Revisiting Street Literature Classics – Part I

I picked up a copy of Teri Woods first book, True to the Game – Collector’s Edition, a couple of weeks ago the local bookstore.  After I made my purchase, I drove home reminiscing about the first time I read this classic book.

I first read True to the Game in the late 90’s when I worked as a production assistant at a local origination television station. While editing segments for a weekly show, I would steal away and read a couple of pages...I just couldn’t put the book down. The love story of Quadir and Gena intrigued me so much that I read the book within a day. Now years later, I enjoyed Woods book just like I had read it the first time. Yes... I did read it again in one day!   

Here’s a brief synopsis of the story that started it all.

It was 1988, the golden age of rap music where guys sported Run-DMC Kangols with gold medallion necklaces and the girls rocked Salt-n-Pepa asymmetrical hairstyles and large bamboo earrings. 1988 also marked the year of the Seoul Korea Summer Olympics, daddy Bush’s presidential win and President Ronald Reagan's signature on the 'War on Drugs'' bill that cracked down on the death penalty for murderous drug traffickers.

True to the Game is a Street Literature novel for adults that also appeals to teen readers. Gena the protagonist, is a young teenage girl from the turbulent West Philadelphia projects. Her world is turned upside down when she meets Quadir, a millionaire drug dealer, and falls in love. When she meets Quadir, he is at the top of the drug game but desperately wants out to escape to a life of normalcy.

Gena faces the challenges of holding onto Quadir, her comfortable jet-set lifestyle and of course, the money. Both of them find themselves caught up in the viscious cycle of street life and learn the hard way that success in the game is no easy win. Gena and Quadir also learn that once you're in, there's no way out, 'cause everyone stays in forever.’ This message is conveyed eloquently by Woods to the reader through a poem called, ‘Game Anthem’ at the beginning of the story:

As you struggle to hustle, taking gain after loss, don't get discouraged.

Just remember whose boss. Handle your business,

and always watch your back.

Don't sleep on the stick-up boys waiting to attack.

As you creep through the streets, the crack fiends holler.

They've done any and everything just to give you those dollars.

I hope it will last. I hope you make something of it.

Time will tell if something good can come from it.

But as you count the highs, count the lows too, and whatever you do,

forever remain true.

What choice do you have? It's in you by nature.

Your only fault is... Being a player.

Teri Woods, “True to the Game”

True to the Game takes the reader on an emotional roller coaster ride. You feel the pain and rage Gena experiences when she is beaten by her jealous ex-boyfriend Jamal. You also feel the emptiness when she loses her childhood best friend Sahirah to a drive-by shooting.

After reading True to the Game for the second time, I focused more on the strength and wisdom of Quadir and the motherly love of Gena’s grandmother, Gah Git. The poems Gena wrote for Quadir expressed a deep love that a young woman would have for her first true love. The drug dealing rivalries, a kidnapping, and loss of love lead to the unforgettable conclusion to the story. Not to give the story away to those of you that have not read the book, Gena emerges from these events as an older and sadder but also wiser woman.

True to the Game is one of the original self-published Street Literature novels that marked the strong return of this genre since the Iceberg Slim and Donald Goines days. Woods, a native of Philadelphia, submitted her story to various publishing houses for print. Unfortunately over a period of six years, more than 20 different publishers rejected her. When these major publishing houses refused to embrace True to the Game she wasn’t discouraged.  Instead of giving up, Teri Woods printed, bound, self-published and sold her first book True to the Game on the streets.

As she mentions in her letter to her readers in the collector’s edition of True to the Game, the original handmade version of the book had a white cover with a gold gun on the cover. She sold copies of this book in front of the Mart 125 in Harlem, New York in the cold, rain and heat. Readers purchased the book for twenty dollars and loved it, even though it fell apart once it was opened because it was afterall handmade. With the success of the handmade books, Woods started her own publishing and production company, Meow Meow Productions. Years later, she successfully launched her first novel, True to the Game, making it available for bookstores across the country. 

