The Confessions of Rick James - “Memoirs Of A Super Freak” by Rick James

icon1 Posted by LITERARY HEAT in TOP20 HEATLIST on 04 28th, 2007 | 20 Comments

 The Confessions of Rick James - “Memoirs Of A Super Freak” by Rick James (Colossus Books, ISBN# 978-0-9790976-3-8 / 0-9790976-3-0, $18.95, 350 Pages, Trade Paperback, Photos) scheduled for U.S. publication May 2007.  

MEDIA

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Sex and drugs and rock and roll

 There is no modern myth more potent or seductive. The dream of rock stardom, of unlimited adulation and unbridled excess, exerts a fascination that has sold countless books, sparked scores of movie and television productions and fueled endless speculation: is the scene backstage, in the back of the limo and back at the hotel suite really as wild, as shocking and as scandalous as the whispered rumors suggest?The answer to hear Rick James tell it, can be simply summed up ‘You ain’t heard nothin yet.’  While the superstar’s customized version of the old saying might be ’sex and drugs and funk & soul,’ the fact remains that no rock icon, no overnight sensation, no rags to riches tale or saga of sin and redemption can come close to the incredible life, lived to the hilt of James Ambrose Johnson, Jr.  Simply put, in the super freaky world of Rick James the sex is steamier, the drugs more potent, the consumption more conspicuous and the music more explosive than any of a dozen other celebrities, dead or alive. 

To fans of sassy and savvy urban music, the name Rick James will forever be associated with the mainstream emergence of Funk - that bottom heavy blend of rock and soul that sparked a multi-racial musical revolution in the 80’s and continues to be a prime component in everything from rap to raves, punk to progressive rock. In direct line of decent from James Brown and Motown, Little Richard and Jimi Hendrix, Rick James almost single handedly pioneered a Funk fusion that reached across racial boundaries and united a massive international audience in a get down celebration that
resonates to this day.

  

It’s a claim backed up by his extraordinary track record a dozen Top Ten hits; ten albums with Motown, advances of more than one million dollars per album; twenty five Top Forty singles; six gold platinum and multi-platinum albums; a musical family that included such major hit acts as The Mary Jane Girls, The Stone City Band, Teena Marie and others, all masterminded by this diversely talented and multi-faceted artist.  Rick James’ live act set new standards for showmanship and spectacle and his prodigious creativity in the studio puts him among a handful of popular music’s true innovators.  Everyone from Michael Jackson to Prince to any of a dozen of today’s gangsta rap poets owe an artistic debt to this true original. “You And I;” “Mary Jane;” “Bustin Out;” “Give it To Me Baby;” “Super Freak;” “Cold Blooded;” “17;” “Ebony Eyes;” the catalog of Rick James hits reads like a highlighted history of popular music over the past two decades. Small wonder that among the numerous trophies that adorned his mantle was the music industry’s prestigious Grammy Award.But Rick James’ reputation revolves around much more than his incredible recorded output.  At a time when pop’s biggest stars were known as much for over the top lifestyles as top of the chart hits, Rick James went further and faster, with more flash and panache than virtually anyone else in the checkered history of the music scene.  A legendary sexual athlete, a brazen drug user, a celebrity constantly at the center of conflict and controversy, Rick James lived the rock roll lifestyle with a vengeance.  And paid the price.

For the millions who know Rick James through his music, there still are more who only know his name from the lurid headlines generated by his 1993 criminal trials - headlines that screamed charges of assault with a
deadly weapon, aggravated mayhem, kidnapping, drug possession and even torture.  As with every other aspect of his outrageous saga, when Rick’s karma finally caught up with him, it was under the relentless glare of public scrutiny.  With his personal demons on display for the whole world to see, Rick’s fall from grace was as steep and dizzying as his climb to the top.A stiff prison sentence followed his felony convictions and Rick James seemed to have crashed and burned once and for all. The horrific details of his crack cocaine addiction, his insatiable appetite for kinky sex and his penchant for making powerful music business enemies - from MTV to Motown Records - were all magnified under the pitiless media microscope and, his proven talents notwithstanding, his career had careened uncontrollably into oblivion.


But, through the lessons of a lifetime of perseverance, Rick James had learned to never say never.  Publicly disgraced, a convicted criminal, bankrupt and destitute, with true friends he could count on the fingers of one hand, he nevertheless saw opportunity where others would find only despair.  He used his three years behind bars to make some of the best music of his career and to write, for the first time the astonishing story of his rise and fall, determined to confess the unvarnished truth in every detail, naming names and sparing no one, least of all himself, in his own amazing tale on a Iife of sex and drugs and music that changed the world.The result is The Confessions of Rick James - “Memoirs Of A Super Freak” by Rick James which promises to be one of the most honest and unflinching looks at life in the fast lane ever written. With “Memoirs Of A Super Freak” Rick James has written the ultimate tell-all confessional with the emphasis on the ‘all.’  Alternately titillating and soul searching hair raising and heart breaking, “Memoirs Of A Super Freak” is everything a major celebrity memoir should be; a long look behind the tinsel curtain of fame into the private lives and closely guarded secrets of the glitterati: an unflinching bare-knuckled account of who did what to whom in bed, on stage, and between the legal lines.  The stars with walk-on parts in the Rick James story are on the A list just, as the incidents and anecdotes he relates are on the blacklist.  “Memoirs Of A Super Freak” in short makes for some very juicy reading by a man who once called himself “the black Marquis de Sade.”

