[ANNOUNCEMENT] SLBAM Reconvenes for 2013 Nominations

The Street Literature Book Award Medal (SLBAM) Committee has reconvened to confer 2013 awards for the best in library readers' choices for urban literature. 

The categories are:

• ADULT NON FICTION
• ADULT FICTION
• YOUNG ADULT FICTION
• EMERGING CLASSIC
• AUTHOR OF THE YEAR

Educators: Feel free to email Vanessa Irvin Morris any titles and/or authors that have been well received by your library readers or students, and your titles will be sent to the Committee. Awards will be announced March 2014. Visit the awards page for more past winners and honorees.

[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.

In the Margins Book Awards 2014, Announced

For Immediate Release

Wed 2/5/2014

SAN FRANCISCO — In the Margins Book Award and Selection Committee, (ITM) a committee under the umbrella of Library Services for Youth in Custody (LYSC) selected their first list of 25 titles and a top 10. 

The 2014 top ten are:

Asante, M.K. Buck: a Memoir. Spiegel & Grau. August 2013. 272p. HC $25.00. ISBN 9780812993417.

Jones, Marilyn Denise. From Crack to College and Vice Versa. May 2013. 105p. PB $14.95. ISBN 9780989427401.

Langan, Paul.  Survivor. Townsend Press. January 2013. 138p. PB $5.95. ISBN 9781591943044.

McKay, Sharon E. War Brothers: The Graphic Novel. Illustrated by Lafance, Daniel.  Annick Press. February 2013. PB $18.95. ISBN 9781554514885.

McVoy, Terra Elan. Criminal.  Simon Pulse. May, 2013. 288p. HC $16.99. ISBN 9781442421622.

Medina, Meg. Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass. Candlewick. March 2013. 260p. HC $16.99. ISBN 9780763658595.

Nussbaum, Susan. Good Kings, Bad Kings. Algonquin Books. November 2013. 304p. PB $14.95.  ISBN 9781616203252.

Rivera, Jeff. No Matter What. CreateSpace. October 2013. 112p. PB $5.38. ISBN 9781493544141.

Ryan, Darlene. Pieces of Me. Orca Book Publishers. September 2012. 240p. PB $12.95. ISBN 9781459800809. 

Young, Pamela Samuels. Anybody’s Daughter. Goldman House Publishing.  October 2013. 374p. PB $16.99. ISBN 9780989293501.

"We are pleased with the founding of this list and our efforts of the first year. We have a great list, bringing to national attention books that are new finds and not widely publicized in the library world along with standout books of the year” said Amy Cheney, chair of In the Margins Book Award and Selection committee. “The committee members and I are excited to share these books with you for teens living and interested in the margins of society."

Annotations, the full list of 25 titles  and more information on the committee and selections can be found at: 

http://www.youthlibraries.org/margins-committee

Please be on the lookout for Amy Cheney’s column YA Underground in School Library Journal  2/19/14 for more details and an inside view. 

ITM identifies quality, age appropriate resources for librarians and library workers to share with the teens in lockdown, homeless shelters and other non-traditional venues for teens living in the margins.

Founding Members of the 2014 In the Margins Book Award and Selection Committee:

Chair: Amy Cheney, Juvenile Justice Center, Alameda County, CA Administrative Assistant: Amy Wander Lafayette Public Library, LA Katie MacBride, Mill Valley Public Library & Marin County Juvenile Hall, CA Dr. Virginia Loh-Hagan, Institute for Learning, University of Pittsburgh, PA Selenia Paz, Helen Hall Library, Galveston County, TX Viola Dyas, Retired, Teen Services Librarian, Berkeley Public Library, CA Dr. Julie Ann Winkelstein, Postdoctoral researcher, University of Tennessee, TN.

Article: Hip Hop Library for Youth in the Bronx (2013)

Greetings to you,

I found out about this initiative from a colleague. It's a really fantastic model - a Hip Hop library!

