Street Literature

RA Guide to Street Literature Wins Award!

2012-01-21T22:42:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year to you!

StreetLiterature.com is happy to announce that Librarian Educator, Vanessa Irvin Morris, is the 2012 recipient of the Zora Neale Hurston Award, conferred by the Reference & User Services Association (RUSA) of the American Library Association (ALA), for her book, The Readers Advisory Guide to Street Literature. Get your copy today!

Notes:

~ The Readers Advisory Guide to Street Literature has a 5-starred review status on Amazon.com!

~ The Readers Advisory Guide to Street Literature is available on Kindle!

~ The Readers Advisory Guide to Street Literature is available on Nook!

~ You can keep up with the latest announcements about The Readers Advisory Guide to Street Literature on Facebook!

VIDEO: Vanessa Irvin Morris speaks about what Street Literature is and its appeal to readers:

Guest Post #1: Interview with Urban Fiction Author, Reverend Harry Williams

2012-01-10T17:27:00.000-05:00

By Amy Cheney, M.L.S.

I can’t keep Harry Williams’ books on the shelf at my library! His book covers are dynamic, attracting my reluctant readers. Even though there is implied violence, the stories also depict a person struggling to change his life. This kind of balanced representation enables me to easily purchase and defend Mr. Williams’ books on the shelves of my lockdown institution in California.

Harry Williams, reverend and author

For example, one teen patron named Jacobo, 15, says of Williams' books: “They’re cool, interesting. There’s action, shooting, gangsters, money, drugs, but positive stuff, too. I could relate to how dangerous the neighborhood was and how you could switch your life around. You don’t have to sell drugs, you can go to college.”

With my students so attuned to Williams’ titles such as Straight Outta East Oakland (2008) and Straight Outta East Oakland II: Trapped on the Track (2011), I wanted to find out more about the preacher who writes and publishes urban fiction:

Amy: Tell us about your background and how you know the streets so well.

Williams: I grew up in Asbury Park, NJ. As a young person, I was blessed with many life advantages. Both of my parents had master's degrees and they were able to send me to private school. I became the first black editor-in-chief of my high school's newspaper. S.E. Hinton's book, The Outsiders, prompted me to write my first book (which never saw the light of day).

After I graduated from high school, I made some negative choices. Like many young people, I laughed when my parents told me that my choice of friends could impact my destiny. I moved back to New York City when I was 21 and lived there for close to ten years, involved in the hip hop scene and lived through the height of the crack epidemic of the 1980s. I have never smoked crack in my life but I saw friends become addicted to the monster. I saw what happens when automatic weapons arrive in the hood by the crateful.

Amy: Your website mentions a life changing moment. Can you give us the details?

Williams: When I was 23 years old, I became a Christian. My entire focus in life changed virtually overnight. Someone told me that God had a plan for me. I wanted to know what that plan consisted of.

Amy: What is the message you hope people will receive from your books?

Williams: My books are real. If young people can't relate they will never hear the message. The message is that the streets are a surefire dead end. Faith, with education, is a ladder. Lastly, once you've made it out of the hood, you have to go back to help others have a better life. The Bible says, "To whom much has been given, much will be required."

Amy: What are your favorite books? Who are you writing mentors?

Williams: Richard Wright's Black Boy and Native Son, along with James Baldwin's works changed my life, especially Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time and Go Tell It On The Mountain. I was greatly influenced by the father of gangsta fiction, Donald Goines.

Amy: When is your next book coming out? Can you give us a preview of the storyline?

Williams: Straight Outta East Oakland 3: Funk Season - The Return Of Street Life should be released Spring of 2012. "Firstborn" is a college kid, kind of square around the edges, but he has seen the inside of the game. Like many people from the block, he's intensely loyal to his friends. When one of the members of his clique turns into an enemy and comes out of the pen ready to wage war against the Black Christmas Mob, Firstborn is tempted to go back to East Oakland to try to help his friends.

Amy: Part 3 of your series sounds like it will be a great read enjoyed by many who relate to characters like Firstborn. Thank you for your time and dedication to telling rich stories about the city experience.

For more information about Harry Williams:
Website: www.revharrywilliams.com
Facebook: Soul Shaker Publishing
Author Interview: http://helpmepublish.wordpress.com

Amy Cheney is Librarian at Write to Read • Juvenile Hall Library & Literacy, San Leandro, CA.

Happy Holidays from StreetLiterature.com!

2011-12-23T04:33:00.000-05:00

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

FROM STREETLITERATURE.COM!

Just wanted to drop a quick note to
THANK YOU
from the bottom of my heart
for your wonderful support of this blog
for 2011.

We look forward to continuing
to keep you up-to-date on
all things Street Lit in 2012.

Look for new additions to the blog:
GUEST POSTS!
VIDEO BOOKTALKS!
and more ....!

Many blessings to you and yours
during this festive time. :-) <3

SEE YOU IN 2012!

New Reads: My 2011 Holiday Picks

2011-12-18T02:10:00.004-05:00

Greetings!

As you are enjoying the end-of-year holidays, here are some of my top recently published picks for Street Lit that will go great with a log fire, a blanket, and some coffee or hot cocoa on a snowy day.

MYSTERY


Image credit: Amazon.com

My Amazon.com review of NY'S FINEST: Masquerade:

5.0 out of 5 stars All I can say is ... WOW!, December 17, 2011

"Teri Woods hits it out the ballpark with the presentation of New York's Finest: Masquerade, authored by Sam Black. This novel offers a fast-paced, suspense-filled romp that will keep you distracted from your life as you sit on the edge of your seat, not able to put the book down (at least that's what happened to me!). You'll be fascinated by the intertwining connections of the characters and the intricate attention paid to details for a very fulfilling plot. Woods/Black turns the table on gender roles - the women have the upper hand in this intricate, complicated tale that is carefully laid out before you as you read who does what to whom, while watching a chess game of life played out in entertaining fashion. When they say that street lit/urban fiction is "like a movie in your head" - Teri Woods has mastered this craft. Read this - you'll have a good time! Can't wait for part 2! -- Vanessa Irvin Morris (c/o streetliterature.com)"

To order NY'S Finest: Masquerade: http://www.amazon.com/NYs-Finest-Masquerade-Sam-Black/dp/0977323463/

POETRY/YA

Image credit: funkybook.yolasite.com

My 2cents: This is a debut release from Indie author and poet, Christian Loriel. I greatly enjoyed this book: it is lyrical, real, raw, gritty, and creatively done. I read the poems and was transported to the hood of FunkY; I felt like I had a seat on one of the stoops, for sure. The author's arrangement of the book is awesome too: via free-form verse poetry, you meet the residents of FunkY right where they live - up close and personal, at home and on the streets. If you can add this creative verse novel to your library collection, adults and teens will grab it, for sure.

Author's Synopsis:

FunkY is a look at the South Memphis I know, love, and yet question. In South Memphis, a part of town exhausted by drugs, crime, and deferred dreams, there is "Funky" Avenue, a street full of people who have things to tell you. You will go door-to-door and hear each of their secrets, joys, sorrows, regrets, and even their opinions of what's going on in the house next door. It all begins with a missing black teen.

To order FunkY: http://funkybook.yolasite.com/

SCIENCE FICTION

Image credit: bravinpublishing.com

My 2cents: This is a good debut effort by author, Trevis Moore. I really liked how he kept the authenticity of inner-city language and lifestyle, taking his time to develop the characters before introducing the science fiction element of the story. A while ago I said that there is everything in the hood: life, death, mystery, drama, magic, fantasy, and yes, science fiction. Moore proves the point well. All in all, Hood Titans is a very good and welcomed read for street lit!

Publisher's Synopsis:

"Hood Titans" from author Trevis Moore. Every Hood needs heroes. Someone to protect the people from the forces who profit from crime, poverty and degradation in Urban neighborhoods. Find out what happens when a black geneticist decides enough is enough. As he sets out to change the neighborhood he has fought he way up and out of only to return a doctor. If his efforts to give back he launches his ultimate plan of protection for the brothers and sisters in the city. The Black Brotherhood Brigade is born. But how do you create these protectors? What happens if the secret gets out? What if you've been created to think the hard life your living is all there was? What happens when the genes you're carrying are truly special and designed for a greater purpose?

To order Hood Titans: http://www.bravinpublishing.com/catalog/item/7294083/8994183.htm

TRILOGY

If you're in the mood for a staycation with characters that will be with you for the duration, I suggest author Silk White's trilogy: Tears of a Hustler, 1, 2, and 3.

Author and publisher Silk White has gathered a significant following of readers who enjoy his trilogy, Tears of a Hustler. Part 3 was just released September, 2011. All 3 novels are available in print and eBook format.

With a 5-star Amazon.com rating, customers are raving about this series with responses like, "awesome!" "best book ever" "in-freakin-credible!" and "hooked!" A streetliterature.com reader, Jasmine, commented on my earlier blog post about this series: "Wonderful book. I read it in 1 day. It kept my attention all the way through. I recommend that everybody read this book. You will not be disappointed."

Publisher Synopsis - Good 2 Go Publishing:

Tears of a Hustler 3 picks up right where part two left off. Things get serious when Marvin, the leader of a powerful up coming gang, decides he wants to take over Pauleena's empire.

With her back against the wall, Pauleena defends her territory by any means necessary; even if it means killing everything moving. With her main soldier gone Pauleena has to step up to the plate and get her hands dirty. The streets will rain money or blood - it’sdefinitely a choice, but giving up her throne is not an option, for the formidable Pauleena. Who will be the last hustler standing?

To order Tears of a Hustler 1, 2, 3: http://www.good2gofilms.com/home

YA/TEEN
If you have teens on school break needing a good read, I recommend the following:

My 2cents: Author Ericka Williams pulls a twist on the traditional 'hood story' - she sets her story, The Robbin Hoods, in the suburbs, to show how survivalist living is alive and well in the hoods of supposed quiet and safe suburbia.

Author Kia Dupree offers a wonderful sophomore novel, riding off the success of her debut novel, Damaged (see KC Boyd's review). In Silenced, Dupree gives readers a deep, insider's view between mother and teen daughter as their family struggles to conquer the lure of the streets of Washington, D.C.

Author Synposis - The Robbin Hoods:

What started out as a petty crime with teenagers who would cut school and break and enter into houses, on foot, turned into a multi-million dollar empire when the crew took their craft to a higher level. They graduated from boys to men, who made millions of dollars when they began venturing into exclusive upper class neighborhoods. The story is about the unattainable "American Dream", when the only dream hopeless and uneducated men have is to steal someone else's "Dream Come True ".The Robbin Hoods is about what happens when you take from others, instead of building your own.

To order The Robbin Hoods:
http://www.amazon.com/Robbin-Hoods-Ericka-Williams/dp/0615474322/

Book Description - Silenced:

She gets lost in the fantasy of books and poetry. But in Tinka Hampton's all-too-real world, her mother Nicola has lost her job and is struggling to stop her family's fall into poverty. With her sons turning to drug dealing-and worse-Nicola wants better things for her daughter. Yet the more pressure she puts on Tinka to do everything right, the more she drives her away . . . straight into the arms of Nine, a man as irresistible as he is lethal. Now Nicola must make unimaginable choices that will put Tinka at a dangerous crossroads. Will standing up for her seemingly impossible dreams be her way out-or will they trap her on D.C.'s merciless streets forever?

To order Silenced: http://www.amazon.com/Silenced-Kia-DuPree/dp/0446547743/

Video: OccupyEducated.org Creates Online Library for Occupy Movement

2011-12-14T05:10:00.000-05:00

Greetings: I realize that I've been posting a lot of videos of late, but I share what comes. Lately, a lot of things relevant to street literature have been visual in nature. I believe this is a good thing, as I believe that video is just another form of text. This particular video is very poignant ... please take the time to view it at your earliest convenience ... Time: 03:49 //

This video was originally uploaded to YouTube: December 4, 2011

My 100th Post: A video, short-documentary, STREET BOOKS

2011-12-12T23:07:00.000-05:00

Isn't it nice to know that there IS such a thing as a "Street Librarian"?

Isn't it great to know that EVERYBODY reads, regardless of ...?

Isn't it also wonderful to know that there is a website called streetbooks.org ...

Book Trailer: RA Guide to Street Literature

2011-12-10T22:34:00.001-05:00

Must WATCH!: Friends Group Sponsors 'Back to School Night' program

2011-12-05T10:12:00.000-05:00

Thank you to Jeff Bullard, Library Coordinator at the Free Library of Philadelphia for sharing this awesome video.

Poem: This jawn right here on street lit

2011-12-01T03:49:00.001-05:00

This Jawn Right Here on Street Lit

by Vanessa Irvin Morris

Street Lit is all about stories:

Stories that come from real lives lived in neighborhoods where streets, sidewalks and corners interweave and intersect and connect...

Stories about human beings who walk, talk, and think, laugh, cry, and drink, fight, make love and raise kids, sometimes right on stoops and porches...

Stories about communities where money can be seemingly scarce or - found hidden underground a mainstream economy...as above, so below...

Street Lit is all about the truth:
Truths told creatively, realistically, authentically, uncompromisingly...Fuck you if you can't take a joke...because street lit's fictions are also necessary...

These truths are for the thick-boned and thick-skinned...don't read if you easily offend...read Captain Underpants or somethin'...

These truths are told in everyday language by everyday writers, thinkers, dreamers, ex-cons and wifeys ... all of them have voices screaming to be heard...
and so -
they scream.
and readers read and listen, regardless of who don't like it .... they readin' it, they buyin' it, they makin' New York Times Bestsellers outta it...

Street Lit is all about audacity:
The audacity for people from the hood to document their own his-stories and her-stories...

The audacity for street lit authors to read their lives and then to write that shit out...morphing reality into memory so it doesn't have to be lived anymore...

The audacity for street lit readers to read their lives reflected in story, as they gasp, laugh, ooo and ahhh, shucks BREATHE ... all while what ...

heightening their literacy practices, becoming more literate, because by osmosis, that's what the act of reading does ...

so who are they to engage ...in magic, you might ask?

They are,
we are ...
readers of the stories of life.
----------------------
This poem was performed by Vanessa Irvin Morris at the "Street Lit & Inner-City Literacy" forum, November 30, 2011, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

New Listen: The Roots, 'undun' - a life on the streets

2011-11-30T11:17:00.001-05:00

This album .... beyond words ... it will move you in every way. Period.

Featured on NPR:http://www.npr.org/2011/11/28/142873013/first-listen-the-roots-undun

The Roots

Album drops December 6, 2011. It is a must-have to any library collection (I know it's ranked explicit - still order it, I say), and to everyone's personal music collection.

(I actually used to do this as a kid growing up in the ghetto. - Vanessa Irvin Morris)

Reviews for 'undun':

Billboard: "The Roots Go Concept On New Album 'undun'" by Keith Murphy at:
http://www.billboard.com/column/the-juice/the-roots-go-concept-on-new-album-undun-1005571552.story#/column/the-juice/the-roots-go-concept-on-new-album-undun-1005571552.story

HipHopDX: "The Roots Release Full Album Stream of 'undun'" by Steven J. Horowitz at:
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.17262/title.the-roots-release-full-album-stream-of-undun

Glide Magazine: "The Roots - undun" by Nick Gunther at:
http://www.glidemagazine.com/articles/57886/the-roots.html#com

For more on The Roots:

Website: http://theroots.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheRoots

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/theroots

Twitter: @questlove | @theroots | #undun

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Roots

Video: Behind Those Books (Trailer)

2011-11-27T06:44:00.000-05:00

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OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS FROM URBAN BOOKSOURCE YOUTUBE CHANNEL:

Behind Those Books Documentary (Extended Trailer)

From: urbanbooksource | Jan 24, 2011

The first and only comprehensive documentation, on film, of the urban literature genre, giving viewers a raw and uncut look inside the emerging industry. Behind the Books chronicles the evolution of Street Fiction through interviews with pioneer authors, industry insiders, fans, activists, Hip-Hop artists, book clubs, editors, literary agents, vendors and the like.

