What Is Love?

OMG, I just had to share this with you. It's children's answers to the question "What is love?" I'm in a sentimental mood as you can see. I must say these kids are very insightful and mature. If I had to answer that question as an adult, there's no way I could come up with a response that would match the simplicity and innocence and beauty of these responses. It sucks being a grown up. We make things so complicated.

So, what exactly is this thing called love?

“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.You just know that your name is safe in their mouth. Billy – age 4

“Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.” Karl – age 5

“Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.” Chrissy – age 6

“Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.”Terri – age 4

“Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.” Danny – age 7

“Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more.My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss” Emily – age 8

“Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.” Bobby – age 7

“If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,” Nikka – age 6

“Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.” Noelle – age 7

“Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.” Tommy – age 6

“During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared anymore.”Cindy – age 8

“My mommy loves me more than anybody.You don’t see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.”Clare – age 6

“Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.”Elaine-age 5

“Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Brad Pitt.”Chris – age 7

“Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.”Mary Ann – age 4

“I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.” Lauren – age 4

“When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.”Rebecca- age 8

“When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.” Karen – age 7

“You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.” Jessica – age 8

Source: http://www.innocentenglish.com/soul-heart-poems-quotes/what-is-love-cute-kid-answers-children-say-what-they-think-love-is.html

Wednesday Words of Inspiration

This journal cover says it all. I was strolling through Barnes & Noble this evening when I saw it. I smiled and told myself to come back and buy it. So many times we can only think of what we're experiencing in the here and now, and find it very difficult to imagine a resolution. I've been there myself. Seeing these words added another stick to a small fire that's been smoldering in my mind for a few months now. You see, I'm seriously considering applying to grad school again. I've experienced the disappointment of rejection before because of my undergraduate academic record. A record that does not reflect my strong work ethic; my creativity; my way with words; my ambition; my inquisitiveness; and all that I've accomplished in the nearly 10 years since receiving my degree. What I want is a chance to free myself from the oppression, stigma, and shame of a low GPA. I know the odds are stacked against me but I want to receive affirmation that in this country, there is a such thing as a second chance for someone like me, particularly a second chance handed down by the powers that be in academia. I never lost my desire to achieve it. Wish me well. If I don't mention it again, it's either because I changed my mind, or I reached for the moon, but fell short and landed amongst the stars. But such is life. Some doors remain locked to force us to turn the knob of a door that is open and ready for us. My life will be wonderful with or without validation from a graduate program. But I really want it. And I will get it. One day.

To all you caterpillars out there clinging to your branches; wondering why things are the way they are; wondering if you'll ever get the opportunity to sprout wings and fly; just close your eyes and imagine it. For it may be your destiny. And you may be close to discovering it.

All the best, folks,


Jennifer

Research, Research, Research

This evening I read an interesting article in the March/April 2011 issue of Poets & Writers, "Writing Jobs: How to Develop Characters that Work" by Lauren Grodstein. The article discusses the most fundamental aspect of creating a character with a convincing personal and professional life—research. It's easy to construct a life for your character that mirrors your own, or mirrors the lives of people you know personally or have studied. But what happens when you want one of your central characters to be a doctor, yet the only thing you know about doctors is that they scribble on prescription pads? Well when Grodstein found herself in this position, she set out to interview doctors about the diseases they diagnosed, the type of patients they treated, their billing systems, and their relationships with their nursing staff and other doctors. When she completed her book, she sent copies of her manuscript to these doctors for their approval, for they would know if she used correct medical terminology and accurately captured certain thoughts and behaviors particular to medical practitioners.

As I read the article, I thought of my own troubles with my characters. I'm pretty ambitious when it comes to story ideas. While it would be somewhat easier to write about a procrastinating editor and aspiring novelist who struggles with her weight, is a loser in the dating world, and is terrified of the dark, I would feel as though I were taking the easy way out. And besides, those who know me would know I was talking about myself, so it would be a little embarrassing to allow myself, I mean my "character," to be completely honest. So that's why I allow my characters to be and do things I've only fantasized about. Good things, bad things, really bad things. But with that comes the need to ensure I'm writing realistic plots and dialogue. Therein lies my problem. I have not conducted the research I need to prove my serious intent to publish a creditable book.

Reading Grodstein's article reminded me I should be getting friendly with subject matter experts, instead of conducting occasional Google searches as I inch along. I suppose when I think about my work, I'm faced with only two choices, go back to the drawing board and write about what I know; or send emails and make phone calls to people in the know who can help me give a realistic voice to my characters. I have one character who is the child of two ministers. I need to know what it's like to grow up in a household headed by a church leader. One of my characters was raised by a single father. I was raised by a single mother. Though I can infuse personal experiences into my character's life, I don't know what it's like to have a father, so I need to speak to someone who does, particularly someone raised by a single one. My characters' work experiences are varied, much like my own, so I'm able to speak in depth on office culture, coworker relationships, administrative work, and being unemployed. But, as I stated earlier, I'm ambitious. So my characters are involved in industries I've never worked in. I suppose writing about something other than my own observations provides an escape for me. But with it comes a lot more work. Work that right now, I struggle to build the momentum to achieve.

