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Pastors address inclusion of gays in churches
And now for a little positivity....
Forum focuses on gays in churches
Pastors address inclusion of gays in churches
by Kacie Foster
Indiana Daily Student
Published Friday, September 23, 2005
Pastor Robert Ferguson tried to "pray and fast his gay away." He was engaged to be married, and wanted to change. But, it didn't work.
He began to question his religion, but never questioned his faith. Ultimately, Ferguson said he decided to leave his church and attend one that reached out to gay African Americans.
A panel of Indiana ministers met Thursday night in a packed hall at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center to discuss ways to create spaces for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people within church and community settings.
Minister Ryon Cobb, Pastor Kelly Oglesby and Pastor Robert Ferguson all sat on the panel to discuss how to welcome the GLBT community in faith.
"I am not a representative of any denomination or group," Oglesby said. "However, we need to look congregationally and individually on how we can be approachable and reachable (to the GLBT community)."
Some audience members felt they should address personal beliefs questioning homosexuality as a sin. One woman said she believes homosexuality is a choice that could be corrected, and that church members should treat gays as sinners.
But facilitator Tahirah Akbar-Williams steered the discussion away from the subject of "sin" and geared it toward how the church can help gays and lesbians grow in their faith.
"We are here to talk about how we can respect one another," Akbar-Williams said in response to a comment about homosexuals being considered "sinners." "We need to create a space for GLBT people in churches or religious institutions. I hope and pray to start a dialogue of respect and begin the process which helps us acknowledge that we are all different and we practice our faiths differently. However, within these differences, we can respect one another and move forward."
Cobb explained a Biblical story about a community wanting to condemn a woman caught in an act of adultery.
"'Let him who is without sin cast the first stone,'" Cobb quoted. "Regardless if we agree or disagree with someone's lifestyle, they are being oppressed."
The evening began with a prayer that was meant not to serve as an endorsement of any religion, but for the audience to "start with peace and love," Akbar-Williams said. A 20-minute screening of the film "All God's Children" served as an introduction to the topic.
"God loves me just how I am, because that's how God made me," said one woman in the film.
Cobb said people must support others who are marginalized.
"The Bible calls for us to stand by those that are oppressed, even those whose lifestyles we may disagree with," he said. "Discrimination is a human rights issue (and we need to) stand up against oppressive structures."
Philip Thomas, secretary of Iota Phi Theta, said his fraternity co-sponsored the event to educate people and end discrimination.
"We're here to learn in the classroom, but also to learn from the diversity of others," Thomas said.
Eric Love, adviser for the student group Blacks Like Us, said a lack of dialogue leads to "a lot of ignorance" toward marginalized groups. BLU is the first black group on campus for GLBT people.
"Ignorance leads to fear, and fear leads to hate," Love said.
Love said he was "thrilled" with BLU's efforts and proud of the Iotas for taking a step toward increasing understanding.
Ferguson asked the group to take positive steps towards accepting those who are gay or lesbian into the church.
"We need to separate the man-made stuff from the God stuff," Ferguson said. "That's when you find the truth."
"Forum focuses on gays in churches"
http://www.idsnews.com/story.php?id=31284
Posted by Rashid on September 29, 2005 at 6:54 AM | Comments (1)
It's Stewie!
Posted by Rashid on September 28, 2005 at 6:08 PM | Comments (1)
Gross-a-roo!
SO this evening, a scant ten minutes ago, my mouse stopped working. Well, the horizontal directions on my mouse stopped working. You know I hate computer problems, but a malfunctioning mouse isn't a huge deal. I could probably borrow an old one from work tomorrow if need be.
But no, I am on a fix-it kick. So I am thinking hey, maybe I have some sort of matter in my mouse that's messing things up. Like lint, or dust, or something. So I take the ball out and use some compressed air to clean it out.
Didn't work.
So I was like hmmm....it can't have just BROKEN in the middle of me using it, you know? So I take a toothpick and clean the outside crevices or whatever. Pretty dirty. Ew. But it still didn't make the thing work.
Then, fir the first time since 2001, when I bought my computer, I noticed that the mouse has a screw in it. I get a small screwdriver and open up the mouse.
Oh my god there was dust in that joint from the dawn of time! SO GROSS. It was the big old immovable dust, too. I had to use a combination of a toothpick and the compressed air to really get the dust from all the crevices in the mouse. I even had to scrape matter off of the rolling things that the mouse ball pushes to make the cursor move.
It was highly educational. And gross.
But my mouse works. Ha!
Posted by Rashid on September 27, 2005 at 9:40 PM | Comments (5)
New Husband
Aaron Parcham.
Figure skater.
Ethnically, he is a Hottie from the Hottie McHotHot Clan.
Okay, so ethnically, I don't know what the hell he is. But thank god for ESPN tonight for introducing him to me.
Posted by Rashid on September 26, 2005 at 10:21 PM | Comments (7)
Too Much......
it aint that what u got aint enough....maybe its what u got is much too much for any ordinary man to handle.
Words to ponder, indeed.
Posted by Rashid on September 25, 2005 at 11:52 AM
No, we can't be cool.
This isn't going to work, man.
I really don't feel like I can be cool with you.... I find myself resenting you an awful lot, cussing everytime I think about how things have gone down, and I'm not really too cool with how you handle things between us. I feel like it shouldn't have even been a question of whether or not you would edit your entries. But it had to be a debate....had to be about you. And that's cool, it can be about you -- as we all should be about ourselves. In a way, the things I am going through right now aren't even about YOU per se. But I can't deny that letting you run your fingers through my hair didn't have at least a little bit to do with why I cut them.
Whatever it is I am going through, I need to go through without you being a presence in my life right now. If I ever get over it, and you feel like being cool, I would like that. But for right now, I have to do me.
-------
All or nothing, motherfuckers.
Posted by Rashid on at 11:46 AM
Cleaning
I have so much cleaning to do today.
Posted by Rashid on at 8:41 AM
This is the thing....
I don't feel like writing about how well my signing went at the step show tonight, or who I met, or how thankful I am for all the people that stopped by and showed love, or helped out in some way. Those folks will get thanked off the blog.
Nor am I going to address the emails I've been getting about "my little love series, tee hee" as a 'friend' termed it. Hi, this is my fucking LIFE here, not a "little love series, tee hee."
The thing is that my life is upside down right now, and even more so as the days go by. The Lazarus stuff is GREAT! Work is GREAT! Home life is GREAT! I couldn't be happier.
And yes, there were lots of attractive men where I was tonight. Even fine Iotas! I am like damn, when did Iotas get hot?
Anyway....this is my outlet. You will not find sanity in this blog.
I keep typing and retyping this paragraph.....I guess to an extent, I shouldn't sink to the level of the slime I've been attracted to lately. It's tough, though.
I'm just so glad that my eyes are continually opened to what's going on around me. Shit is crazy...shit is wild. I am like....damn, for really?
When HIM wants you to be with someone you deserve...shit is wild.
When you want someone who hops from abusive relationship to abusive relationship....
