Mildred Riley, 91 and Still Writing

Author Mildred Riley Believes in Keeping Fantasies Alive
Twenty years ago, a publisher rejected Mildred Riley’s romance novel about African-Americans because “black people don’t read.”
Riley, a retired psychiatric nurse, knew otherwise and proved the publisher wrong. Now 91, she just published her 13th romance novel featuring African-American characters.

Like the happy endings of her stories, Riley inspires a sense of optimism and possibility.“When I retired, I said, ‘I’m going to write a book and I’m going to take flying lessons.’ Everyone cracked up when they heard,” she said, laughing. “I didn’t follow through on the flying lessons, and at 91, I don’t think I’d pass the physical. But I’ll keep writing as long as I’m able.”

Looking 20 years younger than her age, Riley is likely to be penning many more stories. With the publication last month of the paperback “All I’ll Ever Need” and the e-book “Fit to Be Tied,” she’s now editing “The Doctor’s Wife,” her 14th book, which, like the others, reflects her curiosity about the human heart and experience.
MORE

»»  read more

Book News: Red and Me by Bill Russell

RED AND ME
My Coach, My Lifelong Friend

Bill Russell knew his personal power and how to use it. In that sense, he was his father’s son, inspired by the independence, self-confidence and strength he had observed growing up. Russell would say that his father always had “a plan,” meaning he was always a step or two ahead of everyone else. In basketball, Russell demonstrated the same gift and thus reconceptualized the game. Defense had once been an afterthought; Russell saw it as the key to offense and a builder of team morale. Players were told never to leave their feet on defense; with Russell’s advent, jumping to block a shot became an accepted part of the game. Big men were thought to lack mobility; for Russell, finesse and footwork became more important than strength. At his core, Russell knew that he was different from other players — that he was an innovator and that his very identity depended on dominating the game.MORE

»»  read more

Book News: Quest For Justice

Book Showcases the Rise of American Attorney
Quest for Justice: Louis A. Bedford Jr. and the Struggle for Equal Rights in Texas by Darwin Payne, a communications professor at Southern Methodist University who has previously written biographies of writers Owen Wister and Frederick Lewis Allen and U.S. District Judge Sarah Hughes. In this book, he tells the story of Louis Bedford, a well-known African-American lawyer in Dallas who broke a racial barrier by becoming a municipal judge in 1966. Through the prism of Bedford’s experience, Payne offers a window into the experiences of African-Americans in North Texas in the mid-20th century.More

»»  read more

Book News: Before I Forget

Before I Forget
Leonard Pitts Jr.
In this masterful first novel, Leonard Pitts, Jr.—already long acclaimed for his Pulitzer Prize winning work as a columnist—steps forward as a major new voice in fiction.
Before I Forget is the story of these three generations of black men bound by blood, and by histories of mutual love, fear, and frustration—gives Pitts the opportunity to explore the painful truths of black men's lives, especially as they play out in the fraught relations of fathers and sons. As Mo tries to reach out to the increasingly tuned-out Trey (who himself has become an unwed teenaged father), he realizes that the burden of grief and anger he carries over his own father has everything to do with the struggles he encounters with his son.

Before I Forget is the work not only of a masterful new voice in American fiction, but of a man who knows inside and out the difficulties facing black men as they grapple with their roles as fathers—and more than anything, the crucial importance of fulfilling that role in all of their lives. This is one of the most important debut novels of 2009, by a writer certain to win a much acclaim for his fiction as for his highly regarded journalism. MORE

»»  read more

Book News: In The Black: Live Faithfully, Prosper Financially

'In The Black': A Financial How-to With African Americans in Mind

usatoday.com

To be able to fund your dreams is firmly within your control. That's the empowering message of AaronW. Smith, a financial planner and author of In The Black: Live Faithfully, Prosper Financially.
It's a matter of identifying your personal values, setting goals, discipline and ramping up your financial literacy. Add a spoonful of religious faith, too. Smith, a 15-year-plus veteran in the financial services field, has carefully assembled this straightforward financial-planning guide to lend a hand. The how-to advice shouts out to anyone who is trying to get traction in his or her financial world, regardless of income or debt level.
His core audience, however, is the African-American community. Smith is forthright about his modus operandi. He kicks off the book by stating, "This work was written to address African Americans in a Christian context, but one need not be of a particular religion or race to benefit from it."MORE

»»  read more

Book News: Vegan Soul Kitchen

Book Offers Soul Food Recipes Without Meat

indystar.com

No bacon or bacon grease. No butter or cheese. No ham, for heaven's sakes.
How was I going to cook up some down-home soul food without my favorite Southern seasonings?

When I told the family I was trying recipes from "Vegan Soul Kitchen" (Da Capo, $18.95), by West Coast eco-chef Bryant Terry, they were skeptical that I could come up with satisfying Southern dishes without using animal products.
Or, as my daughter put it, "without any of the stuff that tastes good."
But the recipes in Terry's new book, subtitled "Fresh, Healthy and Creative African-American Cuisine," did in fact sound good, and goodness knows we could all stand to cut down on fat and calories. MORE

»»  read more

Awards & Honors

Sketching Success

philly.com

As a boy in 1951, he worked part time in a newsstand outside Rowell's department store at Germantown and Chelten, where, from behind the counter, he'd sketch the displays in the shop window.
Now, that 12-year-old sketch artist is an internationally acclaimed illustrator with more than 100 children's books to his credit. You've likely seen his work on the cover of Nightjohn, by Gary Paulsen, or JD, by Mari Evans.
Jerry Pinkney, 70 and living in Westchester County, N.Y., will return to his roots to accept a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 25th annual Celebration of Black Writing Festival, which begins tomorrow evening. MORE

»»  read more