Of Movies & Memoirs

It’s been a couple of months since I last posted to my blog. I apologize to my five — no, four — faithful subscribers for being out of the loop. But you know how life gets in the way of our best intentions.

I have a couple of writing projects in the works right now. so I am rather excited about them. I’m slowly easing myself back into the novel I started working on for my thesis at Hopkins. Truth be told, in order to get it done in earnest, I’m going to have to clear my slate and fully immerse myself in the writing process. More on that later.

I also have had the honor and privilege of helping out a couple of my talented friends on their creative projects recently. Matt Bowden, my friend and classmate from the Writing Program at JHU, is working on a documentary on The Crown Seekers, a New Orleans gospel quartet group. Back in March, Matt and the producers held a screening for the project, By and By: New Orleans Gospel at the Crossroads at Maisy’s in downtown Baltimore. (Remind me to tell you about Maisy’s pizza later.) Matt solicited feedback from those of us in attendance. Of course I was so fascinated by the whole thing — the music, the filmmaking process and all — that I churned out a four-page dissertation. I grew up listening to gospel music, and have such an affinity for and appreciation of the genre. Matt’s work on this project is phenomenal. I cannot wait for the movie to come out. Click the link below to check out the trailer for the film and as well as a special message from the film’s creators Matt Bowden and Joe Compton:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/byandby/by-and-by-new-orleans-gospel-at-the-crossroads/widget/video.html

Then there is the new memoir written by my friend and Twitter brother, Clay Rivers, I was humbled when Clay asked me to be a part of the editing process. Clay is a gifted writer and has an amazing story to share. I am so proud of him for taking the plunge into the waters of self-publishing. Clay is releasing his book Walking Tall: A Memoir on the Upside of Small and Other Stuff, and I must say it is a fantastic, page-turning must-read.

And in other news, I recently started writing for MadameNoire.com, and my first piece, “What’s Better for Your Hair? Hot Comb vs. Flat Iron” went up last week. This week I’m working on three more pieces for MadameNoire.com, including a couple of celebrity interviews. Stay tuned…