When you realized you've been the victim of yet another black man fetish....
Or Alpha fetish....
When your blog entries become "little love series'".....
Shit is wild.....I am like whatever....
One of my coworkers always says "This is pure insanity."
This shit really is.
I have very few REAL friends. I think that's normal. But it's wild. It's like....I don't think it's unreasonable or unrealistic to have friends that you never argue with. I NEVER have arguments with my friends. Seriously. My friends are very intiutive, sensitive, all that.
I am just tired and rambling now, but I still have so much swimming in my head... sex.... romance.... men.... relationships.... whoredom.... fetishes....
And more that I won't say because I don't want to believe it.
Posted by Rashid on at 12:32 AM
Maybe.
Rashid: hey....i have something to tell you, related to that
NT: Sure, shoot.
Rashid: I'm going to cut off my locks, i think
NT: Now what would make you want to do that?
Rashid: I am keeping them for the wrong reasons, I think. I've wanted to run my hands through my 'fro for a while. But every time I mention cutting them people are like "noooooo don't do it, you look sooooo goood with them." And the funny thing is, I look "so good" but not good enough to have a significant, meaningful relationship. Yet, everyone I kick it with loves touching them, loves running their fingers through them. I think that my locks have become too much of my trademark. But to me, it's just hair. It doesn't represent anything spiritual. So, I think to sorta separate my vanity from the essence of who I am, I need to get rid of the locks
NT: Whoa, that was incredibly deep.
Rashid: It's not that I am trying to make myself ugly because I'm sick of the dating scene..... but I think that I need to get in touch with the real me again. If the lack of locks shows off the tad-too wide ears, or shows off the extra 20 pounds I need to lose, then so be it. Whatever they're hiding is all me.
NT: If you feel that they are a hindrance to your own self-development, then you do what you must.
Rashid: I think they might be. And I just might start locking again, who knows? But I think some other reasons are that my current loctitian uses a product that seems to flake off a lot and make it look like I have bad dandruff. Plus, I don't feel my scalp is as clean as it ought to be. I liked when I had the afro.
NT: Hey, to thy own self be true.
Rashid: So, I dunno....and now that I am seriously contemplating it, I feel scared -- and it's like yo, why should I feel scared? Am I afraid that people will find me unattractive? And that's exactly what it is. And that kinda bothers me about myself. I should feel attractive no matter what I do to my hair. But maybe I feel like my hair is all I really have.
Rashid: Yeah....I am trying. I apologize for all the venting and whatnot. I've just really never talked to anyone about this in depth.
NT: You forget one other thing that you have that makes you attractive to others.
NT: It's all good, dawg.
Rashid: The ill Rah-Rah?
NT: No. Not even if I knew what a 'rah rah' was.
Rashid: lol okay, so what then?
NT: No, it's your intelligence.
Rashid: ooooooh.....that
NT: Why do you think people buy your book or listen to you speak?
NT: B/c they have nothing else to do?
NT: No, it's because you speak on a level that they understand and you're articulate.
NT: I do feel the same way about my own hair.
NT: But folks need to realize that there's more to me than hair.
NT: There are folks who knew me way before I started lockin'.
Rashid: True true....I hear you.
NT: And some of those folks are still around today.
Rashid: right
NT: I think the insecurity you feel about your appearance is only skin deep.
Rashid: There are so many people in my life who don't know me from when I had short hair.
NT: If someone really wants you, they must see past some of that.
Rashid: yeah, that's true
NT: Not to say that they must be blind.
Rashid: yeah
NT: If you feel more comfortable with an afro, then do what you must.
NT: Don't let others control your life.
NT: You haven't done that before, so why start now?
Rashid: That's true.....
Rashid: Like Fantasia said, I need to go ahead and free myself, lol
NT: If she were anymore free with her hair, she'd be bald and possibly nekkid.
Rashid: LOLOLOL
Rashid: Thank you so much. You really do understand me.
NT: Well, I'm glad I could share with you.
NT: I think as you progress towards notoriety you should really focus on carrying yourself.
NT: You shouldn't have to worry too much about the way you look.
NT: It's more about the way you feel.
NT: You can tell by looking at people that they are insecure or vain about themselves.
Rashid: That's true
Rashid: I know one thing.....it's gonna look a hot mess when i cut it, lol. But in a good way.
Rashid: In a sense, I will be more natural than I am now....I might just let it have ragged lengths, I dunno
NT: Yeah. I have a friend who did that and didn't look that bad.
Rashid: Let me show you a picture of somebody whose hair I wish I had....my texture isn't really "curly" enough for this, but I wish it looked this way....
Rashid: 
NT: Are you serious? Wasn't this fool on some sort of commercial?
Rashid: LOL
Rashid: i dunno...that's Toure', the writer and hip-hop journalist type
NT: Oh.
NT: I have a friend and she has hair similar to that.
NT: Her hair is a light brown.
NT: Ah, it doesn't matter. Be you.
NT: It hasn't hindered you before.
NT: So why should it now.
Rashid: true
Rashid: *hug* thanks man
NT: No problem, dawgz. *hug*
Posted by Rashid on September 23, 2005 at 11:50 PM
From the Vault: Stab
pierce my flesh with the shards of your broken promises
slash at my heart with the blades of your l’s
look
listen
like
love
club me with the heaviness of your lies
never, ever, forever
and when you’ve done all that
nail my coffin shut with the dots in your i’s
i
am not the one
i
am not the one
you
might love me with all you got
but what you got is not enough
i cannot
live like this
betrayal with a kiss
from your lips
i could wonder whether you loved my
body before you loved my mind
but it doesn’t matter
as the body was given up by the mind
in exchange for love
but the mind doesn’t understand
(even after countless experiences)
that i can’t make you love me
with my body
because my body
cant keep you
you
say you love me with all you got
but what you got just ain’t enough for me
because i have inhaled those who promised me more
and i have been with ones who done me better
maybe i got entranced by your eyes
enthralled by your lies
and by the music i was hypnotized
but i hope you don’t love me because
i ate you out the best
and i hope you don’t love me because
you might get a poem written about you
and i’m not saying i’m stronger than you but
you don’t have to worry about my blood on your hands
so
pierce my flesh with the shards of your broken promises
slash at my heart with the blades of your l’s
look
listen
like
love
club me with the heaviness of your lies
never, ever, forever
and when you’ve done all that
nail my coffin shut with the dots in your i’s
i
am not the one
i
am not the one
i
must now love you with all i got left
because all i got is the words you left me
i create my weapons
with those words
i exact my revenge
with those phrases
i lure you into the land mines of my mind
and your world evaporates into nothingness
because you forgot and slipped on my simile
and i exchange your body for your mind
because i gave up my body for your mind
but it doesn’t matter
that the mind doesn’t understand
because now
i have no body
now i have no mind
i am verse
and verse needs but a voice
you
cannot love me with all you got
because all you got is the shadow of a fraction of
what you think love is
and that for damn sure ain’t enough
just as my body wasn’t enough
to capture your mind
and your mind wasn’t enough
to tame my verse
and my verse still can’t change your lies
and i hope you don’t remember me
because i wrote a poem about you
and i hope this doesn’t make you love me
remember me because i was the voice
the unspoken word that made you say
“i wonder what he’s doing now”
so
pierce my flesh with the shards of your broken promises
slash at my heart with the blades of your l’s
look
listen
like
love
club me with the heaviness of your lies
never, ever, forever
and when you’ve done all that
nail my coffin shut with the dots in your i’s
i
am not the one
i
am not the one
Posted by Rashid on at 7:12 PM
Is your game really that wack or am I just not interested?