Of course no account of the life and time of Rick James would be complete without a celebration of his music, and in “Memoirs Of A Super Freak” for the first time, he reveals the in-studio stories behind his biggest hits, from the inspiration for “17″ to the off the cuff bass riff for “Super Freak” that would become the hook heard round the world.  A delight to the many fans of Funk and a rich resource for any history of modern pop, the musical facets of Super Freak offer a rare glimpse at the creative process of an authentic original.
Yet remarkably, what is most openly revealed in the pages of this often poignant biography, is the restless search of a man looking for love, and truth, in all the wrong places and discovering, along the way, wisdom,
compassion, self esteem and spiritual awareness.

It was a process that would bring Rick James to the brink of madness and back, miraculously, to the bonds of a caring and connected family life, in an odyssey that underscores his lifelong quest for the ties that bind. The all too typical product of a broken ghetto home deserted by his father and left largely to himself by a mother too busy making meager ends meet.  Rick, early on, developed a deeply rooted desire for the security and support that only a family can provide.  Across the years that followed he would try to create that family for himself - first through his strong creative links with fellow musicians, many of whom he not only discovered, but nurtured and sustained throughout their careers; then through a series of intense and ultimately self-destructive love affairs, as he searched for fulfillment with women interested, only too often in his superstar status; then as the architect of an impressive business and entertainment enterprise, with scores of employees and the inevitable coterie of hangers-on, yes-men and professional friends.

Along the way, Rick’s star status would increasingly estrange him from his real family, an extended clan of brothers and sisters, cousins and kin all caught up in an internecine web of paranoia and betrayal, jealousy, and double-dealing that would eventually rob him of the one thing all his adulation and accomplishments could never provide - a sense of belonging.  That void at the center of his life would eventually drive him to the depths of depravity, as he looked for a yet another family among the pimps and players the drug dealers and hardcore hustlers that gathered around him like moths to a glittering flame.  The bitter ironies that defined his life have been played out time and again in tales of the rich and famous - the very talent and charisma that drew so many into his orbit would finally isolate him from the human touch he so longed for.  But rarely has the age-old cautionary tale been so starkly drawn, or in such harrowing detail.


The end came with two high profile assault cases the details of which will be revealed for the first time in “Memoirs Of A Super Freak” - a term in prison where surprisingly, Rick finally made a connection among the lifers and three time losers who shared his hard time behind bars.  It was a de-facto family whose unlikely friendship and loyalty provided him with a chance to reevaluate his life and lay hold, once again, of his destiny discovering rich inner resources in the process.

And waiting for him on the day of his release was the one woman who can lay undisputed claim to living out the vow she would make on their wedding day, “For better or for worse.” Former call girl and crack cocaine
addict, Tanya Hijazi has shared many of the darkest chapters in the Rick James saga: midnight cruises down Sunset Blvd., trawling for fresh sex partners: hosting the open ended orgies played out behind the walls of Rick’s sprawling Mulholland Drive estate, where whores and high rollers, slumming celebrities and psychic vampires cavorted through nightmarish interludes that often ended in acts of shocking violence: running scared through the back alleys of South Central LA, while TV screens flashed the mug shots of a fugitive rock star and his beautiful-partner-in crime: descending into the nether realms of cocaine insanity, when days bled to weeks behind windows covered in aluminum foil: facing the consequences as Rick’s co-defendant in the trials that put them both behind bars.

Yet through it all, Rick and Tanya’s love endured and, following their release and parole the couple slowly, and often painfully, began to build a new life together, centered this time around their young son Tazman.  It was Rick James’ last chance - and he held on for dear life.


It’s there that “Memoirs Of A Super Freak” both ends and begins.  After all the sexual capers and drug delirium, the fortunes won, lost, and won, the double crosses and dangerous liaisons, what comes across most powerfully in “Memoirs Of A Super Freak” is the voice of a man who has learned, the hardest way, from his mistakes and survived to tell the tale, with humor and humanity, an open heart and a vibrant soul.
“Memoirs Of A Super Freak” comes at a time when the artist himself had re-emerged triumphantly into the spotlight.  Signing to Mercury Records in 1997, he released the best selling ‘Urban Rhapsody,’ his first new album in almost ten years, and reintroduced himself to audiences with a subsequent national tour.  Just before he passed away in 2004, Rick had completed a new album, scheduled for release in May 2007.  The single ‘Deeper Still’ on Stone City Records, dropped February 2007, and was immediately added to radio in over thirty markets.  The film rights to his life story have been sold, with a theatrical release set for 2008.  His autobiography The Confessions of Rick James - “Memoirs Of A Super Freak” by Rick James will be published May 2007 by Colossus Books an Imprint of Amber Communications Group, Inc. As the poet William Blake once wrote “The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.  In “Memoirs Of A Super Freak,” Rick James will walk that road one step at a time, one more time, with us.For further information or Individual retail orders please contact Colossus Books:  Toll Free: 1-866-566-3144, 602-243-3144, or Order Online: WWW.AMBERBOOKS.COM  /  Email: amberbk@aol.com

Bookstores / libraries / wholesalers / distributors, contact Independent Publishers Group (IPG) 814 North Franklin Street, Chicago, IL 60610 - 312-337-0747 or 1-800-888-4741 directly for ordering. www.ipgbook.com

  

Press/Review copies:  Contact - Cynthia Horner - Cinnamon CHIPS - 732-406-4093 - Email: hornercynthia@yahoo.com

   

Rick James Media Office: Contact - Rick Scott - Great Scott P.R.oductions - 310- 306-0375 - greatscottproductions@earthlink.net

Visit WWW.AMBERBOOKS.COM to see the complete ACGI collection. 

