Love Everybody Day

National love that person day was a complete success from this window. The day begins with random text messages, emails, and nice love tokens lying on your desk. A fragrant floral mixture sitting on the desk, for all to see; reading various posts on the social media networks expressing as people are expressing their love. All because someone made February 14 a day to show love, over the years it has been commercial that you notice the beautiful couple walking down the street hands locked and the other hand holding a double leash for the world’s most adorable dogs dressed in their red t-shirts.  This day is ranked first for days of people smiling all day and gracious to others. You probably can’t think of another day when you notice the love in the air like a Boeing 747.

My Literary Moment

I might just catch a case (charged with aggravated assault) or be committed to Grady’s 13th floor Mental Health ward, if another person asks the question, “What are you in school for now?” Well I may have traveled a long road to arrive at my present destination enrolled at Kennesaw State University majoring in English; but, I say today, it is definitely a road well-traveled. I am as eager to learn as the average high school graduate is ready to pursue adulthood.

My mother’s only rule when I was in high school was that I attend college, so I enrolled in Morris Brown College in Atlanta.  Since I was forced into a life of college, I chose a major that I thought would allow me to make a good living. I studied Information Processing. The entire time I thought this was related to business management, but I later learned it was computer science major.  After ten months of pure torture and boredom, I politely dropped out of college.

Eighteen years, seven majors, two certificates of training, and one Associates degree later, I finally had an “Aha” moment. I thought to myself there had to be a major that I could incorporate into my everyday life and passions that also use to would allow me to and also make an honest living. I began to analyze my days, weeks, and years to help guide me in the direction I deemed fit. This consisted of my watching the Food Network everyday all day, entertaining friends and family from recipes from the shows. I never really considered becoming a chef but maybe “The Next Food Network Host.”  I would read a book every two days or so. This, in between raising children, ignoring a husband, and working for part-time pay with full-time hours.

My first readings and my love and appreciation for books began with my elementary school’s annual book fair. The only problem was that I only read when it was mandatory.
When I did start reading, I was always fascinated by Judy Blume’s books because they seem to relate to me and my friends.  I thought Are you there GOD it’s me Margaret? was about my best friend whose name was Margaret. I thought the book was about her, and she didn’t want people to know. That piqued my need to read the book in its entirety. Blume’s books were required readings in my 4^th and 5^th grade classes. I can’t recall any other books that I actually read until 1997.  That is when I read Your Blues Ain’t like Mine and that’s what started the ball rolling. This book had me considering becoming a writer.  I began an nontraditional book club. The club didn’t require meetings of other readers, and or there weren’t any assigned books for a group to read.  The only rule of the club was that when I completed the book I passed it on to someone whom I knew the ending would spark thoughts.

After having discussions with individuals about the novel, I began to dream or recall conversations my mother and her sisters would have about books they had read.  Sort of a déjà vu experience.   Every year we would all gather at my grandparent’s home for a variety of reasons. It could be a holiday, a family reunion or one of my grandparents’ birthday celebrations. At all of these gatherings, my mother and her sisters would gather in the “girls” room talking about anything and everybody. But what I remember most is their interpretation of the book “Flowers in the Attic” all of them had read the novel. At this time I was thinking “How could they be so amused or interested about reading?” At the time I was probably eleven or twelve years old. But the imagery they used to describe this attic caught my attention. The attic was similar to the never-visited attic in my grandparents’ home. The novel’s description given by each of my aunts was haunting.  From that day forth I never slept in the “girls” room alone in fear of the character from The Flowers in the Attic locking me in the attic, too. This was the beginning of my imaginative years.

Over the years, I have purchased journals, given journals, and written in my journals with the hope of writing a prize-winning novel about my life. I often wondered where the urge to read and write began. My mother has thousands of books on her book shelves and has become a well-rounded reader. I have introduced her to the genre of novels I enjoy reading. She’s now practically hooked like an addict on drugs, a fish on a line, or a coat on the door. She’s there. Even my aunts are reading the novels I recommend. They once all thought these books had no content or structure. In the past five years, the urban genre of fiction has been in huge demand among readers. Triple Crown Publishing, Urban Books, Mass Market Paperback and showing authors like Sister Souljah, Terri Woods, Nikki Turner, Bebe Moore Campbell have been all been inspirations for other writers to have an outlet to display their work in fiction.

Working in the entertainment industry with Artist Management, a paralegal and real estate development has helped me form characters and ideas for various topics for novel. Also, I have learned that some of my regrets as well as disappointments in life made me want to learn about various writing techniques. I originally thought my communication major would help me find the outlet for my thoughts, specifically in music or film. After enrolling in various courses as a Media Studies major, I became lost, not creative or alive. I then began to research on my own what I wanted to do with my life to really be happy and content.

