Must Read: Article about Street Lit in NY Times (03 May 2015)

Greetings!

I am happy to share a very good article with you about Ashley and JaQuavis Coleman, and their careers as authors within the street lit / urban fiction genre.

Hot off the Press, via The New York Times, you can read the article at: http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/05/03/ashley-jaquavis-coleman-profile/?_r=1!

Enjoy

[LISTEN] Interview with Hip Hop Artist, Akua Naru

Akua Naru is the premiere female Hip Hop artist in Europe. She's from the inner-cities of the U.S., and she travels the world telling stories of reality and justice that we all can relate to. I am sharing this video because for street lit / urban fiction readers and fans, it's important that hip hop - authentic, original, cool, gritty, jazzy, hip hop, is still alive and well. Akua Naru's work definitely fits that bill. Listen to her 10-minute interview to learn more about her work and why she does what she does - as an American woman traveling the world telling her story. Where in the world is Akua Narua (right now)? Lagos, Nigeria.

Post by underyourskin.

Checkin: Vanessa Irvin Morris quoted in Salon.com!

Please check out the newly released article, "I write street lit because that's the life I lived" via Sunday's issue of Salon.com (date: July 28, 2013). It is a very good interview with street lit author and publisher, Deborah Cardona, who has penned a few novels (under the name, Sexy) such as A Better Touch, Twofold, Chained, Butterfly and Butterfly II. Cardona is Latina American and sets her novels in Spanish Harlem. She is also CEO of the urban fiction publishing label, Deja Vu Publications. Salon.com highlights Cardona's contributions to the urban literature genre, and also provides some literary context within which the genre thrives (that's where my quotes come in - yay!). Please enjoy this article, it is very informative. :-)

For more information on Deborah Cardona, you can visit her on social media via Facebook and Twitter.
A special thank you to Marlisse Silver Sweeney for her work on this piece.

Paul Langan: Librarians Most Needed Now

Image Source: http://nyti.ms/f7yHjW, 03/29/2011.

Bluford Series creator, Paul Langan, is passionate about writing relatable stories for urban youth, and the importance for librarians to support what urban youth read. His message:

"My goal is clear: to write stories urban youth enjoy and want to read. Period. I have bumped up against those who dismiss my work and the work of other writers trying to do what I do--as if BOOKS are more important than THE PEOPLE who read them. 

I have seen the destruction and the hubris of those who worship at the altar of "high literature" and think of anything else as unworthy of the classroom. As a result, they deny students an experience with text that those students WANT TO HAVE. And considering many students have limited access to books for myriad reasons, this dismissal may forever discourage young readers from participating in the world of the written word. This is arrogant and harmful and unacceptable--and avoidable. 

As educators we must listen to our students. They are the focus of our efforts--and far more important than the literary canon (which has its own historic and cultural biases that smarter minds than my own have documented). 

If we want urban students to think reading is relevant, we must show readings that ARE relevant. And if we present youth with books that ignore or discount them, we shouldn't be surprised when youth discount and ignore books. Adults pick and choose the texts that speak to them. Why can't young adults do the same thing? 

When scholars and librarians legitimize Street Lit as an art form and literary genre, you increase the likelihood that such books will be taken seriously. And, in turn, you increase the likelihood that students hungry for these books will get them and start reading, thinking, reflecting and perhaps writing their own. 

There is much madness among policy makers in school today. Librarians are bearing the 

brunt of it--and are endangered at a time they are most needed.

Paul Langan is currently the Young Adult Fiction Editor at Townsend Press, the publisher for the Bluford Series, as well as a host of education materials for K-12 and college.

VIDEO: The Hunted and the Hated: An Inside View of the NYPD Stop-and-Frisk Policy

For the full story, visit:
http://www.thenation.com/article/170413/stopped-and-frisked-being-fking-mutt-video

(Part 3 of 3): Making Literacy Connections Via Street Lit: One Scholar's Incredible Work

In this last installment of Dr. Richardson's interview, he discusses his work with pairing incarcerated teen boys with college attending males. Dr. Richardson also shares his ideas on how librarians can be reach out and serve inner-city teens, particularly low-income boys.

StreetLiterature.com: Your research pairs incarcerated males with college attending males. In what ways have you observed reading serving as a bridge of personal, social, and/or cultural understanding and/or edification between the young men? In other words, what have been the most salient outcomes from your work thus far? Any outcomes related to public and/or school libraries?

The most salient outcomes have been increasing the critical thinking skills of the young brothers we work with. Far too many children and adults lack critical thinking skills. The schools have basically destroyed the critical thinking skills of children because the curriculum is geared towards improving scores on standardized tests.

That kind of curriculum encourages and reinforces rote thinking. The kids become almost robotic in their thought process. They’re merely expected to regurgitate what they have memorized and I emphasize memorized. We give youth the tools to deconstruct the world around them.

Once our kids leave from under our tutelage we expect them to be critical thinkers. They should be asking why? How? Then we expect them to do the analysis and provide a solution. We have some really deep conversations about the dumbing down of hip hop. They totally get it.

They know what music is garbage and what music provides mental nourishment. When we have ciphers and they get to spit their lyrics, their word play epitomizes that they are critical thinkers. Our children are street scholars. They can break the street and society down better than most sociologists, they just need the tools. Their brains are the toolbox. We just need to give them the tools to fill it.