Amber Communications Group, Inc., 1334 E. Chandler Blvd., Suite 5-D67, Phoenix, AZ 85048

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Literary Diva Toni Morrison to be honored by African Voices Magazine-Attend event- May 5th

icon1 Posted by LITERARY HEAT in TOP20 HEATLIST on 04 21st, 2007 | 39 Comments

What: Tribute to Toni Morrison at Columbia University

When: Saturday, May 5 at 5:00PM

Where: Columbia University
116th & Broadway (Lerner Hall)
New York NY 10027
646-229-1711

Event Description:
On Saturday, May 5, 2007, African Voices, the premier Black
literary arts magazine, will present a musical and poetic
tribute to Nobel prize-winning author and humanitarian Toni
Morrison. Ms. Morrison will be in attendance and will be the
recipient of the organization’s Ellie Charles Artists Awards
for her contributions to the literary community. Actor Avery
Brooks will serve as the Master of Ceremonies for a poetic and
musical tribute to Ms. Morrison. The program is a benefit for
African Voices, a non-profit literary magazine that sponsors
readings, the Reel Sisters Film Festival and other cultural
events. The reception begins at 5:30 pm and awards ceremony
starts at 6:30 pm at Columbia University, Lerner Hall (116th
St. & Broadway).

Arrangements are being made for Toni Morrison to take a group
picture with all BWGA members who attends this event.

Currently there are less that 20 discounted tickets at a low
price of $100 only for online members of BWGA here on Meetup.
com. All others can contact African Voices magazine for
individual tickets at $150 & $125. Your ticket through BWGA
entitles you to one seat at one of two tables reserved for
Black Writers Guild of America. Call Mark Anthony now at 718-
993-2999 to make arrangements to hold one or two seats for the
Toni Morrison event on May 5th, 2007.

To R.S.V.P. for this event …CLICK FOLLOWING LINK
http://africanamerauth.meetup.com/40/

Ellie Charles Artists Awards is named after the organization’s
first chairperson Eleanor “Ellie” Charles who dedicated her
life to supporting the arts, education and young people. In
1998, the late legendary photographer Gordon Parks became the
first artist to receive African Voices distinguished artist
award. Past Ellie Award recipients are actress/activist Ruby
Dee and award-winning authors Walter Mosley and Wole Soyinka,
poets Sonia Sanchez, Jessica Care Moore-Poole and Amiri Baraka,
Imhotep Gary Byrd, theater/film producer Voza Rivers and
actress Phyllis Yvonne Stickney.

Ms. Morrison was a close friend of Ellie Charles and it is a
great privilege for African Voices to bestow its award to the
beloved author.

We are deeply honored to present the award in Ellie’s name
because of the special bond they shared and the magic both
women possess. Ellie and Toni have a special way of
transforming people’s lives through their words and actions,
said African Voices publisher Carolyn A. Butts. They have
inspired us to believe that anything is possible through faith,
action and courage.

Ms. Morrison is one of the most influential writers in American
literary history. The following is a brief summary of her long
list of accomplishments.

BIOGRAPHY: TONI MORRISON

Toni Morrison is the Robert F. Goheen Professor Emeritus in the
Council of the Humanities at Princeton University.

Ms. Morrison has degrees from Howard and Cornell Universities.
She was appointed the Robert F. Goheen Professor at Princeton
University spring 1989, a post she held until 2006. Among the
universities where she has held teaching posts are Yale, Bard
College and Rutgers. The New York State Board of Regents
appointed her to the Albert Schweitzer Chair in the Humanities
at the State University of New York at Albany in 1984. In 1988
she was the Obert C. Tanner Lecturer at the University of
Michigan, Ann Arbor, and the Jeannette K. Watson Distinguished
Professor at Syracuse University. In 1990 she delivered the
Clark Lectures at Trinity College, Cambridge, and the Massey
Lectures at Harvard University. In 1994 she held the
International Cordorcet Chair at the Ecole Normale Superieure
and College de France.

Her eight major novels, The Bluest Eye, Sula, Song of Solomon,
Tar Baby, Beloved, Jazz, Paradise and Love have received
extensive critical acclaim. She received the National Book
Critics Award in 1978 for Song of Solomon and the 1988 Pulitzer
Prize for Beloved. Both novels were chosen as the main
selections for the Book of the Month Club in 1977 and 1987
respectively. In 2006 Beloved was chosen by the New York Times
Book Review as the best work of American fiction published in
the last quarter-century. Ms. Morrison co-authored the
children’s books Remember, the Who’s Got Game? series, The Book
of Mean People and The Big Box. Her books of essays include
Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination;
the edited collection Race-ing Justice, En-Gendering Power:
Essays on Anita Hill, Clarence Thomas, and the Construction of
Social Reality; and the co-edited collection Birth of a Nation
hood: Gaze, Script, and Spectacle in the O.J. Simpson Case.