I enjoyed re-reading True to the Game because it took me back to a time in my life when I first discovered the resurgence of the Street Literature genre. It was also refreshing to see writers like Woods pick up where Slim and Goines had left off thus filling the void. Other authors such as Vikki Stringer, Shannon Holmes, Nikki Turner, Sister Souljah, Kassamba Williams and K’Wan have done that and have influenced a new generation of writers.

During this time when African-American authors struggle to get their books published by major publishing houses, Woods story should serve an example:  perseverance through difficult challenges pays off.  I believe the next challenge for Street Literature will be 'keeping the genre 100’ by rejecting the pressure by publishers to write for commercial reasons – fast profit.

These are exciting times for the genre and I’m just lucky to have a good seat to see what’s going to take place next. 

References:

Website:     Teri Woods - http://teriwoodspublishing.com/site.html

Website:     Urban Fiction/Street Lit/Hip Hop Fiction Resources for Librarians:
                   Annotated List of Titles. http://tiny.cc/ii1ij

What's Hot in Street Literature, July 21, 2010

Earlier this week, I gave a two hour presentation called "What's Hot in Street Literature" for a group of about 20 Chicago Public Schools Librarians. Enjoy the presentation and feel free to shoot me a email at kcboyd1@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Smootches, K.C.

What's Hot in Street Literature, July 21, 2010

View more presentations from K.C. Boyd.

PHAT Fiction at ALA and the PHAT Fiction Wikispace

Please note::  If you missed the PHAT Fiction panel discussion that was held last month at the American Library Association Annual Conference, you can listen to a audio recording at: LiveScribe.  Special thanks to

Vickie Beene for doing this for us.   Also, don’t forget to join the
PHAT Fiction Wikispace and participate in the discussion.



Last month, I served as a co-moderator for the PHAT Fiction Panel discussion at the 2010 American Library Association Conference in Washington, D.C. For me, participating on this panel discussion was a dream come true. The panel discussion about the Street Literature genre was organized by Susan McClelland, Reader’s Advisory Librarian for the Evanston Public Library in Evanston, Illinois. PHAT Fiction stands for popular, hip and tempting fiction and is also the title of her PHAT Fiction blog. I have been an avid supporter and advocate of the Street Literature genre for several years and have often times been ‘beat to the pulp’ for doing so (I have the scars to prove it). So you can only guess I was ‘geeked’ about participating.

Participants on the panel consisted of a mixture of school/public librarians, authors and university professors. It was a refreshing to be in the presence of these like-minded professionals that share the same passion as I do about the genre. Through this experience, I had the opportunity to hear the interesting stories about the promotion of these books from Librarians, Christopher Lassen of the Brooklyn Public Library and D.L. Grant, San Antonio Public Library. (I’m using D.L.’s suggestion for interesting book displays very soon) I found authors Coe Booth, Paula Chase-Hyman, Kia DuPree and Tachelle Wilkes to be warm, down to earth sisters that are committed to writing stories that are of value and interest for teens/adults. Finally, I had the opportunity to meet three of my “Library She-Roes,” Simmons College Professor, Amy Pattee, New York Public Library- Young Adult Librarian, Megan Honig and Drexel University Professor, Vanessa I. Morris. The writings of these ladies have provided me with the ‘language’ to defend the Street Literature genre when fellow librarians, classroom teachers, school administrators and parents complained.

MY THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS PANEL DISCUSSION EXPERIENCE

When I was a child, my father used to ask me, “What did I learn in school today?” I usually struggled with answering this question because I didn’t pay attention to the lesson, tuned out my boring teachers and read a book during class. The following is a description of what I learned from this experience and my thoughts about the panel discussion:

Remain Abreast of What Critics and Supporters of Street Literature Are Saying – Besides catching up on some book readings and events at work, I did not provide a post about the conference for one main reason. The June 29, 2010 blog post by Vanessa Morris called, “Urban” Is Not the New “Black”, really made me stop and think about the “Urban Fiction” label. I totally ‘get it’ and I’m not ashamed to call it what it really is: Street Literature, reality based stories about the streets that are authentic, unapologetic and truthful. As a result of this insightful post by Morris, I am no longer using the label ‘Urban Fiction’ to describe this genre. Suggestion: Google Reader is an excellent tool that can be used to find current writings about Street Literature.