StreetLiterature.com: How do you see libraries best serving lower income city children and teens (particularly boys) in their authentic, original ways of reading, writing, and multimedia?

Libraries have to find innovative ways to become cool to low-income boys. That can happen in several ways. One way is libraries can partner with organized youth sports leagues where study halls at the local library become a mandatory part of whether they kids play.

For example, I coached in a youth basketball league in East New York, Brooklyn, where we had a mandatory study hall. There were plenty of Saturdays that I had to monitor the study halls. Boys could not play in the games if they did not participate in the study hall. I also observed this approach used in other youth basketball leagues in New York City. The leagues would require that each player attend study hall once a week at the local library and the coaches were required to monitor it. Coaches I worked with definitely participated.

To expand on this approach to involve the library, one day of the week could be reserved for study hall at the library where coaches replace practice with a study hall. Once kids get into the routine of going to the library and know that they won’t be able to play unless they attend the library study hall, kids will eventually become accustomed to going to the library.

A story I'd like to share: when I was younger I played football for the Northwest Bantams in Philadelphia, and there was a library directly across the street from the field where we practiced. If the coaches had had study hall there or lectures we were required to attend, I would have probably been more interested in the library. The saddest part of this story is that I have never been in that library and it was no less than 50 feet from where I played football for two years.

There is a certain perception of librarians that they are not cool, but that’s not true. However the onus is on librarians to change that stereotype. Librarians have to step outside of their comfort zone and silos. Times have changed. Librarians have to get out there on the ground and get their hands dirty. Get out into the community and see what’s going on. Find out what boys like and don’t like. You have to meet them where they are, that is the first principal in providing any social service.

Once the kids make it to the library, the librarian has to make it an engaging place for them to want to come back. Now that approach could include inviting guest speakers such as popular rappers. I’m from Philadelphia, so to bring a rapper, such as a Meek Mill, Freeway, or Cassidy (all native Philadelphians) to the library to discuss how reading is instrumental in the way they create their rhymes would be very relatable to the kids in the community from which I come.

I believe that Cassidy attended Central High (note from StreetLiterature.com: Central High School is a nationally ranked high-achieving magnet school) which is one of the top schools in Philadelphia. Just by listening to Cassidy's lyrics, particularly his metaphors, you can tell that he is a critical thinker. To invite home-grown artists and performers to the local libraries: Libraries can be hip hop.

Librarians have to step into the 21st century. Kids have Facebook, Twitter and 2 Chainz. They are not just going to show up at the doorstep of the library. Whatever the method is for getting them there, I believe it has to be incentivized. Dr. Roland Fryer, a young Black male Professor at Harvard, has shown that providing low-income youth with incentives can improve academic performance. So if a library wants to reach out to boys, provide incentives such as free tickets to professional basketball or football games, and for those who come consistently, they can be made eligible to be in a raffle for prizes. Creative librarians are effective librarians.

StreetLiterature.com: Thank you Dr. Richardson for sharing your research and insights with us. While this blog appears quiet on the surface, I am sure that you have given many subscribers fresh ideas about the possibilities for working with lower-income teen boys in order to enhance their reading interests and tastes. Thank you so much!

This is the last installment for Dr. Richardson's interview. Feel free to comment and ask questions. We'd really like to get a meaningful discussion started about serving city teens in libraries.

(Part 2 of 3) Making Literacy Connections Via Street Lit: One Scholar's Incredible Work

In last week's installment of Dr. Joseph Richardson's interview he talked about the need for educators to support the reading public with literacy practices from early ages. This week, Dr. Richardson discusses actual titles that his teens have requested and read. He advocates for educators to (re)perceive children as "scholars in their own right". Read on:

StreetLiterature.com: Have your young adults suggested any authors / titles / themes for the reading program in your research study? If so, what are they? If not, why do you think this is so?

The kids actually suggested The Autobiography of Malcolm X probably because they saw the film and have heard a lot about the book on the street. We cannot forget that the streets talk. You have older guys or old heads within their families and their neighborhoods that have done time. They will pass down in conversation books they read during their bid. So surely Malcolm’s book will come up as well as other books, like The 48 Laws of Power and Sun Tzu's The Art of War.

I also found that films and videos were a better medium to introduce youth to books, and not vice versa. For example, many kids were introduced to Malcolm X via the movie and not the book. The movie tie-in of a book often opens the door for them to be interested in reading the actual book. The kids suggested films as well. For example, they wanted to watch the 1971 Italian pseudo-documentary, "Goodbye Uncle Tom", which was crazy to me, because I had no idea they even knew that film. Once when I screened the film to a group of juvenile inmates, as I reached to take the movie with me when I was packing to leave, they pleaded with me to leave the movie, so they could show the film to some of their friends who were on lock down. That was amazing!

The majority of the kids are really sharp and scholars in their own right. They are victims to a dysfunctional world and set of circumstances which by no choice of their own, adults have created and brought them into. That may sound cliché, but it’s true. Some of the young brothers in my group were far more insightful and perceptive than some college students I have encountered.

StreetLiterature.com: In what ways has Urban / Street Literature impacted your teens’ reading tastes and habits?