Click link below for more details…
http://www.africanvoices.com/

Tribute & Dinner Fee: $100.00 per person

EVENT ALERT- AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL TODAY!-CONNECT WITH FILM INDUSTRY!

icon1 Posted by LITERARY HEAT in TOP20 HEATLIST on 04 3rd, 2007 | No Comments

 

Starting this Wednesday! 

The 14th
New York African Film Festival:Celebrating 50 Years of
Independence and Cinema! 

The African Film Festival joyously commemorates the 50th anniversary of the independence of
Ghana (the first sub Saharan African nation to gain independence from colonial rule) with a selection of remarkable and inspiring cinema  

 

April 4th – April 12th; April 20th - 21st; May 25th -28th MANHATTAN * THE BRONX *
BROOKLYN 

***Be sure not to miss our special screening of Ossie Davis’ film Kongi’s Harvest*** 

This Wednesday, April 4th at 6:30 pm! With Guest of Honor Ruby
Dee  

The acclaimed actress, civil rights activist, and
Davis’ wife for over 50 years will present the film. Ms. Dee will be introduced by S. Epatha Merkerson, Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning actress and star of Law and Order. 

Kongi’s Harvest with Interview with Ossie DavisKongi’s HarvestOssie Davis, Nigeria/USA, 1970; 85m After deposing the king, the dictator of a fictional African country endeavors to bring his people into the 20th century in this political satire based on a play by Nobel Prize-winner Wole Soyinka. The dictator uses every means possible, not all of them honest, to attain his goal of uniting his nation, which is largely comprised of different tribes. He even consults the dethroned king. Among his controversial policies is an order forcing his officials to wear traditional African clothing, in an effort to save his country’s cultural roots. The late Ossie Davis’ fine-tuned direction found the perfect balance between political satire and outright comedy for this excellent screen adaptation of a major work by one of
Africa’s finest writers.FOLLOWED BYInterview with Ossie Davis on Kongi’s HarvestCity
Cinematheque, USA, 2002; 30mOssie Davis and Jerry Carlson of City Cinematheque discuss  Kongi’s Harvest. 

Following the screening of Kongi’s Harvest and in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Ghana’s Independence,  the 2007 NYAFF proudly presents the works of John Akomfrah, one of Ghana’s most progressive filmmakers, who will be present to introduce the films and hold a Q&A after the following screening:  

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4th - 9:00PM:
GHANA’S POLITICAL EXPERIMENTS: Shorts ProgramAfrican Footsteps  - US PremiereJohn Akomfrah, Ghana/UK, 1995; 25mPopular personalities undertake journeys in an African travelogue series; comedian David Baddiel goes on a spoof safari to the
Etosha
National Park in
Namibia.FOLLOWED BY CPP Welcome Freed LeaderArchival Newsreel, Gold Coast (
Ghana), 1951; 46sConvention People’s Party leader Kwame Nkrumah is released from prison following The Gold Coast’s election.FOLLOWED BY
Ghana CelebratesArchival
Newsreel, Ghana, 1957; 1mLong Live
Ghana! Fishermen, beauty queens and the Duchess of Kent join Kwame Nkrumah in celebrating the first black African nation’s independence.FOLLOWED BY TestamentJohn Akomfrah, Ghana/UK, 1988; 80mA film about cultural and spiritual exile, dispossession and recovering personal memory in areas of public and collective chaos.  The film addresses the decline of Ghanaian political optimism which came with independence in 1957 and the subsequent pessimism which has characterized Ghanaian politics and civilian life since the collapse of the Nkrumah regime in 1966. (‘Semaine de la Critique’, Cannes Film Festival; Grand Prix at the Rimini International Film Festival, Rimini, Italy, 1988;  Special Jury Award for First Drama, India, 1988;Special Jury Prize at the African Film Festival of Perugia, 1989;  Honourable Mention at the San Francisco International Film Festival, 1989; Special Mention for the Use of Archive Film and Music at FESPACO)*filmmaker present for Q&A after screening 

 ________________________________________________________________________________________ 

Other Festival Highlights Include: 

 

*a selection of rare archival footage showing newly independent nations celebrating their liberation! 

*Award winning New Works by talented directors who represent the future of African cinema! 

*Mid-Career Retrospective—The distinctive films of Burkinabè director Fanta Regina Nacro 

*
Africa Unite!  Exclusive Preview Screening of a work-in-progress by Stephanie Black:  with very special guests Rita and Kymani Marley 

*“Ethiopia: Then and Now”—Ethiopian films including 2007 Berlin Film Festival Crystal Bear Award , 2007 FESPACO and
Milan Film Festival short film prizewinner Menged, by Daniel Taye Workou. 

* Photography Exhibit - “African Cinema in Pictures,” photographs by Antoine Tempé and Stephan Zaubitzer 

 

… And much, much MORE! …. 