Here are my favorite quotes from the story:

‘The more you read, the iller you’ll be as an emcee,’” said Rodrigo Venegas, aka Rodstarz, one-third of the rap crew, Rebel Diaz, and a founding member of the cultural collective with an activist bent.

"... the collective is trying to convince these young people that the slickest rhymers are often also the sharpest readers."

“We are what we eat — but we’re also what we read,” said Claudia De la Cruz, a collective member." 

 Read the full article at: http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20130205/mott-haven/bronx-hip-hop-collective-launch-radical-library-for-youth#ixzz2KG03anOL

Guy Reads! Featuring H.N.I.C., Pure Bronx, Undisputed Truth, & Coming Home

Johnson, A. "Prodigy" & Savile, S. (2013). H.N.I.C.: An infamous novel. NY: Akashic/Infamous Books.
ISBN-13: 978-1-61775-232-2 | Paperback | 126 pages | $11.95 USD

If you don't have this novella in your library collection already, please be on the lookout for this 2013 release, H.N.I.C., penned by Hip Hop artist Prodigy of the group, Mobb Deep.

H.N.I.C. is sure to attract young adult male readers because of its snappy length as a novella, and its relatable characters, particularly the protagonist, Pappy, a hustler who happens to be a computer geek. Pappy wants to get out of the game but his best friend, Black, won't let him go. On the fake promise of a "one last heist", Pappy gets away with just his life, having to leave behind his past to strategically create his future, without Black. Black eventually catches up to Pappy, but time has moved on and the tables are turned as they fight to reign as the H.N.I.C. 

This novella is the launching release of the new publishing imprint, Infamous Books, in collaboration with the renowned independent publishing house, Akashic Books. H.N.I.C. is a good addition to a 16+ young adult collection in your school, public, or community-based library collection. The strong and thoughtful characterization of Pappy alongside the dark, pathologic antics of Black, provide a balanced lens to gaining an understanding of young manhood. The tension of good vs. evil between Pappy and Black will appeal to many male readers. There's also a romantic angle in the story that helps to soften the plot's edges. A nice, solid contribution to the hip hop / urban literature / street lit tradition, H.N.I.C. will circulate.

The Fall 2013 publishing season had quite a few important releases. Here are a few more titles that will be good "guy read" additions to your collections:

ISBN-13: 9781935883418 (A/YA)

ISBN-13: 9780399161285 (A/YA)

ISBN-13: 9781622500512 (YA)

Lastly, be sure to stock up on K'wan Foye's recently released, Animal 2: The Omen. StreetLiterature.com will be posting a full review of this read in the coming weeks.

Trailer for Zetta Elliott's New Release: The Deep (2013)

NEW READ! Animal II: The Omen, by K'wan Foye

For interviews and more information on K'wan Foye

please contact:

Donna Torrence

donna@mediasavvypr.com

201.854.7082

Amazon.com #1 “Top Rated Fiction” Bestselling Author

K’WAN FOYE

Set to release

“ANIMAL II: THE OMEN”

from CASH MONEY CONTENT/ATRIA BOOKS

On November 19, 2013

K'wan to Kick off Book Tour

November 8, 2013 –    K’wan Foye, one of this generations most talented and gritty writers, is set to release Animal II: The Omen on November 19, from Cash Money Content books, the book publishing arm of the iconic record label Cash Money Records.  Animal II: The Omen, Foye’s most anticipated release yet, is the follow up to last year’s #1 bestselling urban crime thriller, Animal.

Animal is Urban Lit’s newest hit series, with strong sales that have not slowed since its 2012 release.  The novel enjoyed unprecedented success with a #1 debut on Amazon.com’s list of “Top Rated Fiction,” and recognition by Library Journal as one of the “Top 5 Street Lit Novels of 2012,” along with a Library Journal starred “Pick of the Month” for October 2012.  Additionally, Animal is currently #2 on the Power List Best-Selling Books List compiled by Black bookstores.

