"HOME GROWN"

                                                        

                                                        LOCAL AUTHORS

WHEN YOU THINK OF HOME GROWN OUR MINDS IMMEDIATELY GOES TO THINGS PRODUCED LOCALLY; SUCH AS TOMATOES, GREENS, FRUITS AND OTHER VEGGIES, EVEN TREES AND FLOWERS. WHO DOESN’T LIKE ANYTHING HOME GROWN? THERE IS NOTHING BETTER THAN PRODUCTS GROWN IN YOUR OWN BACK YARD OR ON A FARM FOR THAT MATTER. THERE IS A SENSE OF PRIDE ASSOCIATED WITH THE WORDS LOCAL AND HOME GROWN. BE HONEST, I FEEL IT AND I KNOW YOU DO TOO WHEN WE SEE INDIVIDUALS OF OUR COMMUNITY ACKNOWLEDGED ON TELEVISION, RADIO OR MAGAZINES.  WE CAN’T HELP THE ELATION OF BEING CONNECTED AND IDENTIFY WITH OUR COUNTERPARTS ON AN DEFINABLE LEVEL, POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE. WHETHER WE KNOW THEM PERSONALLY OR NOT BUT THEY REPRESENT WHO WE ARE GEOGRAPHICALLY, SOCIALLY AND CULTURALLY. AS SOUTHERNERS, WE POSSESS A DEEP ROOTED ALLIANCE WHEN IT COMES TO OUR HISTORICAL PRESENCE IN THE SOUTH. I MEAN THIS LITERALLY AND FIGURATIVELY.

HOWEVER, I’M NOT TALKING PRODUCE TODAY FOLKS, BUT WRITERS AND AUTHORS. STILL PRODUCTS OF THE SOUTH IN PARTICULAR, AND CHATTANOOGA IN GENERAL, HAS A PLETHORA OF WRITERS AND AUTHORS, VIRTUALLY UNKNOWN TALENT RIGHT HERE INSIDE THIS BEAUTIFUL CITY AND THE SURROUNDING AREA. THIS IS WHY I LOVE DOING THIS SHOW BECAUSE IT GIVES ME THE OPPORTUNITY AND PLEASURE OF INTRODUCING OTHER AUTHORS AND TO HELP THEM BUILD A PLATFORM FOR THEIR WORK. NOT THAT THEY NEED MY ASSISTANCE, BUT IT’S ABOUT IDENTIFYING WITH OTHER WRITERS, A COMMON INTEREST AND LIKE MINDED DETERMINATION TO DO WHAT WE DO, THAT COMPELS ME TO RECOGNIZE AND MENTION THEM. THERE ARE SEVERAL LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS: THE (CWG) OR CHATTANOOGA WRITERS GUILD, WHICH SALUTES LOCAL TALENT. THEY MEET ONCE A MONTH AND HAVE A NEWSLETTER THAT COMMUNICATES WHAT THE ASSOCIATION IS ALL ABOUT. TO DISCOVER MORE ABOUT THEM YOU CAN CHECK OUT THEIR WEBSITE @ WWW.CHATTANOOGAWRITERSGUILD.ORG FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION. THEN THERE IS THE (SO LIT) BKA SOUTHERN LITERARY ALLIANCE, WHO ARE DEDICATED TO BUILDING LITERACY THROUGH THE WRITING ARTS. YOU CAN ALSO CHECK THEM OUT @ WWW.SOUTHERNLITALLIANCE.ORG TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT THEY OFFER IN THE WAY OF CULTIVATING LOCAL TALENT. I MENTIONED THESE TWO ORGANIZATIONS, BECAUSE THEY HIGHLIGHT LOCAL AUTHORS AND SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT WHAT’S NEW AND UPCOMING WHEN IT COMES TO WRITERS AND BOOKS. THEY SHOWCASE THE AUTHORS WITH EVENTS AT THE LIBRARY AND OTHER MARKET FESTIVALS. BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE WEB ADDRESS’S I SHARED WITH YOU.