So, wish me well as I begin to research, research, research. I'm so nervous. Oh my goodness, what do I say? What would you say to a potential interviewee if you were writing about a character he or she could help you develop? What would be your introduction?

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light......

-The opening lines of Dylan Thomas's poem "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night."


Why would I reference this poem you ask?

To honor the memory of my beloved tv that passed away early this morning. I went to sleep with it on and when I awoke sometime before sunrise, my living room was silent. Rage, rage against the dying of the light!

RIP Sweety Pie

1997—2011













I still remember the day I bought her. Mom had come to visit me at school. The small old tv she let me bring to the dorm had just died and I wanted a replacement. So we went to Wal-Mart. I remember seeing her and knowing right away she was the one I wanted. $79 plus tax. That was pretty hefty to me seeing as I only had a 15 hr/week campus job. But I bought her anyway and mom helped me bring her up to my room. As the years passed, not once did I ever have a problem with her. I wasn't too sad when I discovered she was no longer working, as she's been good to me and "lived" a very long time. I keep things forever. I have a tape player/cd player I also bought in '97 that's still working just fine. And my first car, purchased brand new is still with me and is officially becoming a teenager this May. She'll be 13!!!

So, here's to a wonderful 14-year relationship with my Magnavox. You served me well my friend. Though a new one will come into my life, your performance won't soon be matched.


Love,

Your owner,

Jennifer Singleton

Hear Ye Hear Ye: "Book a Month" Is Back On

Yeh, I know, back in October I said I was going to read and review a book a month and post it on my website. My first review would be of The Outsider by Richard Wright. November passed, December passed, January passed, and now February has passed and it's still not up. Honestly, I was going through a rough patch where my motivation had retreated into the deep recesses of my spirit, where I couldn't access it. I didn't even blog. In January I mustered the strength to make one paltry post. Yes, gentle readers, I'm no stranger to setbacks in my personal life when it comes to attaining my writing goals.

But what's done is done. I proposed the book a month idea to myself as a writing exercise with two measurable results: 1) I would have fun finding hidden literary gems to review and 2) adhering to my own established editorial schedule would help me transition back into my freelance pursuits. Those goals remain, and so that's why "Book a Month" is back on.

I had a heart to heart with myself about why I couldn't perform this simple task. It's not like I don't have the time; hell, I spend the amount of time it would take to write a review composing lengthy emails to friends. These are the notes I took in the meeting with myself:

• More people are reading my blog and I need to be held accountable for what I say I'm going to do.
• Me not completing the Wright review in all this time was the act of an evil goblin named Proscas the Nator who cast a spell of indifference over me.
• I don't want to look like a loser who can't follow through on my own goals!
• I can do it, and I can do it well.
• I'm a writer, and a good one.
• I need the updated writing samples.

There's more, but they're kind of personal.

Check back on April 1st. Yes, I know that's April Fools Day. But I'm not fooling around. I got a new journal and everything.

Love,

Jennifer

The 10th National Black Writers' Conference

MAJOR CORRECTION!!!! : An astute reader pointed out a major error that perhaps my excitement made impossible for me to see. The writers conference information below is from 2010 NOT 2011. After first thinking the conference wouldn't be held this year, I stumbled onto the page from 2010, and not realizing it, assumed a 2011 conference had magically appeared just for me. Why couldn't I see the year read "2010"?

Well after the error was pointed out to me, I went back to the website and lo and behold, the 2011 information magically appeared. (More like they just updated it today or yesterday, and had I only waited, I wouldn't have gone through the trouble of my fancy cut/paste and coloring job.) Well, I'm very disappointed. Medgar Evers College won't be holding a conference this year. Instead they will host a one-day symposium to celebrate the works of playwright August Wilson. The 11th National Black Writers' Conference will be held in March 2012. The conference theme will be "The Impact of Migration, Popular Culture and the Natural Environment in the Literature of Black Writers." I'll be there, no doubt about that.

**********************************************************************************
ORIGINAL POST - For laughs and giggles I suppose

I'm tempted to attend the National Black Writers' Conference this year. It's held at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn. I've gone in the past and really enjoyed the panel discussions. I'm especially interested in the "Speculative Fiction: Fantasy, Horror & the Supernatural in the Fiction of Black Writers" panel. Oh why must I live where I live when NYC has so much that I enjoy. But the nation's capital isn't too bad, it's been good to me. For the most part.