Featuring: Terry McMillan, Zane, Nikki Turner, K'wan, Omar Tyree, Cornel West, Michael Eric Dyson, Nick Chiles, Kevin Powell, Teri Woods, Vickie Stringer, Anthony Whyte, Treasure E. Blue, J.M. Benjamin, Randy "Ski" Thompson, Azarel, KaShamba Williams, Queen Pen, Brandon McCalla, Brandi Bowles, Momowilly and many more.

Written & Produced by: Kaven Brown
Associate Producer: Franchesca Ho Sang
Edited & Directed by: Mills Miller

http://www.behindthosebooksmovie.com

"Street Fiction & Inner-City Literacy" | November 30, 2011

2011-11-25T18:03:00.001-05:00

Greetings!

You are cordially invited to attend and participate in a book discussion forum entitled, "Reading and the Hood: Street Fiction and Inner City Literacy," where we will be discussing my newly released book, The Readers Advisory Guide to Street Literature. All the details are below. If you are local to Philadelphia, would love to see you there!

******************************************************************************************

Vivant Art Collection | 60 N. 2nd Street - Gallery Row | Phila, PA

PROGRAM: "Reading and the Hood: Street Fiction and Inner City Literacy"

DATE/TIME: Wednesday, November 30, 2011, 5:30pm - 9:00pm

LOCATION: Vivant Art Collection, 60 North 2nd Street, Gallery Row in Olde City (down the street from The Painted Bride)

REFRESHMENTS: Wine and hors d'oeuvres reception 5:30pm - 6:30pm

SPEAKERS: CHRISTINA ROSE DUBB of The Philly Spells Writing Lab, CHAD DION LASSITER of Black Men at UPenn, TERI WOODS, NYT Bestselling author and author of foreword to The Readers Advisory Guide to Street Literature, and VANESSA IRVIN MORRIS, author, The Readers Advisory Guide to Street Literature

BOOKS: There will be a few copies of The Readers Advisory Guide to Street Literature for sale and signing; if you have your book, bring it and get it signed!

FREE: This is a free event. On-street parking is free in Olde & Center City on Wednesday nights.

**This program is sponsored by the following organizations: Philadelphia Renaissance Project, Philly Spells Writing Lab, Black Men at UPenn and Vivant Art Collection. For further information, contact, CARL DASH of the Philadelphia Renaissance Project at: carl_dash@yahoo.com or "Carl Dash" on Facebook.

To RSVP: http://www.facebook.com/events/116218215156764/

Thank you for your support and see you there!

The Streets as The Stage for Revolution

2011-11-22T06:28:00.001-05:00

I watched and read the news this morning and thought about how powerful the streets are in inscribing society's shifts and movements in history - every street, every where... These are the stories that become archived as newspaper stories, chapters in history texts, subjects of memoirs, and plots for novels.

These stories then inform the world; as in this newsclip (below) that talks about how Egyptian men are taking lead from the historic U.S. Million Man March of 1995, to stage their own Million Man March for revolution in their country, today. The bottom video shows American young adults standing for justice at University of California - Davis (UC-Davis), even while tolerating civil rights abuses by those in power, just 3 days ago. We are living in powerful times, where the streets are screamin' - there is so much going on - everywhere. It's as if the entire world is standing up at the same time.

The streets are always talkin', inscribin', and signifyin' our human experience, because we, the people, are the headliners upon the stage of the streets. We write our stories as we live them.

Tahrir, Egypt: A call for "Million Man March"

November 22, 2011

Davis, CA, USA: Students being pepper-sprayed
at college campus protest
November 18, 2011

Mark Naison, Ph.D. said it best: "There is a definite connection between street literature and the movements curently taking place all over the world led by young people. Street literature was the improbable expression of people the society had locked away and locked out, in prisons and ghettoes, which forced its way into a world of book publishing that had written off the audience street lit was reaching. The Occupy movements were equally unexpected and equally impertinent. Both were movements of party crashers!" - Facebook, 07:01 a.m. EDT, 11/22/11.

Bloods and Crips Support Occupy Atlanta (GA)

2011-11-16T13:27:00.000-05:00

Bloods and Crips Support Occupy Atlanta « CBS Atlanta

Street Lit and Sci Fi: Fantastic Voyages in the Hood

2011-11-14T06:36:00.000-05:00

Hi everybody!

Well, at long last, I have finally gotten around to posting this topic - a topic I promised a few months ago.

Believe it or not, there are quite a few wonderful novels that feature science fiction elements, that are set in the hood...or, vice-versa, science fiction stories that feature street lit elements, as in - the stories are location-specific, set in the hood. I wrote not too long ago (forget where though) that just like in every other community in the world, everything happens in the hood, including science fiction-y type things, fantasy, horror, mystery, all genres. We can find stories within all literary genres that are set in the hood.

For this post, I'd like to feature a few of my favorite titles from the science fiction and speculative fiction genres that have settings in the hood. There's also a couple of contemporary novels penned by up-and-coming authors that are decidedly street lit AND decidedly science fiction. Keep reading ...!

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A few years ago, I remembered that one of my favorites novels ever, Mind of My Mind ([1977] 1994) penned by my favorite author, Octavia E. Butler (1947-2006, may she rest in peace), had a primary setting in the hood. Mind of My Mind is book #2 of Butler's esteemed Patternist series.

In Mind of My Mind, the protagonist, Mary, is an extremely powerful telepath who lives in a seedy ghetto in California. Her mother is a failed-mutant experiment, who falls to drugs and prostitution as a means of coping with supernatural gifts that are too much for her to manage. Mary is a stronger entity, and is able to galvanize the best-of-the-best young telepaths from all over the world to her, for the purpose of defeating their mutual father and enemy, the elusive, all-powerful immortal, Doro. This novel, is really the sequel to Butler's awesome tale, Wild Seed (1980) where we are introduced to Doro and Anyanwu, his immortal counterpart. Both Doro and Anyanwu reappear in Mind of My Mind: Doro is Mary's father, Anyanwu is Mary's grandmother.

To my knowledge this is the only novel where inner-city living is a backdrop for an Octavia Butler story, although some of her stories are city-based dystopias, and in that vein, if you think about it, the fictionalized inner-city setting can also be regarded as a kind of dystopia.

------------------
The next novel I'd like to share is Nalo Hopkinson's debut wonder, Brown Girl in the Ring (1998).

Seattle-based writer and literary critic, L. Timmel Duchamp, provides a wonderful description of this speculative fiction novel:

Nalo Hopkinson's Brown Girl in the Ring envisions a twenty-first century Toronto that has suffered political and economic crises of such proportions that it has been barricaded off and abandoned by its moneyed, predominantly White suburbs. Cut off from modern material resources and left helpless to defend itself against the domination and depredations of a ruthless drug lord, the city has become a post-apocalyptic urban landscape reminiscent, at times, of Samuel R. Delany's Dahlgren. (Duchamp, 1999).

Set in a demoralized inner-city setting, Hopkinson adds Caribbean magical elements and insights into the spiritual practice of Voodoun as a method of empowerment and survival in the story. This novel has won numerous literary awards, as has its author, for her subsequent publications. Lastly, speaking of Delany's Dahlgren (1975), there are street elements in that classic text also (see Wikipedia article, "Dhalgren").

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Young adult author, Zetta Elliott, published a wonderful speculative fiction novel for teen readers, A Wish After Midnight (2010). In this story, 15 year-old protagonist, Genna, lives in the projects of Brooklyn, with a single mom who is having a hard time making ends meet and keeping control of her family, particularly her wayward teen son who is leaning towards gang life. Genna, in a quest to decompress from a stressful homelife, visits the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens regularly. Ultimately, Genna finds herself time travelling through a portal after making a wish at a fountain in the Gardens.

When Genna and her friend, Judah, time travel, they wind up in Brooklyn, during the 1860's, in the middle of the U.S. Civil War. This is where the magic lives in Elliott's tale - this is not a hood story - it is historical fiction with a fantasy twist that teaches readers valuable insights about race relations during 1860s Brooklyn juxtaposed with race issues in modern-day Brooklyn. One could consider: what are the progressions for race relations for citizens living in the inner-city of modern day Brooklyn?
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Lastly, I'd like to introduce you to author Trevis Moore. His novel, Hood Titans (2011), is published by independent publishing house, Bravin Books, owned and operated by CEOs, K.L. and Tiffany Belvin.

Here is an adapted synopsis of the story, from Bravin Books:

Every Hood needs heroes. Someone to protect the people from the forces who profit from crime, poverty and degradation in Urban neighborhoods. Find out what happens when a black geneticist decides enough is enough. Having fought his way up and out of the hood, he returns as a doctor, ready to positively change the neighborhood. In his efforts to give back, he launches his ultimate plan of protection for the brothers and sisters in the city. The Black Brotherhood Brigade is born. But how do you create these protectors? What happens if the secret gets out? What if you've been created to think the hard life you're living is all there is? What happens when the genes you're carrying are truly special and designed for a greater purpose? All these questions and more will be answer in Trevis's new book "Hood Titans." See what happens when Urban Fiction has a child with Science Fiction: they gives birth to a new genre which will captivate all who reads.

Sounds exciting, right? Currently available for pre-order on the Bravin website, I am looking forward to learning how readers respond to this story! I believe more stories that interweave science fiction, fantasy, and magical elements into the tales will be a welcome evolution to the street lit genre. After all, magic and fantasy are alive and well in the 'hood. Think about all it takes to survive daily in low-income city settings that can oftentimes be precarious moment-to-moment. Survival of such intense living takes guts, resilience, and yes, being able to regard situations fantastically at times, and to believe and/or trust in a little magical luck. Oops, that's actually called: human living. La la la....

Last but not least, don't forget that another sub-genre of urban literature is the exciting realm of "urban fantasy". Also, consider the settings and themes of contemporary comic/graphic novel stories such as The Hood Volume 1: Blood From Stones (2003), The Hood (New Avengers) (2007), and Fluorescent Black (2010), where really magical and fantastical things happen to all kinds of people in the hood.
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Note: If you know of street lit novels that are science fiction/fantasy/speculative fiction oriented, kindly let me know and I will add the titles to this post!
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Disclaimer: The traditional science fiction/speculative fiction titles discussed in this article are not street lit novels. They are highlighted because the stories contain street lit elements, particularly settings in inner-city neighborhoods. Please do not go out in the world telling people that Vanessa Irvin Morris thinks that Octavia Butler, Samuel Delany, Nalo Hopkinson and Zetta Elliott are street lit authors, because you would be sharing a huge untruth.

Thanks; over and out (for now)!

Behind the Scenes of Street Lit Success: Dawn Hardy, Publicist

2011-11-09T16:54:00.000-05:00

The success of Street Lit authorship has a lot to do with the hustle of marketing and publicity. The publicity aspect is a vital component of the entrepreneurial bent that allows Street Lit its high literary exposure.

Dawn Michelle Hardy is a literary publicist that will not be denied. Starting out working with pioneering author, Teri Woods, Hardy continues to evolve her brand within the publishing industry by working with independent authors within the urban literature genre and beyond.

Check out the article below, from XI Magazine, to learn more about the importance of literary agents in this social media age where branding is paramount for literary success. Authors under Hardy's wings know it well, which is why they work with her: she is a literary agent with years of experience and success in connecting authors with their readers.

Dawn Michelle can be contacted via her website at: dreamrelations.com.

Gangsta literature: an interview wit’ Frisco’s urban fiction novelist Fleetwood

2011-11-07T13:43:00.000-05:00

Gangsta literature: an interview wit’ Frisco’s urban fiction novelist Fleetwood

The Guardian (UK) Posts Article on Street Lit

2011-11-04T12:47:00.001-04:00

Greetings! When you get a chance, this article is worth the read, and the comments section is building with some interesting op/eds. I want to thank my colleaguefriend, Kristina Graaff, for the headsup on this piece.

Click Image to Access Article

Meeting Eyone Williams: Author of Lorton Legends

2011-11-02T06:00:00.000-04:00

Eyone Williams is a talented author whose titles Fast Lane (2007), Hell Razor Honeys I (2008), Hell Razor Honeys II (2010), The Cross (2011), and Lorton Legends (2011), have gained him a considerable following of readers within the Street Literature genre. Williams is a Washington, D.C. native with street cred that he uses to tell authentic, engrossing stories in his novels. StreetLiterature.com had the honor and opportunity to talk with Mr. Williams about his writings and his life story. His interview is below; enjoy!

Eyone Williams (center). Used with permission.

StreetLiterature.com: Whatinspired you to write in this genre? Personal observations and experience?

The first thing that inspired me to write streetfiction was the fact that I enjoyed reading it myself. Donald Goines is my favorite author and I read his work when I wasyoung. After reading his books aboutstreet life in the 70s I was inspired to write about street life in my day andtime. I began writing street fiction inthe 90s; I made up my mind to write about things that I went through growing upin DC.

The crack era hit DC hard, aswell other cities, and it left a long lasting impression on the community. I found myself caught up in that era. I began writing, using reallife situations, and my first novel, Fast Lane (now available on Amazon Kindle) was born. All my homies loved the book, but I wasn’t sure if readers outside ofwhere I’m from would like the book. Nevertheless, I did what I had to do to get the book out and peopleloved it. Also, I love street fiction, Iloved it from day one and wanted to be a part of the movement; I wanted to put my own touch on thegame. That was my driving force.

StreetLiterature.com: How longhave you been writing street literature? What is your writing process like? How long does it take you to write a novel—on average?

I started writing back in 98, I didn’t know where Iwas going with my first novel at that time. However, I had been through a lot and I wanted to use all that I hadbeen through to help me write the book. I got caught up in the street life at a young age and went to prison,charged as an adult at 16. My brotherwas murdered a year later. My mother haddied of a drug overdose when I was 6. Myfather went to prison when I was 4. Leaving out all that’s in between, I took my background and used it towrite my first novel, Fast Lane. So overall, I started writing 13 years ago.

As far as my writing process, I step off fromwhatever’s going on around me and get into a zone. When I first started I used to do somereading of my favorite authors to get motivated. Then I would just block out everything andwrite. Now days, I just get right toit. I have an idea on my mind and I putit all down on paper. I can see it allin my mind. I go until I can’t go no more.

It takes me about two months to write a book, firstdraft. After that, I do re-writes. That can take about the same amount of time.

StreetLiterature.com: What kindof street lit do you focus on and why?

I focus on hard-core street lit - things that happen in the streets forreal. I try to mix that with things thatmake the book good. I add twists andturns to the plot so that it makes my readers keep reading. I write street fiction because I write itbest, and because I grew a love for reading by reading street fiction.

Street:Literature.com: Who wouldyou say are your primary readers? Whatkind of feedback do you receive from them that you take into consideration forwriting your stories?

My primary readers are African-Americanfemales. Males buy my books as well, butmore women come through to get my books, as far as I know. I keep that in mind when I’m putting mystories together. I write hard-corestreet fiction, but I make sure I put something in there for the ladies. They show me so much support that I gottashow them love. When I first startedwriting I used to go hard for what guys like to read but the ladies stepped tome about that as I grew as a writer so I began to expand my plots to make theminclude all things that make good books hot books.

Eyone Williams with readers. Used with permission.

StreetLiterature.com: What/Who are you reading nowadays?