Once they get the information and are able to digest what is relevant to their lives, they want more information. Again, these young brothers spend the majority of their days doing absolutely nothing so they are hungry for knowledge. Now some will not be interested, of course you have those who do not want to read, probably because they can’t read, so they are going to try to disrupt the energy of the group. 

But I’m realistic, I’m not there to save everybody, some will not want the information and that’s cool, maybe someday in the future they will have an epiphany and a moment of clarity where they realize how much they missed. I cannot worry about those kids because that small minority can impact the larger majority of those who want to learn. I’m not going to force anyone to participate in our group, participation is voluntary, you have to want it or else if you’re forced to do it, more than likely that kid is going to be a detriment to every else and I cannot afford that. 

We’re only in the jail for a couple of hours once a week so we have to make the most of our time. Anybody who has ever worked in this setting can understand what I am saying. I think we often set the bar too low, coming in with preconceived ideas about what they can’t read or don’t want to read. 

You have to understand that all people whether they are children or adults have multiple intelligences, and as an educator you have to tap into those strengths. You have to deal with the strengths first if you want to improve their self-esteem.  In short for those who love reading I believe that my mentorship has increased their breadth and range of what they will read and that’s a good thing. For others, they may be more visual, actually I respect that because I am more visual. That kid may be the next Cle Bone Sloan. So I have to tap into his strengths as well. That young brother may be more inclined now to make a film that documents his hood and how structural violence has caused the direct violence he witnesses around him.

--- Please post your questions and comments to this interview, below. We'd love to get a meaningful discussion started about Dr. Richardson's work. Next week's final installment for this interview series concludes with Dr. Richardson's discussion of the scholarly thinking of inner-city youth (yes, you read that correctly). --- 

VIDEO: YA Urban Fiction Featured on FOX News in Chicago

Urban Fiction gets African American teens excited about reading
: The story and characters don't have to be familiar for a reader to get lost in a good book, but everyone likes to see their experiences in a story.

(Part 1 of 3) Making Literacy Connections Via Street Lit: One Scholar's Incredible Work

Meet Joseph B. Richardson, Jr., Ph.D., who is an Assistant Professor of African American Studies at the University of Maryland - College Park. Dr. Richardson is a Philadelphia native whose research focuses on learning the various effects of urban poverty on inner-city teen boys' lives. In one aspect of his research, Dr. Richardson made literary connections with the boys he was working with: he gave them books to read and in turn, they told him what they wanted to read in books, and see in films. Their reading interests illustrated that they were more engaged with reading and improving their literacy practices when they had access to reading stories they could relate to. 

StreetLiterature.com interviewed Dr. Richardson so that we all can be introduced to his work and how reading urban-based stories can become a major component for literacy engagement and improvements among inner-city youth. This interview will be presented as a three-part series. Below is Part I. Parts II and III will be released each Friday, December 2012.

StreetLiterature.com: Could you please share a short biography of your personal background and professional work with adolescent city young adult males. Basically, who are you to do the work that you do?

I was born and raised in Philadelphia in the Germantown and Mt. Airy neighborhoods of Philadelphia. I received by BA in African-American Studies from the University of Virginia and my MA and PhD in Criminology and Criminal Justice from Rutgers University (NJ). 

As a Black male growing up in Philadelphia, although I lived in a relatively safe neighborhood, as the rapper Common mentioned in an interview, the hood was all around me. I lived in what sociologists would call a buffer neighborhood, which is defined as a neighborhood which buffers impoverished neighborhoods from middle class and affluent neighborhoods. I think that my infatuation with crime and the criminal mind, started from living in a neighborhood with a lot of guys that were criminals. They were always really fascinating to me - the way they thought, they were so real, funny and human, but incredibly complex.

StreetLiterature.com: How did your research involve inner-city youth? 

In my first research study of adolescent inner-city youth in Harlem, some of the boys in my study were members of the Bloods and Crips gangs and were involved in violence, beatings, stabbings and shootings. How the boys and girls (there were auxiliary gangs for girls called the Bloodettes and Crippettes) negotiated violence in this context framed my study. I had formed really tight relationships with three boys who were members of gangs, one was a Blood (Slyvester), another was a Crip (Manny), and another (Ali) was in a gang affiliated with his projects. His gang, the Valley, had an on-going feud with both Blood and Crip sets. In fact, he was involved in a shootout with the Bloods. His best friend shot a Blood. Because Ali was best friends with this kid, he was guilty by association. 

At his school, the principal allowed Ali to leave school early every day, because the Bloods had a contract to kill him. They would wait for him every day after-school, but they had no idea that he would leave before dismissal, this strategy probably saved his life. I would drive him from school to his home so he would not have to walk through the neighborhood. Every time he exited my car, I would always wonder whether I would ever see him again alive because kids were dying every day due to gang violence.

StreetLiterature.com: In your research, you work with incarcerated young adult males to enact positive change in their identities and approach to education. How does your research affect the literacy practices of teen readers?

First, I want to make sure we address them as children because we are really quick to call Black boys ‘young men’ or ‘young adults’ and they are not. These are children who have been adjudicated as adults but they are still children nonetheless. The great work of Dr.Lawrence Steinberg at Temple University indicates that the criminal justice system should not treat children as adults because their brains are still forming and not fully developed which impacts their decision-making capability and culpability.