Street Literature is a Loud Business: Defenders of the Genre Must Advocate For It –

During the panel discussion, author Paula Chase-Hyman commented that book selling has become a ‘loud business.’ Authors that experience difficulty in landing a book deal will self-publish and sell their books on the street, beauty/barbershops and at street fairs. These authors must get the attention of potential readers and compete with the hustle and bustle of today’s society. So a little volume is needed to sell books.

When I think about the ‘Loud Business,’ of selling Street Literature I immediately think of the determination and drive of author Relentless Aaron. Years ago, Aaron was rejected from the major publishing houses devised another plan. He sold his books on 34th and 7th in Manhattan during the middle of very busy New York rush hours (video).  Another successful author Terri Woods sold her classic book, “True to the Game,” out of the backseat of her car in front of the Mart 125 in Harlem, New York. (video) Since then, both authors have landed book deals and the publishing industry marvels at their successes and the sales of their books. Sometimes a little volume can make an indelible impact.

I have been beat up for the last couple of years for defending and including some acceptable Young Adult Street Literature in my middle school library collection. I’ve heard comments from teachers, principals and fellow librarians that ranged from, “Don’t you think this is a little ‘spicy’ for middle school students” to “Street Literature is not real literature because it’s not professionally reviewed or it’s self-published.” The most repeated question/challenge and probably the most disheartening one I’ve received from school librarians has been, “Why would you want to open yourself up to a challenge? Send the child to the public library or bookstore if they want to read the book that badly.”

Its hard working in a school/district where you and a very few colleagues value and support the genre. Lately, I’ve been criticized during presentations that I have given about the inclusion of Street Literature in school library collections…don’t get me started. Despite these obstacles, I continue to move forward because I see the end result: This genre touches and impacts the lives of tweens and teens in positive ways. Here are just a couple of the first hand observations I’ve made over the last couple of years:

1. Students and their parents are reading! The genre is reaching a group of readers that have historically been ignored by publishing companies.

2. The stories are cautionary tales that takes the reader on a journey that forces them to compare the stories to their own lives. The students can directly relate to the characters and empathize with their struggles. For some students, the situations that the characters are experiencing in the story are parallel to their own lives.

3. The stories within the genre serve as a platform for discussion/dialogue for tweens and teens with adults.

4. Some students are avid readers and are looking for a challenge when reading Street Literature.

5. Some students possess the emotional maturity to understand and handle the content in these books.

Promote and Support Other Blogs and Websites That Support the Genre – Check out my K.C.’s Blog Roll on this blog, enough said.

ALA Conference 2011-  New Orleans, Louisiana – Since returning from the conference, Susan and I have been contacted by a number of people that wished they could have attended and want to see the discussion continue. Hopefully, Public Library Association will have us back again because these discussions about Street Literature need to continue. There is still a population of librarians that need to be educated about the genre.

Street Literature Is For All Readers and Not Just For Reluctant Readers - In Carl Smith’s book, “Helping Children Understand Literary Genres,” he states the analysis of different types of literature promotes cognitive development because it gives students an opportunity to apply similar skills and strategies, such as identifying themes discussed in one genre—fiction, for example—to other genres like poetry, reports, descriptive pieces, and plays. The more experience students have in reading different genres, the more successful they will be when meeting and understanding people from all walks of life.

References

Aaron, Relentless, Relentless Aaron Has Done It. 2006. ABC Nightly News video courtesy of YouTube. http://youtu.be/FE2A-VPbOoI  .

Morris, Vanessa I. 2010, “Urban” Is Not the New “Black.” http://streetliterature.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-07-04T11%3A50%3A00-04%3A00&max-results=4 .

Smith, Carl B. 1994. Helping Children Understand Literary Genres. Bloomington, IN: ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading English and Communication.

Woods, Terry, Terry Woods, True to the Game. 2008. Books Video TV courtesy of YouTube. http://youtu.be/ddafBrKcZ1k

Black Weblog Awards

It’s that time of year again to nominate your favorite African-American blog ! Nominations are open until July 25, 2010 so head over to BlackWeblogAwards.Com and vote today.

The mission of the Black Weblog Awards is to capture more of the Black blogosphere, increase awareness of one of the fastest growing demographics on the web, and ensure their success in the years to come.

