Color Online

Book Snapshot: The Dear One

2008-06-13T12:03:00.004-04:00

12-year-old Afeni wants no part of a pregnant 15-year-old coming to live with her and her mom. They have had plenty of troubles of their own, and now that they're into a routine Afeni is comfortable with, she doesn't want a stranger invading their world. Rebecca lives in New York with her mom and six siblings. They are poor and Claire, the mom struggles with depression. The Dear One examines so many issues in such a small space. Through character and circumstance, the reader navigates through socio-economics, stereotypes, homosexuality, untraditional family units, adoption, teen pregnancy, alcoholism, death and grieving. In The Dear One, we experience the power of fiction: learning through the intimacy of relationships.

Jacqueline Woodson
February 12, 1963
Prolific Writer of 22 titles for children and young adults.
Currently teaching at Goodard College, Plainfield, VT

Writing In the 21st Century

2008-05-31T22:49:00.003-04:00

Blogging Workshop

hosted by Color Online

Join us Saturday, June 7, 2008
2pm-4pm
Alternatives For Girls
903 West Grand. Blvd, Detroit
RSVP
Event free to teen girls 14-21
& youth coordinators

Learn how to meld your creativity with technology.

Questions, contact us at coloronline2005@yahoo.com

Book Snapshot: After Tupac & D Foster

2008-05-30T10:14:00.005-04:00

by Jacqueline Woodson

After reading another review, I had to revise my own. This book deserve better than what I read so...

A generation of young people grew up under the mystique of Tupac Shakur. Shakur represented hope, vision and pride for fans spanning across age groups. For many kids, Tupac made them feel like somebody and that their lives mattered in a way no school or slogans could. His influence culturally and musically is integral to the story. I don’t know how another reviewer misses that. True, Tupac’s lyrics are not front and center, but choice lines are significant and more importantly, Tupac’s music and life is the connecting thread; it is the anchor on which D negotiates and focuses on where she is going. If you want to begin to understand why Tupac held the almost Godlike status, pay close attention to D. If you’re ignorant about Hip Hop and rap of Tupac’s generation, here’s an opening.

And the sub-plots are equally compelling. Neeka’s brother isn’t just jailed for a crime he doesn’t commit, but he is victimized because he is gay. And this gay man, is compassionate, talented, mentally balanced and a great role model. He cares about his family and making sure he isn’t a victim again. He won’t be in jail again. D isn’t just in a foster home, she has spent most of her life in is a series of foster homes, has never known her father and longs for her mother who struggles with alcohol.

This coming-of-age story isn’t just about three girls who could be any girls. It is relevant that they are African-American. Woodson never creates stock characters. And if you've read her other works, you know her characters cross class, economic, and a variety of family units. Each girl has experiences and views distinctively different. It is relevant that Woodson examines a variety of social and personal issues through relationships in a way that is intimate and endears the reader to the characters of the story.

Woodson writes with clarity and subtly in this genre of realistic fiction in a manner that commands our admiration and respect. She is a gifted writer who tackles complex topics with a style that challenges, inspires, informs and educates.

Fertile Ground

2008-05-20T16:13:00.000-04:00

haiku
for Bernice
sonia sanchez

now i move in the
blood of women who polish
pores a cappella.

Book Snapshot: Purple Hibiscus

2008-05-20T01:41:00.002-04:00

by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

An extraordinary coming-of-age story. Kambili, her brother and their mother have all the luxuries their successful and influential father can provide. In the community he is seen as pious, generous and a voice of the people, but at home he is an explosive, dominant figure who demands complete submission and obedience. Kambili's fear and trauma is palpable. Throughout the text I held my breath and felt her choking. I desperately wished something would give Kambili the courage to stop trying to justify the abuse. The repression and lack of self-worth is disturbing. The dysfunction of the family is so real; it is frightening. This doesn't feel like fiction, it feels like something many of us have known. Stylistically, the writing is stellar. Adichie does get everything right: tone, pacing, characterization and language.

"The novel received the Commonwealth Writers Prize. The “Washington Post Book World” called it, “a breathtaking debut.... .[Adichie] is very much the 21st-century daughter of that other great Igbo novelist, Chinua Achebe.” The “Boston Globe” said, “Adichie’s understanding of a young girl’s heart is so acute that her story ultimately rises above its setting and makes her little part of Nigeria seem as close and vivid as Eudora Welty’s Mississippi.”

What have you read lately?

Potpourri: Literature & Women's Studies

2008-03-11T00:18:00.005-04:00

Answer the quiz and your name will be entered in a drawing. Post your reply to the comment box. Must include your e-mail to be eligible to win.