Many of these children live in governmentally neglected communities, attend under-resourced schools and are products of really unstable households. Many adolescents in adult jails read on a 4^th grade reading level. Fourth grade reading levels are predictive of school dropout and school dropout is predictive of criminal justice involvement. So if we really want to address criminal justice involvement among young black males, we need to start with literacy practices, very early on, well before the 4^th grade.

We need to be addressing literacy practices pre-K, even while a child is in his mother’s womb, a mother should be reading to her child. But that also means we must address the educational needs and parenting practices of parents as well. 

StreetLiterature.com: How does literature play a role in your research?

To engage the boys in establishing consistent reading practices, I try to introduce street literature that adolescent males may be interested in. For example, I use Monster: The Autobiographyof an LA Gang Member as one of my texts. This book was a NY Times bestseller and it was written by a Crip, Sanyika Shakur aka Monster, who had minimal formal education. Much of the book was written while he was incarcerated. The kids were really interested in this book. 

I’ve also used texts such as Manchild in the Promised Land by Claude Brown and the Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X and Alex Haley. What I’ve found is that if the book is interesting, kids will work their way through it whether they are proficient readers or not because in adult jail, kids have a lot of solitary time on their hands where they often sit in their cells for 23 hours a day. So reading often becomes a form of entertainment for them and a way for them to pass the time. Some kids are voracious readers. For example, I had one kid, Miguel, who had almost thirty books in his cell; I mean all kinds of books too, like The Hobbit. Miguel had books that most people would not think a kid in jail would be interested in reading - but he was. 

--- Stay tuned for next week's installment in this interview series with Dr. Joseph B. Richardson, Jr., where he discusses ways in which Street Lit/Urban Fiction has impacted the reading practices of the youth he works with. --

K'wan's Masterpiece: Animal (2012)

K'wan. 2012. Animal. NY: Cash Money Content / Simon and Schuster. ISBN-13: 978-1936399253. $14.99 US. Paperback.

K'wan is the author of over a dozen books, and upon reading his latest release, Animal, you start to realize that all the stories K'wan's told up to this point, was to prepare you for the story of Animal.

Animal is a redemption song. Animal is a love story: love rediscovered between lovers ... friends ... and family ... in the hood.

We first meet Animal in K'wan's Hood Rat series as a ruthless killer who extinguishes people with no remorse. Animal is a vigilante of sorts who metes out justice in ways that garner him as a force not just to be reckoned with; but to be deathly feared. The equalizing factor to his dark existence is his love for his woman, Gucci. Gucci loves Animal just as he is. In a series of stories they go through many ups and downs. In this story, Animal's story, they may have finally come to peace with one another, if Gucci can survive the war on the streets. In Animal's own story, here in this novel, we learn more about why Animal is the lonely soul that no one seems to be able to fully understand, but everyone fully fears. His redemption comes as a surprise to even Animal himself, but the redemption is a prodigal journey that has the potential to soothe the infamous assassin, once and for all.

A must-read for all street lit fans. This is street lit at its best. Add Animal to the pantheon of class street lit titles like The Coldest Winter Ever, True to the Game, Flyy Girl, A Street Girl Named Desire, and now ... Animal. Do not let the 400 pages deter you. Street Lit / Urban Fiction readers will read this novel as it is fast-paced action that doesn't stop. Buy multiple copies for your library as some of those copies will not be coming back. School library media specialists: this novel is appropriate for high schoolers.

In this video, K'wan explains his characterization of Animal:

K'wan is on social media at:
Twitter: #TEAMANIMAL

Facebook: #TEAMANIMAL

Facebook Group: K'wan's Readers 

Baltimore: Anatomy of an American City - Fault Lines - Al Jazeera English

Baltimore: Anatomy of an American City - Fault Lines - Al Jazeera English

Sorry, I could not embed the video. However, I do hope you click over to this story. It is an important read. The comments on this story are worth a look, also. Note: the video is 24:11. Worth the time.

Chicago Teens Use Nooks to Read Street Lit Books

Chicago Librarian Media Specialist, KC Boyd, has a book club of high school students who read Street Lit. As part of a grant project, KC has introduced the teens to reading their books on the Nook. The video below shows the students talking about their book club and reading experiences. Enjoy!

Wahida Clark's New Release: Payback Ain't Enough

Wahida Clark, 2012

Wahida Clark is one of the most prolific and renowned street lit authors today. Her 2011 release, Justify My Thug, landed her on the New York Times Bestselling list for a second time (Every Thug Needs A Lady appeared on the list in 2006), solidifying Clark's place amongst the pantheon of other street lit authors with that distinction, such as Teri Woods, Nikki Turner, and Ashley & JaQuavis Coleman.

StreetLiterature.com recently chatted with Wahida, to discuss her new book, Payback Ain't Enough, which releases today, April 24, 2012. We talked about how this new novel  is a contribution to Street Lit's continued evolution to offer nuanced storylines that shed light on important social issues occurring in low income inner city communities. Payback Ain't Enough is available in paperback, kindle and audiobook formats.

Here's the interview below: 

StreetLiterature.com: What is the message you are seeking to convey with your latest release, Payback Ain't Enough? How does this novel build on the first and second installments, Payback with Ya Life and Payback Is A Mutha?

WC: This latest book is the hood version of a double love triangle with revenge, deceit and scandal. Shan (the protagonist) decides to live life on her own terms. 

