Category: General Topics

The PBS Blog in Review

Top Commenters:

  • Don Massenzio
  • Roger from Woebegone but Hopeful
  • Danny from DreamBigdreamoften
  • Felicia Denise
  • OIKOS-Redaktion
  • Mr. Militant Negro

2 Most Popular Posts of the Year:

Most Active Day: August 7, 2017

Books Published this Year:

I surpassed my total number of reviews for Renaissance. I am still trying to break into the 20+ range but I am close! (To review for this book email me for a copy)

I am Soul made it to #7 on the Amazon Best Sellers List for African Literature > New Releases. Currently, we are holding strong at number 12 and patiently awaiting our first review 🙂 lol.

Book Reviews

2017 saw a great increase in book reviews published to this blog, which I am proud of because I am always most excited at what I can do for others.(P.S. I have not forgotten about the Book Review Awards! Updates coming once everything has been organized.)

Here are the top 5 book reviews of this year (most shares, views, likes)

Black History Fun Facts

We were on a roll this year and managed to publish 19 articles as part of our Black History Fun Fact Friday series (which returns next year.) Here are some of our most popular posts of the year:

Week 35: A Brief History of Rae Riots in America

Week 22: The Attica Massacre

Week 30: Sundown Towns

Week 20: The Origins of Black History Month

Week 23: Mostafa Hefny

Week 32: Capturing the Good in Harlem

Week 33: Nora Holt

Collaborations

I must give credit where credit is due. This year, I collaborated with two amazing bloggers. Their support has greatly influenced the growth of this blog. Chris from The Story Reading Ape Blog and Danny from DreamBigDreamOften.

Follow Chris Here.

Follow Danny Here.

Guest Articles

I published a lot of guest articles this year and it has been my pleasure to be featured on so many awesome blogs. My 2 most popular posts were:

Top Countries that Supported this Blog:

  • United States
  • United Kingdom
  • India
  • Canada
  • Australia
  • Nigeria
  • Finland
  • Germany
  • South Africa
  • Italy

That’s all folks. See ya next year!

I am Soul, my short poetry collection of some of your favorite poems from this blog, is now available. CLICK HERE.

NOW AVAILABLE – I AM SOUL

CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR COPY OF I AM SOUL

Working Toward the Vision

I AM SOUL is now available (CLICK HERE). I am dog tired but this was fun. I wanted to release this on the low but it did better than I thought it would (still holding on at #11 in its category and this week, we got down to number 7. Not number one I know but you gotta crawl before you walk! I try to always appreciate the little things). This has been one challenging year for me and working part-time now meant I had to get up early to write and then stay up late to write. This book was birthed over cups of coffee, scripture reading, and glasses of wine. Birthed while folding laundry and frying chicken. I say this to say that when it comes to having your own, nothing compares but it takes more than just passion and dreams. It takes commitment. Passion means nothing without commitment. Every day I get up hours before I have to just to write or to blog or to do something for my business and I go to bed late doing the same thing. These are the critical, personal and private moments that matter the most. Over the years I’ve learned that growth is not always what you can see. These are the moments of growth. You may need to sacrifice sleep, that favorite TV show and movie night just to meet your deadline but in the end, you will be thankful that you put in this time.

My biggest accomplishments have not been broadcasted and it is because of these personal milestones that I’ve been capable of producing these books. Here’s to the entrepreneurs who are brave enough to work for themselves regardless of what they are going through personally. Here’s to those who do the work and in the process, bring forth fruit. YOU ARE SOUL.

 

I AM SOUL - Mock

CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR COPY OF I AM SOUL

How to Know if You’re a Hater

Don’t laugh.  I am serious. Some of you don’t know.

Anytime you see someone doing something positive and your first thought is, “But…” This is a sign that your a hater. Now, people can hate for different reasons but if your FIRST thought is BUT, there is some hatred there. Let’s look at some examples.

An author gets over 100 reviews.

“But I know some of those fake though.”

How? How do you know their reviews are fake? Have you conducted your own private investigation of this? Have you interviewed the reviewers to find out? How do you know for sure that this author’s reviews are not authentic?

A man gets a promotion on his job.

“But they not even paying him enough.”

How do you know if what he makes is enough for him (not for you) and if it’s not? Have you spent a night at his home? Have you spoken with his family? How do you know what’s enough for his family size and circumstance?

An author makes the Amazon Best Sellers, USA Today or New York Times List.

“But that don’t mean nothing for real. Anyone can make the Best Sellers list.”

Really? Anyone? Are you sure? How do you know what this means to this author? Have you done the research to verify that this achievement means nothing? Can’t this author just have their moment?

An Author makes it to #1 on Amazon with a book priced at only 99cents.

“But yo book was $0.99 though so your “Best Seller Status” don’t mean nothing.”

