Jilted, Circa 2005

Introducing Hannah Edeki, a new poet and writer, born and bred in London. Her work has been published in The New Black Magazine, Shangwe News and Palapala Magazine.

Jilted, Circa 2005

I have seen the yellow corydalis
Tilt its trumpet-shaped head towards
A bed of unsculptured green,
Watched the long-tongued bees veiled with pollen,
Oscillating, celebrating.

I have tasted the decadent sweetness
Of my fiancés kiss, quaint & still,
I have seen the shortcomings of a satiated soul.

I have held the arms of one believed to be strong,
Felt the weakness that punctures a wounded heart,
Jilted: I have thought about drifting
Along salty air like fulmars—

Ascending,
Migrating,
Fading.

Hair Power - Skin Revolution US review breaks

Book reviews are particularly important as they can influence a potential buyer's purchase as well as give a little insight into the book's content and style, so when Margaret Auguste, a contributor to Hair Power Skin Revolution wrote to me saying how all her friends and family are really enjoying the book and that she had shared the book with her book club and have decided to read it for their August meeting, I was thrilled. Margaret also agreed to write a review of the book.

Margaret then went on to say, 'I really think more people here in America would enjoy the book if they knew about it.' She also suggested a few valuable contact websites. Little did she know that I had make the book available in the US on http://www.amazon.com/ but of course that didn't mean people knew about it, so I followed up the contacts she suggested.

One contact requested I post them a review copy of the book, saying that he couldn't promise a review as only one in five books may be chosen . No problem, I thought and eagerly set off to the post office with the book.

Just under a week later, on 3rd August, a review was posted on The Sly Fox Film Reviews site, published by film critic Kam Williams, Voted Most Outstanding Journalist of the Decade by the Disilgold Soul Literary Review in 2008. Kam Williams is a syndicated film and book critic who writes for 100+ publications around the US, Europe, Asia, Africa, Canada and the Caribbean. He is a member of the New York Film Critics Online, the NAACP Image Awards Nominating Committee and Rotten Tomatoes.

In addition to a BA in Black Studies from Cornell, Kam Fox has an MA in English from Brown, and MBA from The Wharton School, and a JD from Boston University. Kam lives in Princeton, NJ with his wife and son.

The review has now reached website audiences in Pittsburgh, Haiti, Dallas, and more. To read the full review, follow one of the links below:

http://www.kamwilliams.com/2010/08/hair-power-skin-revolution-book-review.html

http://newsblaze.com/story/20100803151347kamw.nb/topstory.html
http://theblackboxoffice.com/2010/08/hair-power-skin-revolution-book-review/
http://www.pittsburghurbanmedia.com/Hair-Power---Skin-Revolution-A-Collection-of-Poems-and-Personal-Essays/
http://www.dallasblack.com/reviews/book/brhairpowerskinrevolution
http://insideblackhollywood.com/2010/08/06/hair-power-skin-revolution-book-review/
http://www.exodusnews.com/Books/Review108.html
http://aalbc.com/reviews/hair_power_skin_revolution.html

You're Beautiful, Woman! 2010

On 7th August, I was fortunate to be at the 3rd You're Beautiful, Woman! www.yourebeautifulwoman.com held at Highgate Newtown Community Centre, London N19. This was a constructive annual event celebrating black female beauty in all its forms: fashion, hair, beauty and more. The day was packed full of seminars with a range of speakers and a vibrant market place, which is where I spent most of the day.

I was there in the name of Shangwe to promote my 3rd anthology Hair Power Skin Revolution and I thoroughly enjoyed the interest received about my writing journey and of the concept and journey of my book. The networking was particularly powerful as I met not only some beautiful women, but exchanged business cards with a lot of inspirational women, who are a great representation and testimony of the way black women are aspiring and achieving in their own right.