The book hints at how the stress of hustling impacts on one's mental health and how mental issues are revealed in the behavior of the characters. I want readers to consider, "Is Shan losing her mind or what?" "Is Mia's ride-or-die behavior really healthy?"

StreetLiterature.com: Your novels, overall, feature female protagonists, main characters who are strong-willed and are also deep, loyal lovers. How do you answer critics who say that Street Lit is a negative representation of black women's identity and roles in society?

WC: They need to come into reality. Come on now. This is common knowledge of this real issue - we have real health and social issues in our low income city communities that manifest in the way people treat themselves and one another. There's nothing made up. I'm highlighting the negative aspects of our community because readers say, "I want a man like Trae; I want a relationship like Trae and Tasha." Brothers write me and say, "I need a wife like Tasha; I need a girl like Angel." I've seen posts on Twitter, where I have 2 groups: #TeamSantos and #TeamMacklin - and the readers go back and forth debating about the characters and relationships. So I write stories to hint at these issues that we need to be concerned with as a community. We need these discussions.

StreetLiterature.com: Out of all of the characters you've created, who would you say is the character you most relate to, and why?

WC: That's hard because there's a little bit of me in all my female characters. I took a piece of me and put it in each one of them. I've been married to my husband for forever, so with the male characters,  there's pieces of him in them. 

StreetLiterature.com: We know you are an amazing writer, and as such, what do you read? What does Wahida Clark enjoy reading and why?

WC: I read everything! I'm a book junkie. My bookshelf has old classics to contemporary ficiton, to business books to religious books. My favorite topic right now is business and marketing.

StreetLiterature.com: Do you think libraries have been helpful to your career? If so, how? If not, why do you think not?

WC: Absolutely! When I go to libraries to do signings librarians all say the same thing; "Wahida, we can't keep your books on the shelf." They keep ordering my books over and over again. The libraries - they support. 

StreetLiterature.com: We are aware that you are publishing a Young Adult imprint for street lit. Can you tell us more about how this imprint came into development? 

WC: Wahida Clark Presents Young Adult is the imprint. The line was conceived because I was at Book Expo for America a few years back and I ran into a young lady who said that I need to meet a Chicago-based high school librarian named KC Boyd. It was KC who  encouraged me to start the YA line. 

StreetLiterature.com: So your YA line was created at the request of a librarian?

WC: Yep!

StreetLiterature.com: Wow; that is fantastic! How is the imprint doing thus far?

WC: Wahida Clark Presents Young Adult is going pretty good but not as big as my adult line. We have a new title coming out May 2012, Sade's Secret by Sparkle. The other 3 titles thus far are: Under Pressure (2011) by Rashawn Hughes, The Boy Is Mine (2011) by Charmaine White, and Ninety-Nine Problems (2011) by Gloria Dotson-Lewis, which just got picked up by the Black Expression Bookclub. This will expose the brand to a wider reading audience which is a wonderful development for Gloria and for the YA line.

StreetLiterature.com: Congratulations on the YA line. I am sure there are many librarians who will seek your titles to add to their young adult collections. While your YA line is published by your company, you, as an author is now signed with the hip hop book publishing imprint, Cash Money Content (CMC). In your experience and estimation, what does Cash Money Content bring to the street lit game that's different, fresh, and new?

Wahida Clark with CMC CEO,
Bryan "Birdman" Williams

WC: It's an honor to be with Cash Money Content. They are very innovative, they grind non-stop; they know hip hop, nobody doubts they know hip hop, nobody doubts that I can write street lit. For me and many street lit authors, hip hop and street lit are one and the same. Hip hop writes about life experiences and street lit does the same. Cash Money Content sees street lit as an extension of hip hop. As we all know, street lit is not new - recall authors like Donald Goines, Chester Himes, Iceberg Slim, but now it has exploded. I don't know of any major publishing companies that do not have an imprint for street lit/urban fiction. 

StreetLiterature.com: Wahida thank you for your time, insights and energy today. We wish you the best on your new release, Payback Ain't Enough, and continued success with your YA imprint, Wahida Clark Presents Young Adult. We look forward to your continued great work!

WC: Thanks so much!

-----------------------------------------------------------

The entire Payback series thus far:

Additionally, Wahida has a prolific publishing vitae that includes a long list of novels, series, and her young adult imprint. For more information, visit Wahida Clark via the following web platforms:

Website:    http://wclarkpublishing.com/

Facebook: Wahida Clark's Readers Club

Twitter:     @WahidaClark

Amazon:   Wahida Clark Author Page

P.S. 05/03/2012 - Congratulations to Wahida Clark for Payback Ain't Enough earning the #27 spot on the New York Times Bestseller List!

Guest Post #1: Interview with Urban Fiction Author, Reverend Harry Williams

By Amy Cheney, M.L.S.

I can’t keep Harry Williams’ books on the shelf at my library! His book covers are dynamic, attracting my reluctant readers. Even though there is implied violence, the stories also depict a person struggling to change his life. This kind of balanced representation enables me to easily purchase and defend Mr. Williams’ books on the shelves of my lockdown institution in California.

Harry Williams, reverend and author

For example, one teen patron named Jacobo, 15, says of Williams' books: “They’re cool, interesting. There’s action, shooting, gangsters, money, drugs, but positive stuff, too. I could relate to how dangerous the neighborhood was and how you could switch your life around. You don’t have to sell drugs, you can go to college.”