But back to the conference. Toni Morrison is this year's honorary chair. And to add to the enticement, there's a restaurant right across the street that serves very tasty soul food-inspired dishes.


Thursday, March 25, 2010

Writing & Literature Workshops for Elementary, Middle School & High School Students

9:00 am to 11:30am
Elementary School Program
Cheryl and Wade Hudson, Zetta Elliot, Tony Medina

1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Middle School Writing Workshop
Tonya Hegamin

High School Program
Tara Betts, John Murillo and Abiodun Oyewole, Featured Poets

High School Writing Workshop - Sponsored by PEN American Center

4:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Elders Workshop Presentation (Medgar Evers College)
Donna Hill, Moderator

9:30 am to 10:45 am
"The Resurrection of Memory in the Works of Toni Morrison"
Robin Ford, Moderator

12:30 pm to 1:45 pm
"Music as Language in African American Texts"
Emmanuela Maurice, Moderator

2:00 pm to 3:15 pm
"The Legacy of John Oliver Killens"
TBA, Moderator

3:30 pm to 4:45 pm
"The Politics of Language"
Baker Wilson, Moderator

5:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Presentation of Student Play, Fanon Founders Auditorium
Featuring Students at Medgar Evers College, Written by Prof. Delridge Hunter

7:00 PM

Official Conference Opening:
A Conversation with Kamau Brathwaite and Welcome to South End Press
Terrie M. Williams, Mistress of Ceremonies

Thomas Sayers-Ellis, Introduction of Kamau Brathwaite
Founders Auditorium, Medgar Evers College, CUNY



Friday, March 26, 2010

10:00 am to 11:30 am
"The Black Writer as Literary Activist"
Patrick Oliver, Kalamu Ya Salaam, Dorothea Smartt, and Frank Wilderson III
Louis Reyes Rivera, Moderator

12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
"Politics and Satire in the Literature of Black Writers"
Herb Boyd, Thomas Bradshaw, Charles D. Ellison and Major Owens
Obery M.Hendricks as Moderator

2:00 pm to 3:30 pm
"Shifting Identities: The Black Writer in the African Diaspora"
Edwidge Danticat, Courttia Newland, Colin Channer and Carole Boyce-Davies Jacqueline Brice-Finch, Moderator

4:00 pm to 5:30 pm
"Black Writers Reconstructing the Master Narrative"
Catherine Acholonu, John F Baker Jr., Breena Clarke & Betty DeRamus
Pamela Newkirk, Moderator

6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
"Tribute to Toni Cade Bambara"
Malaika Adero, Hattie Gossett, Farah Jasmine Griffin, Linda Holmes, Louis Massiah, Eugene Redmond, Eleanor Traylor, Cheryl Wall, Kalamu Ya Salaam, Sonia Sanchez
Linda J. Holmes Moderator


Saturday, March 27, 2010

10:00 am to 11:30 am
"The Impact of Hip Hop and Popular Culture in the Literature of Black Writers"
Steven C. Fullwood, Felicia Pride & Toure
Karen Hunter, Moderator

12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
"The Impact of the Internet: Blogging, Publishing and Writing"
Grace Ali, Nick Charles, Troy Johnson & April Silver
Esther Armah, Moderator

2:00 pm to 3:30 pm
"Literary Encounters: East Meets West—A Dialogue"
Meena Alexander, Marina Budhos, Shelley Eversley, and M G Vassinji
Margaret Cox, Moderator

4:00 pm to 5:30 pm
"The Impact of War & Natural Disasters in Literature by Black Writers"
Chris Abani, Phyllis Montana LeBlanc, James McBride and Maaza Mengiste

5:30 pm to 6:00 pm
Kevin Powell – Featured Speaker
"Black Writers Creating Memories and Lighting the Way"

Readings

11:00 am to 11:30 am
Donna Hill
Sponsored by the Center for Black Literature

12:00 pm to 12:30 pm
Colson Whitehead
Sponsored by the National Black Writers Conference

12:45 pm to 1:15 pm
Joy James
Sponsored bySouth End Press

1:30 pm to 2:30 pm
Bernice McFadden, Rakesh Satyal, Tiphanie Yanique
Sponsored by the Brooklyn Literary Council

3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Allen B. Ballard, Victor LaValle, Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Sponsored by the African American Literature Book Club


Sunday, March 28, 2010


Talkshops

10:00 am to 11:15 am
Fiction, Tayari Jones
Poetry – Sonia Sanchez
Book Reviews: Clarence V. Reynolds

11:30 am to 12:30 pm
Dramatic Writing- Thulani Davis
Creative Non Fiction: TK
Book Proposals- Krishan Trotman

Panel Discussions

12:30 pm to 2:00 pm
"Speculative Fiction: Fantasy, Horror & the Supernatural in the Fiction of Black Writers"
L.A. Banks, Michael Boatman, Jewell Parker Rhodes & Cheo Tyehimba
Dale Allender, Moderator

2:30 pm to 4:00 pm
"Restoring Community: Black Writers Respond to the Environmental Crises"
Majora Carter, Alixa and Naima (Climbing PoeTree), Omar Freilla
Nina Mercer, Moderator

4:30 pm to 6:00 pm
"Editors, Agents, Writers and Publishers on the Literature of Black Writers"
Regina Brooks, Linda Duggins ,Chris Jackson & Johnny Temple
Fred Beauford, Moderator



For more information, click here.

