Summertime and the reading list is easy!

Summer escaped my grasp.  The kids are back in school, college coursework began last Monday, and pools close in less than a week.

The sun is still in charge, paralyzing migraine sufferers while they drive on the interstate.  Air conditioners and ceiling fans hum to keep us cool and comfortable.

Meanwhile, that stack of summer reads is still sitting on the ottoman in the living room.  We were ambitious and set out to read our list, the library's list, Oprah's list, and our kid's list. Oh what a summer. And then there are the magazines. The May issues we never got to read, with outdated summer fashion advice and recipes.

The good news: we can play summer for one more week!!! Grab the stack of magazines and one of the books on the ottoman, mix up your favorite summer drink, and head to the pool.  Go easy on yourself. It's the summer after all, well what's left of it.

At the Corner of Historical Memory and the Documented Past

At the intersection of historical memory and the documented past, we find ourselves searching for the truth of our ancestors' shared experiences. We hope the realization of this truth allows us to recognize that shared humanity, pushing us past the slogans and clichés, and images the mainstream has conjured for us to believe. We are just beginning to unveil this truth, if only our hearts and minds were ready.

Join in this journey this fall at the Missouri History Museum's Slavery at Jefferson's Monticello: Paradox of Liberty

Peace,
Vy

2013 Irene Eveland Award Recipient

Irene Eveland Award 2013
34th Annual St. Louis Storytelling Festival
May 1-4, 2013

I won the new talent award. 

Click on the following link for the press release
http://www.prlog.org/12120607-st-louis-storytelling-festival-announces-irene-eveland-award-recipient.html

Join in the fun and post your comments!!!

Who are your favorite storytellers?

Can't wait to read that one...

Glorious by Bernice L. McFadden, is available earlier on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. Move Glorious from your summer reading list to your spring break reading list. Switch Glorious to your April book club selection.



I was pleasantly suprised with an update email from Amazon.com. I pre-ordered the new book, Glorious, from writer Bernice L. McFadden expecting a May shipment. The shipment has been moved up to the last week of March. I can't help but think all the pre-orders prompted the distributor to release the book early. I very seldom pre-order. You don't get charged; however, I just always wait until the actual release date. Clicking that pre-order button along with other McFadden followers showed the publishers and distributors just how interested we are in high quality literature by African American women, particularly Bernice L. McFadden.



Reading Glorious? Join naki, Bernice L. McFadden's blog, goodreads.com and request to join "Vysvoice" bookclub.







Order your copy today.

Reading King

We have reduced Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to four words, "I Have A Dream".

As the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Holiday is celebrated this year, take some time to get to know the man and the movement behind those words.

Check out the Listmania list Essential Reading For A King on Goodreads.

To Move the Past or Not to Move the Past, That Is Question

The documentary, Moving Midway, will challenge your views of the legacy of slavery, the purpose of preservation, and the definition of family.

Watch the documentary with your family, book club, or preservation organization. We each have a unique vantage point based on our unique experiences, culture, background, geography, heritage, wealth, and sense of community.

The Story Through Dance

Some of us tell stories using our words, some of us tell stories using the oils on canvas, some of us beat the drum and call out in song, gasping for another breath, holding onto a note until tears fall from the eyes of people who witness our telling.



Perhaps the most beautiful and powerful way to tell a story is through the art of dance. Arms, legs, and muscles move the air and we see heatwaves between people caught in a trance. Would the performers tell the story the same way if we were not watching? Are we voyers, peering in on the expressive interaction between dancers. The performance is intimate between the dancers. They really do not need us. We are the spectators. We are stopping to affect ourselves and be moved. We sit still in awe. The dancers sweat and exhaust themselves. We sit still in amazement trying to anticipate the next move asking ourselves who in our lives do we trust. Everyone will leave the performance affected. The dancers will know how hard they worked. The choreographer will want to change something to make it better. The audience will leave inspired.



Next Friday, I am attending the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company's production, Fondly Do We Hope...Fervently Do We Pray, at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill's Carolina Performing Arts Center.

I do not know what to expect. The production imagines a world "what if". If Lincoln had completed his second term in office, then what world would we have created? Fondly Do We Hope...Fervently Do We Pray imagines such a world.

In conjuction with the production is the exhibit, Jacob Lawrence and The Legend of John Brown, at the Ackland Art Museum.

How will I be affected? I will let you know after the performance.