Banned Books: Message Rewind
I share this story because it’s at the heart of the problem with current messaging about banned books.
What Makes a Book “Appropriate” for School?
This is why I was stunned when I learned that a school district in Leander, Texas, had elected to remove my award-winning memoir, Ordinary Hazards, from their curriculum.
The Social Dilemma
I am, by nature, a self-confessed Luddite. I write the early drafts of all of my books on yellow lined pads, and only turn to the computer when it’s time to input the finished draft. I then print out the draft, and write my revisions and editorial notes on the hardcopy. Writing and/or editing on […]
Owning Our Words
The person currently occupying the White House has a penchant for spewing hate speech, as we have been reminded with his racist tweets suggesting that four outspoken Congresswomen, who happen to be people of color, should “go back to where they came from,” never mind that three of the four were, in fact, born right […]
Lessons from Charleston
An unarmed black person dies at the hands of, or in the custody of, white policemen, and we run around as if our hair were on fire, screaming, “What can we do? What can we do?” Nine black souls are massacred in a house of worship, in a state where the Confederate flag, symbol of hatred, […]
The Gift of Story
A recent blog by Sally Lloyd-Jones got me thinking about a question we authors hear some version all the time: Where do you get your ideas, or how do you come up with ideas for your stories? The question would suggest that there’s a treasure trove, somewhere, packed with stories ready for the taking. Or […]
Under the Gun
So the argument goes something like this: Policemen come into contact with any number of violent, criminal black men during the course of their careers, and so it is only reasonable that they should view all black men as potential threats, and should have their loaded guns at the ready, whenever, wherever, and under whatever […]
Baffled
I just got back home from seeing the movie, “Heaven is for Real” and I’m baffled. “Heaven is For Real,” based on a book of the same name, is the story of a four-year old boy who has a near-death experience. Once he returns to his body, he begins relating anecdotes of his visit to […]
The Problem with Poetry
For the record, just because a particular notion is repeated, over and over again, doesn’t necessarily make it true. The earth is not flat, nor is it the center of the universe. People of African descent are not intellectually inferior to the white race. And contrary to what you may have heard, over the years, […]
The Prince of Peace
Every now and then, someone in my life nudges me to write my memoir. I nod and make reasonable excuses for putting it off. I’ve got this children’s series to finish first; my comprehensive workshop notes require all my attention; I’ve got a conference keynote to prepare; my car needs a tune-up; the windows need […]