With my students so attuned to Williams’ titles such as Straight Outta East Oakland (2008) and Straight Outta East Oakland II: Trapped on the Track (2011), I wanted to find out more about the preacher who writes and publishes urban fiction:

Amy: Tell us about your background and how you know the streets so well.

Williams: I grew up in Asbury Park, NJ.  As a young person, I was blessed with many life advantages.  Both of my parents had master's degrees and they were able to send me to private school. I became the first black editor-in-chief of my high school's newspaper.  S.E. Hinton's book, The Outsiders, prompted me to write my first book (which never saw the light of day).

After I graduated from high school, I made some negative choices.  Like many young people, I laughed when my parents told me that my choice of friends could impact my destiny.  I moved back to New York City when I was 21 and lived there for close to ten years, involved in the hip hop scene and lived through the height of the crack epidemic of the 1980s.  I have never smoked crack in my life but I saw friends become addicted to the monster.  I saw what happens when automatic weapons arrive in the hood by the crateful. 

Amy: Your website mentions a life changing moment.  Can you give us the details?

Williams: When I was 23 years old, I became a Christian.  My entire focus in life changed virtually overnight.  Someone told me that God had a plan for me.  I wanted to know what that plan consisted of. 

Amy: What is the message you hope people will receive from your books?

Williams: My books are real.  If young people can't relate they will never hear the message.  The message is that the streets are a surefire dead end.  Faith, with education, is a ladder.  Lastly, once you've made it out of the hood, you have to go back to help others have a better life.  The Bible says, "To whom much has been given, much will be required."

Amy: What are your favorite books? Who are you writing mentors?

Williams: Richard Wright's Black Boy and Native Son, along with James Baldwin's works changed my life, especially Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time and Go Tell It On The Mountain.  I was greatly influenced by the father of gangsta fiction, Donald Goines.

Amy: When is your next book coming out? Can you give us a preview of the storyline?

Williams: Straight Outta East Oakland 3: Funk Season - The Return Of Street Life should be released Spring of 2012. "Firstborn" is a college kid, kind of square around the edges, but he has seen the inside of the game. Like many people from the block, he's intensely loyal to his friends.  When one of the members of his clique turns into an enemy and comes out of the pen ready to wage war against the Black Christmas Mob, Firstborn is tempted to go back to East Oakland to try to help his friends. 

Amy: Part 3 of your series sounds like it will be a great read enjoyed by many who relate to characters like Firstborn. Thank you for your time and dedication to telling rich stories about the city experience.

For more information about Harry Williams:
Website: www.revharrywilliams.com
Facebook: Soul Shaker Publishing
Author Interview: http://helpmepublish.wordpress.com

Amy Cheney is Librarian at Write to Read • Juvenile Hall Library & Literacy, San Leandro, CA.

Gangsta literature: an interview wit’ Frisco’s urban fiction novelist Fleetwood

Gangsta literature: an interview wit’ Frisco’s urban fiction novelist Fleetwood

Meeting Eyone Williams: Author of Lorton Legends

Eyone Williams is a talented author whose titles Fast Lane (2007), Hell Razor Honeys I (2008), Hell Razor Honeys II (2010), The Cross (2011), and Lorton Legends (2011), have gained him a considerable following of readers within the Street Literature genre. Williams is a Washington, D.C. native with street cred that he uses to tell authentic, engrossing stories in his novels. StreetLiterature.com had the honor and opportunity to talk with Mr. Williams about his writings and his life story. His interview is below; enjoy!

Eyone Williams (center). Used with permission.

StreetLiterature.com: What inspired you to write in this genre?  Personal observations and experience?

The first thing that inspired me to write street fiction was the fact that I enjoyed reading it myself.  Donald Goines is my favorite author and I read his work when I was young.  After reading his books about street life in the 70s I was inspired to write about street life in my day and time.  I began writing street fiction in the 90s; I made up my mind to write about things that I went through growing up in DC.  

The crack era hit DC hard, as well other cities, and it left a long lasting impression on the community.  I found myself caught up in that era.  I began writing, using real life situations, and my first novel, Fast Lane (now available on Amazon Kindle) was born.  All my homies loved the book, but I wasn’t sure if readers outside of where I’m from would like the book.  Nevertheless, I did what I had to do to get the book out and people loved it.  Also, I love street fiction, I loved it from day one and wanted to be a part of the movement; I wanted to put my own touch on the game.  That was my driving force.

StreetLiterature.com: How long have you been writing street literature?  What is your writing process like?  How long does it take you to write a novel—on average?

I started writing back in 98, I didn’t know where I was going with my first novel at that time.  However, I had been through a lot and I wanted to use all that I had been through to help me write the book.  I got caught up in the street life at a young age and went to prison, charged as an adult at 16.  My brother was murdered a year later.  My mother had died of a drug overdose when I was 6.  My father went to prison when I was 4.  Leaving out all that’s in between, I took my background and used it to write my first novel, Fast Lane.  So over all, I started writing 13 years ago.

As far as my writing process, I step off from whatever’s going on around me and get into a zone.  When I first started I used to do some reading of my favorite authors to get motivated.  Then I would just block out everything and write.  Now days, I just get right to it.  I have an idea on my mind and I put it all down on paper.  I can see it all in my mind.  I go until I can’t go no more.