Sometimes I think people are full of it when they say "Stop looking for the right man, the right man will find you."
No....the wrong men are tenacious, didn't you know that?
It's sorta how people in NPHC organizations say we don't recruit and that the aspirants come to us. Well, after decades of letting the aspirants come to us, look where we've come to: pledge deaths and lawsuits.
Speaking of which, I saw my General President and the Queen Busilus (inside joke) of AKA yesterday. I went to the APhiA CBC reception. It was nice. I wonder how much it cost.
The NBJC conference was hot.
Looking forward to the step show tomorrow -- teaming up with Lori Lincoln, which should be really cool.
Posted by Rashid on at 4:11 PM
I think....
I think that I have probably gone off the deep end, for real this time. And the funny thing is that neither the work life or my life as an author are suffering. It's just everything about the personal life that's helter skelter.
When I have close friends, I have really really close friends.
All or nothing.
But break that trust and it will rarely be rebuilt. Abuse my emotions, lie to me, lie to me through yourself, be unsure of what you want, kiss me then tell me it would never work, hug me then tell me you've got to do "you."
That shit fills me with rage. Inconsolable and unrepairable, so don't try.
If I peeled off my skin like a banana or an orange could, I wonder if I'd still be sought after. If I were a mass of pink and white flesh, no tan, no hair, just a grown garbage pail kid, I wonder if anyone would even pretend to love me then.
I know what Na'im said to me last night. It's what's on the inside...the intelligence is what people are attracted to. Okay, cool. I'll give him that. But what I am saying here is that whatever it is that I have isn't quite enough.
I keep my eyes and mind open to any and all possibilities, the younger and the older, the closer and the further. Farther? The niggas and the wiggas and the sand niggas and the eucalyptus leaf niggas.
All have failed.
I am not sad. I am stating the facts, as I have time and again, and positing the theory that there is no one for me.
And no, we can't have a conversation about this -- the comments are off you suckers! MUHUHAHAHAHA! ;-)
I haven't been this open in a while now....don't really care too much anymore. I have no one to impress and my work speaks for itself.
In fact.....I am going to reopen some old posts.
Sex and Romance is once again on like popcorn.
Posted by Rashid on September 22, 2005 at 7:40 AM
You don't LOVE me, nigga!!!!
The ironic part of this entry is JUST as I started to write it, someone IMed me and said "I love you." :-)
But this entry is not about that person, LOL.
So I got a forwarded message from my friend. The title was FW: Love Ya. I thought to myself "Hmmm, this should be cute, especially since I don't hear from him too often."
The email said:
One morning you will never wake up.....Do all your friends know you love them?I was thinking...I could die today, tomorrow or next week, and I
wondered if I had any wounds needing to be healed, friendships that needed rekindling or three words needing to be said.Let every one of your friends know you love them. Even if you think they don't love you back, you would be amazed at what those three little words and a smile can do.
And just in case GOD calls me home before I see you again....... I LOVE YOU!!!
Send this to at least 8 people you love and send it back to the person Who sent it to you ..Live today to the fullest because tomorrow is not promised.
"[T]he Will of God will never take you to where the Grace of God will not protect you."
FIRST of all....let me say that I fully understand that some people are so busy that all they have time to do is send forwards out to their friends to let them know how they feel. And I understand that. Believe me, I do. The thought is appreciated.
But...let us read the words we send out....sometimes, it is better to actually tailor a message to your friends.
I struggle with the notion that this friend really loves me. In fact, I kind of doubt he does. I know he cares about me. I know he likes me, respects me, might even admire me. But does he love me?
Thinking about your own death shouldn't scare you into saying I love you. SAY IT ANYWAY. Better yet -- SHOW IT. Live it. Be it.
And what's more...don't say it in an email. Nigga, CALL ME!!!! Send me a text message...a personal email. Let me know you ain't bullshittin'. Don't be shamed into telling me -- just love me, for real.
Yes, I am an "all or nothing" kind of guy....I don't tolerate half-stepping. But sending me a email with dozens of other people thinking that's really an "I love you" doesn't cut it. You don't really love me. You just know how to work your email.
Posted by Rashid on September 21, 2005 at 6:30 PM
***** Poppin' in a Handstand
Got a little cough...
So HIM said he wants to help me find a man and be happy, or find a man who would make me happy, or something of that nature.
It's like raaaaa-iiii-aaaaaiinnnnn....on a weddddding day.....
Got emails from several folks who want me to be happy, to not be bitter, quoting poems, telling me to give it 20 years.
Duly noted.
The Kill Bill Soundtrack is so dope.
I talked to frat today...LOVE HIM. We had us a nice little conversation after school, yes we did. He recently made some changes in his life that I will soon follow suit with. Some things are an illusion...he reaffirmed some things I already knew, but helped me find the strength to carry out.
I know I sound crazy. Shut up.
Go Lori...go me....one of these days I will write about the workshop I assisted Lori V. Lincoln with last night, but cha know what? I just don't feel like it right now.
I did see Andre Samuels, a Que from Alpha chapter, Spring 97 I think. He is the spec' of one of my mentors from back in those days. I gave him my card, made small talk, and told him not to break it too hard to La'Mont that I went another way. :-)
I love them, man. Alpha Chapter Ques rock. Well, the ones from the late 90s, I don't know who they are now.
SVU tonight! WOOOOOO HOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Got some writing ideas tonight, too. Had an EPIPHANY if you will.
Posted by Rashid on September 20, 2005 at 8:05 PM
Men are crazy
I had a VERY good conversation with one of my friends last night who is in the same boat as I am with the menfolk. Our conclusion was that everyone is wack and crazy except us.
Posted by Rashid on at 6:23 AM
It's not even....
"THE BEST BRIDGE BETWEEN despair and hope is a good night's sleep." -- Harry Ruby
Thanks, Harry, but I'm still in a bad mood.
It's not even the guy that I'm mad at, though he is part of it. It's the cyclical nature of the whole thing. It's the fact that there doesn't seem to be anyone who understands me who will also fight for me. No one who feels like I'm worth it. No one who will tell me that I'm beautiful and mean it.
No one who gets me....no one who truly understands. And the ones that do either have boyfriends or are straight.
I am quitting the dating scene. It's all about Lazarus. That's all people really want anyway.
Fuck it.
Posted by Rashid on September 19, 2005 at 6:32 AM
All men...
Men suck.
To the devil with you ALL.