I compared my love for the Spanish Culture, passion to write and desire to read new novels, and my desire to graduate from college sooner than later. I researched and advised myself through the school’s handbook of courses and majors. I examined what a major in English would help me do.  The English major requires you to read and be able to write in a majority of all courses. This was my moment, the moment that was the hammer hitting the nail in to the wall on which hang  my diploma  My first English course required reading from 19th century to 20th century. The broad variety of reading has only made me desire the English major.  They took me to places and situations I had never experienced. I was able to see through the eyes of other cultures such as Native American men and women, a Mexican girl, and a depressed white man.  The English major will allow me to broaden my horizon to different cultures, people, times, and places. I have already begun to document my life through my journals. I have truths to be told and sold! Hopefully, I, too, may become the topic for English major class someday. 

http://www.summerstage.org/search_results.html?month_select=8&day_select=&event_type_select=&search_input=&p=6

http://www.summerstage.org/search_results.html?month_select=8&day_select=&event_type_select=&search_input=&p=6

Who's your mama???

They have shows about it."You are the father!" "You are not the father!" Children all over the world question their families to find out or get to the bottom of it. Some children grow with a feeling of emptiness or isolation from the rest of the family. You can always feel the love that's unconditional its not fake or forced its there. So when you have that feeling deep inside that constantly telling you that something is definitely wrong with this picture. Even Ray Charles can see it! Instead of your daddy not being your daddy; its your mother that's really not your mother. But how is that so when everyone always says you look just like her or act just like her. Maybe your really her niece or even your sister but no one will tell you the truth. You ask and ask and every make jokes like yeah you Uncle Bubba's or cousin Shirley's people you never want to be related to. So you always brush it off as being over sensitive. But all of sudden on your 40th birthday you ask again and the truth is revealed. "No, I'm not your mother, I never really wanted any children" How does anyone recover from this stray bullet?

Where will my interest in reading and writing take me?

I see my interest in reading and writing hopefully taking me around the world and back. I want to be able to support my family from the writings that I find to come from my passionate views on life, love, relationships, cultures, beliefs and music. I hope my future will enable me to inherit a title of writer, producer, and best selling author. I want to be a reader that can come across books in the local bookstores, random readers hands and or top 12 listing in the New York Times. 

I have already begun to approach readings in a different manner than previously. I tend to leave an open mind. Learn to not judge a book by its cover. I learned to identify themes, styles, and classic characteristics of authors. I am so impressed with my ability to identify theses qualities that sometimes I scare myself with the knowledge of knowing.

So far the writers that I consider to the best all have different styles of writing and a suppose that's what interest me the most. In this particular class I have read various novels from graphic, plays, book of poems, and fiction/ non-fiction. It definitely has been a learning experience to decipher a poem to 3 to 5 pages or write 3 to 5 pages about why you chose to major in English. Initially I thought this is simple and no sweat but when everyone really look at their lives from another perspective the view changes.

My personal connection to literature was revealed to me years ago when I adapted the art of journalling. Later I thought to extend my connection so I would be able to learn the uncut truth of my history from others close to me eyes. I recently lost a woman very dear to me, my grandmother at the age of 91. But before she died I found the journal I had given her to several years ago to tell me about her and my grandfather, and of course my mother. Not knowing she had really took my request seriously but she did. I read every word she had written and learn so much about her that losing her body only helped me gain her Spiritually. Because with the handwritten words I have placed by bed I can always see, hear, and smell the scent of her. 

Pop Culture

Some critics would say that this new Pop Culture has gone too far or just plain Madd. And sometimes I'm on the fence with the belief. After watching Curb Your Euthusasium for the first time in class I was entertained not offended. Or not with this episode. I have noticed that hollywood an america are the same person. A white man. I say this not to become racial be I say observant. I have been a fond television viewer now for decades. I have watched loved and entertained by numerous shows through the years. I have seen other shows with the same concept but different characters. But this show may be more acceptable to me because of the diverse characters all being able to voice their "what people really think" views. I like the concept of Impromtu monologue. That's brilliant itself. I can't be upset with the racial make up of the cast because the creator is the key to any cast. The show addresses social, economic, racial, spiritual, and human / humane issues that are not always discussed in everyones' home. This could be an educational tool for those families that still live in a "box". Go outside the box, explore other worlds, people, cultures, and beliefs maybe you will not be offended by CYE.

This goes back to my theory that america and hollywood is the same person "A White Man". 

Elizabeth Bishop

I really admired some of her poem styles. The techniques she choose to write where so amazing to me, like the Sestina style. I was so  amaze at how a person can really focus on the endings to a sentence, phrase or stanza to form this style. I really thought the style was overwhelming to the novice poet such as myself. I tired to place myself in the mind of Bishop to see if I would grasp any conceptual thoughts to begin to write a Sestina.

Her poem "Crusoe in England" is theme of describing the world, emotional crisis and past experiences. We were told that her poems were not labeled as personal experience. But I differ with that revelation. I believe if one is writing from their mind their will definitely be personal views attached, webbed into, and delivered throughout the work. Your mind can't be unbias. She describes places she has been mentally. She reveals her various relationships that were not public. She uses metaphors and talks about being in exile. 

After reading her poems in Geography III I have learned a lot about Bishop without her being explicit. I've learned that she was in a homosexual relationship that she keep sacred but at the same time felt as she was living in exile because during the time this type of relationship was not accepted as it would be today.

I admire any person be that man or woman to tech one the style of writing through the eyes of their world.