New Voices New Stories

New Stories New Voices is in partnership with the High Point Neighborhood House located in Seattle, WA. Its purpose is to combine with the youth of the West Seattle community to inspire a love for the written word through storytelling and visuals arts from a variety of ethnicities. Each second Saturday, from 10A to 11:30A, performances from around the state will be presented. Admission is free, although a free will donation is suggested. For more information or directions call: 206-588-4900

This month, (March 13, 2010) we are proud to present James and Karol Brown, as Uncle Ely and Aunt Harriet Tubman. Please see information below.

James Brown is a natural story teller who captivates the audience with his stories and his smooth tenor voice. As Brother Ely the Care Taker, he asks to ‘borrow the minds’ of the audiences, young and old to take them on a vicarious journey to travel back to 1912, to visit with Harriet Tubman.

Karol Brown is the unforgettable Aunt Harriet Tubman. From the moment she walks onto the stage Karol is the elderly Aunt Harriet Tubman to everyone in the room. The audience laughs, cries and sings with Aunt Harriet as they visit with her in the parlor of the convalescent home she founded in Auburn, New York where she lived until she died on March 10, 1913 at age 92.

To learn more about the work of James and Karol Brown visit their website at:

http://www.visitharriettubman.com/  

Isn't She Precious

Congratulations to Mo'Nique for winning the Academy Award for best supporting actress for her portrayal of Mary Jones in the movie Precious.

Ask anyone their feelings regarding the movie Precious and you will definitely get an ear full.

Precious was a movie, in my opinion, that needed to be told – from both sides.

Was it a hard movie to watch? For me, yes! Was it one that focused on what society tends to personify when it comes to people of color? Yes! Did it have redeeming qualities? In my opinion -- YES!

Art often imitates life and life is not the fairy tale people choose to lose themselves in. I am thankful that Ms. Mo'Nique took on this role that needed to be told; that has given hope to those who had lost hope as the abuser and the abused.

Mary Jones was all too real. I grew up with Mary Jones. No, she wasn't my mother, but she was the mother of some close to me. What I observed in my childhood in terms of abuse to my childhood friends, is not what even adults should have witnessed. Yet, through it all, like Precious, they persevered through physical and mental abuse. They did because they made a decision not to become double victims.

The story, although portrayed by African American actors, is not solely our story. Abuse has cycles that is bilingual and is a world traveler. It knows no gender nor is it limited by socio-economic boundaries. Abuse is universal and until we acknowledge, expose and above all things, care enough to help, the cycle will continue and the Mary Joneses of the world will continue to be judge, jury and in some instances, executioners of those who are oh, so Precious.

Be Careful What You Ask For

My Mother’s Child by Dwan Abrams gives the adage, “Be careful what you ask for, because you just might get it” new meaning.

My Mother’s Child helps readers to understand that God answers prayers in His timing, not ours. He also gives us what we need and not necessarily what we want. All we have to do is put our trust in Him and have faith that He’ll work it out.

Lyric Stokes lives, by most standards, a charmed life. Married to Michael Stokes, a prominent heart surgeon, she has financial security and lives in the lap of luxury. All is not perfect, though. Lyric feels inadequate because she gave birth to a daughter, rather than the son that her husband so desperately wanted.

After an unexpected turn of events, Lyric discovers that she’s pregnant again, but now she has to decide whether she even wants to keep the child she has longed for. She seeks solace in her church, where her daughter also feels at home; but they can’t get Michael to join them. Disagreeing with organized religion, he has put his job before all else, including God. The distance between the couple grows further every day.

Nigel Fredericks has a history of stalking women. He’s been accused, but never convicted. Now he’s set his sights on Lyric. She’s at a low point in her life, and Nigel knows just how to take advantage of that vulnerability. Lyric’s life is turned upside down; Nigel is like a cancer eating away at her mental stability, her marriage, and ultimately, her life. Will Michael reevaluate his priorities and his faith in time to save his family?

About Dwan Abrams

Dwan Abrams is a full-time novelist, freelance editor, and publisher. She’s the best-selling author of My Mother’s Child (the sequel to Divorcing the Devil), Married Strangers, Divorcing the Devil, Only True Love Waits, and The Scream Within. She’s the founder, publisher, and editorial director of Nevaeh Publishing, LLC a small press independent publishing house. She’s currently signed to Urban Christian, an imprint of Urban Books/Kensington. Her sixth novel, the second book in the Married Series, is set to hit national bookshelves in 2011. Visit Dwan online at http://dwanabrams.com

View the blog tour schedule and read an excerpt at: http://bit.ly/MyMothersChild.