Quiz #23

She went on to get a degree in French from Barnard College and a master's degree in fine arts from Brown University. Her master's thesis became her first novel, Breath, Eyes, Memory, which was published to great acclaim in 1994 and selected by Oprah's Book Club four years later. In 1995 her collection of stories, Krik? Krak!, was enthusiastically received and nominated for a National Book Award.

Who is She?

Potpourri: Literature & Women's History

2008-03-07T12:53:00.002-05:00

Answer the quiz and your name will be entered in a drawing. Post your reply to the comment box. Must include your e-mail to be eligible to win. To celebrate National Women's History Month, we will draw a winner each week throughout the month of March.

Quiz #22

In 1976 [fill in] became the first African-American woman to enter the field of neurosurgery as a physician in training. Since then, [ ] has become one of the top specialists in the United States, and her office at Children's Hospital in Detroit has emerged as a leader in pediatric neurosurgery under her watch.

Who is she?

Potpourri: Literature & Women's History

2008-03-06T08:56:00.003-05:00

Answer the quiz and your name will be entered in a drawing. Post your reply to the comment box. Must include your e-mail to be eligible to win. To celebrate National Women's History Month, we will draw a winner each week throughout the month of March.

Quiz #21

"[She] was born on September 29, 1950 ...on the tiny island of Grenada in the Caribbean. She completed her primary education and later attended St. Joseph's Convent High School in St. George's, Grenada. [She] attributes most of her writing philosophy to her childhood in Grenada, where she intertwined the concepts of oratorical media with the formal art of writing. With the idea of obtaining a higher education, [she] enrolled at the University of the West Indies in Mona, Jamaica, where she later received her Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and in Spanish. After graduating in 1972, she returned to her high school, St. Joseph's Convent, where she taught History and Spanish for the next two years.

Who is she?

March Is National Women's History Month

2008-03-04T23:31:00.003-05:00

How about reading and reporting back on works written by women that focus on strong, complex and memorable women?

Tell us what you intend to read. Feel free to share what inspires you to read the work and afterwards tell us what you thought about the work. Don't feel limited to fiction; poetry, plays and non-fiction are solid options as well.

To celebrate, we'll randomly send a work to one of you for sharing your reads with us here. You must list your e-mail address to be eligible. Deadline for promotion ends March 30th. We'll contact the winner via e-mail.

We look forward to reading your responses.

Alice Walker On Barack Obama

2008-02-09T20:02:00.000-05:00

Birthday Shout Out!

2008-02-06T11:47:00.000-05:00

Rosa Parks (February 14, 1913- October 24, 2005)

“I would like to be known as a person who is concerned about freedom and equality and justice and prosperity for all people.”

Books by Rosa Parks:

Rosa Parks: My Story
Quiet Strength: The Faith, the Hope, and the Heart of a Woman Who Changed A Nation

http://womenshistory.about.com/od/parksrosa/p/rosa_parks.htm
http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/par0bio-1
http://www.rosaparks.org/

What Needs To Be Said

2008-02-02T12:17:00.000-05:00

I've mentioned I've been reading The Cancer Journals before, rather than provide a review, I've decided I really want to invite a dialogue about some of the points she raises.

She writes, "My silences had not protected me. Your silence will not protect you." This is in part about how she will deal with her fears and how she will continue her work despite her cancer. But this isn't just about facing her mortality, it is about how we are silent because of judgment and separation. She continues, "And where the words of women are crying to be heard, we must each of us recognize our responsibility to seek those words out, to read them and share them and examine them in their pertinence to our lives."

Do these ideas speak to you? In what ways? What do you remain silent about? When you write, are you seeking out a community of women? Does your work ever reflect a feminist or political view?

Reading & Writing Meme

2008-01-31T13:34:00.000-05:00

1. What are you currently reading and what’s on your to-be-read pile?

2. What type of writing influences your work most: fiction, poetry, or non-fiction?

3. What 3 characteristics, elements or themes are prevalent in your work?

4. As a writer and reader, does gender matter? Please consider responding in more depth at Poetry Collections by Women.

National Poetry Month Contest

2008-01-27T16:09:00.003-05:00

Color Online is sponsoring a poetry contest. This event is hosted by Alternatives for Girls, 903 W. Grand Boulevard, Detroit, 48208. Contestants may submit poems in any form they choose. Works must be original and not previously submitted for competition or publication. Contest deadline is April 23rd.

Prizes will include gift cards, collections and books. Writing workshops to help craft your pieces will be offered Wednesdays between 5-7pm on 4/2, 4/9, 4/16 & 4/23rd. Participation is not required but encouraged. Register for workshops with Annetta in the library.

A reception and reading will be held on April 30th in the Ford Room. Awards will be presented to winners and honorable mentions.