Nowadays I read business books, writing books, andurban fiction books. The authors I read include Guy Johnson,Treasure Blue, Dutch, Nathan Welch, Wahida Clark, T. Styles, Jason Poole, DejaKing, Anthony Fields, to name a few. The authors that hold my attention are the ones that pull me into theirstory off the top. That’s what I enjoyabout reading my favorite authors’ books.

StreetLiterature.com: Which modeof publication is most popular with your readers—paperbacks or ebooks? Why do you think that is?

My friends, readers, and supporters all lovepaperbacks. Even the ones that havee-readers still come and holla at me for signed copies of my books and otherbooks I sell. They show a lot of love. I believe they love paperbacks the mostbecause that’s where their first love of reading came from.

StreetLiterature.com: Has socialmedia helped with marketing and promotion of your books? If so, how?

Social media has helped me out in a huge way. It has allowed me to reach out and get to knowmy readers. Without a doubt social media helpsbook sales. It also gives me, as an author, a way tospread my thoughts on my books with my readers. I talk back and forth online with my readers. We talk about why one character or anotherdid this or that. I make it all fun andinteresting to read Eyone Williams books. I do contests, discussions, and all of that. Social media is a great thing.

StreetLiterature.com: What isyour latest title? What is it about andhow does it uniquely contribute to the genre of Street Lit?

click image to order

My latest book is Lorton Legends, it’s published byDC BOOKDIVA PUBLICATIONS. Lorton Legendsis a story of struggle, growth, and accomplishment. A group of four young men get sent to prisonin their teenage years. Everything thatthey become in life is what they are shaped into while in prison. They go through a number of differentstruggles dealing with their freedom, their family, their personal issues asmen and much more. The main characterstruggles throughout the whole book to become a better man, a father, and toovercome the life of the streets. Thebook is full of history and life lessons that are dropped on the reader throughthe eyes of the characters.

Lorton Legends adds a new flare to street lit byshowing that there are many different ways to tell a street story. It also shows that you can tell a streetstory and still allow readers to walk away feeling as though they have learnedsomething.

Here is the book trailer for Lorton Legends:

StreetLiterature.com: What isyour ultimate goal for your work with Street Lit? (e.g. networking with moreauthors, appealing to a wider audience of readers, etc.)

Ultimately, my goal is to create a better life formyself and all those around me. I want torepresent as best as I can for Street Lit and help it grow and live on forever,in whatever way. I strive to make thework coming out of my camp to be the best ever. With every book I write, I strive to give it my all. When it’s all said and done, I want to beremembered as an author that was different from the norm, I want to beremembered as one who gave it my all and wrote stories that reflect what’s realin the street lit genre. Forever!

StreetLiterature.com: Ifsomeone asked you, "How do you define Street Lit?", what would be your definition?

Street Lit is writing that paints a picture ofstreet life in many ways, from all kinds of angles. It’s about what goes on in the hood. It’s why the things in the hood happen. It takes you into the lives of people thatreally live and thrive in the hood. Thatis street fiction, from my point of view. However, it is much more to it and the views of other street lit writerscompletes the overall view.

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You can connect with Eyone Williams via the following social media outlets:

Facebook: Eyone Williams

Twitter: @eyonethewriter

Meeting Ericka Williams, Author/Teacher/Producer

2011-10-27T06:00:00.000-04:00

Ericka Williams

Meet Ericka Williams: author, teacher, producer, public speaker, and more. Ericka has published five (5) street lit novels, with her latest, The Robbin Hoods (2011), recently released on September 27, 2011.

Ericka is probably best known for her novel, A Woman Scorned (2009), and its sequel, A Woman Scorned, Part 2 (2010).

Her other novels include: Shining Star (2010) and All That Glitters (2007).

While Ericka has penned entertaining and insightful women's stories for street lit, The Robbin Hoods is her first novel that chronicles men's stories with protagonist Chance Major leading a live of crime in order to feed his family and realize some semblance of the elusive "American Dream". Williams offers a twist to street lit in that she illustrates a story of a family who leaves the hood for the suburbs, only to discover that the two are not that different in terms of the dangers and illegal temptations that constantly looms.

Back cover synopsis:

Based On Actual Events...

"The Robbin Hoods are burglars. They are hood stars who are living the good life splurging their money on women, fast cars, jewels, nice homes, trips, and drugs. Chance was from Brooklyn. His mother moved him and his siblings to New Jersey for a better life. They moved to the suburbs where the dangers and crime of city life were not supposed to exist.

Very early on his family learns that the have-nots are surrounded by those who are successful; as opposed to the projects where everyone is struggling. Chance chooses a life of robbery to support his mother and siblings. The "crew" started out robbing houses in their town and the surrounding working class and middle class towns.

What started out as a petty crime with teenagers who would cut school and break and enter into houses, on foot, turned into a multi-million dollar empire when the crew took their craft to a higher level. They graduated from boys to men, who made millions of dollars when they began venturing into exclusive upper class neighborhoods. The Robbin Hoods is about what happens when you take from others, instead of building your own." - Source: http://www.erickaw.com/pages/sys/therobinhoods_sys.html

Williams dedicates this novel to "the men of the world who have had to take to have, raise themselves, be strong with no help, and who love without ever being taught how."

Ericka's dedication makes me think of many youth-led revolutions that are occurring in the world today - in the Middle East (Arab Spring) , Africa (Libya, South Sudan), South America, and in cities across Europe and the U.S. (Occupy Wall Street), where we see young men and women fighting for justice, where civic disobedience sometimes can lead to illegal actions.

Williams' novel is a timely consideration for how the most unfortunate of "the 99%" live at the expense of the elite "1%." Except in The Robbin Hoods, justice is turned on its head with the 'have-nots' spiraling along risky journeys to 'have' ... even if only for a moment. Ericka Williams challenges us to "hear" and "see" the back stories of WHY young, disenfranchised men of color may enter a life of crime. The Robbin Hoods sheds light on the motivations and lifestyles that mainstream media seems to only be able to demonize.

To connect with Ericka Williams:
Facebook: Ericka Monique Williams
Twitter: @AuthorErickaw
Email: erickawilliamsinfo@yahoo.com
Website: Bestselling Author Ericka Williams
Book Tour: Robbin Hoods Book Tour Info
Online Audio Interview: http://www.audioacrobat.com/note/Cp2R6jds

Librarians: Why We Do What We Do

2011-10-26T20:16:00.001-04:00

"Reading as a kid, The Count of Monte Cristo, at the age of 10: I was feasting on those words...romancing them. Once I read that book, it was a wrap...I started enjoying reading, period. I would sneak off to the library, find a place, and just read." -- Author Treasure E. Blue, October 23, 2011.

KC Boyd, Warrioress Librarian. Used with permission.

EPILOGUE: B.E.E.F. - Bringing Extreme Explanations to the Forefront of Street Lit!

2011-10-25T05:30:00.000-04:00

Now that my book, The Readers Advisory Guide to Street Literature, is officially released and available for order, I'd like to draw your attention to the epilogue of the book that is very powerful. It is entitled, "B.E.E.F. - Bringing Extreme Explanations to the Forefront of Street Lit". This concluding chapter is the reprint of an intense email dialogue/debate between myself and young adult author, Zetta Elliott.

In this exchange we discuss the pros and cons of Street Lit as a literary genre for readers. We also get into issues of culture, identity, and equity of access. It is a very hot, intense read! As such, it is a very fitting conclusion to a readers advisory guide about a literary genre that continues to raise controversy and debate. Get your copy of the book today and enjoy!

Book Launch Day#8 - Characters Outside the Cover: Who and What are we Reading in the Library?

2011-10-21T12:23:00.001-04:00

CHAPTER EIGHT: "Truth be told, both the dark side and the bright side of public librarianship parallel similar themes laid out in various ways in the street lit genre. There are regularly scenes in street lit stories where characters enact in literacy activities that include reading books; writing letters, poems and lyrics; and doing research at the public library." - Readers Advisory Guide to Street Literature

Pre-order (it's on its way - I was told by publisher today!): http://www.amazon.com/Readers-Advisory-Guide-Street-Literature/dp/0838911102/

Book Launch Day#7 - Who Put That On The Shelf? Street Lit Collection Development

2011-10-20T06:19:00.000-04:00

CHAPTER SEVEN: "It must be noted that contemporary street lit has a strong entrepreneurial bent that the library world must respect. Patrons will often come into the library suggesting or asking for titles that they saw on street-vendor tables outside the library's doors. It is important that librarians take an engaged approach to locating relevant titles that may not be readily available via traditional library book vendors." - Readers Advisory Guide to Street Literature

Pre-order:
http://www.amazon.com/Readers-Advisory-Guide-Street-Literature/dp/0838911102/
or http://www.alastore.ala.org/detail.aspx?ID=3302

Book Launch! Day#6 - Toning It Down: Teen-friendly Street Lit

2011-10-19T06:01:00.000-04:00

CHAPTER SIX: "Reading street lit allows teens to claim some modicum of ownership over their daily lives by being able to compare their realities and identities to the characters in the stories. Street lit gives its teen readers a sense of proaction, allowing them to slow down, to examine and process the rise and pitfalls of ghetto life." - Readers Advisory Guide to Street Literature

Pre-Order: http://www.amazon.com/Readers-Advisory-Guide-Street-Literature/dp/0838911102/

or http://www.alastore.ala.org/detail.aspx?ID=3302

Book Launch! Day#5 - Street-Lit Readers Advisory: Expanding on the Patrons' Expertise

2011-10-18T12:31:00.001-04:00

CHAPTER FIVE: "[T]he best resources for street lit authors, titles, and trends are patrons. ... Getting good information from patrons requires that librarians trust the patron's insights and information." - Readers Advisory Guide to Street Literature

Pre-Order:
http://www.amazon.com/Readers-Advisory-Guide-Street-Literature/dp/0838911102/

http://www.alastore.ala.org/detail.aspx?ID=3302

Book Launch! Day#4 - The Diversity Within Street Lit: Themes and Subgenres

2011-10-16T06:19:00.000-04:00

CHAPTER FOUR: ‎"The genre doesn't depict women as just hapless victims of their circumstances. ... Female characters are often independent, confident, and resilient. ... Male characters tend to be proactive in their quest for respect and credibility in their communities." - Readers Advisory Guide to Street Literature.

Pre-order:

http://www.amazon.com/Readers-Advisory-Guide-Street-Literature/dp/0838911102/

or http://www.alastore.ala.org/detail.aspx?ID=3302

Book Launch! Day#3 - The Streets Are Callin': The Street as a Literary Motif

2011-10-15T02:38:00.001-04:00

CHAPTER THREE: ‎"As a motif, the streets symbolize possibility and the enactment of choice; it is an ominous, mysterious four-sided intersection with no directional signs. ... Inner-city residents recognize instinctively that the streets hold a wisdom, if you will, a memory of transactions and interactions that metaphysically informs those who live there." - From chapter 3, Readers Advisory Guide to Street Literature.

Pre-Order at: http://www.amazon.com/Readers-Advisory-Guide-Street-Literature/dp/0838911102/

Book Launch! Day#2 - From Moll Flanders to The Coldest Winter Ever: A Historical Timeline of Street Lit

2011-10-14T11:31:00.003-04:00

CHAPTER TWO: ‎"The historicity of street literature isn't chronicling cultural norms or stereotypes about certain ethnic groups inasmuch as chronicling the challenging socioeconomic realities of diverse peoples, whoever they may be, who are living in low-income city communities at various periods in time." - Chapter 2, Readers Advisory Guide to Street Literature.

Pre-order: http://www.alastore.ala.org/detail.aspx?ID=3302 or http://www.amazon.com/Readers-Advisory-Guide-Street-Literature/dp/0838911102/

Book Launch! Day#1 - "It's Like A Movie in My Head": Street Lit and Its Appeal to Readers

2011-10-14T11:27:00.000-04:00

CHAPTER ONE: ‎"Today's renaissance of the street-literature genre appeals to readers for a variety of reasons." - Readers Advisory Guide to Street Literature.

Available for pre-order: http://www.amazon.com/Readers-Advisory-Guide-Street-Literature/dp/0838911102/

Book Launch! Foreword by NYT Bestselling Author, Teri Woods

2011-10-13T06:12:00.000-04:00

FOREWORD: "This new-wave genre of street lit will always remind the human race of a people who were supposed to be forgotten, swept under a rug, put in a box - better yet a cell - never to have a voice, never to cry out, and never able to speak out again the injustice we live in, see, experience in our everyday lives just because of our demographics. ... I'm here to say this: give them (the readers) the book that lets them read." - Teri Woods, Readers Advisory Guide to Street Literature.

Pre-Order: http://www.alastore.ala.org/detail.aspx?ID=3302 or http://www.amazon.com/Readers-Advisory-Guide-Street-Literature/dp/0838911102/

The Readers Advisory Guide to Street Literature Drops October 20th!

2011-10-04T15:56:00.003-04:00

Hi All!

I am very excited about the official release of my book, The Readers Advisory Guide to Street Literature. Its release date is set for October 20, 2011. It is currently available for pre-order on Amazon.com, ALAStore, and other major book retail outlets. You can click on the book cover (below) to pre-order from ALAStore.

If you are a teacher, librarian, author, publisher, or lifelong learner who wants to understand what the street lit craze is all about - this is the book for you!

Forward by New York Times best-selling author Teri Woods

Early Praise for Vanessa Irvin Morris's book:

"Morris' book challenges us to reflect on how we practice our 'service for all' credo. Her excellent scholarship and analysis will assist library staff to become 'literate' about a large body of literature and the ways that literature resonates with a large body of readers." -- Robin Osborne, Editor, From Outreach to Equity: Innovative Models of Library Policy and Practice

"Vanessa Irvin Morris persuasively overturns common prejudices against Street Literature, situating the genre convincingly in a long literary history of narratives located in low-income city neighborhoods. Her broadened conceptualization of the genre provides educators with indispensable tools for linking Street Literature with works of other literary periods and genres, non-fiction formats and even audiovisual media. Librarians and teachers will gain in-depth knowledge about readers’ agency, tastes and complex reading practices – all essential prerequisites for engaging seriously with Street Literature and its readers."-- Kristina Graaff, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
To pre-order: http://www.alastore.ala.org/detail.aspx?ID=3302

To connect with Vanessa:
Facebook: Readers Advisory Guide to Street Literature
Blog: StreetLiterature.com
Twitter: @vanirvinmorris
LinkedIn: vanirvinmorris
Website: http://www.vanirvinmorris.com

Author Interview: Kiki Swinson of the "Wifey series"

2011-09-29T02:13:00.000-04:00

Kiki Swinson

Kiki Swinson is one of the earliest authors of contemporary Street Literature. Her "Wifey" series is one of the most popular series in the genre, with five installments: Wifey (part 1), I'm Still Wifey (part 2), Life After Wifey (part 3), Still Wifey Material (part 4), and Wifey 4 Life (part 5). Other titles related to the series include Wife Extraordinaire and Wife Extraordinaire Returns.

Kiki's Cheaper to Keep Her series is also highly popular with its third installment, Cheaper to Keep Her, part 3 (More Money More Problems), expected by early 2012.

Swinson is a prolific author penning additional titles independently with Notorious, The Candy Shop, Still Candy Shopping, A Sticky Situation, and Playing Dirty ... and also collaboratively with titles such as The Heist (with De'Nesha Diamond), Sleeping with the Enemy (with Wahida Clark), and Lifestyles of the Rich and Shameless (with Noire).

Swinson's latest release is the highly anticipated, New York's Finest, The First of a Trilogy, due for its paperback release, October 2011. It is currently available as a Kindle edition on Amazon.com, already boasting a strong 5-star review status.