Posted by Rashid on September 18, 2005 at 11:03 AM
News in Brief
I haven't updated in a minute! Wow....look at me, having a real life and shit!
Work -- goes well! We had ourselves a little Kill Bill party after class but before Back to School Night on Wednesday. Don't worry, it was just us teachers. We needed a violence outlet so we don't stick our kids heads in a door and slam it while saying "Where's Bill?!"
Probably won't get paid for another few weeks which SUCKS!!!! I am so grateful for people who have stepped up and helped me out when I really needed it though. By "me" I mean Old Gold Soul. Some people REALLY believe in my work and go above and beyond to support it, and I so appreciate that.
I met somebody.
Amazon has been good with keeping my book in stock. And the ranking (which I usually don't pay attention to) has been pretty good! I guess word is getting out?
The mailing is almost ready! I will be able to send out the first round on tomorrow morning. No going out for me tonight unless I can get somebody to help.
I haven't mentioned Hurricane Katrina in my blog yet. You know, generally I discuss these things in real life since this is a real world disaster and I don't really think the people who read my blog are generally "moved" by blogs in that way. (Translation: I can't make y'all bamas do anything you didn't already want to do, including buying my book, lol)
BUT...I will say this. Lots of people wonder how we can help. Sure, donate to the Red Cross or whatever your favorite charity is. Do all the things everyone else is doing -- it's never too much.
But remember New Orleans six months, twelve months, eighteen months from now and beyond. How? GO TO NEW ORLEANS!!! The city thrives on tourism. We need to spend our money in New Orleans. If you are a conference planner, plan your conference for New Orleans. Fire and Ink, holla back ;-) The Sigma Gamma Rhos are having their Boule in New Orleans next year -- I hope they still have it there!
Visit New Orleans when it's open again....they need us now more than ever.
I have a lot of events coming up. Right after my mailing tomorrow, I will have time to actually strategize some things. A little disappointed at something that happened regarding an event on the 24th, but that, too, will get fixed.
I guess it's shower time....have a good day, everyone!
Posted by Rashid on September 16, 2005 at 6:44 AM | Comments (0)
Wo' out
Thought of the Day:
You can't be my colleague if you're not in my league.
--Anon.
*****
I am wo' out. (Wore out, worn out, VERY tired.)
I was up at 6am working on stuff for the mailing. I printed out labels and sent off some documents to be photocopied someplace. Yes, Old Gold Soul is all about "the hook ups." One day, far far in the future, when the statutes of limitations all run out, I will blog about some for REAL guerilla publishing.
My envelopes arrived via UPS today (ten dollar off coupon!). So I am ready to start labeling envelopes. Heck, I might just employ some slave labor at school on Friday and have the lil rapscallions stuffing em for me. ;-)
I have a couple more appearances I really need to schedule before they sneak by me.
More later.
Posted by Rashid on September 13, 2005 at 5:04 PM | Comments (0)
Mailing
People close to me know that my Fall Mailing has been the bane of my existence. Okay, so "bane" is a strong word, but it's been really annoying.
I have a total of 3,800 Lazarus packets to be sent out. Each packet will have a letter from me, a synopsis of Lazarus and a bio sheet (same page), reviews of Lazarus, availability, programming suggestions, and an order form (for single and group orders). The purpose of this mailing is to reach out to the communities that I feel will enjoy Lazarus or will benefit by bringing me in for events or programs. Those could be book signings or lectures, depending on the organization's needs.
After some research and talking to friends, I have identified about seven or eight topics that I am an "expert" at. At least enough of an expert where I feel comfortable speaking on the topic to a room full of strangers.
Other authors know this already and I am just following their lead, but in case you are an aspiring writer and you didn't know, here's a secret....you can't just sell books. You've got to enjoy public speaking to a certain degree so that people will try to seek you out as an expert. This works better for non-fiction authors, though. So all you aspriring non-fiction writers out there, get up off your duffs, write those books, and then groom yourself to be a speaker. If you are a knitter, and wrote a book about knitting, don't you think you should be speaking to knitting circles and knitting conventions?
For novelists, it's a little different and more challenging. Me, I'm a nobody so far, so I've got to do a lot of hard work to market myself as an "expert." Luckily, I have several niche markets that might be interested in what I have to say. I may never be invited to be a keynote speaker at a National Urban League conference, but seems to me that I could be a workshop facilitator at a fraternity or sorority conference. Ya know?
So that's the point of my mailing...to raise awareness of Lazarus, tell people where they can buy it, offer myself as an event or program, and let people know about group discounts.
Now, there's no way that I can afford to have them ALL sent out at the same time, but I have grouped and prioritized them based on what type of organization I'm sending them to. My first round will be sent to what I consider "semesterly" organizations -- offices and organizations that are based on college and university campuses. Technically, I am "late" on that because the semester has already started and many organizations have already planned their events for the year. But, ya never know which organization has a specific need for a certain type of program.
At any rate, I hope this info was helpful to other aspiring writers out there. I am really excited that the first round of my mailing will be going out this weekend and I look forward to seeing if there are any "bites" -- interest in what I have to say.
Posted by Rashid on at 7:27 AM | Comments (2)
ATL Pride Part IV: Erotic Poetry and the Literary Cafe
Damn it feels like I'm NEVER going to finish talking about ATL Pride!
Short versions:
One night while I was in Atlanta, I participated in the erotic poetry slam. Imani Evans and Duncan Teague from Adodi Muse were the MCs. I wasn't going to go -- I think I was tired or something -- but then this light skinneded dude named Malachi told me and Callis that we should go. And I was like but I don't have anything to read...then I remembered YES THE HELL I DO!!!!
You see, Lazarus has some poems in it -- certainly, I had better poems at home, but the ones in Lazarus are pretty good.
Malachi was one of the first readers -- he was good! But tell me why he left when he was finished? I was like hell to the naw. (Maybe he snuck into the back, but I didn't see him.)
This one girl was really good -- actually, everyone there was really good, but one of my favorites was this girl/woman Ayanna (sp). I think her stage name was red summer or something. I know, I am just BAD with names. But she was good.
For those of you who read Lazarus, I read two of Savion's poems: "Recognize" from the first few pages of the novel and then the untitled one he reads to Adrian at the end of the first section.
They went over pretty well, but as usual with my poetry, nobody really claps, shouts, ays UMMPH! real loud or anything like that. I don't think my poetry is "deep" but maybe it is more thought provoking than it is theatrical.
The good thing about participating in the reading is that it was an extra, free venue in which to showcase my writing. It was also good practive for the Literary Cafe.
Ahhh...the Literary Cafe. Fred Smith has already blogged about it, but I will reiterate a message to our fellow writers: You MUST be respectful of time limits. It was completely unfair that some writers took twenty minutes or more when we were alotted 5-7 minutes. Tell me why I only sold two books at the event? I was LIVID after it was over.
My friend Dwayne (the Sigma) told me how proud of me he was, that I made excellent choices in excerpts and my presentation was great. But I can't help to wonder how many connections I might have made if there was more time at the end to mix and mingle with the attendees. Because it was soooooo long, many people got up and left before the final author.