It takes me about two months to write a book, first draft.  After that, I do re-writes.  That can take about the same amount of time.

StreetLiterature.com: What kind of street lit do you focus on and why?

I focus on hard-core street lit - things that happen in the streets for real.  I try to mix that with things that make the book good.  I add twists and turns to the plot so that it makes my readers keep reading.  I write street fiction because I write it best, and because I grew a love for reading by reading street fiction.

Street:Literature.com: Who would you say are your primary readers?  What kind of feedback do you receive from them that you take into consideration for writing your stories?

My primary readers are African-American females.  Males buy my books as well, but more women come through to get my books, as far as I know.  I keep that in mind when I’m putting my stories together.  I write hard-core street fiction, but I make sure I put something in there for the ladies.  They show me so much support that I gotta show them love.  When I first started writing I used to go hard for what guys like to read but the ladies stepped to me about that as I grew as a writer so I began to expand my plots to make them include all things that make good books hot books.

Eyone Williams with readers. Used with permission.

StreetLiterature.com: What/Who are you reading nowadays?  

Nowadays I read business books, writing books, and urban fiction books.  The authors I read include Guy Johnson, Treasure Blue, Dutch, Nathan Welch, Wahida Clark, T. Styles, Jason Poole, Deja King, Anthony Fields, to name a few.  The authors that hold my attention are the ones that pull me into their story off the top.  That’s what I enjoy about reading my favorite authors’ books.

StreetLiterature.com: Which mode of publication is most popular with your readers—paperbacks or ebooks?  Why do you think that is?

My friends, readers, and supporters all love paperbacks.  Even the ones that have e-readers still come and holla at me for signed copies of my books and other books I sell.  They show a lot of love.  I believe they love paperbacks the most because that’s where their first love of reading came from.

StreetLiterature.com: Has social media helped with marketing and promotion of your books?  If so, how?

Social media has helped me out in a huge way.  It has allowed me to reach out and get to know my readers.  Without a doubt social media helps book sales.  It also gives me, as an author, a way to spread my thoughts on my books with my readers.  I talk back and forth online with my readers.  We talk about why one character or another did this or that.  I make it all fun and interesting to read Eyone Williams books.  I do contests, discussions, and all of that.  Social media is a great thing.

StreetLiterature.com: What is your latest title?  What is it about and how does it uniquely contribute to the genre of Street Lit?

click image to order

My latest book is Lorton Legends, it’s published by DC BOOKDIVA PUBLICATIONS. Lorton Legends is a story of struggle, growth, and accomplishment.  A group of four young men get sent to prison in their teenage years.  Everything that they become in life is what they are shaped into while in prison.  They go through a number of different struggles dealing with their freedom, their family, their personal issues as men and much more.  The main character struggles throughout the whole book to become a better man, a father, and to overcome the life of the streets.  The book is full of history and life lessons that are dropped on the reader through the eyes of the characters.

Lorton Legends adds a new flare to street lit by showing that there are many different ways to tell a street story.  It also shows that you can tell a street story and still allow readers to walk away feeling as though they have learned something.

                      Here is the book trailer for Lorton Legends:

StreetLiterature.com: What is your ultimate goal for your work with Street Lit? (e.g. networking with more authors, appealing to a wider audience of readers, etc.)

Ultimately, my goal is to create a better life for myself and all those around me.  I want to represent as best as I can for Street Lit and help it grow and live on forever, in whatever way.  I strive to make the work coming out of my camp to be the best ever.  With every book I write, I strive to give it my all.  When it’s all said and done, I want to be remembered as an author that was different from the norm, I want to be remembered as one who gave it my all and wrote stories that reflect what’s real in the street lit genre.  Forever!

StreetLiterature.com: If someone asked you, "How do you define Street Lit?", what would be your definition?

Street Lit is writing that paints a picture of street life in many ways, from all kinds of angles.  It’s about what goes on in the hood.  It’s why the things in the hood happen.  It takes you into the lives of people that really live and thrive in the hood.  That is street fiction, from my point of view.  However, it is much more to it and the views of other street lit writers completes the overall view.

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You can connect with Eyone Williams via the following social media outlets:

Facebook: Eyone Williams

Twitter: @eyonethewriter

Author Interview: Kiki Swinson of the "Wifey series"

Kiki Swinson

Kiki Swinson is one of the earliest authors of contemporary Street Literature. Her "Wifey" series is one of the most popular series in the genre, with five installments: Wifey (part 1), I'm Still Wifey (part 2), Life After Wifey (part 3),  Still Wifey Material (part 4), and Wifey 4 Life (part 5). Other titles related to the series include Wife Extraordinaire and Wife Extraordinaire Returns.

Kiki's Cheaper to Keep Her series is also highly popular with its third installment, Cheaper to Keep Her, part 3 (More Money More Problems), expected by early 2012.

Swinson is a prolific author penning additional titles independently with Notorious, The Candy Shop, Still Candy Shopping, A Sticky Situation, and Playing Dirty ... and also collaboratively with titles such as The Heist (with De'Nesha Diamond), Sleeping with the Enemy  (with Wahida Clark), and Lifestyles of the Rich and Shameless (with Noire).