Ms. Swinson's impact and contribution to Street Lit is indisputable. She is a powerhouse of an author, who has been a consistent Essence bestselling author, as well as an emerging publisher, with her company, KS Publications.

Kiki graciously shared her insights about her work and the literary industry in the following interview with StreetLiterature.com:

ALL THE PROTAGONISTS IN YOUR BOOKSARE WOMEN.

WHAT DO THEY ALL HAVE IN COMMON?

All my characters are strongladies: Kira (Wifey), Yosi (Playing Dirty), Faith (The Candy Shop), Maxine (A Sticky Situation), Lynise (Cheaper toKeep Her), and Naomi (New York’s Finest). They aren’t ashamed to play up theirsexy-feminine qualities in their roles of leadership.

WHERE DO YOUR BOOK IDEAS COME FROM?

Wow with over 15 titles andcounting, the ideas come from all kinds of places. The Wifey series was derived from what I went through in thelate 80's to the early 90's when I was involved with a guy who sold drugs. Thatrelationship is what led to my federal case. I wasn't married to him and bystreet culture I was considered his “wifey“.

My Candy Shop seriescame about while I watched my uncle damn near kill himself with a heroinaddiction. I felt compelled to weave that into a novel.

The PlayingDirty/Notorious series came about because I wanted to touch onanother area of the drug enterprise. I had already written a series on how drugdealers make plenty of money to supply a lavish lifestyle for themselves. Iwrote about how the drugs effect the drug addicts. This series talked about theattorney's who fight to get their high price clients off & set free. Mycharacter Yosi Lomax was greedy and crooked just like her clients.

My latest creations: Cheaperto Keep Her a 3-part series and New York's Finest werewritten to entice readers into another free-fall of my writing style. Cheaperto Keep Her has recently become one of my most popular series, following Wifey& Playing Dirty/Notorious. I can also see my series New York'sFinest get into the running as some of my best work simply because the charactersare fun, realistic & daring.

IT SEEMS MOST OF YOUR SOLO WRITINGS ARE IN SERIES. WHY?

I feel like when I tell mystories, I can't do it all in one book. The way my mind works, there is so muchto say about my characters. I want them to have a life span like us. I want myreaders to form the love/hate relationships with them. After 2-3 books with the same folks, readersknow them well.

HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH YOURBOOK TITLES?

Catchy and hard to define,those are how I’d describe my titles. When I first came up with the CandyShop people automatically assumed I was talking about a whore house. Thetitle Cheaper to Keep Her, people assumed I was talking about a marriedwoman scorned. Lastly, when I came up with New York's Finest, it wasamazing to see that people thought I had written a story about police officersand when they found out my story was about a flight attendant who wastrafficking huge amounts of cocaine for her brother, folks were shocked. It’sso much fun, the shock value thatreaders get when they think they know what the book will be about from thetitle. It makes the reading more enjoyable when the plot is a pleasantsurprise.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE YOU TOCOMPLETE A NOVEL?

It generally takes me about 2months to write a book. I've been on tight deadlines and have churned out abook in 6 weeks.

WHY IS THE WIFEY SERIES SOPOPULAR?

I believe the Wifeyseries became so popular because that story stemmed from some events thathappened in my life when I was going through my FED investigation. My readersknow that Kira was me. Plus, a lot of my readers can identify with Kira becauseshe resonates with them in a personal manner. Kira is your around the way girlwho loves her man, who also plays the ride-or-die-chick. When opposition comesher way my readers automatically side with her because she's their “girl”.

HOW HAVE YOU KEPT THE WIFEYSERIES ALIVE INTO 2011?
One word, well, two words - “thefans“. I’m truly blessed that fans kept the Wifey series alive into 2011. I keep writing because readers keep reading and loving the stories. Theylove my character Kira so much that they want her to live beyond. I'vewritten part 6 to the series, but due to circumstances beyond my control, Ihaven't been able to release it. Hopefully, I will be able to do so in the nearfuture. I know the readers would love that.

CHEAPER TO KEEP HER HASPICKED UP MUCH STEAM. WHAT ARE YOU PLANS FOR THE SERIES?

I picked my series Cheaperto Keep Her to move forward with a production schedule for my writings. Cheaperto Keep Her is my first series released by KS Publications, which is my ownpublishing company. So far there are 3 parts to the story of Lynise Carter. Cheaperto Keep Her has been chosen for a TV pilot, which is being shot Fall 2011. The reviews have been great, so I expectgreat things for the release of part 3 in December 2011.

CONGRATS ON KS PUBLICATIONS.WILL YOU BE PUBLISHING OTHER AUTHOR WORKS IN THE FUTURE? KS Publications is currently acceptingmanuscripts.

WITH 20 BOOKS IN YOURCATALOG, WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM YOU THIS FALL?
New York’s Finest (Oct2011), Cheaper to Keep Her (Dec. 2011) via KS Publications, and much morein 2012.

Thank you Kiki, for all of your amazing work and contribution to the Street Literature genre!

Note: For collection development purposes, Kiki Swinson's novels are widely available in paperback and ebook formats.

Kiki Swinson is available via the following web and social media outlets:Web: www.cheapertokeepher.net or www.kikiswinson.net

Twitter: @kikiswinson

VIDEO: Hip Hop & Social Media: Tools for revolution in Arab world

2011-09-15T10:57:00.001-04:00

"Rap has become the soundtrack of revolution, and the symbol of resistance."

"Speak the truth or die trying."

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Note: Thank you to Erykah Badu for posting this very important story on Facebook.

September 2011 Book Review: One Lyfe to Live by Erick S. Gray

2011-09-11T16:11:00.000-04:00

Gray, Erick S. 2011. One Lyfe to Live: A Novel. NY: Deja Vu Publications. Paperback | $14.95 USD | ISBN-13: 978-0981729695 | 239 pages

Erick S. Gray can be considered one of the foremost pioneering authors in the street lit game. He is one of the earliest male authors to bring forth quality, interesting work. An author of approximately 8 novels and 13 collaborations (including the awesome series, The Streets of New York, with Shannon Holmes and Anthony Whyte), Erick S. Gray is a solid contributor to contemporary street literature.

Lyfe Benjamin is a young adult (about 20 years old) African American male living with his mom and his sister in Jamaica, Queens, New York, with a baby on the way. Unemployed and a high school drop out, Lyfe, is a restless soul, with little direction for his life. His older brothers are incarcerated or dead from street violence; his older sister is the wifey of the biggest and most dangerous drug lord in the area. He doesn't know who his father is. Lyfe's 2-bit street hustle with his childhood friends keeps digging him deeper and deeper into the scary abyss of the streets - his guardian angel is a crackhead older man, named Jimmy, who always has Lyfe's back.

A silver lining appears for Lyfe, in the form of a new girlfriend, Ayana, who is a college student from Kenya. Ayana inspires Lyfe to study for his GED, which prompts him to take a trip to the public library. (Yes - you read that right - Erick S. Gray sends Lyfe to the library to talk to a librarian. Gray devotes two pages to detail the reference interaction and Lyfe's experience as a patron. Yes - in a street lit novel.) Lyfe's road to redemption takes a U-turn when Ayana is called back to Nairobi, Kenya, due to the unexpected death of her father. This abandonment sends Lyfe back to what he knows best - the hood.

Upon his return back to Queens, action gets intense as Lyfe finds himself in the middle of various misunderstandings that turn violent. His sister gets caught in the cross-fire, and this sends Lyfe reeling. Lyfe further suffers betrayal after betrayal from his closest friends, which are heavy costs for the price of a drug war.

Does Lyfe make it through all the violence and turmoil? How does his actions impact his pending fatherhood? What does it mean to being living a life, for Lyfe? Lyfe lives fast and hard, and ultimately pays all prices charged to the game.

Gray's storytelling is superb in this novel. He depicts Lyfe's struggles and confusion with an authenticity in language and character development that is awesome. I found myself totally immersed in Lyfe's world and in his heart - gaining an understanding for who he was and why he made the choices he did. Gray makes it plain that one's circumstances greatly determines the life one lives. In the character of Lyfe, we have empathy for the hard ladder he has to climb in order to get up and out of an impoverished life. We are rooting for Lyfe as he slips and falls along the way.

Highly recommended for public library collections. Suitable for mature A/YA readers. A must have addition to any reputable street lit collection.

Erick S. Gray's next novel is a collaborative effort with esteemed street lit author, Anthony White. Entitled "America's Soul" is due for release October 25, 2011. "America's Soul" is the final installment to "Crave All Lose All" (2008) and "Love and a Gangsta" (2009).

To connect with Erick S. Gray:

Facebook: Erick Gray
MySpace: Erick S Gray

Amazon Bookstore: http://astore.amazon.com

Publisher: http://dejavupublications.com/

Street Lit as eBooks

2011-08-31T21:26:00.004-04:00

Image source: augustuspublishing.com

In case you are unaware, street lit authors are very busy these days, promoting their novels in ebook format; and readers are responding with thick enthusiasm via their Kindles, Nooks and other devices. I am a member of a few Facebook groups that discuss street lit and other urban fiction genres, such as urban erotica, mysteries and thrillers. In these groups, readers are passionately responding to authors' promotions of older and newly released titles in ebook format.

In the August 2011 Word on the Street Lit column via Library Journal (LJ), eBooks for street lit are discussed. LJ recommends Overdrive.com as an important vendor for librarians procuring street lit in ebook format. (November 14, 2011: Overdrive published a blog article highlighting urban fiction ebooks at: http://overdriveblogs.com/library/2011/11/10/every-day-im-hustlin-urban-fiction-ebooks-audiobooks/)

I am noticing that eBooks are a new way in which lesser known authors are getting their names heard in the book game. Many titles from new and established authors are now available on Amazon.com in Kindle format, and via Barnes and Noble's Nook.

The advantage of street lit in ebook format is that readers can purchase titles at a lower price than in paperback or hardcover format. For libraries, titles can be loaned and returned without need for maintenance of tattered covers and pages or replacing perpetually lost paperbacks.

Major street lit authors promoting ebooks include:
Ashley & JaQuavis
Treasure Blue
Deja King
Dutch
Keisha Ervin
K'wan
N'Tyse
Kiki Swinson
Anthony Whyte
Tu'Shonda Whitaker
Silk White
Teri Woods

All you have to do is search their name on the major book retailer sites, and you will see the ebook version of many of their titles.

Here are some street lit ebooks that I have come across written by independently publishing authors:

By Sean A. Wright: A Gangster's Melody

By George Hudson: Gangsta Girl

By Marlene: Making It On My Own

By Tremayne Johnson: King and A Drug Dealer's Dream

By Michael McGrew: Taking Losses

By Tajana Sutton (Deja Series): Deja; Deja 2: Unfinished Business; Deja 3

By David Weaver: Bankroll Squad; Bankroll Squad: Kyla's Revenge

By Latif Mercado: Freestyle for Life

By Hudson, Denton and Taylor: Hood Luv

By Raheem Hoyte: Cost of Loyalty

By Julia Press Simmons (Strawberry Mansion Series):

Strawberry Mansion - A Philadelphia Story;

Begonia Brown - A Philadelphia Story;

Violet - Strawberry Mansion 3

**For more street lit ebook titles, do a search for "street lit" on Amazon.com.

I realize that there is a mild debate going on about ebooks in schools and borrowing them from the public library. But like everything, I believe there is room enough for everyone and everything. Also, as educators and information professionals, I believe we must respect not only what the reader reads, but also where they read (online and print), and how they read (paperbacks and/or eReaders). It is our job to consider it all... and yes, even while juggling a tight budget.

Note: A special thank you to Anthony Whyte for granting permission for use of his image as the logo for this post.

Guest Review for: Blinding Mirror (2010)

2011-08-29T17:18:00.000-04:00

Halima, Shelley. 2010. Blinding Mirror. Livonia, MI: Indie Gypsy. Paperback | $10.99 US | ISBN-13: 978-0578018928 | 321 pages

Book Description

Blinding Mirror is a dark and sexy thriller about a woman, Olivia Valente, who leaves behind her abusive and dysfunctional home, poverty and her racial identity to find the riches she s always dreamed of. Once she attains it she will keep it by any means necessary even if it means murder. Her insatiable greed leads her back into the lives of her estranged twin daughters just as they are to receive a hefty inheritance. But all their lives will be changed forever as Olivia's true identity and misdeeds come to light.

Book Review

Shelly Halima's latest novel, Blinding Mirror, is 321 pages of sheer bliss. This book lives up to its title, because it holds up a mirror to American life. The multi ethnic and mixed raced characters are all trying to forge their place in the American landscape. This is the saga of Olivia Valente, a heroine that a reader will enjoy hating. One cannot help but admire Olivia's driving ambition to leave her abusive life and recreate a new and improved self. One of the ways Olivia does this is to bypass her true racial background. The legacy of her choices will affect every action in the book, thus impacting the lives her daughters for years to come.

I think the mark of a good book is a writer’s ability to make the reader understand why the characters do what they do. Halima has definitely mastered this technique in her work. I would highly recommend Shelley Halima’s work to any patron, especially those who would like a change from the usual fare offered by many of Halima's contemporaries.

~~ The guest reviewer for this post is Stacie Brisker, who is a librarian for the Cleveland (OH) Public Library system. Thank you Stacie. ~~

Short Story Anthologies in Street Lit

2011-08-25T20:36:00.000-04:00

I was recently asked, "Are there any short stories published in street lit?" There sure are! Here are some popular short story anthologies for Street Lit. If you know of any others, please let me know and I'll add them to the list!

Adult/YA level:

Clark, Wahida. 2010. What's Really Hood! A Collection of Tales from the Streets. NY: Grand Central Publishing.

Gray, Erick S., Anthony Whyte, and Shannon Holmes. 2009 - ongoing. Streets of New York: Volumes 1 - 3. NY: Augustus Publishing.

Various Authors. 2004 - ongoing. Around the Way Girls: Volumes 1 - 8. NY: Urban Books.

Various Authors. 2006 - ongoing. Girls from da Hood: Volumes 1 - 6. NY: Urban Books.

Teen/Tween Level:

Flake, Sharon. 2005. Who Am I Without Him?: Short Stories about Girls and the Boys in Their Lives. NY: Hyperion.

Flake, Sharon. 2010. You Don't Even Know Me: Stories and Poems About Boys. NY: Hyperion.

Various authors. 2005 - ongoing. Teenage Bluez: A Collection of Urban Stories. Books I, II and III. MD: Life Changing Books.

My Blog Sounds Nice: Check 3

2011-08-20T17:02:00.001-04:00

Hi Everyone;

I just wanted to take a moment to "checkin" with you and say "THANK YOU" once again for following my blog. I really appreciate it - more than you can ever know.

I work hard to keep up with the 'goings on' in the street lit game and to bring that information to you as fast as I can.

Admittedly, this summer has been very very busy for humankind, thus I, too, have not been able to write commentary like I usually do for this blog due to an overwhelming teaching schedule along with working on my dissertation research. If I had my druthers though, in terms of time and opportunity, I would have offered commentary on the following topics:

-- the ongoing, it's-starting-to-get-old street lit debate;

-- the critique of street art (e.g. graffiti) as an art form, and;

-- the power of the people in the streets to enact change all over the world (for good or for naught): like in Libya, Pakistan, Israel, the UK, and notably, flash mobs throughout the United States, including Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Chicago.

All of these topics are soaking in a bath of issues concerning literacy, class, race, and age-ism (against youth). I am sure you will agree that there is so much unrest amongst our youth across the globe right now that it demands serious attention. I believe that we need to be asking them why they are doing what they are doing, and what it is that they want. They are acting out, and we need to listen and learn. Admittedly I am not a policy maker, but as a citizen, I do see and observe, and realize that youth rise up when they are tired of not being heard.