OKAY LETS MOVE ON TO THE ACTUAL LOCAL AUTHORS. THERE ARE TWO THAT I WILL MENTION BY NAME, K. B. BALLENTINE AUTHOR POET WHO WON THE LIBBA MOORE GRAY AWARD FOR POETRY IN THE 2016 KWG WRITING CONTEST WITH HER POEM “PERMANENCE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH LOVE” AND DORETHEA RICHARDSON A CHRISTIAN SCI-FI WRITER, HER NEW BOOK “BEFORE I WAKE” IS OUT NOW AND AVAILABLE @AMAZON.COM  IN ALL FORMATS. THERE ARE MANY MORE ARTIST BUT I WANTED TO FOCUS ON THESE TWO IN PARTICULAR NOT BECAUSE THEY ARE FEMALE BUT ARE MY MOST RECENT PICKS TO DO WELL IN THEIR CHOSEN FIELD. NOW WHEN I SPEAK OF HOME GROWN, I WOULD BE REMISS IF I LEFT OUT THOSE WRITERS AND AUTHORS WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED MUCH IN THE WAY OF SOUTHERN LITERATURE. THEY MAY NOT HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN A PRODUCT OF THE SOUTH BUT HAVE WRITTEN BOOKS THAT CAPTURE THE TRUE SOUTHERN EXPERIENCE. SUCH AS ALICE WALKER, WE ALL ARE FAMILIAR WITH HER EPISTOLARY NOVEL AND LATER ADAPTATION TO THE BIG SCREEN AND MUSICAL “THE COLOR PURPLE” THAT WON THE 1983 PULITZER PRIZE AND THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION. THIS BOOK IS A DEPICTION OF LIFE IN THE SOUTH, AND FOCUSES ON SEXUAL ABUSE AS WELL THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TWO SISTERS. THROUGH LETTERS, NETTIE, CELIE’S SISTER COMMUNICATES THE HAPPENINGS OF HER LIFE AS A MISSIONARY IN AFRICA. IF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE BOOK AND MOVIE THEN YOU ALREADY KNOW THE STORY. NORA NEALE HURSTON IS ANOTHER AFRICAN AMERICAN NOVELIST OF MORE THAN 50 PUBLISHED SHORT STORIES, PLAYS AND ESSAYS. SHE IS BEST KNOW FOR HER 1937 NOVEL “THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD” ZORA NEALE HURSTON IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE PREEMINENT WRITERS OF THE TWENTIETH –CENTURY AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE.  TONI MORRISON IS TOP FIVE ON THE LIST OF MY FAVORITE AUTHORS. AND IS ANOTHER WHO IS A RECIPIENT OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR LITERATURE. HER NOVEL “BELOVED” POST CIVIL WAR, AND INSPIRED BY THE STORY OF AN AFRICAN AMERICAN SLAVE, MARGARET GARNER, WHO ESCAPED SLAVERY IN KENTUCKY TO THE FREE STATE OF OHIO. MS. MORRISON WHOSE GOVERNMENT NAME IS CHLOE ANTHONY WOFFORD, WAS BORN IN OHIO. BUT IS WELL FAMILIAR WITH THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF WHAT LIFE MEANT TO BE BLACK DURING THIS TIME IN THE SOUTH. SO I HAD TO ADD HER TO THE LIST OF HOME GROWN. 

THE LATEST RAVE IN NOVELS ADAPTED, AS A SCREENPLAY IS “QUEEN SUGAR” BY NATALIE BASZILLE WHO IS HOME GROWN AND A NATIVE OF ALEXANDRIA LOUISIANA. IF YOU HAVEN’T READ THIS BOOK WHICH IS AMONG THE MOST POPULAR ON CURRENT READING LIST, PLEASE CHECK IT OUT, IT IS SO WORTH READING. LETS MOVE ON TO OTHER SOUTHERN NOVELIST SUCH AS HARPER LEE, BORN IN ALABAMA AND WROTE THE MEGA BEST SELLING NOVEL “TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.”  OKAY IF YOU SEE A TREND, HOLD ON WHILE I SWITCH OVER TO MALE SOUTHERN WRITERS. SAMUEL CLEMENS (BKA) MARK TWAIN BORN IN FLORIDA, IDENTIFYING HIS SOUTHERN ROUTES PENNED THE CONTROVERSIAL NOVEL HUCKLEBERRY FINN AND THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER, OFTEN CALLED THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL. 

TENNESSEE WILLIAMS BORN IN COLUMBUS MISSISSIPPI, WROTE THE PLAY “THE GLASS MENAGERIE” VIRTUALLY UNKNOWN BUT BECAME VERY FAMOUS FOR THIS FOUR CHARACTER PLAY. THOUGH SOME MAY BE MORE FAMILIAR WITH THE MOVIE “A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE” MY FAVORITE IS “CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF” BECAUSE I LOVE PAUL NEWMAN AND ELIZABETH TAYLOR SO I HAD TO MENTION THIS ONE. NOW THAT I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION, LET ME DIRECT IT TO SOME OTHER VERY WELL KNOWN WRITERS AND ACTIVIST OF THE AGES. LET ME BEGAN WITH BOOKER T WASHINGTON, A   SOUTHERN BORN EDUCATOR, AUTHOR, ORATOR, AND ADVISER TO PRESIDENTS OF THIS UNITED STATED ALSO FOUNDER OF THE TUSKEGEE INSTITUTE IN ALABAMA. HIS WORKS AND CONTRIBUTION TO SOCIETY IS VAST. HE WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED AS ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL LEADERS AND EXAMPLES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN EXCELLENCE. “UP FROM SLAVERY” IS THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF BOOKER T. WASHINGTON AND HIS RISE FROM SLAVERY AS A CHILD DURING THE CIVIL WAR ERA.

FREDERICK DOUGLAS WASN’T SOUTHERN BORN OR BRED, BUT WAS AN AFRICAN AMERICAN SOCIAL REFORMER, ABOLITIONIST, ORATOR, WRITER, AND STATESMAN. A FORMER SLAVE HE ESCAPED AND BECAME A NATIONAL LEADER OF THE ABOLITIONIST MOVEMENT. I CAN’T MENTION HOME GROWN AND LEAVE OUT ANOTHER INFLUENTIAL INDIVIDUAL WHO GIVES ME THE COURAGE TO WRITE AND SHARE THIS LOVE WITH OTHERS.