But at least I got to meet Jojapeach from GreekChat. She is cool as hell!
And it's not like the event was a failure -- I actually thought it was really successful, artistically. I am glad I finally got to meet Dayne Avery. It was good seeing Laurinda Brown again. And meeting Eric Ware and Toy Styles was cool. Oh yeah, and James Earl Hardy! He was very very nice -- not at all how I thought he MIGHT be. I hope I get to see him whenever he does a DC leg of his tour.
After it was over, me, Eric, Fred, and Justin (a vendor and friend of Eric) went to this trendy place called Shout for dinner. I had sushi and hated it....ugh....but it was no one's fault, I just really didn't care for sushi as I thought I would. And hell, I'm not gonna sit there and let the raw fish slide down my throat. Ick.
And so ends my next-to-last essay about ATL Pride. Some time this week I will write about why NON-PROFIT Prides are important. Have a great week in the meantime.
Posted by Rashid on September 12, 2005 at 6:44 AM | Comments (5)
Two Alpha Authors at AKA Step Show
On Saturday, September 24, 2005, at 6:00pm, please join Dr. Gregory Parks, co-editor of African American Fraternities and Sororities: The Legacy and the Vision and Rashid Darden, author of the novel Lazarus for a book signing at the Old Gold Soul Table in the marketplace of the Greek Step Challenge! Both men are members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
The 2005 Greek Step Challenge, sponsored by the Xi Omega Educational Foundation, in association with the Xi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., will be held at the University of the District of Columbia, in the auditorium at Building 46. UDC is located at 4200 Connecticut Avenue in Washington, DC. It is accessible via the Van Ness/UDC Red Line metro station and there is also plenty of parking available. The Vendor's Marketplace will be held in the foyer of the auditorium. You do NOT have to have tickets to the step show in order to attend the book signing or visit the vendor's marketplace.
But, we really wish you would support the show anyway! Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Showtime is 7pm sharp. If you will be in town for CBC Weekend, this would be a great way to start your Saturday night.
So come on out, support two Alpha Authors, and enjoy yourself at a great step show.
About the books:
www.legacyandvision.com
www.oldgoldsoul.com
The Step Show: http://www.akaxo.org/2005StepShow.pdf
Posted by Rashid on September 9, 2005 at 7:05 AM | Comments (1)
College Days.....
I found out that I could still access my unofficial transcript online. Here are the courses I took in college. I don't think anyone will actually find this interesting, but you never know.
Darden, Rashid Eman
Degrees Awarded: May 26, 2001
Bachelor of Arts
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY DC
Major: English, with concentration in
Writing: Rhetoric, Genre, Form
Minor: Theology
Rank: XXX of 837
Cum QPI: X.XXX
Entering Program:
Georgetown College
Bachelor of Arts
Undeclared
----------------Fall 1997----------------------
ENGL-014 LIT & WRITING WORKSHOP
FREN-001 INTRODUCTORY FRENCH I
HIST-033 EURO CIV: SOCIETY & CULTURE
PSYC-001 GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY
THEO-001 THE PROBLEM OF GOD
---------------Spring 1998---------------------
COSC-010 INTRO TO COMPUTERS & NETWORKS
FREN-002 INTRODUCTORY FRENCH II
HIST-034 EURO CIV:VALUES/AUTHORITY/CONF
PSYC-117 PSYC/PHOTOGRAPHY/VISUAL ARTS
THEO-011 INTRO TO BIBLICAL LITERATURE
----------------Fall 1998----------------------
ENGL-022 TEXTS & CONTEXTS
FREN-021 INTERMEDIATE FRENCH I
HIST-160 MIDDLE EAST CIVILIZATION I
PHIL-050 INTRO TO ETHICS
THEO-138 MODERN ISLAM
---------------Spring 1999---------------------
ENGL-250 STUDIES IN THE LYRIC
PHIL-001 INTRO TO PHILOSOPHY
PHYS-008 THE QUANTUM WORLD AROUND US
SOCI-003 INTRODUCTION TO ANTHROPOLOGY
THEO-050 ISLAMIC RELIG THOUGHT & PRACT
Program Changed To:
English
----------------Fall 1999----------------------
ENGL-105 INTRODUCTION TO WRITING
ENGL-273 POETRY WORKSHOP
FREN-021 INTERMEDIATE FRENCH I
THEO-169 RELIGIONS OF AFRICAN DIASPORA
---------------Spring 2000---------------------
ENGL-215 BLACK WOMEN WRITERS
ENGL-267 INTRO TO JOURNALISM
FREN-022 INTERMEDIATE FRENCH II
THEO-137 RELIGIONS OF ANCIENT NEAR EAST
THEO-185 STUDY ISLAM & MUSLIM-XTIAN REL
---------------Summer 2000---------------------
ENGL-132 SHAKESPEARE
ENGL-363 SHAKESP: TEXT & PERFORMANCE
Above course completed in Leicester, England
----------------Fall 2000----------------------
ENGL-298 UNSPEAKABLE LIVES
ENGL-301 TUTORIAL: ENGLISH
ENGL-493 MODERN AMER SHORT STORY
SOCI-138 IDENTITY AND RELIGION
SOCI-171 WORLD ETHNOGRAPHY
THEO-054 COMPARATIVE MYTHOLOGY
---------------Spring 2001---------------------
AMTH-024 RACE/POL/AMER MUSIC
AMTH-031 THE AMERICAN MUSICAL
ENGL-302 TUTORIAL: ENGLISH
HIST-286 SLAVERY IN NORTH AMERICA
HIST-393 BLACK HISTORY/BLACK CULTURE
EHRS QHRS QPTS QPI
Current 15
Cumulative 120
Requirements completed for Bachelor of Arts
--------------End of Undergraduate Record-------------------
Posted by Rashid on September 8, 2005 at 8:20 PM | Comments (1)
Kappa Alpha Psi gets new house (Minn.)
September 7, 2005
GREEK LIFE
Kappa Alpha Psi gets new house
By Elizabeth Cook
Kappa Alpha Psi president Jerome Stewart, center, and former members David Stibbins, left, and Nicholas Hooks, right, gather in front of the fraternity’s new house on University Avenue Southeast.
For the first time at the University, a historically and predominately black fraternity has a house on fraternity row.
Theatre arts senior Anthony Brown, the campus relations chair for Kappa Alpha Psi, said the fraternity just returned to campus last fall after taking a five-year leave of absence due to low enrollment. Having a house is expected to increase membership, he said.
The fraternity currently has 15 members living in a house on the 1000 block of University Avenue.
While the fraternity is predominantly black, membership is not limited by race.
The fraternity does not discourage anyone from joining, Brown said.
Fred Thomas, the adviser for the chapter said he is excited for the fraternity and the University.
Thomas said that having this diversity will increase socialization within the community.
There has already been talk of collaborating with other fraternities to help with activities such as community service, Thomas said.