I feel that I should explain why, during such a busy summer in the streets, my commentary has been quiet:

1. In terms of the street lit genre itself, I am happy to report that by-and-large, street lit seems to be getting more respect as a literary genre: publishing is steady, good stories continue to be published, and authors are working as hard as ever to promote their books. Therefore, I have been offering interviews and book reviews as a means to keep you up to date with the latest in the genre.

I do recognize that there will always be the nay-sayers and the critiques for the genre. I often wonder, when will intellectuals and educators become comfortable with the right for people to read and write what they want ...?

2. I have been thinking of ways to make this blog more interesting instead of my usual bull horn. :-)) So I've begun adding videos of related topics, as well as adding design elements to the site that feature popular posts (at the bottom of the main content) and my current reading titles (on right sidebar).

On my Facebook page for The Readers Guide to Street Literature, I list all blog posts there as well. Feel free to like that page, if you are on Facebook.

I have a few upcoming topics for posts. Please stay tuned for:

a) Short Stories and Street Lit
b) Street Lit and eBooks

c) Science Fiction / Fantasy / Speculative Fiction and Street Lit

I have a few things that I am looking forward to with Street Lit:

a) Release of the documentary, Behind Those Books (2011), in Philadelphia (or did I miss it? I hope not!)

b) Release of my book, The Readers Advisory Guide to Street Literature, October 2011

c) The next street lit NYT Bestseller!

Also, the Street Lit Book Award Committee is alive and well, busy reading titles for consideration for the 2011 award, which will be announced Spring 2012. If you have read some great titles, comment below and let us know!

Thanks for listening, and thanks for being a part of this blog. If there is anything you'd like to see on this blog, connect with Vanessa:

Email: vanirvinmorris@gmail.com

Twitter: @vanirvinmorris

LinkedIn: vanirvinmorris

Website: www.vanirvinmorris.com

Facebook: The Readers Advisory Guide to Street Literature

August 2011 Book Review: Murderville by Ashley & JaQuavis (2011)

2011-08-17T20:33:00.003-04:00

Ashley & JaQuavis. 2011. Murderville: The First of a Trilogy. NY: Cash Money Content. Paperback | $14.95 USD | ISBN-13: 978-1936399000 | 272 pages

Murderville is not whatever you think it is. You cannot look at the title or cover of this novel and assume that you know what the story is about. And that's the beauty of Street Lit as a genre - it reiterates the adage that you can NOT judge a book by its cover.

That is not to say that this book cover is less than - indeed, to the contrary. Just don't take one sweeping look at the cover art and the title and think it's the same 'ole, same 'ole ... because you will miss the complexity and richness of this story. Look at that book cover again: why is a blood-stained hand chosen to expose her beautiful face? Why is it entitled "Murderville"? Look ... and then crack open the book. Warning: make sure you have your day's slate clear, and a nice cup of whatever-you-like-to-sip (coffee, for me) next to you - get comfortable ... because this is a not-can-put-down type of read.

Liberty and A'shai are 12-year-old children from Sierra Leone who meet by way of violent circumstances in Liberty's war-torn village. When their eyes meet in the midst of all the chaos and horror, it is an instant connection. The two are immediately on the run ... unbeknownst to them, they are on the run to Murderville...

Events quickly twist and turn, and the children find themselves as child slaves in present-day Americas (yes, you read that right), which leads them to ... the streets. They both embrace their fates with a sense of fortitude and resilience that is common of children in the hood...however, that fortitude and resilience is gained at a price to life and living ... Liberty and A'shai hold tightly to their love to make it through all they must face, confront and overcome, including the fact that Liberty is dying. A modern Romeo and Juliet tale, Murderville can proudly sit amongst the canonical of the classics. It is excellently written and developed, with important truths interspersed in this love story to educate us readers about some dark realities that many children live through on our planet - today.

Authors Ashley & JaQuavis deliver what they promised in their recent interview with StreetLiterature.com: with Murderville they have widened the horizon of street lit to encompass global issues and concerns that directly impact people living tough lives on the streets - everywhere. They eloquently illustrate how war - no matter what streets in what country on what continent - is a scourge that is affecting our children who then grow into adults still battling traumatic demons of their past. We learn that the stories of American children in the hood are not that different from the stories of street children everywhere - who all grow into adults that we, as a global society, are accountable for.

There is a subtle, deep, important message in Murderville that educates and entertains us simultaneously - no small feat. Shucks, this novel may even leave you speechless.

With Murderville being the first of a trilogy, it is going to be exciting to see what authors Ashley & JaQuavis have in store for Liberty and A'shai's story as the series continues to evolve and unfold. No doubt we have more interesting characters to meet! In the meantime, look again, read again - and learn. This novel is a must read.

Highly recommended for public and high school libraries (yes). This novel could be read in conjunction with Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (yes, really).

To connect with Ashley & JaQuavis:

Facebook: Authors Ashley JaQuavis

Twitter: @RealJaQuavis

Website: http://www.ashleyjaquavis.com/

Publisher: http://cashmoneycontent.com/

VIDEO: Grafitti as Fine Art (2011)

2011-08-07T21:23:00.002-04:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

New Read: Tears of a Hustler 3 by Silk White

2011-07-27T14:43:00.003-04:00

Courtesy of Good 2 Go Publishing:

Author Interview: NYT Bestselling Authors, Ashley & JaQuavis

2011-07-20T12:00:00.004-04:00

Image credit: ashleyjaquavis.com

Ashley & JaQuavis are the "Dynamic Duo" of the Street Lit genre, with over a dozen novels, including two New York Times Bestselling titles to their credit (The Cartel 2 (2009) and The Cartel 3 (2010)). I recently had the honor and pleasure to conduct a phone interview with this fascinating couple:

StreetLiterature.com: The StreetLiterature.com audience primarily consists of educators seeking to learn more about the Street Literature genre. In this vein, I'd like to ask you a few questions that will allow the audience to get to know you better, as premier authors within this literary genre. My first question is a typical librarian "wanna-know" question:

What did you leisurely read while growing up?

JaQuavis: I was always a big fan of Shakespeare and Sherlock Holmes. What turned me on to street lit was Coldest Winter Ever. It circles around the lifestyle that I was accustomed to growing up in the hood – I could relate. In my hood, we didn’t have doctors and lawyers to look up to, we always looked up to the dope dealers because they were the ones doing things. This was the stuff we lived, the stuff we looked up to.

Ashley: I used to love to read. I was reading from an early, early age. I read Sweet Valley High, R.L. Stine, all those kinds of books from the library. I always had a love for that. It was something that took me away from everything around me but it wasn’t my life. I wasn’t a blond-haired, blue-eyed girl from California. Coldest Winter Ever blew my mind because I could relate to that. The way Winter lived, moved, and spoke. I knew girls like that.

StreetLiterature.com: What originally motivated y'all to publish in the Street Lit genre? Why write Street Lit?

JaQuavis: We write Street Literature – we write authentic Street Literature. You will never hear us strain away from what got us out the hood – the people who read our books, who have always supported us. We want to be trailblazers and part of the staple that says that yes, this is Street Lit, this is Street Literature, this is an authentic literary genre.

Ashley: People say there’s a lot of bad Street Lit books out, but there’s a lot of bad books out – period. The content shouldn’t be judged because a novel is in a hood setting – you have to judge the book by the fact that it’s fiction, which means we’re entertaining you. Judge the genre on its value as fiction – not on characters that you may not personally relate to.

SL: What did hitting the New York times Bestsellers List, not once, but twice, say to you about your work? About Street Lit?

JaQuavis: It was like a big thank you. We work very hard. And the years we were putting in - it was like a stamp of approval. Once we got that – we knew the sky was the limit. We see it as a thank you from our readers.

Ashley: That was never even a goal of ours – we never thought that a street novel could contend with traditional novels. It transitioned us from a hustle and grind to a valid career path. It feels good to be authors to help establish the genre.

Who would you say are your readers?

JaQuavis: We have a diverse demographic – from 16 year old readers to 65 year old readers. We see our diverse readership as a testament to our writing. Because good writing is good writing and will interest various readers. It doesn’t matter the genre, if the story and the writing is good, it’s good.

Ashley: It’s us though. It’s our people that’s reading our books. People say, oh people in the hood don’t read – they don’t like to read. But I’m here to say - people in the hood do read. It’s all ages, but it’s definitely us that’s supporting us – it’s the hood.

SL: It seems like Street Lit authors are starting to get into promoting their books as eBooks. Are you finding your readers more attracted to reading the eBook format? How is the eBook market treating y'all?

Ashley: At first I was skeptical as a reader – wondering if I was going to miss seeing that cover in my and readers’ hands. I don’t think print books are going anywhere. But I do think that eBooks help authors track their sales. Helps them to know what they’re selling – it gives you more control over your brand.

JaQuavis: You have a smaller overhead with ebooks. It goes straight from your computer to your readers. No middle man. It’s like getting it straight from the plug to the streets. The writer/author has a win-win situation because they get more hits and sales and readers get the novel at a cheaper price. It’s a good thing from that angle.

SL: You finished The Cartel trilogy – it was and continues to be very popular amongst readers. What can we expect from your new work, Murderville? The first installment of this new trilogy is set for release at the end of this month (July 2011). What will this new trilogy contribute to the Street Lit genre? How will it amp the game, so to speak?

JaQuavis: This is our best work thus far for a couple reasons: 1 – we’re stepping outside the box. This story is so deep that we worried, “Are we going to scare away our readers?” This was our concern because we want our readers to grow as readers as we grow as writers. We want to tell deep, thought-provoking stories to give our readers food for thought. So we’re not going to dumb down our story. We believe it’s the best hood love story ever written. 2 - It’s not as cocaine-driven as our other stories – but the love story, spanning across continents, makes for rich content. And the CEOs of hip hop label, Cash Money Records, Bryan “Baby” Williams and Ronald “Slim” Williams, are endorsing the book. It’s gonna blow people’s minds.

SL: What are you reading now?

Ashley: To be honest, we don’t have time to read aside from the projects we are working on. The only thing we do is write. I don’t think there’s a book that’s been created yet that can tear me away from my laptop right now. (laughs) We barely sleep. In order to be a writer you have to love it; you have to do it every day, unceasingly.

SL: There are still many educators (teachers and librarians) who are skeptical of Street Lit. They are still citing bad stories, editing and writing as reasons to not support the genre. What would you say to a group of educators who had this stance?

Ashley: I don’t see how any kind of educator can put down a student for reading. As long as they’re reading. No matter what they read – be it Coldest Winter Ever or Langston Hughes – it’s reading. I would challenge any educator to pick up Murderville and then tell me they didn’t like it. Start at the top of the genre – there's bad fiction in every genre – start at the top – read the best of what the genre has to offer and use that to determine its literary credibility.

SL: Thank you Ashley & JaQuavis for the honor of this interview!

Readers, visit Ashley & JaQuavis's website for a full listing of their literary collection. You can connect with Ashley & JaQuavis on social media via Facebook and Twitter: @ashleyjaquavis.

Stay tuned ... Ashley & JaQuavis's new title, Murderville: First of a Trilogy, drops July 26th. StreetLiterature.com will be posting a review of the novel very soon after.

Zane and Street Lit: Strebor on the Streetz

2011-07-16T14:53:00.001-04:00

We all know the amazing author Zane for bringing urban erotica to the mainstream, helping readers to feel okay about the fact that as human beings, we're like, uh, sexual. Originally a self-publisher of her own novels (Addicted, Sex Chronicles 1 and 2, Shame On It All, Skyscraper, etc.), Zane quickly rose to the status of New York Times Bestelling Author as well as a consistent Essence (magazine) Bestselling Author. In 1999, Zane established her own publishing company, Strebor Books International, that continues to publish dozens of authors "to make sure extraordinary voices are heard" (love that) in the genre of urban erotica. Strebor Books is now an imprint of Simon and Schuster.

In 2007, Zane launched another imprint, Strebor on the Streetz, which focuses on publishing Street Lit novels. I have listed, below, some of the titles on this imprint:

Durty South Grind, by L.E. Newell, 2011.

Larry just got out of jail and wants to live on the straight and narrow. However, his boyz are still living the life, thus eventually Larry is drawn him back in to the game. Meanwhile, Larry's lady love is conflicted with trying to keep her boyfriend's activities on the down low while simultaneously trying to build a promising political career. (Adult)

Love Trumps Game by D.Y. Phillips, 2009.

A grandmother is raising her deceased daughter's children, and she's determined to not have them fall into the snares of their drug-dealing father. (Adult)

Come Get Some by Nane Quartay, 2008.

This novel chronicles the hard twists and turns of four teen friends growing up in the hood. Realistic, raw, gritty, coming of age story. (A/YA)

Everlasting by Stacy-Deanne, 2007.

A Latino Bronx couple must fight both sides of their families in order to stay together. Their drug-dealing relatives are rivals, and they just ain't havin' it. This novel has a Romeo and Juliet kind of flavor. (A/YA)

In Love With A Thug by Reginald Hall, 2007.

A gay man falls in love with a thug who has his own agenda. (GLBTQ)

You can check out Zane's publication schedule of upcoming titles on Facebook.

July 2011 Book Review: Wahida Clark's Justify My Thug

2011-07-12T19:06:00.002-04:00

Clark, Wahida. 2011. Justify My Thug: A Novel. NY: Cash Money Content.
Paperback | $14.99 USD | ISBN-13: 978-1451617092 | 273 pages

Image credit: cashmoneycontent.com

Justify My Thug is the 5th installment in the Thug Love series that chronicles the ongoing dramatic lives of couples, Tasha and Trae, Angel and Kaylin, Jaz and Faheem, and Kyra and Marvin. The story picks up with Trae learning that his estranged wife, Tasha, had an affair with Kaylin's brother, Kyron. A lot of drama ensues with Angel and Tasha trying to keep things calm with Trae. Kaylin works hard to not get caught in the middle of this breach of loyalty from his brother, Kyron, to his best friend, Trae. In the meantime, Faheem's ex, Oni, mysteriously reappears on the scene, with a son, causing complications between Faheem and Jaz. Aside from drama with a pregnant Tasha, Trae is trying to get to the bottom of Kyra's disappearance. When he confronts Marvin on the situation, Trae is left with more questions than answers.

The theme of the novel, reminds me of lyrics from Jay-Z's song, "Justify My Thug":

They say an eye for an eye, we both lose our sightAnd two wrongs don't make a rightBut when you been wrong and you know all along that it's just one lifeAt what point does one fight? (Good question right!)

(Source: azlyrics.com)

Wahida Clark "does her thing" with this action-packed, yet nicely developed story. The continuous change of narrating voices will be manageable for readers who follow the series and know the characters. For newer readers, Clark makes up for the confusing shift in voice with adequate plot anchors and "catch up" characterizations. This novel's strength is the authentic, no-holds-barred street tone that Ms. Clark conveys so well. You are in the story, "like a movie in your head," as the saying goes. Some readers might cry foul at the continued demise of the Trae we all have grown to appreciate in earlier books of the series. However, Wahida keeps it real: this is an ongoing story about a group of people from the hood trying to live beyond the game, beyond the streets. The streets is a powerful 'monkey on the back' so to speak ... Trae's characterization in this installment depicts the struggle people often go through when confronting real life issues while trying to detox from a street mentality. It ain't always pretty ... and that's real.

Justify My Thug is about a group of friends settling karmic debts, and the way the Queen of Thug Love Fiction tells her stories, these characters are justified in doing so. If you don't have this novel in your collection yet, get it quickly. It will definitely circulate in public libraries.