Again, how do you know? There are a gazillion books out today for 99cents. If an author makes it to #1, how do you know they didn’t earn it? Surely, they had to do something different than the other million authors with sales going on around this time at the same price. Have you investigated this particular author’s niche? Did they show you their marketing strategy? Do you know for sure if they’re gaming the system (as some do which is like, weak) but did you check to see if they fit those who do? Did you meet for dinner to discuss this? Do you know their circle and level of influence? No? OK.

A woman just gave birth and can’t help but post pictures on social media.

“But you shouldn’t be posting pictures of your baby like that.”

Can this new mother have her moment? We know there are predators out there but her children are fully clothed and she’s not abusing them. I know we don’t praise this type of stuff in this world today but can we, for a moment, understand the significance of this achievement? After all, none of us were in the hospital with her when she gave birth and I am sure we would not want to share her pain. Can she at least have this moment?

A man and woman celebrate their anniversary.

“But I heard he was cheating on her tho.”

Let the record reflect that the key word is “heard”. Have you investigated this for certain? Do you actually know this man and woman or have you just heard rumors? How do you know if he’s cheating on her? Where’s your evidence and two-three people to verify? You don’t? OK.

My point is, when you see someone doing something good whether that’s a new promotion or they just had a baby or got married your first response should not be negative. If you shake your head in the negative at their success (and even if it isn’t actually success to you maybe it is to them) then you fall into the hater category. OK so that author is maybe doing it wrong, can’t you at least partake in their happiness for a moment? You can always message them privately to school them, can’t you? No, they’re not sitting on Oprah’s couch and they’re not really “doing it big” but they wrote  a book and they’re happy, is that not enough?

My point is, and I don’t care who you are, if your FIRST reaction is to shake your head in the negative when you see other people happy (because they don’t fit your definition of ‘doing it right’), you’re a hater and should probably cut it out.

Matt. 7:1-2

Judge not, that ye be not judged.

2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

FYI: This scripture means that the same way you judge others is the same way you will be judged. If you are not compassionate on others, there will be no compassion for you when your time comes. Let’s treat others the way we would like to be treated.

Breaking: Readers Can expect a New Zora Neale Hurston Book in 2018

For those of you familiar with my latest novel, Renaissance, you know that Zora makes a guest appearance so I am excited to dig into her newest release from Harper Collins next year. It sounds like a powerful one. Here’s what’s going on:

HarperCollins will launch a never-before-published book by Zora Neale Hurston. Barracoon is a non-fiction work of anthropology, rather than a novel.

As Daniel Johnson writes for the Black Youth Project:

Barracoon tells the story of the last known person to survive the transatlantic slave trade, a man named Cudjo Lewis. Many know that Hurston was an acclaimed fiction writer, but here it is her work as an anthropologist that shines. Hurston was able to sit down in the Black community of Plateau, Alabama, which was founded by Cudjo Lewis and other ex-slaves from the ship that brought them to America, and talk with the then 95-year-old Lewis about his life in 1931.

The book’s name comes from the type of ship on which Lewis was held and brought to America. In Barracoon, Hurston captures, largely in Lewis’s own words, the horrors of his passage to America, the brutality of his time as an enslaved person in America, and the story of his life after the Civil War.

This sounds like it’s going to be a powerful read.

Click through the ORIGINAL ARTICLE here.

12 Life Lessons I Learned in 2017

photo-1473186505569-9c61870c11f9

  • Growth is painful, uncomfortable, and frustrating. It reveals the raw and aching part of us and demands our masks to fall so that we may accept who we truly are and what truly is. This is unpleasant and frightening but necessary because, without this kind of mental and physical suffering, we cannot grow.

 

  • Deceit lies, and lack of proper communication can destroy any relationship. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve known a person, how many secrets you’ve shared, how many deep conversations you’ve engaged in or how many tears you’ve shed, deception is a rotten fruit that contaminates weak foundations. No matter how embarrassing or silly, be upfront with the people you say that you love.

 

  • There is, sadly, a thing as being too nice. Energy is precious and we cannot risk being vulnerable to the first smile or positive comment that is thrown in our direction. Not in this world. While we can be positive examples, we must also accept that for some people it’s too late. They have been too far corrupted and will only trample our kindness and gossip about our weaknesses. Like the saying says, “Not everyone deserves a seat at the table of your life.” Discernment is key.

 

  • Let go of people who have let go of you. Do this without feeling ashamed, embarrassed or like you’ve done something wrong. Let go courageously. Without the need to explain yourself or to apologize for being misunderstood. People who have lied and betrayed you and left you out to rot will always make it seem that you are the person who is possessed and that you are the one who has done wrong. These are lies. In the words of Najwa Zebian, “shame lies on the person who takes advantage of a good heart.”

