Welcome to Black History Month: 400 Years of History 1619-2019

This year marks 400 years since the first 20 "indentured" servants from Africa arrived in Virginia in 1619. They were forced to come to this country so that others might prosper. Known as the triangle trade, sugar, rum and tobacco were traded for slaves from Africa who were sent to America and England.  None of the products traded were essential for human development or survival. In fact today they are deemed  harmful. Through a modern lens, tobacco, rum and sugar are all considered unhealthy vices.  So from the very beginning, Black lives were destroyed by greed and avarice. Family, men, women and children's lives were impacted in  destructive ways that are still being felt today. Africans became the primary labor force for producing wealth for Europe and its colonies. Businesses flourished in America, and fortunes were amassed through free labor.

This year reminds us of the long journey African Americans have taken since 1619. This month we celebrate the heroes known and unknown who fought against the injustices of slavery and racism, and showed us a brighter future in spite of circumstances. They changed the course of history. African American history is a story of courage, determination and faith that is still being written. This is an American story.

Yale Summer Writers Workshop

The 2019 Yale Writers' Workshop application is now open.

From first to final draft, find your voice at Yale.

The Yale Writers’ Workshop brings together the experience and expertise of leading teachers, authors, editors, agents and publishers in a series of panels and workshops, for the benefit of writers the world over. They offer two sessions on Yale’s historic campus that match the needs of any serious writer. Their faculty provides unique, tailored, and transformative experiences to all participants. Applicants must be 18 years or older. Deadline for all applications is March 15, 2019.

The Yale Writers' Workshop experience includes:
Immersive creative environment
Seasoned faculty of writers and editors
Workshops limited to 10-12 participants
Access to industry professionals

For more information visit: https://summer.yale.edu/academics/yale-writers-workshop. For cost visit https://www.regonline.com/registration/Checkin.aspx?EventID=254637

Welcome to Black History Month!

Happy Birthday, Langston Hughes!

Welcome to Black History Month!

This month always begins with the birthday of an American Icon. Langston Hughes is the writer, poet and activist of the Harlem Renaissance. And as I have explained on occasion the inspiration behind the name of this blog celebrating the African American Child and the people who raise and teach them.

This blog post from February1, 2013 explains the inspiration for Maple Sugar Child:

Today is the birthday anniversary of James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1902 – May 22, 1967).  Langston Hughes as he was called was an African American icon of the twentieth century. He is also one of my favorite poets and writers. He wore many hats as an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist. Hughes is best known for his work during the Harlem Renaissance.  He was one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form jazz poetry. "

I interviewed him when I was in high school, and he asked to see some of my writings. We met at the Schomburg Library and he took time to read and encourage my work. He told me I was  a writer and he would love to work with me. I was very curious and impressed by his generous spirit since I had not thought of myself as a writer. We stayed in contact for only a short while because he passed away in my first year in college.  I am so grateful for that short encounter with this munificent icon.

Recently I learned that "his ashes are interred beneath a floor medallion in the middle of the foyer in the Arthur Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. It is the entrance to an auditorium named for him. The design on the floor is an African cosmogram titled Rivers. The title is taken from his poem, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers". Within the center of the cosmogram is the line: My soul has grown deep like the rivers'."

Maple Sugar Child takes its' name and inspiration from his poem, Winter Sweetness.


                                          Winter Sweetness

                                      The little house is sugar,
                                      Its roof with snow is piled.
                                      And from its tiny window,
                                      Peeps a maple-sugar child.