Tag: pbs

The House Behind The Cedars

Good evening beautiful people,

I wanted to share with you a book I read a while ago as I began organizing and researching for Beyond The Colored Line.

As many of you know, I am preparing to release a short story soon that deals with the concept of passing: when a member of one ethnic group passes as a member of another ethnic group. Most notably, when an African American who appears European passes, or pretends, to belong to that race.

This has been a phenomenal experience exploring history, and I’ve had the opportunity to come across some decent reading material. One of the books I read is The House Behind The Cedars by Charles W. Chesnutt, who was, interestingly enough, light enough himself to pass and did on occasion. Chesnutt’s paternal Grandfather, Waddell Cade, was a white slaveholder, and his Grandmother, Ann Chesnutt, Cade’s mistress, was a free Black woman.

The book is about a brother and sister, John and Rena Walden, two African Americans, who decide to cross the colored line by pretending to be white to claim and maintain their portion of the American dream.

The book was first published in 1900 and revealed how deep self-hatred could be for a people lost to true identity. It shows the extent to which some are willing to go to keep secrets hidden and what they are willing t

o endure to be part of the American fabric to which they believe they are entitled.

It also showcases how the depth of childhood exposure and teachings play a part in one’s perception, not just of the world, but of one’s own self.

Without revealing too much, Chesnutt surpassed race in general and also included status. No one would choose to be poor or hungry, Black or white, and I find this is the basis on which many of my ancestors who did pass built their logic.

Still, what price is one willing to pay to live the American dream?

And is it the American Dream, real? Is it a real thing, or is it a perception?

#Ronovan Writes #BeWoW Weekly Blog share – Positive Quotes

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As I thought about what to write for today’s #BeWoW, I struggled a bit. What is left to be said week after week about positivity? And what purpose does this light afford us? I started to list some of my favorite positive quotes, but it somehow did not seem sufficient. I’m all for happy endings but I also do not want to bore you. Quotes are cool, but they only go so far. And since I already indulged in some “quoting” today, I didn’t want to overdo it. So I sat here and I thought and instead of being my normal speedy gonzales self, I embraced the patience and thought some more. I even let my thoughts roam to other things, did some cleaning, ran some errands and gave this post a rest for a while. And as I did so, I realized how much a day can change from one to another. I thought about how different yesterday was for me than today and how far away last week seems to be from today. I thought about how I felt in the recent past and how it affected the present future. I thought about how easy it is to feel angry or sad one moment and excited and joyful the next. How simple it is to be spun into a wide range of emotions in one moment and to be relaxed and content the next. In this I understood how important it is to find and embrace the positive moments in our life. As a result, I do have a positive quote to share, but only one. And I hope that it gives you the serenity, courage, positivity, and strength you need to continue through to the rest of the week:

“The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively.”

― Bob Marley

Writer’s Quote Wednesday – Richard Wright

I missed you guys last week! I feel soo behind. Now, enough whining. 🙂

For today’s episode of Writer’s Quote Wednesday, I take my inspiration from one of my favorite authors, Richard Wright:

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Yes indeed. Richard Wright is another one of my favorite authors (Native Son was simply amazing, a powerful read) and his words speak truth. I try to keep in mind, when I’m writing, that the constant understanding of self; the appreciation of self, and the confidence, not with conceit but with courage, are not optional for success; it is needed. While the defining moment of what that success entails varies, I know that my writing career hinges, in large part, to what I believe I can do. If I believe it is possible to write a novel, that I can do. If I do not believe it is possible, that I will not do. And so, I am only limited by that which I limit myself. I can choose to starve myself out of the endless possibilities before me, or I can feed on them and grow as a writer. Who I am always and must be illuminated in everything that I do. The moment it doesn’t and I, for whatever reason, begin to sacrifice that self-realization, everything I have will begin to diminish. I will be then in a kind of literary poverty.

Novelist Richard Wright, photographed in New York City, March 21, 1945, just after publication of his autobiography,
Novelist Richard Wright, photographed in New York City, March 21, 1945 (AP Photo/Robert Kradin)

About The Author:

African-American writer and poet Richard Wright was born on September 4, 1908, in Roxie, Mississippi, and though he was only able to get a ninth grade education, he loved reading and eventually published his first short story at the age of 16. Later, he found employment with the Federal Writers Project and received critical acclaim for Uncle Tom’s Children, a collection of four stories. He’s well known for the 1940 bestseller Native Son and his 1945 autobiography Black Boy. Wright died in Paris, France, on November 28, 1960.

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That’s it for this weeks installment of Writer’s Quote Wednesday. Would you like to join us? Click the pic to find out how!

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Why I Reblog

Some of you have probably noticed a new trend on The PBS Blog. Other than my obviously awesome posts (lol), I have been doing a lot more re-blogs lately. So I thought it would be a great idea to list why. While some blogs are completely made up of re blogs and others only do it sparingly, I have recently began to enjoy re-blogging others. I know some people think it’s a cop-out, but there are actually some of us out there who genuinely love doing it and truthfully, it’s not because we want to draw more attention to our own blogs. One thing I’ve noticed is that my blog gets the least attention from re-blogs. So, why do I do it? Here’s why:

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1. Its fun to share other peoples work. It gives my readers a larger range of content outside my own perspective. I also love the feeling I get from helping to promote other blogs.

2. Its an easier way to network from my phone when I’m out and about. I can still be reachable and extend my hand even when I’m not near the PC. I was able to, believe it or not, type this out on my phone, save it as a draft, and publish it later on my PC. A great routine for those with super busy schedules. Draft it out on that smart phone (it’s supposed to be smart right??), save, and publish.

3. Some information is just too important to keep to myself. Re blogs is a great way to share marketing and promotion ideas, tips, DIY, recipes, funny articles, lists, etc.

4. Its an easy way to provide my readers with content when I don’t have much to say myself. It also introduces them to other blogs. Like I said, sounds like a cop-out I know, but when you look at it, not from the perspective of views for your own blog, but from the perspective of helping someone else blog get views, then it’s a really good thing because your readers are still getting that content even if their eyes are glued to someone else wall. The point is to help someone else like you would want them to help you.

And finally, it’s fun. Which I already said but I think I’ll say it again just so you know this is not some marketing scheme or tactic to get more views, I actually enjoy re-blogging (although to a certain extent. This blog isn’t made up, obviously, of complete re-blogs).

So, why do you re-blog? Feel free to share!

Beyond The Colored Line – Book Trailer Release

So, as many of you are already aware, I am preparing to release a Short Story titled “Beyond The Colored Line” this summer. As May crawls to an end, and we enter what we like to refer to as the official month of summer, my manuscript is finally in the hands of my editor. Meanwhile, while Stella gets a make-over, I will be busy promoting her grand arrival. So without further procrastination, below is the final release of the Book Trailer. Just click the Lights Camera, Action image to be taken to my author website to view the video.

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Thank you for your support!