Both Thomas and Brown mentioned that members of other fraternities on campus have already come to see the new location, and that everyone was very excited to see Kappa Alpha Psi get the house.
“I think this will be great news for the University,” Thomas said.
Jerome Stewart, a marketing student and president of Kappa Alpha Psi, said having the house on fraternity row will be a great way to bridge the gap between predominately black fraternities and other fraternities, which are traditionally white.
“I think it will create a better understanding (between diverse groups),” Stewart said.
Stewart also said the house is a place for minorities to feel comfortable.
“The house provides a safe haven as a place to socialize,” Stewart said.
Chad Ellsworth, a student activities adviser at the University, said it was mostly financial issues that prevented a black fraternity house from landing on fraternity row until now.
There are nine national fraternities and sororities in the National Pan-Hellenic Council, a body made up of predominantly black organizations. As of last year, five were registered with the Student Activities Office. But these fraternities and sororities are much smaller, Ellsworth said.
When there are only five members, it doesn’t make sense to have your own house, he said.
Ellsworth said a Kappa Alpha Psi house will break down some of the images of fraternities and sororities being predominately white.
“I think they will be real great for the community and (will help) break down some of those stereotypes,” Ellsworth said.
Ellsworth also said that this will bring a lot of different options to the greek community.
Eric Butz, a member of Beta Theta Pi and the vice president of public relations for the Interfraternity Council, said he is excited about a Kappa Alpha Psi house.
Butz said it is great because it makes people reconsider stereotypes of fraternities and will increase diversity.
“They’re as greek as everyone else,” Butz said.
For those interested in becoming members of Kappa Alpha Psi, there will be an informational session at 6:11 p.m. on Sept 21 at the house. The reason for the odd time is that the fraternity was founded in 1911, Thomas said.
Interested students can attend the session in a shirt and tie, Thomas said.
Posted by Rashid on at 7:15 AM | Comments (0)
ATL Pride Extra: The Photos
Click here for photos from ATL Pride. Enjoy!
Posted by Rashid on at 3:35 AM | Comments (0)
ATL Pride Part III: The Lobby
I may not be able to give this entry justice, but I will try.
The Lobby is the funnest place to hang out at Pride. Personally, I make it a destination for two reasons:
1) I need to be in a place where I can see folks, see what's going on, post a few books on a table, and in general, promote the novel while relaxing somewhat.
2) I be tired.
Atlanta had a nice lobby, but it wasn't as on and poppin' as the lobby in DC was. Although the ATL lobby had drinks.
Highlights from The Lobby:
Larry. Well, that's not his real name, but he was this really entertaining and cool dude who lived in the Dominican Republic. He was working every last hat he had on. He reminded me of other sassy dudes I knew, but he was still very unique and fun to be around.
Pineapple Cake Martinis. Oh. My. God. Fred treated me and Callis to martinis one night. We were gonna have apple martinis, then the bartender convinced us to try his Pineapple Cake martinis. They tasted JUST LIKE PINEAPPLE UNSIDE DOWN CAKE!!!! (Did I blog about this already?) They were so good -- and I finished the whole thing! I so rarely finish an entire drink. I was proud.
The Que Who Read Me. So I see this Que (member of Omega Psi Phi) in the lobby on the first day, and being all Pan-Hellenic and shit, I say "Nice shirt." He says "Thanks!" then he walks a little bit, stops, turns and says "Whatchu know about this shirt?"
And I say "Nothing really; I've got a different one at home."
And this man says "Oh...sounds like YOU MADE A MISTAKE! HAHAHAHA!"
My face was cracked and on the ground. LOL. He was cool as fuck though. I like Ques.
Ass. So apparently, the thing to do is to have your pants slung so low that your entire ass is out. And boxer briefs are in. So all weekend, all I see is bubble butts covered by cotton. No mind you, this was hella nice to look at, because black ass is a beautiful thing. But it didn't make any sense to me. Why wear pants at all if they're going to be so low that your entire ass is out? And....how in the hell did these guys keep their pants up? I mean they PERFECTLY rode just below the apple bottom.
I don't get it. I enjoyed looking, but please believe that if I had a man, I for damn sure wouldn't let him out the house like that.
Youngins. Although it was hella scary to know that so many of the folks there were 18-19 (and some were undoubtedly younger) it was good to see that they, too, were reveling in their Pride. You know, thank God for Ellen. Thank God for Michael K. Williams on The Wire. God bless Karamo. I'm just so thankful that the youth can be confident in who they are in safe environments.
Speaking of which, Callis and I met a young man who was all of 19. He had gold fronts and Callis asked him about them. From there, somehow he got to talking about what he was doing with his life, his achievements in high school, how he planned to go to school for nursing -- he was really fucking inspiring. I am like dude, I wouldn't have gone to a Pride at 19. Just wasn't ready. Had no gay friends. But here lil youngin is -- doing the damn thing. I was so moved by his story and his courage that I went ahead and gave him a book. I mean hell, they mine to give, lol. I needed to reach a younger audience anyway, but more than promotion or possible positive opinions sent my way, I just really wanted to show this dude that hey, you can be like Adrian. Or Savion. Or better than them. He was really appreciative of the gesture and said he'd start reading it that night. I may never see dude again, but I'm so proud of him.
Shenanigans. So me, Callis, and Fred are hanging out in the lobby. (What else is new?) Issam (at that point) had gone to hang out with some doctor he knew from Ohio. (That guy was mad cool, too. It's really amazing how diverse the gay black community really is. But I digress.)
So we are joined by this dude....I shouldn't say who he is. I really shouldn't be telling this story, but it's too funny not to.
So dude is talking to Fred...exclusively. Like, he BARELY acknowledges us. It's painfully obvious that he is really only talking to Fred, even though Fred is trying to include us in the conversation. So Callis and I are like whatever, fuck that.
So Callis writes me a note on a flyer after "dude" says something....Callis writes "Excuses" (something that is relevant to Greeks) and I smile. Then, a few minutes later, Callis writes on the flyer something like "You like how your boy (and he drew an arrow) is totally ignoring us." And I was like yeah, that's messed up, but whatever.
Our dumb asses didn't tear up the flyer.
So like TEN MINUTES go by, and finally dude is like "What's this?" and picks up the flyer. So I am like SHIT! We done wrote about that man on the flyer! So Callis sorta snatches the flyer and puts it down on the table, then puts his index finger on it and says "Yeah, so um, THIS is a flyer for Omicron Epsilon Pi Sorority...." and tries to slide the flier back toward us with his finger.
I was laughing at this point, but not obviously.
So Callis is trying to downplay the flier, and dude is like "Well is there a website?" and me and Callis are like "Naw, no website." LOL
Then dude TAKES the flyer and looks at the back, and Callis SNATCHES it back and is like yeah, nothing to see here. LOLOL.....he tries to crumple up the flier. At this point I think Fred says something like "I think he just wants to see the phone number on the flyer." And I can tell Fred is somewhat annoyed because I am clearly laughing and Callis is acting crazy, though I am trying to hide my face in my palms.
So Callis pretends to hear somebody calling him from across the lobby and runs off with the flyer.