To connect with Wahida Clark:

Facebook: Wahida Clark

Twitter: @WahidaClark

Website: http://www.wahidaclark.org/

Good Reads Spotlight: In Case You Missed It - A Street Girl Named Desire (2007)

2011-07-07T23:49:00.070-04:00

Image credit:
Alibris

Blue, Treasure E. 2007. A Street Girl Named Desire: A Novel. NY: One World. | Pbk-336 pgs | ISBN-13: 978-0345493286 $13.95USD | eBook: 978-0307498083 $9.99USD

AUTHOR BACKGROUND: Treasure E. Blue is, in my huge opinion, one of the best writers in Street Lit today - hands down. His writing is top-of-the-line literary, with very good character development and wonderfully paced storytelling. I appreciate the fact that Treasure Blue does not rush his storytelling. He brings you into his world of story and you are enchanted to sit, relax, and care about the lives of the characters he creates. Treasure E. Blue has four novels to his credit thus far, with his debut novel, Harlem Girl Lost (2006), now considered one of the top Street Lit novels of all time. The long awaited follow-up to Harlem Girl Lost, was released this past May 2011, Harlem Girl Lost 2; where on Amazon.com, it is holding at a steady 5-star rating boasting dozens of customer reviews. His 2008 release, Keyshia and Clyde, is the ultimate ride-or-die love story.

BOOK REVIEW: Desire was born, literally, on the streets of Harlem. An elderly woman, Miss Hattie Mae, comes to Desire (and her mother's) rescue, caring for baby Desire while her mother battles drug addiction. Eventually and unfortunately, Desire is turned over to foster care, and well, things quickly go downhill for her from there, with Desire being bounced from home to home, becoming resilient within the wrath of negligent, abusive caregivers.

To escape the unstable home lifestyle she endures, Desire grows up quickly in the dark realms of the streets. Fate weaves it so that by her mid-teens, Miss Hattie Mae saves Desire's life again, and for this, Desire gladly settles into a stable family life with Miss Hattie Mae and begins to attend church, where she learns that she can saaannggg (sing). A Hip Hop mogul discovers Desire's talent and lures her into the music world where life can be an even lonelier, colder, harsher reality than the streets. Overwhelmed by many abuses and betrayals in the business, Desire suffers a devastating rock bottom that is a seemingly endless abyss of despair. An unexpected guardian angel comes into Desire's life and gosh, things just kind of come full circle ... but not without some pragmatic "that's real" redemption and an 'ole fashioned beat down (or two).

This excellently crafted story is a no-holds-barred tapestry of the realities of street life, showing the harshness of the streets, but also the harshness of everyday life even when you seemingly have everything the world has to offer. Author Treasure E. Blue also shows us that there is redemption in the streets via silent watchers in the form of neighbors and just plain 'ole good people who care about humanity and want to help others. With friends and family who refuse to give up on Desire and insist on loving her as she is, wounds and all, eventually Desire learns what we all must learn - that we are all right - just the way we are and we are ALL worthy to be loved.

If you don't have this novel and/or any other title by Author Treasure E. Blue (see titles below), your street lit collection has a huge void. A Street Girl Name Desire is "a must have," suitable for public and high school YA collections, ages 16 and up. I can see this novel working nicely in an English literature high school unit - for the courageous educator who would feel confident to stand for this work.

Lastly, if you want to learn how Treasure E. Blue credits the public library as having a huge impact on his life, check out his interview on AALBC.com.

TREASURE E. BLUE COLLECTION:

Commemorating Charles Dickens' 200th Birthday

2011-06-21T14:33:00.002-04:00

February 2012 will commemorate the 200th Birthday of Charles Dickens, as his birthdate is February 7, 1812. He was an Aquarian. And don't forget that Dickens' taxidermic pet bird of which Edgar Allen Poe wrote the infamous poem, "The Raven," is an artifact on display at Philadelphia's Free Library.

Image source: Wikipedia

Anyhoo, a historical book for children is due for release November 2011 to honor Dickens. Entitled, "Charles Dickens and the Street Children of London," the book is authored by children's author and journalist, Andrea Warren.

Image source:

reviews.rebeccareid.com

Published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, the book is for a tweener/YA reading audience. Nevertheless, it promises to be a very interesting and important read, particularly if you are interested in understanding street literature from an historical perspective. Here is the product description of the book:

Provoked by the horrors he saw every day, Charles Dickens wrote novels that were originally intended as instruments for social change — to save his country’s children.

Charles Dickens is best known for his contributions to the world of literature, but during his young life, Dickens witnessed terrible things that stayed with him: families starving in doorways, babies being “dropped” on streets by mothers too poor to care for them, and a stunning lack of compassion from the upper class. After his family went into debt and he found himself working at a shoe-polish factory, Dickens soon realized that the members of the lower class were no different than he, and, even worse, they were given no chance to better themselves. It was then that he decided to use his greatest talent, his writing ability, to tell the stories of those who had no voice.

Hmmm...the same can be said for many authors of today's street lit.....

Charles Dickens and the Street Children of London is available for pre-order on Amazon.com. It is already starting to get good pre-pub reviews. Rebecca Reid, of the reputable book review blog site, "Rebecca Reads" provides a particularly insightful review, and Booklist has given it a starred review. I am looking forward to reading this book. I hope you are too.

Documentary TRAILER: Behind Those Books (2011)

2011-06-18T17:53:00.000-04:00

Description of Trailer from YouTube:

Featuring: Terry McMillan, Zane, Nikki Turner, K'wan, Omar Tyree, Cornel West, Michael Eric Dyson, Nick Chiles, Kevin Powell, Teri Woods, Vickie Stringer, Anthony Whyte, Treasure E. Blue, J.M. Benjamin, Randy "Ski" Thompson, Azarel, KaShamba Williams, Queen Pen, Brandon McCalla, Brandi Bowles, Momowilly and many more.

Executive Produced by: Mark Manderson and Elaine Watkins
Written & Produced by: Kaven Brown
Associate Producer: Franchesca Ho Sang
Edited & Directed by: Mills Miller

http://www.behindthosebooksmovie.com

Top 10 Street Lit Authors: UrbanBookSource.com

2011-06-10T02:17:00.000-04:00

Urban Book Source published this list in 2007, but it is still relevant today. These authors continue to set the bar for the Street Literature genre. Urban Book Source lists the top 10 as follows:

1. Teri Woods, True to the Game trilogy, Dutch trilogy
2. Vickie Stringer, CEO Triple Crown, Dirty Red trilogy
3. Sister Souljah, Author of Coldest Winter Ever
4. Shannon Holmes, B-More Careful, Bad Girlz, Dirty Game
5. K'wan, Gangsta, Hoodlum, Road Dawgz, Hood Rat series (of which "Welfare Wifeys" was a 2010 Street Lit Book Award Honor Title)
6. Wahida Clark, Queen of Thug-Love Fiction
7. Nikki Turner, Hustler's Wife series
8. Mark Anthony, Diary of a Young Girl (2010 Street Lit Book Award Honor Title)
9. Treasure Blue, A Street Girl Named Desire, Harlem Girl Lost 1 and 2
10. Kwame Teague, Dutch III: The Finale, Thug Politics

Honorable Mention:
1. KaShamba Williams, Grimey, Driven, Platinum Teen series
2. Relentless Aaron, To Live and Die in Harlem, Bumrush, Push
3. Crystal Lacey Winslow, Menace, Life, Love and Loneliness
4. K. Eliott, Dilemma, Street Fame, Entangled
5. T.N. Baker, Sheisty, Still Sheisty, Dice

To update this list a bit, I'd add the following authors to the Top 10:

1. Ashley & JaQuavis, The Cartel Trilogy

2. Joy Deja King, The Bitch series

3. Kiki Swinson, Wifey series

4. Keisha Ervin, Chyna Black, Hold U Down

5. Erick S. Gray, Streets of New York 1, 2, 3 (with others), Love and a Gangsta

I'd like to add these lesser known authors, who I believe deserve honorable mention:
1. Chunichi, Gangster Girl series, The Streets Keep Calling (2010 Street Lit Book Award Honor Title)
2. Deborah Cardona, Chained, Two Fold, Butterfly
3. Sidi Ibrahima, Fatou: An African Girl in Harlem 1 and 2

For the full 2007 article, go to: http://theubs.com/articles/features/top10.php

Sister Souljah at Free Library of Philadelphia June 18, 2011, 2pm

2011-06-08T18:08:00.000-04:00

Sister Souljah | Midnight and the Meaning of Love
Saturday, June 18, 2011 at 2:00 PM, FREE
No tickets or reservations required. For more info: 215-567-4341.

Sister Souljah's debut novel, The Coldest Winter Ever, sold more than a million copies worldwide and is credited with sparking the urban fiction reading revolution. A community activist who grew up in the Bronx projects, Sister Souljah founded the African Youth Survival Camp for homeless children, organized rallies against police brutality and racially motivated crimes, and served as the Executive Director of Daddy's House Social Programs, the charitable wing of Bad Boy Entertainment. Her 2008 New York Times bestseller Midnight told the compelling saga of a young Sudanese immigrant determined to make a safe life for his mother and sister on the tough streets of New York while struggling to hold onto his traditional values. Midnight and the Meaning of Love picks up after the kidnapping of Midnight's teenage wife by her father, who spirited her off to Japan. "There's not one drop of inferiority in my blood," Midnight says, before setting off on a perilous global trek to reclaim his love from her powerful family. -- Submitted by: Veronica Britto, MSLS

Book Trailer: Flyy Girl

2011-06-02T15:35:00.000-04:00

This is a book trailer for the classic Street Lit novel, Flyy Girl by Omar Tyree (1999). Based on the comments attached to this YouTube video, this was a school project based on a class having to read the novel. So this is a student-created video, based on curriculum. This class deliverable attests to the efficacy of having students read relatable literature in the classroom - at 1:36, I think you'll enjoy this!

YALSA Webinar on Street Lit for Teens - June 16, 2011

2011-06-02T12:57:00.000-04:00

From YALSA's website:

June 16: Street Smart: Serving Teen Street Lit Readers

"Whether your teen population is urban, suburban or rural, they’re talking about street lit. What is this genre and how can you incorporate it into your library? Join Megan Honig, author of Urban Grit: A Guide to Street Lit, for a conversation about street lit. Megan will discuss how to use street lit and why it is important to incorporate it into your library’s collection. Participants will also receive a list of street lit resources.

Register today! Registration costs $29 for students, $39 for individual YALSA members, $49 for all other individuals, and $195 for group registrations. YALSA’s group rate applies to a group of people that will watch the webinar together in one location."

Go to YALSA's website for more information on their webinars.

New Reads: Ice-T, Woods, & Souljah

2011-05-17T00:38:00.012-04:00

Street Lit heavyweights are hitting the bookshelves this season with titles that will undoubtedly be of great interest to those who enjoy reading this wonderfully diverse literary genre. Here are my book reviews for 3 newly or soon-to-be-released titles:

Ice-T and Douglas Century. (April 19, 2011). Ice: A Memoir of of Gangster Life and Redemption from South Central to Hollywood. NY: One World/Ballantine. ISBN-13: 978-0345523280 | $25.00 hardcover | 272 pages.

Readers will enjoy Ice-T's straight-from-the-hip swagga in his memoir, Ice: A Memoir of Gangster Life and Redemption from South Central to Hollywood. The book is an intriguing insight into Ice-T's life as an only child born and reared in New Jersey, but sent to California, upon the death of his parents, to basically fend for himself as a young adult. Ice-T recounts his days as a young hustler and pimp on the streets of Los Angeles, his experiences in the US military (very interesting) and his subsequent entry into Hip Hop where he made his mark as a pioneer of Gangsta Rap.

What is really refreshing about Ice-T's book is that his honesty and rawness doesn't hurt: it doesn't scar, it doesn't traumatize. He tells his truth as it T-Ice is, and he does it with a finesse that solidifies him as an "Ol' G," who commands much respect for his life choices and his willingness to understand and learn from his own decisions. This memoir conveys a depth of warm wisdom within the man, Ice-T.

Additionally, Ice-T shares interesting tidbits about his novice acting experience while filming the 1990's-era hit movie, "New Jack City." He also gives readers an understanding into how he, a former criminal, reconciles portraying a police detective, on the hit series, Law & Order: SVU. Ice-T offers a sober glimpse of Hollywood as a town of real people, not larger than life - just everyday good people with large, complicated jobs. Ice-T's memoir is a welcome addition to the Street Literature biography shelf. His story is worthy to be shelved alongside his idol's books, the original Ol' G himself, Iceberg Slim.

StreetLiterature.com recommendation: Highly recommended for all public libraries - A/YA. Academic libraries may find this book to be a valuable addition to the biography collection. Note: The book also received a starred review from Booklist. - Vanessa Irvin Morris.

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Teri Woods. (May 25, 2011). Dutch III: International Gangster. NY: Grand Central Publishing. ISBN-13: 978-0446551540 | $14.99 paperback | 240 pages.

Although author Kwame Teague released his version of Dutch 3: The Finale in 2007, I highly recommend Teri Woods' final installment in the ever-popular Dutch series.

Dutch III: International Gangster is an enjoyable mix of contemporary Street Lit and Bourne Supremacy-type espionage, with all the elements Woods has become known for - fast action, an educative yet intriguing plot that offers insights into legal and illegal socio-economic infrastructures, as well as larger than life characters (men and women) who are also characterized with vulnerabilities.

What's exciting about Woods' Dutch III is that we are re-introduced to characters from the Nigerian scene, aaaannnnddddd, the old gang is back: Dutch, Angel, Craze, and Roc! With the old crew covering each other's backs, no one tells Dutch's story, like Teri Woods. It is evident that Woods cares about the readers' connection to her characters - she makes sure to tell a complete story: no one is forgotten; no one is left behind. And of course, there are crazy plot twists and unexpected surprises that are signature Woods style.

I anticipate that Street Lit fans will come looking for Dutch III: International Gangster once it drops on May 25, 2011. Since it is being released in paperback, I suggest purchasing multiple copies as this title may become a Street Lit hot pick.

StreetLiterature.com recommendation: Highly recommended for all public libraries - A/YA. University bookstores carrying Street Lit may do well with this title. - Vanessa Irvin Morris.

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Sister Souljah. (April 12, 2011). Midnight and the Meaning of Love. NY: Atria. | ISBN-13: 978-1439165355 | $26.99 US hardcover | 624 pages.

As you may recall, I greatly anticipated the release of Sister Souljah's new novel, Midnight and the Meaning of Love (MML), in my blog post, a few weeks ago. However, upon reading it, I am disappointed to report that MML is not the longly anticipated prequel/bridge novel to the classic, Coldest Winter Ever (CWE), but rather, it is a sequel to Midnight: A Gangster Love Story (MGL) .

Note: this review, henceforth, contains *SPOILERS* to MML.

Midnight and the Meaning of Love (MML) continues Midnight's coming-of-age with the 15-year-old ninja warrior traveling alone to Japan to find his kidnapped 16-year-old bride, Akemi.

The bottom line to this tale - Midnight finding Akemi - turns into Midnight also finding a second bride, 16-year-old Japanese/African American Chiasa, who is a lethal swordfighter, fluent in Japanese, and interested in learning about Islam.

The novel is a 624-paged quest, taking readers on an international trek through the cultures and languages of Japan and South Korea, before Midnight and his 2 pregnant wives head back to Brooklyn - all within less than a month's time.

With Midnight and the Meaning of Love, Souljah fans are still left with unanswered questions and missed-understandings about the story of Winter Santiaga and Midnight in CWE. The only time Souljah respects the readers enough to give them some answers to the unfinished story they've been anxiously awaiting reconciliation for over a decade (CWE was published in 1999) - is when she depicts the first meeting of Midnight and Ricky Santiaga in MML's Book One, Chapter 22 - the chapter entitled, "Ricky Santiaga."