 

FOR A COMPLETE LISTING OF FILMS, SCHEDULE & TO PURCHASE TICKETS, VISIT: www.africanfilmny.org 

Also, dont forget to check out our special sneak peek of items available for biding during our opening night gala silent auction, now on our website!

Harlem World Magazine’s An Evening with Authors hosted by Senior Editor Troy Johnson) AALBC.com is a SUCCESS!

icon1 Posted by LITERARY HEAT in TOP20 HEATLIST on 04 3rd, 2007 | 1 Comment

 Full Story: HW Celebrates Harlem Lit

by Heather Covington

 

http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=irifc5bab.0.78cbb6bab.tgualzn6.640&ts=S0231&p=http://www.harlemworldmag.com/

 

It’s 6pm. I am busy replying to my emails, anxious  to complete Literary Dons,  and wondering if I left anyone out. I’ve been meditating, occupying my mind with nervous energy. It’s apparent to everyone. These are mannerisms I am unable to hide to my base.

Call & Post Newspaper, a publication since 1916 just shouted me out for leaving out Connie Briscoe and Kimberla Lawson Roby in Literary Divas, but I could not ask for a bigger publication to represent me in a full article thanks to Rhonda Chowder, staff writer. Darn it. They are definately 2 of my favorite divas. Will I be able to face these divas if I see them again?

 My conscious is eating away at me. There are other people I forgot to add like Dr. Milligan. I sigh because I know I am human, and not God. There are new divas….these thoughts are nerve wrecking. I got to get out of my house. How do I get to the River Room of Harlem? Ugh, I don’t drive anywhere. Not spoiled either, just use to being driven around, that’s all. Definately not helpless, but I get nervous about driving.

 Hum, I am reading the flyer for the event by Daniel Tinsdale, owner of Harlem World Magazine.   The NY Times says, “The River Room’s view is magic…” Okay, let me internalize where I am going. Where is the Riverbank State Park? Oh 145th street. That’s nice. The bridge has been taken down according to my resources. So I head up Allerton Avenue to the Grand Concourse and drive up to 161st street.

 I turn left at the end of the hill and venture over the 155th street bridge to St. Nicholas. It’s 6:59. There is valet parking, but I am quizzing the patron and asking if I should trust leaving my whole set of keys. There are 20 in all. Don’t ask me why. I just know that I am on time and have reached The River Room on Riverbank State Park & 145th St., (www.theriverroomofharlem.com).
“Tonught is an exclusive celebration of Harlem literature and the hottest authors who define it hosted by Troy Johnson, Harlem World senior book editor and founder of the AALBC.com (African American Literary Book Club), and Malaika Adero, Simon and Schuster Editor and Founder of the UpSouth Book Festival. With HW Wedding Issue 2007 Cover Model Noella Coursaris. ”

I greet Malaika Adero, one of the best editors on the market period. I got a de’ja’vu moment having worked with Malaika on the Harlem Book Fair Advisory Board and heaving to her direction for mapping out a sucessful event back in 2005. It was Malaika who envisioned planting a Zane Tour bus right in the middle of the Harlem Book Fair. Zane brought out thousands of fans.

Malaika never told me she was an author. I researched the editor for my Editorial Divas section of Literary Divas, and well and behold, the editor is a critically acclaimed writer of a Zora Neale Hurston anthology,  among other works. I am honored to be a guest speaker side-by-side this phenomenal  literary great.  We discuss hair issues before the event begins. I tell her I am going to let my hair lock soon if it keeps growing so rapidly. I can’t handle the length, but Malaika has a nice texture that handles long locks  well. Someone calls us real life divas.

My heart begins to beat…. there’s Ghetto Hickson. The guy with a dimple on his left side of his cheek or is it the right? I just know he is the man the ladies have been talking about and the fab writer of Ghetto Heat. He is one urban poet who crossed over with an urban vibe and commanding the attention of the literary world. He has appeared on the cover of Harlem World Magazine and now debuts his next novella, Skate On. He’s poised, got clout, very confident and about to take over, but very laid back, crazy humble and poised for success.

I am looking for the other guest speakers tonight like Norma Jean Darden author of Spoon Bread & Strawberry Wine and owner of  Spoonbread restaurant. It’s 7:10pm. There he is. Relentless Aaron effortlessly glides in the door with this aura that is powerful and commanding. He’s the author of PUSH and he’s got a new contract with St. Martins Press. Lately rumor has it, he’s an author with G-Unit Books. He talks the talk and walks the walk, has a tumultuous past, but is not this hardcore acting guy as perceived when you read his books and visit his website. He’s an entrepreneur, clearly focused and a reigning author with over 30 books to his credit and still has an empire of Relentless Content to produce from movies and assisting other authors with publishing to several franchises. He will never leave the streets. He’s the literati who knows how to connect to his base and stay grounded. Can’t say his deameanor at seminars is the same on the streets. Everyone respects him, people go up to him to shake his hand. The ladies tense up. Relentless has arrived. I have on a pen-striped blazer, and dig this, he has on a penstripe jersey. Now that is a big coincedence.