Dude was annoyed. Fred was confused. I was convulsing with stifled laughter. Then the good doctor returns and is all smiling and doesn't understand why everybody has these different looks on their faces.
I hope I have conveyed how utterly hilarious the whole scene was. Callis ended up coming back with a little teeny tiny piece of paper from the flyer that had a phone number on it in case Dude wanted it, LOLOL.
I still laugh out loud every time I think about that.
Mens. Keeping it real here -- the men were hot. And mostly respectable. And many were from DC. So now I have a reason to start going back to the clubs -- I was impressed.
That's all I can think of. The Lobby was the hot spot...always was, always will be.
Posted by Rashid on September 7, 2005 at 8:15 PM | Comments (3)
ATL Pride Part II - The Vendors
The previous entry about Pride was written while I was still in Atlanta. The rest of the entries are being written here in DC, with some time passed.
As I wrote my journal entry, ate my muffin, and drank my juice in the lobby of the Sheraton Colony Square, I was joined by the very talented Michael-Cristopher, author of the Living the Life graphic novels. I met him for the first time at Pride in DC this past Memorial Day weekend. A nice guy. Very handsome. Knows a lot of people, it seems. Been in the game for a while. He had a vendor table toward the back of the marketplace. Not the ideal location, but inches away from an adult film star, which ain't too shabby.
We were pretty much just sitting around and chit-chatting. He then introduced me to Michael Slaughter, who was one of the co-chairs of In The Life Atlanta. He's a nice guy, too, it seems.
I kinda don't remember what I did for most of that day other than hang out in the lobby, eat lunch, and get my area set up for the vendor area, which was set to open at 4pm.
I should use this opportunity to thank EVERYONE who helped me out! Callis, Issam, Dwayne, and Fred -- you guys are the greatest!!!! I love you.
Luckily, I have no bad stories about vending. All the buyers were very positive. Nobody tried to clown or throw my book around. (It's happened.)
In the marketplace, I met Ty Lattimore. We had corresponded earlier this year and he is just as nice in person as he is on email. And *ahem* yes, I did support his adult DVD endeavors. ;-)
I got a shirt from bsixtee6. They were directly across from the Old Gold Soul table. Briian Dargon and his brother....so nice....and nice to look at, lol.
Cheril N. Clarke had a table. She is the author of Intimate Chaos, a novel. I wish I had had more time to chit chat with her, but she was so far away from us. I got her book though! She seems really cool.
Brent Dorian Carpenter was also among us, promoting his four books. Bald Ambition, his latest, is finally available. If you pre-ordered it, bear with him. He's on the road a lot and hasn't gotten back home long enough to ship out the pre-orders.
Warm Spirit, a self-care and wellness company was there. They were basically straight chicks selling candles and body oils or something. I know, it's sad, I really didn't know what they were selling until the last day, when I bought a candle. The vendor (on that day) was a Soror and we really hit it off.
BARC was in full effect. They are a skin care system for men of color. I didn't buy anything from them, but they hooked me up with a free sample. I'm really particular about anything I put on my face. But I will try it soon.
The half nekkid men from Flava Men Magazine were there. I can honestly say that although they were very nice men, I really wasn't as impressed with them as other folks were. Part of the reason is because as a vendor of books, it was sad to see more people ogling the bare chests of models than pawing Brent Dorian Carpenter's books. The other reason why I wasn't that impressed was because they were pretty small....kinda on the short side, kinda on the slim side. Three of them walked by and I was like what is this, B2K?
But as I said, they were very nice guys. And yes, I *ahem* got a related DVD that was on sale at their table.
OH YEAH....I forgot that my novel was reviewed in one of the Flava Men related magazines. Not the strictly dickly one, but the lifestyles one.
Yvette Michelle Hall was there! LOVE HER! She was my "back" when I was a vendor at DC Pride. She is so nice. (I've been saying "nice" an awful lot, but really, all these people were SO NICE!) She was selling her book Unconventional Love.
Although he wasn't a vendor, I did get to meet Waddie G. in the vendor area, too! That was great -- I'd been emailing with him back and forth for like months and months. He's a really cool dude.
Now for the patrons....as I said before, most everyone was really really cool. I sold quite a few books, and for that I am grateful. Issam, Fred, Dwayne, and Callis really did a lot to keep me sane while I was "on."
And Frat....I met so many Frat. Tall Frat. Short Frat. Skinny Frat. Fat Frat. (Actually, no Fat Frat, believe it or not.) Most importantly, hot frat. We're a pretty good looking lot. I was like YEAH, go us!
All in all, I am glad I signed up to be a vendor for all three days. You get to meet other vendors and see damn near everyone who decided to come to Pride.
Stay tuned for more installments about The Lobby and the special events.
Posted by Rashid on September 6, 2005 at 5:46 PM | Comments (4)
August Stats
In August, my diary had 4,299 unique visitors and 9,823 visits. There were 91,68 hits altogether!
Most people were refferred to my diary from oldgoldsoul.com itself, but people also visited from other blogs a lot.
Believe it or not, of those people who found my diary through a search engine, most were looking for Bermandette Stanis!
Keep on visiting!
Posted by Rashid on at 7:36 AM | Comments (0)
The Black Weblog Awards -- I Lost!
LOL
So I lost the fucking Black Weblog Awards. BOOOOOOO!!!!!
I do want to thank everyone who voted for me, though. I realllllly do appreciate your support. It makes me happy to know that so many of you do think I am the best LGBT Blog, have the best writing in a blog, Blog of the Year, and whatever else you all may have voted for me for. :-D
Have a good week!
Posted by Rashid on September 5, 2005 at 10:20 PM | Comments (2)
ATL Pride: Part I
September 1, 2005
I am at the airport and so far I haven't freaked out. Anxiety attacks are real and I wish people wouldn't make light of them.
Anyway, I see black men here and there. One guy was in front of me at the check-in line. He was cute in an "average" sort of way. I like average boys. Handsome but not really model-worthy. (Cuz hell, I'm not, either.)
As I got to my terminal, I saw other black guys. It's fun to guess which ones are going to Pride. Part of me wants to to scream if you're going to ATL Pride make some noise! Yeah, if I did that, I would be quietly escorted to the bathroom and beat up.
There's this one guy: red sleeveless shirt, nice arms -- very nice arms -- shorts, black socks, and Timbs. Typical DC boy. He also has on a bag like mine. Yeah, like a laptop bag. He's with a chubby dude who is also wearing DC drag: white tee shirt and gray sweatpants. Both have big old badunkadunks, so they must be DC boys.
Anyway, I just KNOW they're gay and I haven't even heard them talk. There's something about the overtly masculine ways they are dressed.
Or, I could just be horny and red shirt looks really fucking hot to me.
I'm at a Sam Adams Brewery sipping on orange juice. This is the only place with seating where I can be away from the windows. Don't like the high windows. Makes me anxious.
Two other dudes -- GOTS to be gay -- are sitting at the bar. They at first were sitting near me, so I whipped out a copy of LAZARUS and laid it on the table. They moved, though.