Readers looking for a connection to CWE need only read the "Ricky Santiaga" chapter in MML to get a sense of continuity between Midnight and his affiliation with the Santiaga family. It is hoped that at some point in the near decade, that Sister Souljah will revisit the Santiaga family and unpack their story so that readers can learn from Souljah, whatever truths brought the Sudanese warrior Midnight half way around the world, not just once, but now twice, only to ultimately end up back in the hood as a lieutenant thug.

Note: Sister Souljah interview on Midnight and the Meaning of Love:

http://www.livestream.com/atria

StreetLiterature.com recommendation: If possible, wait for the paperback. If you must, purchase one copy and/or enough to meet readers' demands. A/YA (caveat: graphic teen sex scenes). - Vanessa Irvin Morris.

2011 Street Lit Book Award Medal Winners (2010 publications)

2011-04-21T03:13:00.003-04:00

The Street Lit Book Award Medal Committee comprises of a group of volunteer librarians and library workers from across the U.S. who work with Street Lit and its readers in public and school libraries. The Committee collected, discussed, and nominated titles based on library patron popularity, book club interest, and overall reception of the story as a valuable addition to the Street Literature genre. Three rounds of nominations resulted in the following winners for 2010 publications:

2011 Street Lit Book Award Medal Winners
(2010 publications)

Winner: Decoded by Jay-Z

Committee comments:

-- "Hands down the best non-fiction book for Street Literature,
published last year."

-- "Insightful examination of Hip Hop culture as a socio-political force."

HONOR BOOKS

Damaged, Kia DuPree (Grand Central Publishing)

Committee comments:
-- "An impressive debut novel that realistically depicts the inner-city lives of youth in Washington, DC, while remaining readable for teens."
-- "Searing portrait of a girl in the hood coming of age under duress."

Welfare Wifeys, K'wan (St. Martin's Griffin)
Committee comment:
-- "This latest installment to K'wan's "Hood Rat" series was great; he really brings the characters to life, especially "Animal". In reading K'wan's book the story has such a realistic feel to it, therefore making the flow of the story extremely engaging. His books are very popular in my library."

The Streets Keep Calling, Chunichi (Urban Books)
-- "Chunichi delivers a realistic, fast-paced cautionary tale of a man released from prison, trying to reboot his life, only to be driven back into his previous activities - a huge gamble that does not pay off in the end."

Diary of a Young Girl, Anthony Whyte (Urban Books)
Committee comment:
-- "This a great book about a young woman coming to terms with all the harm she caused. Mark Anthony is an intense writer of novels such as "Dogism", "Lady's Night" and the ever popular series "Streets of New York." Mark Anthony’s “Diary of a Young Girl” is relevant to the lives of today’s youth."

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2011 Street Lit Book Award Medal Committee Members (for 2010 publications):

K.C. Boyd is the Library Media Specialist at the acclaimed Wendell Phillips Academy High School in Chicago, IL. Boyd runs a city-wide book club, and she blogs about Young Adult Street Lit at http://www.missdomino.blogspot.com.

Marvin DeBose is an Adult/Teen Librarian in the Free Library of Philadelphia system. He manages the largest Street Lit library collection in Philadelphia, PA.

Marvin is also a member of the PAALA Librarian Book Club.

Connie Farley is Reference Technician for St. Louis (MO) Public Library where she runs an Urban Lit Discussion Group that boasts a diverse membership coming from several African and Caribbean nations.

Susan McClelland is a Librarian with the Evanston Public Library in Illinois. Susan is also the convener of the PhatFiction Panel for the Public Library Association. PhatFiction runs a Street Lit discussion panel at ALA Annual, and also maintains a wiki site at http://phatfiction.wikispaces.com and a blog at http://www.phatfiction.blogspot.com.

Patrice Smith is a Young Adult Specialist at a regional public library in Charleston, SC.

Vanessa Irvin Morris is the convener of the Street Lit Book Award Medal Committee. She is the author of the Street Literature blog at http://www.streetliterature.com, and the forthcoming 2011 publication, The Readers Advisory Guide to Street Literature, published by ALA Editions.

For more information about the Street Lit Book Award Medal, contact Vanessa Irvin Morris at: vanirvinmorris@gmail.com.

NEW! Priceless Inspirations by Toya Carter

2011-04-15T14:23:00.001-04:00

BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT BY LIBRARIAN, JOSEPH WILK.

REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION.

*******************************************************************************************

Priceless Inspirations [Paperback]

Antonia Carter (Author), Lil Wayne (foreword)

Book Announcement

Lil Wayne recently posted to his Facebook that Antonia "Toya" Carter, his ex-wife and the mother of his child, has a new book about her experiences as a teenage mom (which features a foreword by Weezy himself), which comes out today, April 15, 2011. Farrah Gray Publishing doesn't seem to have gotten too much press in the standard review sources, so I wanted to pass along this potential "4P" title.

I can't say anything about its quality (I personally have no personal or professional connection to this publication beyond following Lil Wayne on Facebook and Twitter), but it's hard to argue against picking up this title for any teen or juvenile facility library collection.

Product Description

On her hit television show 'Tiny and Toya', Antonia 'Toya' Carter seems to be living the good life: she has a beautiful home, good friends, and is pursuing her dreams in fashion design. But hers has been a life of peaks and valleys. Abandoned by her parents as a child, she was passed from family member to family member as her mother sank deeper into her drug addiction. Feeling unloved and unwelcomed, Toya fell into the arms of a 15-year-old rising musical star—Dwayne Michael Carter, known these days as the rapper 'Lil Wayne'-- and ended up pregnant at the tender age of 14.

In Priceless Inspirations, Toya takes the reader through the pain of being a teenage mother struggling to raise a child while still a child herself—without the benefit of the guidance of her own mother. Using the words she recorded in the journals she kept as a teen—and the wisdom she has gained in the years since—Toya bares her own struggles, using them to offer young women real and heartfelt understanding and advice about sex, relationships, motherhood and growing up.

*   Reading level: Ages 9-12
*   Paperback: 240 pages
*   Publisher: Farrah Gray Publishing, Inc. (April 15, 2011)
*   Language: English
*   ISBN-10: 0982702760
*   ISBN-13: 978-0982702765

Joseph Wilk is a Teen Specialist with the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA.

NEW! Sister Souljah's Latest: Midnight and the Meaning of Love

2011-04-12T12:00:00.029-04:00

Image source: sistersouljah.com

Greetings! Well today is an exciting day. It's always an exciting day when Sister Souljah drops a new book. Today is the publication date for her latest, Midnight and the Meaning of Love (2011), available wherever books are sold.

Here is the product description, from Amazon.com:

... With Midnight and The Meaning of Love, Souljah brings to her millions of fans an adventure about young, deep love, the ways in which people across the world express their love, and the lengths that they will go to have it.

Powerful and sensual, Midnight is an intelligent, fierce fighter and Ninjutsu-trained ninja warrior. He attracts attention wherever he goes but remains unmoved by it and focuses on protecting his mother and sister and regaining his family’s fortunes. When Midnight, a devout Muslim, takes sixteen-year-old Akemi from Japan as his wife, they look forward to building a life together, but their tumultuous teenage marriage is interrupted when Akemi is kidnapped and taken back to Japan by her own father, even though the marriage was consummated and well underway.

“There’s not one drop of inferiority in my blood,” Midnight says as he first secures his mother, Umma, and sister, Naja, before setting off on a global journey to reclaim his wife. Midnight must travel across three countries and numerous cultures in his attempt to defeat his opponent. Along this magnificent journey he meets people who change him forever, even as he changes them. He encounters temptations he never would have imagined and takes risks that many a lesser man would say no to, all for the women he loves and is sworn to protect.

This title is sure to be very popular in your library and school locations. As this novel is a thick hardcover tome boasting 608 pages, I suggest purchasing like 2 copies on the onset, and then see how the hold list matures. I do expect this book to make it to the NYT Bestsellers List.

Back to reading my copy,

Vanessa.

Guest Review for: Thug Lovin' by Wahida Clark (2009)

2011-04-10T12:00:00.066-04:00

Greetings All! This is a re-post from Say It Rah-shay's Book Review of Wahida Clark's Thug Lovin', Part 4 (2009). Reprinted with permission.

Image source: aalbc.com

Guest Review: Between the Covers: Thug Lovin'

by Rachee (say it Rah-shay) Fagg

Street Lit luminary Wahida Clark's fourth book, Thug Lovin', of the Thug Love series was the first I had read. In this installment, Trae and Tasha have left the game headed to California where they hope to start a new life. Along the way shenanigans ensue and the game pulls them back in and tears them apart.

Although this urban fiction (Clark's words, per her website) is not my normal genre: when I chose Thug Lovin' I actually thought I was getting a novel about basketball players and their women. However, reading about Trae and Tasha's confused, action-packed relationship left me both wanting to read more of Wahida's books while at the same time, wanting to hide this book from my kid.

It's a pretty quick read. There were some characters that seemed to have been added on without being previously introduced or characters that had been briefly mentioned thrust from minor character status to a major role.

Aside from navigating the characterizations, Thug Lovin' was a good read. I appreciated that the characters didn't invite any sympathy. Their actions were so over the top that I didn't worry about who, if any of them, had a happy ending. From this reading, I have gone back to read the other books in the series. I am curious to see where the story of these ladies and their men begins.

This book is definitely not for everyone. Graphic sex scenes had me blushing. But for my own personal library check out, I enjoyed it, and will read another.

Rachee Fagg is a Children's Librarian with the Delaware County (PA) Library System. Her award-winning blog, Say It Rah-Shay, features reviews of books for all ages as well as interesting and often humorous commentary on her love for life and crocheting. Rachee is also a member of the PAALA Librarian Book Club.

Image source: goodreads.com

StreetLiterature.com note: Look out for the 5th installment in the Thug Love series, Justify My Thug, due to drop, April 26, 2011.

April 2011 Guest Interview: Daniel Marcou, Founder, streetfiction.org

2011-04-08T15:07:00.005-04:00

Image source: libraryjournal.com

StreetLiterature: You are the creator of the esteemed website resource, StreetFiction.org. What inspired you to start this website?

DanMarcou: Over four years ago when I started working as a corrections librarian, I had a basic understanding of urban fiction from a previous library job in the late 1990's, but the genre had really grown since then. I started my website to immerse myself in the world of urban fiction and explore it, so I could provide better readers advising for my customers.

I also love doing web design and this was an opportunity to develop a useful tool for readers and librarians.

StreetLiterature: As a corrections librarian, how have you seen Street Lit make an impact on your library work? on your patrons?

DanMarcou: It impacts my work by initially bringing some customers into the library and constantly being in huge demand. Many of my customers are big fans of the genre, and by knowing about urban fiction, I've established a "street cred" with them. Creating the website has given me knowledge and the opportunity to get to know authors which allows me to have in-depth conversations about street lit with my customers. For example, one recently asked when K'wan was coming out with a new book, so I emailed the author and found out, and then told the customer the following week.

By sharing a mutual interest and respect for what my customers are reading, I hope that I am in turn promoting books, reading and the library as a positive option in their lives. Also, if a customer trusts me to pick out a new urban fiction title for them to read then perhaps they'll also trust me to help them with other information needs like how to look for a job after their release, housing resources, or books about other issues they may dealing with. Street fiction is one bridge into a much bigger world of books and discovery at the library.

Regarding the books and my customers, I can't tell you how many times I've heard, "I never read before I came to jail." On the positive side of street lit, the books create a reading opportunity that my customers tell me that they can relate to. Others say they were bored by books, but that these books are interesting, as one person told me, "they're like movies in my head." In talking about urban fiction with my customers who are avid readers, I'll sometimes observe them becoming more critical of what they read. Some grow tired of the genre. They tell me that the stories are all the same or they feel that the details aren't authentic - "it'd never happen like that on the street." I truly believe that readers of any genre begin to critically think about what they are reading and develop their own criteria for what they enjoy. The more someone reads in a particular genre the more likely they are over time to expect more from it, and if it fails, they seek something new to read.

StreetLiterature: What do you think is most valuable about Street Lit?

DanMarcou: I think that it is an exciting genre with action-packed fast paced stories that appeal to an audience that publishers neglected for far too long. As a librarian and reader, it gives me tremendous satisfaction to see someone happy to get something they want to read or to have a conversation with them about how much they enjoyed reading it. It's that simple! I'm not on a mission to move someone upward a biased spectrum of "better books", but I do want my customers to know there's a big old WIDE world of books out there waiting for them.

I also think that there's value in the genre because it's motivated many people to write books. Reading and writing are two of my favorites things! So to see people empowered to write and get published (or self-publish) is a wonderful thing!

StreetLiterature: If someone came to you asking for Street Lit, who would you recommend and why?

DanMarcou: K'wan will always be my first suggestion! I love his books for their action and stories. His book "Hoodlum" reminds my of a hood-version of Mario Puzo's Godfather. Also, characters are big appeal factor for me in everything that I read, and K'wan has a special talent for crafting wickedly good anti-hero characters like Gator, Preacher and Animal in his books.

I'm also a big fan of Kenji Jasper's book, Snow (2007). Again, the main character is big factor of why the book appeals to me, but Jasper also fills the story with wonderful details about the character like this:

“I stopped liking school, but I never fell out of love with reading. Way after I stopped going to school, I’d still go to the library and grab books off the shelves. I liked stories about places and books that taught you how to do things and books that made me thankful for the life I had, that let me know that things could be so much worse, that I was blessed.” (p. 65)

Besides those two authors, I would suggest Sister Souljah as well as exploring the rich history of the genre and the world of old school street fiction with authors like Donald Goines, Clarence Cooper, Jr., and Nathan Heard.

Dan Marcou is a corrections librarian in Hennepin County, Minnesota. He won the 2009 ALA Movers & Shakers Award, a recognition that highlights librarians who are emerging leaders in the field. To contact Dan, you can follow him on Twitter via: @StreetFiction.

Guest Review for: Diary of a Young Girl (2010)

2011-04-03T10:41:00.002-04:00

Book Review by Connie Farley

Mark Anthony's "Diary of a Young Girl" is a great book about a young woman coming to terms with all the harm she caused. Mark Anthony is an intense writer of novels such as "Dogism", "Lady's Night" and the ever popular "Streets of New York" series which is a collaboration with several writers such as Anthony Whyte, Shannon Holmes, and Erick Gray.

"Diary of a Young Girl' tells a story of a young girl who was dealt a bad hand at a very young age. A life of abuse led the protagonist, Shayla, to make bad choices. She worked in a strip club illegally. She was a little con-artist. Finally, her world came crashing down on her when she was raped and left for dead. Did she learn her lesson??? No!!!!! She falsely accused a man of rape.

Like other young people who have caused a lot of damage out of response from being damaged, Shayla ultimately decided to take responsibility for her life, and grow up. Like the notorious Scarlett O'Hara, "I'll just think about that tomorrow," Shayla pulled herself up by her bootstraps leaving the past behind. She went to college. She started a career. But sometimes the past has a funny way of knocking on your door when you least expect it.

Mark Anthony has crafted a powerful novel about a damaged child causing great pain, and seeking a life of redemption, free from that pain. A highly recommended read for young adults, aged 16 and up, and adults. A good addition to public library and high school library collections.

~~ Connie Farley ~~ has been a reference technician for the St. Louis (MO) Public Library system for over a decade. She runs an Urban Lit book club, whose members hail from several African and Caribbean nations. Connie is also serving on the inaugural committee for the 2010 Street Lit Book Award.