With Animal II, Black Press Radio’s 2008 “Author of the Year,” K’wan Foye, continues the bloody saga of Animal, the infamous fugitive from K’wan’s well‑known Hood Rat Series, as he sets out on a complex and tragic quest in search of the truth. 

K’wan Foye’s previous novels include the bestsellers Welfare Wifeys (an African American Literary Award-winner), Section 8, Gutter, Still Hood, Hood Rat,Eve, Hoodlum and Street Dreams, all released by St. Martin’s Press.  K’wan has sold a cumulative total of 500,000 books.

Praise for K’wan

   “Animal is a masterpiece” – Ronald “Slim” Williams, Co-CEO Cash Money Records/

                    Cash Money Content

  

 “You don’t get more hood than K’wan” – Bryan “Birdman” Williams, Co-CEO Cash Money

                   Records/Cash Money Content

  “…the characters become so alive that watching them spin toward their inevitable ends

                  is heartbreaking.”  - Entertainment Weekly on “Street Dreams”

“The big draw here is the electric prose, which is imbued with profane, comic lyricism.”

                         - Publishers Weekly on “Hood Rat”

“K’wan ... produces thrilling plots, and his descriptive prose holds its own against many top-selling authors.”

                         - Library Journal on “Eviction Notice”

Catch K’wan at the following book signings in the following cities:

11/20                     Source of Knowledge bookstore, 867 Broad Street, Newark NJ, 5pm – 7pm

11/21                     TLJ Bookstore, New Location 4921 Suitland Rd, Suitland MD, 20747, 5:30 pm – 7:30pm

11/22                     Books A Million, 144 S. Clark St (Galleria Mall), Chicago, IL, 12Noon

                                Da Book Joint, 2311 East 71st St, Chicago, IL, 7:00pm – 9:00pm

11/23                     Dock Shop event, Location TBA, Dallas, TX, 3:00pm

                                The Dock Book Shop, Book Club hosted event, 6637 Meadowbrook Dr, Dallas TX, 7:00pm

11/29                     Books A Million, 901 East Market St, Suite 1285, Philadelphia, PA, 12Noon – 2:00pm

                                Black and Nobel, 1409 W. Erie Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, 5:00pm – 7:00pm

11/30                     Medu Bookstore, Greenbriar Mall Atlanta, GA, 2:00-4:00pm

For more info log onto www.kwanfoye.com.  Follow K’wan on twitter @K’Wan141 or @We_R_TeamAnimal and also find him at facebook.com/We Are #TeamAnimal.

For interviews and more information about Animal II or Cash Money Content books, contact:

Donna Torrence, mediasavvypr.com

email: donna@mediasavvyr.com, phone: 201.854.7082

About Cash Money Content

Cash Money Content (CMC) is a groundbreaking partnership that pairs the Cash Money Records brand with Atria Books, a division of the publishing powerhouse, Simon & Schuster.  CMC is publishing some of the most original and influential authors of urban fiction as well as life-changing books on success, motivation, money, health, and memoirs by some of the most prominent voices alive today.  Founded  by brothers Bryan "Birdman" Williams and Ronald "Slim" Williams, from the label that is home to multi-platinum recording artists like Lil Wayne, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Jay Sean, and Bow Wow, comes a whole new concept in book publishing.

For more information on Cash Money Content, log onto www.CashMoneyContent.com, follow on Twitter @CashMoneyBooks and on Facebook @CashMoneyContent.

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.

Animal II: The Omen

Ani                            by K'wan

Cash Money Content/Original

Pub Date: November 19, 2013

ISBN:  978‑1‑936399‑29‑1

eBook: 978-1-936399-30-7

Trim Size: 5 5/16 x 8 1/4

Price US: $14.99, Price CDN: $16.99

Format: Paperback

336 Pages