 

  • Laugh often and cry when necessary. Scream if you have to. Do not be ashamed. This is healing. Let the tears cleanse you.

 

  • It’s OK to be hurt, we’ve all been at some point, but don’t play the victim. Self-victimization paralyzes so that we have an excuse not to take responsibility for the lives that we live. We are always looking back on childhood, on past relationships and on failed circumstances as a crutch for why we are not the people we know that we should be. In the words of Pierre Jeanty, “When are you going to stop complaining about who you are now, because of who they were to you? You speak as an activist, yet live as a slave without a voice.” The past is our lesson. It is not our cage.

 

  • Do not work so hard to prove your sincerity. It will only come across as fake. There will always be people who do not accept you and to them, it does not matter how hard you try, you will never be enough. Forcing these people to understand you will do more harm than good. Don’t overdo it. Just be you.

 

  • Stop misinterpreting silence for whatever your imagination has made up. You don’t know what’s going on in people’s lives, why they have chosen not to respond or what circumstance held them up. Sometimes silence means people aren’t interested and that they don’t care but not all the time (though our doubt would have us to believe so.) Other times, silence means they don’t know how to respond or have not gotten around to it yet. Stop stressing over made-up mental scenarios.

 

  • Do not force locked doors to open. Sometimes it is just not the right time. If you break the door down, it will never be the same again. Remember the butterfly: If you force it out of its cocoon, it will never fly. It is not that this isn’t your door, it’s just not your time.

 

  • Do your own research and try things out for yourself. Experiment so that you know intimately what works and what does not work. Take risks and see what is legit and what is fabricated for yourself. Do this and you will not bend to every new opinion that surfaces.

 

  • Follow your own advice and show yourself the same love you so desperately seek from others. Give it to yourself first and then pour into the cups of those whose hearts are worthy. You are special so not everyone can receive what you have to give. Your love is not a game. Your love is a gift. Give it that distinction.

 

  • Never sacrifice your personal integrity for the sake of being “liked”. Don’t let people censor and edit your voice. If it doesn’t feel right, it’s not right. Walk away. Turn down whatever does not feel and taste and smell, like you.

Slavery in Libya

Deu 28:68 “And YAH shall bring you back to Egypt in ships, by a way of which I said to you, ‘You are never to see it again.’ And there you shall be sold to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one to buy.

“The United Nations (UN) revealed on Wednesday that hundreds of migrants from Nigeria and other West African countries passing through Libya enroute Europe are being bought and sold in what it described as modern-day slave markets before being held for ransom, forced labour or sexual exploitation.”

I haven’t had the chance to sit down and share my thoughts on the slavery taking place in Libya. I usually take my time with such things. I don’t want to echo what everyone else is saying or jump on bandwagons. I want to be logical, spiritual, and develop my own thoughts about it so I’ll just keep this short until then.

If you are new to what’s going on, The Slave Trade has basically reopened and Israelites, so-called Blacks / Africans, are being taken back into captivity throughout Libya. You can catch up on what’s going on HERE   and HERE.

Since I started this blog I’ve spoken about Slavery, the Enslaved and the horrors of this time. I talk a lot about The Civil Rights Movement, Jim Crow, Police Brutality, and the overall mistreatment of Blacks in America and the mistreatment of Blacks period. For three years now I’ve tried to give as much historical information as I am able to inform you of these things and in return, I get people who are tired of hearing about slavery. Tired of seeing movies and TV shows and reading books where slavery is present. We believe it is an eyesore that must be covered up and hidden underneath our beds. We want to forget about this time and sugar-coat the details. And when good men seek to help those who need it they are called dictators and thus removed from power.

Few people know that Khadafi tried to help Blacks in Libya before his death. He wanted to protect them and for this, he was called a dictator and killed while American’s cheered their ignorance in front of TV screens that told them lies. (Wag the Dog is a good movie on how TV often controls our perception of reality.)

If there is one thing we should know about slavery is this: At least we knew we were slaves and fought collectively for freedom. Today, we think we are free so we don’t fight anymore. It usually takes us to experience something as traumatic and tragic as this for us to understand and realize where we stand not just in America but all over the world.

While what’s going on in Libya is heartbreaking, I hope that finally, we can see why these stories are worth telling and why these reminders are still necessary. I keep saying there’s nothing new under the sun, that what has been done is what will be done, and that we should not be shocked but to pay close attention to what’s going on in the world. Our eyes may very well witness more tragedy and our hearts more pain.

(FYI: Black History Fun Fact Friday continues next week….been busy but I haven’t forgotten.)

Writers: Are You Ready To Sign With An Independent Publisher? Read This First #AmWriting

Yes Yes and Yes! I was just working on a guest article covering this same subject. Please, authors, do your research. Don’t let the perceived prestige of “being signed” get you scammed! Times have changed and there’s a lot you can do yourself.