For example, I met:

Amina Whittey, of Cohort Learning, http://www.cohortlearning.org/ a teacher and training consultant working to ensure that our children of colour receive the best education, particularly regarding our history;

Regina Jere-Malanda, Editor of New African Woman Magazine http://www.africasia.com/ who is doing a fantastic job with the magazine. The word depth truly comes to mind; great articles, serious and thought-provoking subjects are particularly engaging and satisfying to indulge in as well as some vibrant and groundbreaking fashion;

I exchanged books with Alison Husbands, author of The Afro Hair & Beauty Bible http://www.theafrohairandbeautybible.co.uk/ a lovely book to own with secrets of how to achieve and maintain beautiful healthy Afro hair, including skin care tips and make-up brands that work best with black skin, and excellent photographic images;

Angel Smith's recent achievement in setting up The Natural Lounge, a UK website for those who wear their hair natural http://www.thenaturallounge.blogspot.com/ was a rare treat and I look forward to attending one of her forthcoming events. Her article From Relaxer to Natural is particularly inspiring as she reveals in an honest and open way how she made the decision to take out her braids and leave her hair natural. She sums it up when she says, "...I realised that most of the fears about going natural are in our own heads and not the outside world...' You can read the full article on page 29 of Lime Magazine's Caribbean Fever Edition: http://www.comelime.com/

Rosa Garman, a student at Edinburgh University who is currently writing her dissertation on the politics that surround Black women's hair in Britain, specifically looking at the motivations behind hair relaxing. More about her in a future blog posting;

Olumide Solanke, Managing Editor of ninetynine magazine, launched in March 2009. The magazine features poetry, music, relationships, health & fitness, people in the media and much more. Do visit: http://www.ninetyninemag.co.uk/

Oh and I also made sure to capture the moment with those all important photos - in ascending order, Patsy Antoine, (anthology contributor), me and Jacqueline Reid; Patsy Antoine & Jacqueline Reid.

Hair Power - Skin Revolution: 2nd Book Reading

The second Hair Power – Skin Revolution book reading event was held on 17th July 2010, at the Poetry Cafe, in Covent Garden, London, co-hosted by myself and Nicola Greenwood.

Two contributors Anduosjahla James-Wheatle and Yolande Deane read their hair story and personal essay from the book’s hair section. I participated in an in-depth interview (questions courtesy of Pauline Walker, anthology contributor and contributor to the Catchavibe website). I also read my personal essay and two poems from the skin section. The line up went as follows:

Anduosjahla James-Wheatle read her hair story,

My Journey to Me
Co-Host Nicola Greenwood interviewed me on the following questions:

1. Why did you choose the themes of hair and skin?
2. You’ve previously published two other anthologies showcasing the writing of black and mixed-race women Brown Eyes and Sexual Attraction Revealed. What is it about anthologies that you like?
3. What is it about the form of the personal essay and poetry that appeals to you over creative forms such as short stories and novels?
4. Your book comes out at a time when there seems to be more interest in black women and how they manage their hair, for example, the recently released Chris Rock documentary Good Hair lifts the lid on how African-American women manage their hair. Why do you think this is?
5. Do you think the book should be required reading for young girls and teenagers in today’s society?
6. What’s the difference between the Hair Stories section and the Personal Essay’s section on hair?

Yolande Deane read her hair essay,

Still a Bird…but not a Robin
Nicola Greenwood read her hair poem, Hair Place
I read my skin essay, Are You Black or White? And 2 skin poems: Lost for Words; Skin

The event was well attended with inspiring questions and debate received from a lively and interactive audience. I felt encouraged not only by the inspirational and vibrant energy in the room, but also by the audience’s suggestions that I make contact with comic Chris Rock, or at least send him a publicity leaflet, (which was something that I had recently discussed with Nicola Greenwood) – along with Gok Wan; who knows we just might generate some interest! Again, thanks to the anthology's contributors who read and to co-host Nicola Greenwood for ensuring that the evening was a wonderful creative expression of the book's reading programme.

Photos in ascending order:

1.Yolande Deane, Nicole Moore,

Nicola Greenwood, & Anduosjahla James Wheatle.

2.Anduosjahla James Wheatle.
3.Yolande Deane.