In order to do this, they need help from the online community.   The awards committee would like to have a live awards ceremony with trophies, live streaming video, and a private reception in 2011.

This will not only give the Black Weblog Awards a heightened visibility, but also bring much needed attention to the bloggers that demonstrate their depth of knowledge, experience, and cultural awareness. They need your help!

Visit the Kickstarter campaign page at Kickstart-the-2011-Black-Weblog-Awards and donate today. A donation as small as $5 will help them reach their goal.

Creative Library Advocacy Tools

     It's Saturday morning and I'm up early getting ready for the live telecast of the Harlem Book Fair on CSPAN. Actually to tell you the truth, I’m a little ticked off that I'm unable to attend this year. I’ll get over it. I decided to do a little internet surfing and ran across an interesting article from the Huffington Post.

     Andy Woodworth aka 'wawoodworth' on Twitter has started something: a new fun library advocacy campaign featuring Isaiah Mustafa, 'The Old Spice Guy.' Yes you know him, that good looking guy with the Barry White voice, six pack abs and the ability to look so cool riding bareback on a horse. We’ve all seen his commercials on television and enjoyed the hilarious interview spot on Oprah about him.

      Recently, Mustafa responded to Woodworth's request to say a few words about libraries, and that he does well. In my opinion, this video is one of the creative advocacy tools I've seen in awhile. The video is humorous, hip and simply reminds viewers how important libraries are in our society. Personally speaking, I plan on using this video as an ice breaker for presentation I'm giving next week; I can't wait to see the reactions from the attendees.

     As Woodworth points out on his Agnostic Maybe Blog  post, the video is a humorous message about why libraries are great contributors to society. Just grin with Woodworth, myself and supporters of the spot when Mustafa says, “I’m handsome. You’re pretty. Let’s eat peanut butter. Stop throwing pigeons. Jump onto that giraffe.” For those that chose to complain, get over it and develop a sense of humor. To be critical about the video takes up too much time in one day.

     If you have a Twitter account, please support and re-tweet A petition for The Old Spice Guy to do READ poster - "I'm at a library. Reading a book." ...on a horse.  Ahh, The Old Spice Guy on a READ poster, I can just see it now......Hey Andy, I'm grinning as I write this post.


Now everyone, don't forget to watch the Harlem Book Fair today on CSPAN.


Video - The Old Spice Guy Supports Libraries

Celebrating African-American Authors

The Harlem Book Fair, is a community forum for readers to discover, experience and celebrate its history and culture through books. The fair has become one of the country’s largest community gatherings of African American readers and book lovers.  Authors Mikki Grant, Terry McMillian, Bishop Carlton Pearson, L.A. Banks and Tonya Hegamin will serve on panels and give book readings.  Tributes will be given to Sonia Sanchez and the late E. Lynn Harris.

The panel discussions will be broadcasted live on C-SPAN’s Book TV on Saturday, June 17th beginning at 10am cst.  Check your local cable/satellite provider for the exact channel and view the link to the Program Guide: http://www.qbr.com/Userfiles/Docs/HBF2010_Program_Guide.pdf.  Don't miss the 2010 Harlem Book Fair!

I promise all of you, a book review and my pictures  from the recent ALA Conference will be up within the next couple of days.  Ever since I returned from the conference, I've been on fast forward.  In the mean time, I hope you will be able to help me promote the following announcement below.

LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 70 million members and growing rapidly. LinkedIn connects users to trusted contacts and helps them exchange knowledge, ideas, and opportunities with a broader network of professionals.  Librarians have a large and active presence on this social networking site. 


LinkedIn has a new group/new page called Urban Fiction. Lovers, authors, librarians and reviewers of the genre can join this group can meet here to discuss everything related to Urban Fiction/Street Literature. The group/page was created by another lover of  the genre, Keishia Garnett, Manager of the Indian Trails Public Library in Illinois.


Log onto: http://www.linkedin.com/  and search for Urban Fiction under the Groups option. Please consider joining the discussions and posting information to the page. 
 
I think we can all say the Urban Fiction/Street Literature genre is getting allot of attention. 
 
More to come soon!  K.C.