic is the second release from Ashley & JaQuavisMurderville trilogy, and is also the second release from their deal with Cash Money Content, the book publishing arm of iconic record label Cash Money Records, home to multi-platinum artists Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne and Drake
Catch Ashley & JaQuavis on the Cash Money Young Author's Tour:
July 21 - NYC  -Harlem Book Fair
July 24 - Baltimore - TLJ Bookstore -  7pm - 9PM
Aug 4-    Atlanta - Medu Books Greenbriar Mall - 3pm - 5pm
Aug 5 -   St. Louis - Missouri Black Expo 1:30 pm
Aug 11 - Maryland - Cartel Bookstore - Booksigning 3pm - 6pm
Aug 25 – Dallas – Tulisoma Black Book Fair – 1pm -3pm 
Aug 25 - Fort Worth -  Dockshop Book signing – Forth Worth 5pm -7pm
 
Ashley & JaQuavis' New York Times bestselling series, The Cartel, was the first trilogy from the talented team.  The Cartel 2 debuted on the New York Times Bestseller list at #29 (November 2009).  The Cartel 3 made its debut at #27 in August 2010.  The well-written and fast moving series, filled with surprising plot twists and turns, gained in popularity and anticipation with each new release selling nearly 100,000 copies. Cash Money has optioned the film rights to The Cartel trilogy and has already set into motion their plans for bringing the series to life on the screen.  Stay posted for more news on The Cartel film series.
 
Murderville: The Epidemic, hits stores on July 24th, and is the follow up to last year’s hit, Murderville: The First of a Trilogy.  Proving to be the couple’s best work yet, The Epidemic follows street savvy, Liberty , as she survives one unspeakable tragedy after another.  Her journey takes the reader from the streets of  Los Angeles  to war-torn  Sierra Leone as she finds love and pursues the American dream. With the help of her partner Po , the two build an unmatched drug empire. But when an unlikely enemy enters the game, will the dreams they've built together come crashing down?
 
Growing up in Flint , Michigan Ashley & JaQuavis began writing together at age 15 while in high school.  While putting themselves through college, their first novel Dirty Money, caught the attention of New York Times and Essence bestselling author and publisher Carl Weber.  Ashley & JaQuavis were both signed to national publishing deals.
 
Ashley & JaQuavis made names for themselves with successful underground bestsellers like, Dirty Money (2005), The Trophy Wife (2008), Supreme Clientele (2009) and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2009), and Murder Mamas (2011), to name a few.  However, it was the release of The Cartel trilogy that caused young readers and the publishing industry to take notice.  The Cartel trilogy is the story of the fight to take down a ruthless Miami drug Cartel.  The books are standouts with well-developed characters and stories fueled by treachery, murder, deception and seduction.

Ashley & JaQuavis’ books connect with the hip-hop generation and speak to the streets in the same way that hip hop music does,” said Ronald ‘Slim’ Williams co-founder of Cash Money Records and Cash Money Content. "With two New York Times bestselling books under their belt, we saw this signing as an opportunity to take urban fiction to the next level in the same way we took hip hop music to the next level.  The Epidemic is Ashley & JaQuavis’ second book with Cash Money Content and we’re looking forward to a future of nothing but hits.”

For more information on Ashley & JaQuavis log onto www. AshleyJaquavis.com. Follow JaQuavis on twitter @realjaquavis and follow Ashley @novelista.  Check them out on facebook at facebook.com/The Writers Block- Ashley & JaQuavis books.
 
About Cash Money Content
Cash Money Content is a groundbreaking partnership that pairs the Cash Money Records brand with Atria Books, a division of the publishing powerhouse, Simon & Schuster.  Other releases from Cash Money Content include Raw Law: An Urban Guide to Criminal Justice by Attorney Muhammad Ibn Bashir, The New York Times bestseller Justify My Thug by Wahida Clark, Murderville: First of a
Trilogy by New York Times bestselling co-authors Ashley & JaQuavis, Pimp: The Story of My Life, Trick Baby and Long White Con, by legendary author Iceberg Slim, all out now.  Cash Money Content will release the entire Iceberg Slim backlist of seven novels over the next few years. 
 
This year’s releases from CMC include An XL Life: Staying Big at Half the Size, by national radio host Kurt “Big Boy” Alexander, and Get It Girls: A Harlem Girl Lost Novel, by Treasure Blue and The Wives Association: Inner Circle from VH1 “Basketball Wives star Evelyn Lozada.  Fall releases include Little Bad Girl, a Treasure Blue Short Story for ebook only, due in September 2012 and Animal: A Hood Rat Novel by K’wan, due out in October 2, 2012.
 
For more information on Cash Money Content books, log onto www.CashMoneyContent.com and follow on Twitter @CashMoneyBooks and on Facebook.com/Cash Money Content. 
 
About Cash Money Records
Cash Money Records is a legendary record company founded by brothers Bryan "Birdman" Williams and Ronald "Slim" Williams.  The record label has grown from the housing projects of New Orleans into a multi-million dollar urban empire and is considered the most successful independent record label in America as well as an enduring global street brand. Cash Money is home to chart-topping, multi-platinum recording artists like Lil Wayne, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Jay Sean, and Bow Wow.  Today, Cash Money operates as a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, the world’s largest music company.
donna torrence
mediasavvy pr, inc
201.854.7082 office
201.417.8596 cell
follow me on twitter @donnatorrence

13 July 2012

SLJ Positive Book Review for Readers Guide to Street Lit

From School Library Journal, July 2012:


MORRIS, Vanessa Irvin. The Readers’ Advisory Guide to Street Literature.168p. appendix. bibliog. index. websites. CIP. ALA. 2012. pap. $48. ISBN 978-0-8389-1110-5. LC 2011029685. 


Morris sets out to help public and school librarians gain an understanding of the content and history of street lit. In her introduction, she reiterates the need for this literature wherever there is demand, whether the collection is for teen or adult readers. She calls for librarians to be both knowledgeable about the genre and to be readers of it, and advocates for them not to judge or dismiss its fans. Morris sets the record straight that street lit is about more than drug dealers and domestic violence. It focuses primarily on African American characters and is about life and survival in inner-city, lower-income areas. She compares the genre to other early survival-story novels such as Daniel Defoe’sMoll Flanders and Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities. She suggests series titles, individual titles, both fiction and nonfiction, and lists a few Christian teen-friendly series. The book discusses the appeal, characteristics, the structure of the genre, and mentions themes and subgenres, YA recommendations, and tips for selection and readers’ advisory. In this comprehensive book, Morris provides excellent input to aid in collection development and includes a list of publishers.– Adrienne L. Strock, Maricopa County Library District, AZ

12 July 2012

Short Film Debut: REDEMPTION, For Colored Boys

If you are a fan of "The Wire" you will love this short film series by award-winning filmmaker, Stacey Muhammad!


You can purchase the film plus a bonus film for just $10 USD via PayPal at: http://www.staceymuhammad.com/.

This film would be a great addition to any library video collection. Enjoy!

StreetLiterature site *ON HIATUS*

Greetings, This site is *on hiatus* until further notice. There are reasons: 1/ Since street lit has become pretty mainstream in publicat...