We encourage poets to explore themes that are central to girl and women studies: empowerment, spirituality, body image, inner strength, community activism, self-awareness, equality, political action, diversity, multiculturalism, self-esteem, reproductive health and sexuality.

Rules

Contest deadline is April 23rd.

• Entries must be submitted via email at cora_litgroup@yahoo.com
• 3 entry maximum; submit each entry separately.
• Email subject line should read: CO Poetry Contest.
• In the body of the email include full name, phone number and title of poem.
• Submit poem as an attachment; only put title on attachment.
• Minimum line length: 3 Max: 25

PRIZES
1st place- $50 cash and poetry collection
2nd place- $25 cash and poetry collection
3rd place- gift card and poetry collection
Honorable mentions will receive gift cards or poetry collections

National Poetry Month Contest

2008-01-27T16:09:00.001-05:00

Contest deadline is April 23rd.

Prizes will include gift cards, collections and books. Writing workshops to help craft your pieces will be offered Wednesdays between 5-7pm on 4/2, 4/9, 4/16 & 4/23rd. Participation is not required but encouraged. Register for workshops with Annetta in the library.

A reception and reading will be held on April 30th in the Ford Room. Awards will be presented to winners and honorable mentions.

We encourage poets to explore themes that are central to girl and women studies: empowerment, spirituality, body image, inner strength, community activism, self-awareness, equality, political action, diversity, multiculturalism, self-esteem, reproductive health and sexuality.

Rules

Contest deadline is April 23rd.

• Entries must be submitted via email at cora_litgroup@yahoo.com
• 3 entry maximum; submit each entry separately.
• Email subject line should read: CO Poetry Contest.
• In the body of the email include full name, phone number and title of poem.
• Submit poem as an attachment; only put title on attachment.
• Minimum line length: 3 Max: 25

PRIZES
1st place- $50 cash and poetry collection
2nd place- $25 cash and poetry collection
3rd place- gift card and poetry collection
Honorable mentions will receive gift cards or poetry collections

National Poetry Month

2008-01-27T16:09:00.000-05:00

Color Online is sponsoring a poetry contest. This event is hosted by Alternatives for Girls, 903 W. Grand Boulevard, Detroit, 48208. Contestants may submit poems in any form they choose. Works must be original and not previously submitted for competition or publication.

A reception and reading will be held on April 30th in the Ford Room. Awards will be presented to winners and honorable mentions.

We encourage poets to explore themes that are central to girl and women studies: empowerment, spirituality, body image, inner strength, community activism, self-awareness, equality, political action, diversity, multiculturalism, self-esteem, reproductive health and sexuality.

Rules

Contest deadline is April 23rd.

• Entries must be submitted via email at cora_litgroup@yahoo.com
• 3 entry maximum; submit each entry separately.
• Email subject line should read: CO Poetry Contest.
• In the body of the email include full name, phone number and title of poem.
• Submit poem as an attachment; only put title on attachment.
• Minimum line length: 3 Max: 25

PRIZES
1st place- $50 cash and poetry collection
2nd place- $25 cash and poetry collection
3rd place- gift card and poetry collection
Honorable mentions will receive gift cards or poetry collections

Workshops will be held at Alternatives for Girls, 903 W. Grand Boulevard. Wednesdays: 4/2, 4/9, 4/16 & 4/23 5:00-7:00ppm
Sundays: 4/6, 4/13 & 4/20 2:00-4:00pm

Women's History

2008-01-25T08:54:00.000-05:00

January 25, 1996: Constance Baker Motley becomes first black woman appointed to a federal judgeship.

September 4, 1921-September 28, 2005

"When I went to law school, nobody heard of civil rights."

http://www.brownat5.org/brownBios/BioJudgeCBakerMotley.htm

http://c250.columbia.edu/c250_celebrates/remarkable_columbians/constance_motley.html

Let's Talk About it: Sexual Abuse

2008-01-24T08:13:00.000-05:00

Our focus at Color Online is to promote a love of reading, to encourage young women to express themselves in writing and to support their emotional and social development. And we want to help them heal. Each month we will highlight books that address a myriad of crisis that plague women. We’ll begin with sexual abuse.

Sexual abuse is difficult for most of us to talk about, but if we’re going to heal, we have to address it. Reading can be a first step. If you’re looking for works suitable for young adults, we recommend: When Kambia Elaine Flew In From Neptune by Lori A. Williams , I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This by Jacqueline Woodson and Sold by Patricia McCormick. For non-fiction, we recommend, The Enemy Between My Legs by Stephanie Jones.

When Kambia Elaine Flew in from Neptune is the story of two friends. Kambia Elaine tells Shayla, "They live in the wallpaper... they have five-inch fangs, fiery red eyes, purple horns, long sharp claws, and spiky gray fur... they whisper horrible, nasty things in your ear... then they make you do them."