The evening begins with a full house. Very upscale folks trickle in and seats are comfortably filled. A warm setting with interchanging light settings are captured. Eventhough I am speaking, I never give up the opportunity to catch rising stars at their best with one of my numerous cameras. I respect folks because I know how hard it is to get to the top. What I admire is how the people guest speaking tonight chose a unique path and defied all obstacles. The house photographer, Julian Darwell, won a copy of Literary Divas I had signed by all guests.

I forget that I am an author and entertain my promoter side without fail giving shout outs to very familiar faces.

Don’t want to leave out anyone so I am going to have to return here and load on this information in a little bit.

I absorb words of wisdom by the guest speakers. So Hickson is launching other artists like  Sha, author of Harder. I am impressed with her ability to sum up her book in one sentence right in front of myself, Troy, Malaika and Relentless Aaron at a dinner table. This is what it takes to stand out to media acting like guests. I am reminded why I am here and that is to support UpSouth Inc.’s event in September.

Her representation of Ghetto Heat Publishing leads me to read “And God Created Woman”  by Mika Miller  later on this week.

By 8:15pm, Troy introduces a Raffle. I learn about other authors in the house like Reggie James and Dave L. who has a serious disposition and hasn’t smiled yet all evening.  I don’t think he knows I have issues with people who don’t smile. But I do check out his book, Not Over My Dead Body which begins like that hit book, Lovely Bones, and is so bone chilling to read, I have to put it down. I can’t check morbid tales like that right now. Sooo sorry Dave L, but I will add it to my August is Marathon Book Read. That is one scary book. Oooh, just got a chill and then the photo I took  of Dave is on www.LiteraryDiva.com. The look works. Whew! What do you do when an author’s demeanor reminds you of thr character in a book? Just playing with Dave L.

I have to mark my calendar, Malaika Adero reminds us of another fab event presented by Upsouth, Inc  and Hueman Bookstore  entitled, Jammin ‘ for Baraka: A Tribute to Baraka. It will take place on MAY 30th so mark your calendars. VISIT www.upsouth.org for more information.

So I have about 50 photos I am posting soon on www.LiteraryDiva.com as part of the Heather Covington Legend’s Tour.  Tonight gave me joy. On the way home, I listened to Relentless Aaron’s  audio cd, ” I Did It, You Can Do it Too!” I got a chance to share how Relentless Aaron has been a mentor to many literary artists.  He is a keynote speaker for many events all year long and unstoppable. In fact, noone can stop him. Visit his site at www.RelentlessAaron.com.

A portion of the proceeds from the event will be donated to the Up South Book Festival. Visit www.Aalbc.com weekly for monthly events hosted by Harlem World and a big shout out to Ena Escallier, event executive at the River of Harlem River Room.

This event received an impressive 5 stars from DisilgoldSOUL Literary Review.

COUNTDOWN TO BOOK EXPO AMERICA-

icon1 Posted by LITERARY HEAT in TOP20 HEATLIST on 04 3rd, 2007 | No Comments

COUNTDOWN TO BOOKEXPO AMERICA

 

 

THE AFRICAN AMERICAN PAVILION HEADS TO NEW YORK CITY FOR THEIR 4TH RECORD-BREAKING YEAR AT BOOKEXPO AMERICA

John Jacob Javits Convention- Save the Date: (May 31- June 3, 2007) March 2007
GREETINGS!THE AFRICAN AMERICAN PAVILION HEADS TO NEW YORK CITY FOR THEIR 4TH RECORD-BREAKING YEAR AT BOOKEXPO AMERICAMarch, 2006, National – BookExpo America, one of the largest book trade exhibits in the world, provides independent African American book publishers, self publishers, authors, Black Interest Imprints at major publishing houses, distributors, literary agents, publicists, librarians and bookstore owners exposure to more than eighty thousand book buyers and booksellers from across the globe. Organizers of the African American Pavilion at BookExpo America are finalizing plans for the event, to take place at the John Jacob Javits Convention Center, New York City, May 31 - June 3, 2007.

Now in its fourth year, the African American Pavilion at BEA is the marketplace for thousands of African American publishing industry professionals. Influential exhibitors and book buyers form a community of unprecedented strength. “The African American Pavilion is a growing presence at BEA,” says exhibitor Wade Hudson, President of Just Us Books and the 2006 African American Pavilion “Haki Madhubuti” Independent Publisher of the Year. “There will be great opportunities to learn, share, educate, sell and network and it’s making black book history a vital, visible part of the 106-year history of BookExpo America/ American Booksellers Association.”