Photo 1: Courtesy of Amanda Epe
Photos 2 & 3: Courtesy of Nicole Moore

The interview referred to above is now online here: http://www.catchavibe.co.uk/black-books-hair-power-skin-revolution/14965/

Mixed-Race & the Arts

I was invited to speak at the People in Harmony Annual Conference: 'Mixed Race & The Arts', held on 17th July 2010 at Ealing Friends Meeting House, West London. The event was opened and chaired by Vicki Hart-Dale. Speakers on the conference schedule were:

Tones and Textures Tenee Attoh
Cast a poem performed by Amaka Okafor
'A Socio-Genetic Experiment': Hip Hop and the 'Mixed-Race' Experience Dr Kevin Searle
Hidden Secrets of the Past: Unveiling of the Casta Paintings Tara Munroe
The Threads of My Journey Gloria Ojulari Sule

My presentation, The Journey So Far, explored my writing journey, which started in 1995 and I shared how despite the odds against getting my work published, I decided to tackle the publishing side of things myself, with the support of grants from the Arts Council.

It was a relaxing event, full of inspiration and positive vibes and I felt it was a rare experience to meet and network with such likeminded, yet unique mixed-race individuals.

For more information contact: http://www.pih.org.uk/

Photo courtesy of Tenee Attoh

Left to right: Kevin Searle, Amaka Okafor, Nicole Moore, Vicki Hart-Dale & Tara Munroe (Inset: Nicole Moore)

Hansib Publications

Do you have a manuscript to publish?

Novel; Short Stories; Thesis; Poetry

Why not send Hansib Publications your submissions for consideration?

ABOUT HANSIB PUBLICATIONS

In 2010, Hansib Publications celebrates the 40th anniversary of its publishing activities. The company was founded in 1970 by Guyana-born Arif Ali following the sale of his north London-based West Indian food business. The following year the company launched its first title (the monthly magazine West Indian Digest) and since then has published magazines, newspapers and books for Britain's 'visible' minority communities. Hansib Publications continued to expand its multicultural publishing activities and, from the beginning of the 1970s, produced newspapers, magazines and periodicals for Britain's Caribbean, Asian and African communities. These titles included Caribbean Times, Asian Times, African Times, Asian Digest, Roo Magazine and West Indian World.

Since the beginning of the 1980s, Hansib has published more than two hundred books and specialist titles. With forty years' experience in multicultural publishing, Hansib Publications is widely acknowledged as having established regular visible minority publishing in the UK.

Hansib books are available throughout the UK in bookshops, libraries, schools, colleges, universities, specialist outlets and online from Amazon.co.uk. A growing network of distributors in the Caribbean and North America has ensured that Hansib books are available in many countries, including Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Canada, Dominica, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago and the USA.

Contact details:

Hansib Publications, PO Box 226, Hertford, SG14 3WY

T: +44 (0)208 523 0888

E: info@hansib-books.com

W: http://www.hansib-books.com/

And The Beat Goes On...

Following on from the launch of Shangwe's 3rd anthology, Hair Power Skin Revolution and in true Shangwe style and spirit, I hosted the first reading event at the Poetry Cafe, in Covent Garden, London, on 21st June 2010. Over 40 people attended and six contributors read a rich mix of their poems and personal essays and with an eager and interactive audience, an inspiring questions and answers session followed. The line up went as follows:

Daniella Blechner read her poem, Hair We Are, and provided a double-act, supported by Andrina George.

Nicola Greenwood read her poem, Hair Place

Cristina Odigie-Bulnes read her personal essay, Colourful Perceptions

Amanda Epe read her personal essay, Brighter Days for African Beauty

Nehanda Buchanan read her hair story, Hear My Lifetime Hair Journey

Scherin Barlow Massay read her poem, No Lye! and her personal essay, A Journey of Self Discovery.

I also read my poem, My Hair.

Judging from the positive and warm vibes in the room and the conversations I had during the break and at the end of the evening, the event was enjoyed by all, despite the nerves that a few contributors shared as they read/performed for the first time.

I felt the evening was a wonderful start to the book's reading programme, especially blending the poems with personal essays and I now have a few ideas on how to approach future readings.

Photos in ascending order:

Contributors & Nicole Moore, courtesy of Winston Greenwood.

Contributors

Daniella Blechner & Andrina George

Nicola Greenwood

Cristina Odigie-Bulnes

Amanda Epe

Nehanda Buchanan

Scherin Barlow Massay

Remaining photos, courtesy of Nicole Moore