I hadn’t Meant To Tell You: “Two girls: one white, one black; one abused, one protected, both missing their mothers. An unlikely friendship ignites between the two, and, in sharing their differences, both of their lives are transformed.”

Sold is the story of a young girl sold into sex slavery. From a review on Amazon, “Lakshmi, 13, knows nothing about the world beyond her village shack in the Himalayas of Nepal, and when her family loses the little it has in a monsoon, she grabs a chance to work as a maid in the city so she can send money back home. What she doesn't know is that her stepfather has sold her into prostitution.”

The Enemy Between My Legs is a personal testimony written by Stephanie L. Jones a local Detroit motivational speaker and community activist. Ms. Jones is committed to helping all women heal.

If you know of other titles that address molestation, rape and incest, share them with us. Let’s talk about healing.

Birthday Shout Out!

2008-01-21T09:15:00.000-05:00

Martin Luther King, Jr. January 15, 1929- April 4, 1968

"One of the most visible advocates of nonviolence and direct action as methods of social change, Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta on 15 January 1929. As the grandson of the Rev. A.D. Williams, pastor of Ebenezer Baptist church and a founder of Atlanta's NAACP chapter, and the son of Martin Luther King, Sr., who succeeded Williams as Ebenezer's pastor, King's roots were in the African-American Baptist church. After attending Morehouse College in Atlanta, King went on to study at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania and Boston University, where he deepened his understanding of theological scholarship and explored Mahatma Gandhi's nonviolent strategy for social change."

“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.”

~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

To read more:

http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/about_king/biography/

http://www.myhero.com/myhero/hero.asp?hero=mlkjr_quotes2003

Portpourri: Literature & Women's Studies

2008-01-15T09:09:00.000-05:00

Answer the quiz and your name will be entered in a monthly drawing. Post your reply to the comment box. Must include your e-mail to be eligible to win.

QUIZ #20

On January 15, 1908 the first black sorority is founded at Howard University. What is the sorority?

What Are You Reading?

2008-01-15T06:35:00.000-05:00

What are you reading this month? Have you set in reading goals this year? Does it matter if we are a literate society? What do we gain by reading?

We want to hear from us. In 2008, make Color Online more than a place to stop by for book snapshot or biography sketch to read. This year, tell us what you think.

Fertile Ground: Selected Poetry Read

2008-01-13T09:06:00.000-05:00

Ethiopia
for Tifa

Seven years without milk
means everyone dances for joy
on your birthday
but when you clap your hands
break at the wrist
and even grandmother's ghee
cannot mend
the delicate embroideries
of bone.

From Our Dead Behind Us by Audre Lorde

Potpourri: Literature & Women's Studies

2008-01-08T07:26:00.000-05:00

Answer the quiz and your name will be entered in a monthly drawing. Post your reply to the comment box. Must include your e-mail to be eligible to win.

QUIZ #19

Who wrote, AFTER READING MICKEY IN THE NIGHT
KITCHEN FOR THE THIRD TIME BEFORE BED
I'M IN THE MILK AND THE MILK'S IN ME...I'M MICKEY!

BIRTHDAY SHOUT OUT!

2008-01-07T14:56:00.001-05:00

Zora Neal Hurston
January 7, 1891- January 28, 1960

"From the 1930s through the 1950s, Zora Neale Hurston was the most prolific and accomplished black woman writer in America. During that thirty-year period she published seven books, many short stories, magazine articles, and plays, and she gained a reputation as an outstanding folklorist and novelist. She called attention to herself because she insisted upon being herself at a time when blacks were being urged to assimilate in an effort to promote better relations between the races. Hurston, however, saw nothing wrong with being black: "I do not belong to that sobbing school of Negrohood who hold that nature somehow has given them a lowdown dirty deal." Indeed she felt there was something so special about her blackness that others could benefit just by being around her. Her works, then, may be seen as manifestos of selfhood, as affirmations of blackness and the positive aspects of black life. "

From Gale publishing: http://www.galegroup.com/free_resources/bhm/bio/hurston_z.htm
For more information: http://www.zoranealehurston.com/

Fertile Ground: Selected Poetry Read

2008-01-07T09:02:00.000-05:00

Burning the Water Hyacinth

We flame the river
to keep the boat paths open
your eyes eat my shadow
at the light line
touchless
completing each other's need
to yearn
to settle into hunger
faceless
a waning moon.

Plucking desire
from my palms
like the firehairs of a cactus
I know this appetite
the greed of a poet
or an empty woman
trying to touch
what matters.

from Our Dead Behind Us by Audre Lorde copyright 1986