The 4,500 square feet of exhibit space will showcase African American books, authors, products and publishers. In addition to the business opportunities the pavilion provides, festivities include: music, food and refreshments. Amber Books, The Freeman Institute Black History Collection and City Diecutting, Inc. will sponsor a welcoming reception, June 1st, 3-5pm, featuring authors, poets, and speakers including: Keynote Speaker Haki Madhubuti, national best-selling author, Chairman and Publisher, Third World Press;  W. Paul Coates, Founder and Director, Black Classic Press; Wade Hudson, President, Just Us Books;  Kassahun Checole, President and Publisher, Africa World Press/Red Sea Press;  Wil Colom and Niani Colom, Publisher and Associate Publisher, Genesis Press;  C. Sunny Martin, Founder/CEO, Who’s Who Publishing CO., LLC;  Terrie Williams, national best-selling author, President/CEO, The Terrie Williams Agency and The Stay Strong Foundation;  Carol Mackey, Editor-In-Chief, Black Expressions Book Club;  Harriette Cole, national best-selling author, Creative Director Ebony Magazine and President, Harriette Cole Productions;  Will Horton, Publisher, Wisdom Books, Inc.;  Dante Lee, national best-selling author, CEO Diversity City Media, Inc.;  Kevin Wayne Johnson, Founder, Publisher, Author, Writing for the Lord Ministries Publications;  Patrick M. Oliver, Founder, Say It Loud Youth;  Daniel Grissom, national best-selling author and Andrew Jackson, Past President, Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) and Executive Director of the Langston Hughes Library. Pat Schroeder, Former Congresswoman, President and CEO, of the Association of American Publishers will give the opening day remarks. More speakers and performers TBA.

The African American Pavilion Reception and Awards program sponsored by Amber Communications Group, Inc., City Diecutting, Inc. and St. Martin’s Press (June 2nd, 3-5pm) will celebrate the achievements of these African American publishing professionals: The “Haki Madhubuti” Independent African American Publisher of the Year; Self Publisher of the Year;  Christian Book Publisher of the Year;  Bookstore of the Year; and Distributor of the Year. Three industry professionals will be honored with the second annual Glenn Thompson Lifetime Achievement Award, Toni Trent Parker Author of the Year Award and The James Haskins Pioneer Award.

Keynote Speaker for the African American reception and awards program will be Max Rodriguez, Founder of the Harlem Book Fair and Publisher of QBR: The Black Book Review. Other speakers include: Vickie Stringer, national best-selling author, Publisher, Triple Crown Publications;  Relentless Aaron, national best-selling author, Founder, Publisher, Relentless Content, LLC;  Karen Thomas, Executive Editor, Warner Books;  Malaika Adero, Senior Editor, Atria Books;  Calvin Reid, Senior News Editor, Publishers Weekly;  Marcella Smith, Director, Small Press and Vendor Relations, Barnes and Noble;  Lynette Velasco, President, Black Americans in Publishing;  Heather Covington, national best-selling author, Literary Divas: The Top 100+ African American Women In Literature 2007 NAACP Image Award Finalist, CEO Disilgold Magazine;  Sonia L. Booker, national best-selling author, Real Estate and Wealth: Investing in the American Dream;  Renee Flagler, national best- selling author, President/CEO, Aspicomm Media;  Kelly Starling Lyons, national best-selling author, One Million Men and Me; and Steve Rosato, Director of Industry Development, BookExpo America. More speakers and performers TBA.

Continuing a nearly 20-year tradition, Clara Villarosa and Emma Rodgers (Black Images Bookstore), Co- Directors of the African American Program for Bookselling Professionals will set the pace with their pre-opening day Thursday luncheon/reception and full day of workshops and panel discussions for all book industry professionals.

Licensing, distribution, and sales success stories have emerged from the roster of African American Pavilion exhibitors since 2004. Relentless Aaron, CEO of Relentless Content books, in a New York Times interview, credited his book publishing deal with St. Martin’s Press to his discovery as a publisher/exhibitor at the African American Pavilion at BookExpo America. While exhibiting in the Pavilion, Tony Rose, Publisher, ACGI met Japanese Publisher Hiroshi Sano of Transworld Japan, Inc. and made a multi- book Japanese language publishing deal.

The list of exhibitors expands each year and is growing rapidly for 2007. The 2004, 2005 and 2006 exhibitors included: African American Books On Tour; Africa World Press/Red Sea Press; African American Literature Book Club (AALBC.com); Afrikan World Book Distributors; Alight! New York Grit Books; Amber Communications Group Inc.; Aphesis Publishing; Arc Type Press; Austin Publishing; Barry Nix; The Beckham Publications Group Inc.; Blacast Entertainment/ Urbanbooksonline.com; Black Americans In Publishing; BlackBoard Entertainment Media Group; Black Issues Book Review; Black Print Publishing; Brooklyn Christian Center; Brown Erotic Publishing; C&B Books Distribution; Color Bridge, LLC; Delores Quinerly Press; FYOS; Genesis Press; Hilton Publishing; Just Like Me Books; Just Us Books, Inc.; K Harris Publishing, Inc.; Kaden Publishing; Kidding Around Entertainment; Lefall and Company; Kinship Press; Literally Speaking Press; Maria Falconer; Mirror- Gibbs Publishing; Nile Publishing; Nunes Productions; People Skills International; Power Play Media; Publishing Associates; Q-Boro Books; Relentless LLC; Ruby Burke; Silver Maple Publications; Strebor Books International; Third World Press; Triple Crown Publications; Urban Ministries; Walk Worthy Press; Who’s Who Publishing; W. James Richardson; Writing for the Lord Ministries..

