Thursday, December 23, 2010

REALLY COOL CHICKS


Happy holidays everyone!

December has been quite a busy month.

On Saturday, December 4, 2010, I partnered with Marva Allen, CEO of Hue Man Bookstore in Harlem and the Arts and Entertainment Task Force of the National Association of Black Journalists to bring best-selling author TERRY McMILLAN to Broadway!

Terry graciously agreed to be part of a grand experiment cooked up by Marva and I to bring books to Broadway. Participants got a discount ticket to see the award-winning musical FELA! and a copy of Terri's latest novel, GETTING TO HAPPY, the sequel to WAITING TO EXHALE for just $85. In addition, they were treated to a post-show discussion with Terri about telling our stories which was moderated by Patrick L. Riley, co-chair of the NABJ A & E Task Force, plus a book sale and signing.

Let me tell you. That Terry is one really cool chick -- funny and absolutely brilliant. So is Marva. It was beyond my very vivid imagination as a marketer to find myself in the position to collaborate with such forces of nature.

I also had the privilege of working with another really cool chick. Her name is April Silver and she is the founder and CEO of AKILA WORKSONGS. I have worked with April for over a decade. She is a solid sister whose company is all about arts and activism.

On Wednesday, December 16th, April and I put together Be A Father to Your Child Night at FELA! Be A Father to Your Child is a book of essays, interviews and poetry about real black men and their views/experiences with fatherhood. It is an amazing book. Some of the contributors from the book including Byron Hurt, Kevin Powell and Mo Beasley were joined by some of the FELA! cast for a panel about the power of Fela and issues of black masculinity. April, who edited the book, served as moderator. It was an amazing event.

To catch up with these really cool chicks and all that they do visit their web sites:

Terri McMillan -- www.terrymcmillan.com
Marva Allen -- www.huemanbookstore.com
April Silver -- www.akilaworksongs.com

If you want to find out more about the National Association of Black Journalists, check out www.nabj.org.

One More Thing:

FELA! completes its Broadway run on January 2, 2011. You still have a little bit of time to see this award winning musical with the amazing PATTI LaBLLE. Some discounts are still around. Here is one:

Save when you use code FEWTG81.
Orch Seats -- $89 (reg. $122)
Rear Mezz -- $49.50 (reg. $99)

Three ways to purchase tickets:
Online: www.broadwayoffers.com and enter code FEWTG81
Phone: 212.947.8844 and mention code FEWTG81
In Person: Go to the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Box office and mention code FEWTG81.

Merry Christmas and Happy Kwanzaa!