Swinson's latest release is the highly anticipated, New York's Finest, The First of a Trilogy, due for its paperback release, October 2011. It is currently available as a Kindle edition on Amazon.com, already boasting a strong 5-star review status.

Ms. Swinson's impact and contribution to Street Lit is indisputable. She is a powerhouse of an author, who has been a consistent Essence bestselling author, as well as an emerging publisher, with her company, KS Publications. 

Kiki graciously shared her insights about her work and the literary industry in the following interview with StreetLiterature.com:

ALL THE PROTAGONISTS IN YOUR BOOKS ARE WOMEN. 

WHAT DO THEY ALL HAVE IN COMMON?

All my characters are strong ladies: Kira (Wifey), Yosi (Playing Dirty),  Faith (The Candy Shop), Maxine (A Sticky Situation), Lynise (Cheaper to Keep Her), and Naomi (New York’s Finest). They aren’t ashamed to play up their sexy-feminine qualities in their roles of leadership.

WHERE  DO YOUR BOOK IDEAS COME FROM?

Wow with over 15 titles and counting, the ideas come from all kinds of places. The Wifey series was derived from what I went through in the late 80's to the early 90's when I was involved with a guy who sold drugs. That relationship is what led to my federal case. I wasn't married to him and by street culture I was considered his “wifey“.

My Candy Shop series came about while I watched my uncle damn near kill himself with a heroin addiction. I felt compelled to weave that into a novel.

The Playing Dirty/Notorious series came about because I wanted to touch on another area of the drug enterprise. I had already written a series on how drug dealers make plenty of money to supply a lavish lifestyle for themselves. I wrote about how the drugs effect the drug addicts. This series talked about the attorney's who fight to get their high price clients off & set free. My character Yosi Lomax was greedy and crooked just like her clients.

My latest creations: Cheaper to Keep Her a 3-part series and New York's Finest were written to entice readers into another free-fall of my writing style. Cheaper to Keep Her has recently become one of my most popular series, following Wifey & Playing Dirty/Notorious. I can also see my series New York's Finest get into the running as some of my best work simply because the characters are fun, realistic & daring.

IT SEEMS MOST OF YOUR SOLO WRITINGS ARE IN SERIES. WHY?

I feel like when I tell my stories, I can't do it all in one book. The way my mind works, there is so much to say about my characters. I want them to have a life span like us. I want my readers to form the love/hate relationships with them.  After 2-3 books with the same folks, readers know them well.

HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH YOUR BOOK TITLES?

Catchy and hard to define, those are how I’d describe my titles. When I first came up with the Candy Shop people automatically assumed I was talking about a whore house. The title Cheaper to Keep Her, people assumed I was talking about a married woman scorned. Lastly, when I came up with New York's Finest, it was amazing to see that people thought I had written a story about police officers and when they found out my story was about a flight attendant who was trafficking huge amounts of cocaine for her brother, folks were shocked. It’s so much fun, the  shock value that readers get when they think they know what the book will be about from the title. It makes the reading more enjoyable when the plot is a pleasant surprise.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE YOU TO COMPLETE A NOVEL?

It generally takes me about 2 months to write a book. I've been on tight deadlines and have churned out a book in 6 weeks. 

WHY IS THE WIFEY SERIES SO POPULAR?

I believe the Wifey series became so popular because that story stemmed from some events that happened in my life when I was going through my FED investigation. My readers know that Kira was me. Plus, a lot of my readers can identify with Kira because she resonates with them in a personal manner. Kira is your around the way girl who loves her man, who also plays the ride-or-die-chick. When opposition comes her way my readers automatically side with her because she's their “girl”.

HOW HAVE YOU KEPT THE WIFEY SERIES ALIVE INTO 2011? 
One word, well, two words - “the fans“. I’m truly blessed that fans kept the Wifey series alive into 2011. I keep writing because readers keep reading and loving the stories. They love my character Kira so much that they want her to live beyond. I've written part 6 to the series, but due to circumstances beyond my control, I haven't been able to release it. Hopefully, I will be able to do so in the near future. I know the readers would love that.

CHEAPER TO KEEP HER HAS PICKED UP MUCH STEAM. WHAT ARE YOU PLANS FOR THE SERIES?

I picked my series Cheaper to Keep Her to move forward with a production schedule for my writings. Cheaper to Keep Her is my first series released by KS Publications, which is my own publishing company. So far there are 3 parts to the story of Lynise Carter. Cheaper to Keep Her has been chosen for a TV pilot, which is being shot Fall 2011.  The reviews have been great, so I expect great things for the release of part 3 in December 2011.

  

CONGRATS ON KS PUBLICATIONS. WILL YOU BE PUBLISHING OTHER AUTHOR WORKS IN THE FUTURE? KS Publications is currently accepting manuscripts.

WITH 20 BOOKS IN YOUR CATALOG, WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM YOU THIS FALL?
New York’s Finest (Oct 2011), Cheaper to Keep Her (Dec. 2011) via KS Publications, and much more in 2012.

Thank you Kiki, for all of your amazing work and contribution to the Street Literature genre!

Note: For collection development purposes, Kiki Swinson's novels are widely available in paperback and ebook formats.

Kiki Swinson is available via the following web and social media outlets:Web: www.cheapertokeepher.net or www.kikiswinson.net 

Twitter: @kikiswinson