Callis [not his real name] is my traveling buddy. He'll be here shortly.
I'll be meeting a lot of authors for the first time in ATL. Excited about that.
My handwriting is really fucking sloppy. It didn't used to be this way. I frequently end up misspelling or shortening words or contracting words. Cursive, that is. I wonder why they call it cursive. Is it cursed? lol
I will be so glad to take out these itchy fucking cornrows. Ugh! I left them in so I could take them out in Atlanta and have nice wavy locks going on. Although this would be tacky, I might do this on the plane to occupy my time. If I can find the strength to move, lol.
[Yes, I took the cornlocks out on the plane and yes, it helped me feel occupied and less panicky. In fact, I was a soldier on the plane, lol.]
September 2, 2005
Well, clearly I mafe it to Atlanta safely. The flight wasn't bad at all. No panic attacks or anything.
We arrived at the airport (which is really fucking huge!) and waited about 20-25 minutes just for our luggage. THEN the shoulder strap had the nerve to be missing on my Pepsi bag!
Side story -- this "Pepsi Bag" is a really nice duffel bag that I use when I travel. When I was in junior high (I think) Pepsi had this promotion where you could collect Pepsi Points and redeem them for cool stuff. Well, me and my mom were buying and drinking Pepsis like crazy until we had enough for the Pepsi bag. It was great! It has a detachable part that you can use as a little bag if you want. Very durable. Good shit.
So you can imagine I was like "Oh hayle no!" when I saw that the shoulder strap was missing. Well, the sassy luggage area attendant told me to look inside the bag, because they take it off so it won't get hung up on the equipment. And there it was. She was a nice, sassy lady, lol. Why black women always gotta be sassy! tee hee....but on the real, it was a great welcome to Atlanta because it was all in love.
The cab ride. I asked the cab driver to turn on the radio SO I COULD HEAR ATLANTA MUSIC. I stress that because I specifically wanted to hear how different urban radio might be in the south.
Why this nigga turn on the talk radio station? LOL
So Callis was like "Yeah....I wonder what the black radio stations are like....."
Cab driver does nothing. So we laugh it off and get psyced when we see the So So Def billboard by the highway.
Midtown Atlanta reminds me of DuPont Circle on steroids. In fact, all of Atlanta is on seroids. Why is this shit so fucking big???? DAMN! Okay, granted DC is not a big city -- no more than ten miles to get from one point to another. But I guess I'm just not used to highways in the middle of a city. I need streets.
We are staying at the host hotel for Atlanta Pride, which is the Sheraton Midtown at Colony Square. Or the Sheraton Colony Square Hotel at Midtown. Or some shit. It's decent. Not as elegant as I expected it to be. But still very very nice. The hotel is attached to some shops. Not a real mall, but one of those office building malls with a bunch of eateries and a convenience store or two. Me and Callis had Chic-Fil-A (sp?) for lunch. Yum! I had a fruit salad and chicken strips that were piping hot.
The PLAN was to take a nap, right? Well, I laid down for fifteen minutes and then No4Real called. He said he wanted to see me and I said I would come down to the lobby. Long story short, THIS nigga was at the Sheraton BUCKHEAD thinking it was the host hotel, looking for me by some fountain that didn't exist at the hotel where I was staying. Womp womp WOMP. So my naptime was shot to hell.
It took a lot longer than I expected to get ready for the Meet & Greet, mostly because I had to iron and I HATE ironing. In the meantime, Fred joined me and Callis as we got ready. Fred is so handsome...he looks exactly like his pictures.
We caught a cab to the Red Chair Restaurant and Video Lounge -- it was fairly close, maybe two miles? It was a very nice ride through a very nice neighborhood.
When we arrived, my old friend from college was there -- Tricia! That was hot, as I hadn't seen her in four years! I will most likely see her again for reunion in 2006. And she's had a boyfriend for the past three years. I was like....excuse you? LOL. But yeah, Tricia looks good. Glad she's not stressed out by life, and if she is, she's not showing it.
Red Chair is nive. If I were to open up my own venue, there's not too much I would change about Red Chair. See, this is where I suck at description, so just check out their website.
We were joined by a few folks throughout the evening, but I just want to shour out the faithful few that were there on time and stayed the whole time: Callis, Fred, and Tricia. It was an intimate gathering and I was quite prepared if nobody else showed up.
But then No4Real, Derrick Briggs, Maurice Jamal, and Alphonso Morgan showed up, along with four undergrads from Morehouse. That was cool. The Morehouse dudes were really nice and down to earth. I, of course, appreciated the appearance by No4Real, DB, MJ, and AM.
Two of my other friends also showed up, Cerrice (who is my APO brother) and Eugene (not his real name) my Alpha brother. I wasn't expecting Cerrice to make it since she was having a bad day, but she made it! I love that girl -- she's always so fun. And Eugene really surprised me! I hadn't gotten any return emails from him, so I didn't think he would make it, but he did!
And last, but not least, in a cameo appearance, was malik williams! AND HE CUT HIS LOCKS!!!!!! I was like "Hmmm, wonder who this is?" But it was malik! DUDE....he is so fucking hot! I was like melting and shit, lol. His hair looks so soft...I didn't get to touch it, though. It's very curly, too.
Eugene gave Cerrice, Fred, Callis and I rides back to the hotel and the Marta (for Cerrice). I didn't see him for the rest of the weekend, but I am so glad I got to see him at all.
Back at the hotel, we had pineapple cake martinis that were SO GOOD! I had never had a martini before. They were fun.
In the lobby, why did I see a Lesbian who looked JUST like him? I was like what the feezie??? But it wasn't him, it was a her, and she was a touch lighter than he.
***
And that was just Thursday....stay tuned for Part II.
Posted by Rashid on at 9:05 PM | Comments (1)
Atlanta, here I come!
Well, today's the day! Going to Atlanta shortly. I'm not nervous about the trip at all. I've done a Pride before, so I am confident about being able to move some books.
I'm excited for the Meet & Greet tonight....
Excited for the LGBT Greek Symposium I was very recently invited to speak at....
Excited for the Literary Cafe....
Excited about three solid days of vending....
But nervous as hell about the flight! LOL Gosh flying makes me nervous. I just hve to get used to it again. It's been quite a while since I've flown.
SO....
Ladies and gentlemen, keep me in your prayers: for my safe journey to and from Atlanta, for a great time while I'm there, to make many new friends, to solidify existing friendships, to sell many books, and to basically do everything in the Old Gold Soul way. ;-)
To those of you I'll be meeting for the first time while I'm there, I want you to know that I'm really 4'11" tall and 375 pounds, so don't be too shocked, okay? lol jk
To everyone else travelling to ATL, I hope you have safe journeys as well.
I will be taking plenty of pictures while I'm there. I'll do my best to blog a little bit, but I have no idea what the internet situation will be like, and I don't have a lap top.
Last minute packing time now....take care all!
Posted by Rashid on September 1, 2005 at 5:09 AM | Comments (3)