The AAP/BEA associate committee is: Tony Rose, Publisher/CEO, Amber Communications Group, Inc. / AAP/BEA Executive Director;  Yvonne Rose, Associate Publisher, Amber Communications Group, Inc., / AAP/BEA Director; Troy Johnson, Founder of AALBC.com / Exhibitor Relations; Katura Hudson, Director, Just Us Books / Exhibitor and Media relations; Carol Rogers and Brenda Piper, C&B Book Distribution / Exhibitor Relations; Heather Covington, Disilgold.com / Director, On-line Promotions; Phil Andrews, PA Public Relations / Director of Publicity; Clara Villarosa, African American Book Selling Professionals / Special Events; and Brenda Wyche, Winning Strategies & Associates / Director, Marketing and Development, NYC Area

About the African American Pavilion @ Book Expo

The African American Publishers Pavilion was founded in 2004 by Tony Rose, Publisher/CEO, Amber Communications Group, Inc.; Adrienne Ingrum, President, Adrienne Ingrum, LLC and Niani Colom, Associate Publisher, Genesis Press.

 

FOR EXHIBITING INFORMATION:

For exhibiting information please contact: Mike Carlucci at 203-840-5625 or email: mcarlucci@reedexpo.com  or Tony Rose at 602-743-7211 or email amberbk@aol.com

Any questions thoughts or suggestions, please email us at amberbk@aol.com

 

PRESS CONTACT:

Press contact: Phil Andrews, PA Public Relations - 718-380-2062 - email: cbbookspr@aol.com
Sincerely,Tony Rose, Publisher/CEO Amber Communications Group, Inc.

Co-Founder, The African American Pavilion at BookExpo America

Adrienne Ingrum, President

Adrienne Ingrum, L.L.C

Co-Founder, The African American Pavilion at BookExpo America

Promotions brought to you by Heather Covington disilgold@aol.com   •   CLICK HERE FOR UPDATES FROM DISILGOLDSOUL PROMOTIONS: http://www.disilgold.com

HEY AUTHORS AND ENTREPRENEURS- GET YOUR INTERVIEW ON WITH MAXINE THOMPSON!

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Dr. Maxine Thompson Live Internet Radio Shows
This Week’s Guest - Monday, April 2, 2007

Maxine Thompson

Dr. Maxine’s Show provides sponsorship for entrepreneurs and the literary community. Dr. Maxine Show is cross-referenced to her other live Internet Radio show where she is a host on ArtistFirstDr. Maxine invites you to join her this week on her various shows where she will be speaking with some interesting people.

ArtistFirst
Monday, April 2, 2007
9:00 P.M. Eastern Standard TimeThis week’s guest:

April 2, 2007Meme Kelly
Author of
Wings to Fly
Black Butterfly PressClick here to listen.You Can E-mail the DJ@artistfirst.com

Dr. Maxine Show
Thursday, April 5, 2007
7:00 P.M. Eastern Standard TimeYou can listen to the archives

Listen to Archives: ReplayExecutive Author Sponsor
Gunnar JensenSponsored by: Black Butterfly Press Click here to listen.
Dr. Maxine Show
is made possible by the following SPONSORS:EXECUTIVE SPONSORS:
Black Butterfly Press
Booking Matters Magazine
Turning Point MagazineExecutive Author Sponsor
Gunnar JensenBRONZE SPONSORS:
Baba Evans Moore
L.C. Green and Associates
Maurice L. Fleming, CLPC
Pierre Bateau, Author

If you are interested in becoming a guest and/or a sponsor you may visit: www.maxineshow.com, www.maxinethompson.com/artistfirst.html for available dates or via e-mail: maxtho@aol.com or maxtho@sbcglobal.net

Vince Fergusen, President and Founder of Body Sculpt New York Calls on Volunteers for Children’s Sports & Fitness Expo

icon1 Posted by LITERARY HEAT in TOP20 HEATLIST on 04 3rd, 2007 | 1 Comment
  •  Heather Covington Publicity
  • P.O. BOX 652
  • Baychester Station
  • Bronx, NY 10469

 For Immediate Release: Vince Fergusen, President and Founder of Body Sculpt New York Calls on Volunteers for Children’s Sports & Fitness Expo.

Body Sculpt of New York, Inc., is a not-for-profit health and fitness organization. Each year,  Fergusen’s organization presents the Children’s Sports & Fitness Expo in New York City.

The Children’s Sports & Fitness Expo introduces children to over 25 sports activities, health screenings and nutrition clinics - totally free.

On June 15, 2007, the organization will present a benefit to raise funds for our 4th annual Childen’s Sports & Fitness Expo, which will take place on Saturday, September 29, 2007. 

Fergusen is seeking volunteers to help with the upcoming benefit on June 15 and with the 4th annual Children’s Sports & Fitness Expo. Please see flyer  momentarily. Alen Iverson and Cal Ramsey among others will be featured keynote speakers.

 Cal Ramsey is one of the most influential sports commentators and former players of the Knicks. It was Cal Ramsey who invited Disilgold as media to cover a youth event to promote literacy where some very lucky youth got a chance to meet their favorite   NY Knicks on the court and watch a game for the first time.

 If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email me or call  Fergusen at(718) 346-5852. For more information on  Vince Fergusen’s organization, please visit www.bodysculpt.org . Vince Fergusen is also the national bestseller of 6 Week Abs. This compact book is one of the best fitness books on the market. Get your copy from Amazon.com. His plan works.

 Spring is here. Get in shape, support youth, and we’ll see you at the fundraiser. For more information, visit

www.sixweeks.com .