Give This Dude Some Love, Won't You Please.

I found another gem. No, he's not a hip-hop artist. This young man is a contemporary violinist who goes by the name of Daniel D. This is his cover to Billie Jean. He sounds great. I absolutely admire the dedication and skill it takes to learn to play and later perfect a musical instrument. I want to learn to play the piano, and one day I will. I have a few songs in mind that I want to hear myself play. I just love music, and wanted to share Daniel D. with you. (I'm sure his family is so proud of him. I know I am.) Enjoy, and check out his other videos as well on YouTube.

It's National Grammar Day!

March 4th is National Grammar Day. Who knew? Apparently real editors knew this. I'm such a fraud, I've never even heard of National Grammar Day. National Punctuation Day, yes. Grammar Day? No.
So, of course, I had to post some sort of homage to this day by sharing a few grammar tips with the world in the name of all the proper sentences all over the world.



Tip #1:

Pronouns must agree in number with their antecedents, or the words they refer to.

Original: Bathe each dog before they come inside the facility.

This sentence is incorrect because "each dog" is singular and "they come" is plural. For a proper agreement, this sentence should read one of two ways:

Bathe each dog (singular) before it comes (singular) inside the facility.
Bathe the dogs (plural) before they come (plural) inside the facility.


Tip #2:

When using apostrophes to show possession, be sure to correctly indicate whether you mean joint possession or singular possession, or both.

Original: Melissa and Mike's books were stolen last week.

There is nothing wrong with this sentence, if you're referring to the books that Melissa and Mike owned together. However, if Melissa's books were stolen and Mike's books were also stolen, you'd rewrite this sentence:

Melissa's (her books) and Mike's books (his books) were stolen last week.


Tip #3:

Avoid repetition. Don't use three or four words when you can use one or two. It's very common for people to unnecessarily use two or more words that mean the same thing. Sentences like to be simple, they really do.

Original: Each and every one of you will lose if you fail to plan ahead.
Rewrite: Each of you will lose if you fail to plan.

Original: The perpetrator vandalized 15 stores in the month of February.
Rewrite: The perpetrator vandalized 15 stores in February.

Original: After I mixed together several cleaning products, I began to feel nauseous.
Rewrite: After I mixed several cleaning products, I began to feel nauseous.


Tip #4:

In addition to subject-verb agreement, the subject and verb have to make sense together, meaning the subject has to be able to "do" the verb.

Original: The restaurant hopes its new low-calorie sandwich will attract more customers.

The restaurant can't hope, but its owner or manager can.

Rewrite: The owner hopes the restaurant's new low-calorie sandwich will attract more customers.

Did You Know March is Women's History Month?

In honor of Women's History Month I want to share Sojourner Truth's Ain't I A Woman speech she delivered at the Women's Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio, in 1851. The reason I chose this speech is because of how it made me feel when I first read it in the 12th grade. I found her criticism of perceived differences between her womanhood/motherhood and a white woman's womanhood/motherhood very profound. There was both a pain and pride in her words, that though I'd never experienced, I still felt. I wished I could have been there to see her deliver this speech, and hear what I'm sure was a resounding applause of appreciation afterward. What stood out to me the most is the very question, ain't I a woman? I related to that question then, and even now that I really am a woman out in here in this world observing and experiencing things that just don't seem fair at all. So many times I've asked god and the universe "ain't I a woman too?" Why am I seemingly not allowed to experience the most basic and human things that every woman desires, and so many attain? Of course my experience can and will never on any scale compare to Ms. Truth's, but the effect of her words on me shouldn't be dismissed.

I want to say thank you to her and to all the women and men who fought so tirelessly to see that I and others enjoy the freedoms we enjoy today. And of course I want to say a big I love you to my mom, the most wonderful woman I will ever have the pleasure of knowing.


Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter. I think that 'twixt the negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what's all this here talking about?

That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?

Then they talk about this thing in the head; what's this they call it? [member of audience whispers, "intellect"] That's it, honey. What's that got to do with women's rights or negroes' rights? If my cup won't hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn't you be mean not to let me have my little half measure full?

Then that little man in black there, he says women can't have as much rights as men, 'cause Christ wasn't a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.

If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back , and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.

Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner ain't got nothing more to say.