NYT Blog Post About Paul Langan Publishing Bluford Series

2011-04-01T15:44:00.000-04:00

This is an important article to read.

It brings up issues of authorship and publishing in terms of race and culture. We've been talking about this in the last few posts here on the streetliterature blog. Be sure to check out the comments, too.

Image source: townsendpress.com

Isms and Street Lit

2011-03-18T15:10:00.000-04:00

Image Source: www.graffitti.org

I participate on a few professional listservs for educators. Every once in a while someone will post a request for Street Lit titles to meet reader demand or programming ideas for Street Lit or they are seeking advice on how to approach the genre in the classroom or library.

What I've noticed in the past few months is that there seems to be a few "isms" at play in the ways in which some educators perceive Street Lit and its readers. One librarian posted that she was tired of the "slim pickings" of literature for African American youth as she was trying to locate "non-urban" titles. Another librarian chimed in with a "it's such a shame" kind of response.

I was bothered by this exchange, and disappointed. I then posted to the listserv my response and suggested that the librarian basically do her job and do the research to find the authors and titles she needs for her service community instead of posting thoughtless musings about the state of African American literature. Another librarian posted to try to calm my angst. While the compromise was/is appreciated, it didn't work for me...I duly wrote a full response to articulate why I was feeling annoyed. I'd like to share my full response below. Please post back and let me know what you think.

----------------------------

"I'm not saying there should be a broad spectrum of human experience in African American literature, I am saying that there IS a broad spectrum of human experience in African American literature. Af. Am. literature wasn't born 12 years ago when The Coldest Winter Ever was published. Maybe we aren't asking our students the right questions when it comes to fully understanding what it is they want to read. Perhaps they want to go beyond the problem novel, maybe they want to read horror - there's Af. Am. authors who write that ... or maybe they would be interested in romance novels or science fiction - OR - maybe they want to read a biography or poetry.

I believe we have to be realistic also, and accept the fact that Black people in America ARE an urban people, because Americans are an urban people. As of 2008, 82% of America lives in metropolitan areas. Of the 42 million African Americans, about 60% of us live in cities. The median income for African Americans is about $32K/year. (sources: http://www.census.gov; http://www.infoplease.com/spot/bhmcensus1.html).

Now if we take into consideration the publishing industry and what they do and why they do what they do - we understand that - they're going to publish what appeals to the masses. For me, it's not like anyone in the U.S. is writing or publishing any deep, empowering, OMG-esque stuff right now. If you look at the NYT bestsellers list - the fiction list is mostly escapist fluff. And for me, as a librarian, that's all right. The public reads.

Now I know I'm in the minority on this view, but I don't see a "huge discrepancy" in the publishing trends of African American literature, especially since for the past decade, we have been having a boon of African American entrepreneurs running their own, credible publishing firms. And yes, they publish street lit. But they also publish Christian fiction, romance, and other genres. Even the street lit publishers are branching into other things. Also, I think that when we decide to include all African American experience in our readings and in our research to share with the teens we're working with, we'll find a lot of authors and titles which perhaps missed our radar before. I'm taking about Caribbean, Haitian, African, and Latino (yes, Black Latino), and Black Indian works. I'm talking about Black Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, kinds of works. I'm talking about GLBTQ works. I'm talking about those experiences - I'm talking about all of us.

And lastly, I'd like to share this. I was recently talking to a Street Lit author - one of the biggest authors - and this author also publishes novels with their publisher - in the genre of fantasy. But you'd never know it because the novels are published under a nom de plaume. When I asked the author why they don't use their real name, they said the market shows that neither Whites nor Blacks would want to read someone like this person in this particular genre. Bottom line - even authors have to eat. And this brings up the question also that - for real? for real? Alot of times we dont' know WHO is writing WHAT. So while we are moaning about not enough of this or not enough of that .... those who are trying to give us enough aren't being supported enough in order to keep giving us what we perceive we lack.

And the beat goes on...."

Book Trailer: Yummy, The Last Days of a Southside Shorty

2011-03-11T10:38:00.000-05:00

Coretta Scott King Honor Award Winner 2011

Yummy: the Last Days of a Southside Shorty from Greg Neri on Vimeo.

RA Guide to Street Lit Now Available for Pre-Order!

2011-03-04T12:00:00.002-05:00

Greetings!

Just an FYI to let you know that my upcoming book, The Readers' Advisory Guide to Street Literature, is now available for pre-order via ALAstore and Amazon.com.

Foreword by NYT Bestselling Author, Teri Woods.

Publication date is scheduled for October 2011.

Pre-order your copy today!

The Author and the Teen Reader in Street Lit

2011-03-02T21:36:00.002-05:00

An excerpt from my essay, “Hermeneutical Understandings: Urban Teen Readership in Hip Hop Fiction” (2006). Parts are edited for clarity; such as “Hip Hop Fiction” being more accurately described as “Street Lit.”

When we think about the themes and plots of Street Lit, we see stories about a day in the life of the ‘hood where inner-city people are experience daily living struggles, navigate intense personal relationships, maybe participate in illegal activities, and all too often dying at the hands of someone’s gun. Name brand clothing labels, cars, and accessories are detailed in the stories to create a clear picture of what characters are wearing and driving. Amidst the chaos of abuse, violence and hustling, the characters are portrayed as looking very expensive.

When inner-city teens read these themes and plots over and over again, book after book (which they do), such reading ignites the imagination of the reader such that they are able to locate themselves within the context of the stories (Morris, etal, 2006). Dennis Sumara (1996), a reader response theorist and educator, advises us that when we read, we respond to the text based on the social and cultural context in which the reading occurs.

Image Source: http://dotheknowledge.com

Just by the act of reading in and of itself, there is an “indeterminacy filling” (per Sumara), that occurs when the imagination is invoked. The gap between the imagination and reality is filled when we read text, creating heightened thinking by the reader. Thus, when inner-city teens read Street Lit, their imaginations re-create their worlds inside their minds, thus filling the gap between the imagination and their reality.

Just the pure act of reading Street Lit validates the readers’ reality of urban inner-city life, because it connects the fantastical (the sheer trauma of the drama in ghetto life) with narratives that say, “Yes, this exists, yes, this is real.” This validation empowers the reader to be open to negotiating their reading of their worlds, with an entry into critical analysis and evaluation of their environment, the people in it, as well as their own location and interaction within their own world. In Street Lit, it is the streets telling its stories back to the people of the streets.

This is powerful stuff. Street Lit has affected urban teen readers in a significant way because the pure act of reading ignites a magical connection between what was previously viewed (or read) as frivolous entertainment, to a more critical lens of hermeneutical interpretation. Once this bridge has been made, the reader’s worldview broadens and they are then asking harder questions like, “Wut about doze video gurls?” Through a gaining of critical analysis with a slower reading of their lived reality (via fiction), this new skill of critical analysis is now a part of the reading of their worlds.

When an author publishes a text, a contract (if you will) is formed between author and reader where a relationship is formed based on what I call "textual trust." When the reader decides to go past the book cover and the title, their choice to read the book infers that the reader trusts the author. Stories that relate to the reader in some way inspired "textual trust." This trust is hermeneutic-ally invested so that the reader reads through the book.

While this trusting bond may not have been the intent of the writers of Street Lit (after considerable reading and research of this genre, I posit that many authors write to be heard; to claim voice to the reading of their own worlds), this trust is an important caveat for teen readers in particularly, due to the developmental stage of life they are in, and how they process information based on their lifestage of adolescence (Appleyard, 1991).

In a world (the inner-city) where it is hard to have faith in stability or consistency due to the ever impending threat of confusion, chaos, violation and/or physical violence, to be able to trust what one reads within the ignited hermeneutic imagination of the environment of a Street Lit novel can be a significant contributor to enhancing the literacy of inner-city teen readers.

For teens to read narratives that play out the dramas of their everyday lives without them having to suffer real-life repercussions, wounds, or consequences of those dramas serves as a cautionary reconciliation of “yes, this is life in the ‘hood,” and “been there, done that, I don’t have to go out like that.” (Meaning, “I don’t have to end up like that, that doesn’t have to be me.”) Just as contemporary young adult fiction helps teens make sense of their worlds; Street Lit serves the same purpose for teens living in the same settings as those stories.

In any book, the author writes the book to talk to the reader. The reader listens to the author by reading the text. This is not a one-way monologue from the author to the reader; there is a dialogue here. With Street Lit, teens read these books in common, sharing their readings, and the books themselves (Morris, et.al., p. 2006). Eileen Landay (2004) tells us that reading fiction and biographies engages dialogue in three (3) ways: 1) within oneself (the author to him/herself and the reader to him/herself), 2) between the reader and the author, and 3) when text is shared between readers (p. 112).

Image Source: Vanessa Irvin Morris

In all these realms, we see Street Lit as a powerful conduit for readers finding authentic voice within the elements of their lives. The same happened for Hip Hop music, Spoken Word poetry, as well as the dance and art of Hip Hop. Where there was no voice for inner-city youths in mainstream culture, inner-city youths cried, “WE ARE HERE!” and found voice from their own streets to create their own culture. The same has happened with the continuing proliferation of Street Lit.

Street Lit is a further reading (and re-reading) of inner-city voicelessness, storytelling from the streets into written text, to be re-read and re-told to the imagination, bridging lived/witnessed reality with the reality of the mind, validating the truth of one’s existence. Thus said, Street Lit is necessary for teens who seek the genre because it informs them that they are literate readers of their own worlds, and that they have a voice and place in life's reality. After all, the books are talkin'.

----------------------------------

References

Appleyard, J.A. (1991). Becoming a reader: The experience of fiction from childhood to adulthood. MA: Cambridge University Press.

Landay, E. (2004). Performance as the foundation for a secondary school literacy program: A Bakhtinian perspective. In A.F. Ball and S.W. Freedman (eds.). Bakhtinian perspectives on language, literacy and learning. NY: Cambridge University Press.

Morris, V.J., Hughes Hassell, S., Agosto, D.E., & Cottman, D.T. (2006). Street lit: Flying off teen bookshelves in Philadelphia public libraries. Journal of Young Adult Library Services (YALS) 5(1), 16-23.

Sumara, D.J. (1996). Private readings in public: Schooling the literary imagination. NY: Peter Lang.

Interview Series: KC Boyd, Warrioress Librarian, Part 3 of 3

2011-02-23T12:00:00.022-05:00

KC Boyd, Warrioress Librarian

StreetLiteratureBlog: How do you perceive the current state of Street Lit?

I have mixed feelings about the current state of Street Lit. On one hand, I’m happy to see more authors writing within the genre and producing some great work. Some authors are so successful, they now have a strong following and book series have been created by their publishing houses. There is also an increase of books that are now professionally reviewed. YALSA has included a number of these books on their Quick Pick lists and there is a strong online community that supports and advocates for the use of these books in the classroom and school library. Major publishing houses have taken note of this interest and are now publishing more novels, more frequently.

On the other hand, I’ve seen a great deal of ‘garbage’ that has been marketed as Street Lit. Since the recent explosion of Young Adult fiction in school libraries, many books have been labeled Street Lit and published solely for financial gain. It is my professional opinion that these books do not capture the true essence of the genre which is an authentic fictional account of street life.

Another trend I’ve been observing is some Librarians/Teachers are mistakenly labeling books with African-American kids on the cover as ‘Street Lit’ when these books are not. For example, Simone Bryant’s ‘Fabulous’ is the story of three upper class teens that attend Pace Academy, wear designer clothing and are chauffeured around town in luxury vehicles. This is a story that provides teens readers with a story of a group and class of people that are rarely seen in YA Fiction. In addition, after viewing a very long conversation thread about Street Lit on the YALSA listserv, I’ve come to the conclusion that some Librarians and Teachers have not educated themselves fully about the genre, yet they are promoting the books heavily. Finally, I still see a level of censorship against Street Lit taking place by librarians and Teachers.

StreetLiteratureBlog: What do you anticipate Street Lit will look like say, 2 years from now? 5 years from now?

I believe Street Lit will continue to grow in popularity and the genre will gain more respect within the literary community. Schools will adapt more books within the genre as classroom and whole school reads. More financial effort will be made by publishing houses to market these books through book trailers, and other online media. Lastly, these books will finally receive more award recognition of various ALA book awards such as the Coretta Scott King Award, Printz and Alex Awards.

K.C.’s Top 10 Young Adult/Adult Street Lit Books with a Message:
1. Monster by Walter Dean Myers**
2. Tyrell by Coe Booth**
3. Manchild in the Promised Land by Claude Brown*
4. The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah*
5. True to the Game Trilogy by Teri Woods*
6. Keysha’s Drama Series by Earl Sewell**
7. Damaged by Kia DuPree*
8. Ni-Ni Simone Series by Ni-Ni Simone**
9. Gangsta by K’wan*
10.Retaliation by Yasmin Shiraz**
Note: *Adult **Young Adult

K.C. Boyd is currently a high school Librarian with the Chicago Public Schools at the Wendell Phillips Academy High School, in the Brownsville neighborhood of Chicago, IL. The Phillips Academy High School is part of the Academy of Urban School Leadership Program within the Chicago Public School system. Mr. Terrance A. Little, Principal of the Phillips Academy, was recently featured as a stellar educator in the February 7, 2011, issue of The New York Times.

You can contact KC on Twitter, and on her blog, Miss Domino.

Interview Series: KC Boyd, Warrioress Librarian, Part 2 of 3

2011-02-21T12:00:00.001-05:00

K.C. Boyd and me, June 2010, Wash., D.C.

StreetLiteratureBlog: Please share with us how Street Lit contributes to the literacies of your students at the library where you are currently serving?

Many of my students live very adult lives. Some are parents, some provide some financial support for their households and many have ‘adult’ responsibilities such as raising younger siblings. When they have some downtime to read leisurely, I find that many reach for Street Lit books for young adults. Some of their favorite authors are Ni-Ni Simone, L. Dvine, Earl Sewell, Babygirl Daniels and Paul Langan. These books are constantly checked out and there is always a waiting list for them. As a result of this, their reading comprehension and vocabulary has improved and they are more open to trying different authors and genres.

I believe the biggest impact Street Lit has had on my students is that it meets their emotional needs and allows them to escape mentally. My students deal with events/situations in their personal lives that are stressful and they need a release. The stories are highly relatable and discuss issues that today’s tweens/teens can relate to. Timeless themes such as peer pressure, violence, pregnancy, divorce, drugs and sex are presented in a non-preaching manner. Through reading these stories, my students are encouraged to identify the struggle and the best solution for the story’s protagonist. In addition, the stories are also cautionary tales that emphasize right from wrong behavior/actions.

At first my students were really surprised that I read the same books they do. I really enjoy it when they make a point to stop by my circulation desk and share how they compare the story to their own lives and show empathy with the protagonists struggle. Moreover, just hearing how much they like the books and how they relate to some element/literary device to reading material presented in the classroom.

StreetLiteratureBlog: What do you most want fellow educators to understand and appreciate about the genre of Street Literature?

First, respect the genre and not dismiss it because you don’t understand it. Take the time and read some of the books within the genre, you’ll be quite surprised at some of compelling stories the genre has to offer. Second, these books can serve as a healthy platform for discussion/dialogue between tweens/teens and adults. Educators will see a different side of the student they are servicing in library or class when they discuss events that have taken place in the story. Finally, Street Lit is a genre which appeals to a group of library patrons that has historically been ignored by publishing houses. Street Literature is a wonderful genre that should not be dismissed nor censored by educators, but instead it should be embraced because it can make an indelible impact on the lives of tweens and teens.

You can contact K.C. via Twitter or her blog.

-- Stay tuned for Part 3, coming Wednesday, February 23, 2011.