Vocal Expressions

On Saturday, May 4, 2019, I attended the Black Writers’ Guild meeting where Margaret Pagan presented a workshop titled “You Talkin’ to Me? Strategies for Effective Dialogue.” Ms. Pagan stated that dialogue is important for many reasons: 1) to learn about the setting and time period of a story, 2) to gain insight about the characters, and 3) to show tension and conflict. To illuminate these points, she had members from the audience read specific parts of Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston to show how masterful Zora was at using dialogue to conjure up images of her characters. The audience members had a blast reading their parts while the rest of us envisioned the setting and how the characters felt about each other. Next, we broke out in groups of four to read various parts of a short story titled “The Jockey” by Carson McCullers. This story had a lot of twists and turns. However, what I thoroughly enjoyed was how the writer used dialogue to show the intimacy, disl...

Well, I’m officially hooked on Walter Mosley’s latest PI mystery series featuring Leonid McGill. In the second installment, Leonid gets a call from Alphonse Rinaldo, a man who has his pulse on everything that happens in New York City. Rinaldo’s a fixer but has a problem that requires McGill’s help. The task: find Tara Lear and make sure everything is fine. Simple enough, right? Wrong. This assignment sent McGill chasing down leads and into some dark places, rubbing elbows with some deadly players, and of course being eyed as a suspect for a murder that he happened upon during his search for Ms. Lear. Now McGill is no saint. He has had his share of shady dealings setting folks up to take a fall yet he has a big heart by ensuring they stay safe once his conscience kicks in. He takes his jobs seriously and would go against orders if he feels the subject of the assignment would be in danger then all bets are off. Yes, I was buckled up and turning every page as Leonid dealt with his f...

A few weeks ago, I saw How to Catch Creation , the final show of the 2018/19 season at the Baltimore Center Stage. This play was written by Christina Anderson and directed by Nataki Garrett. I thoroughly enjoyed the show because it dealt with so many issues in the lives of the four main characters individuals: love, sexuality, art, choices, introspection, and heartache. I also loved how the playwright seamlessly took the audience back and forth between the mid-1960s to present day showing how a decision made back in the ’60s affected folks in the present day. Relationships are hard enough and when folks are trying to find themselves artistically and questioning choices they made and yearning for something more out of life, it makes for fine theatre. Nevertheless, it was great to see representation of a Black feminist writer caught in the midst of political and social struggles while carving out a path of Black love. It was also great to see Black men who enjoyed reading (side not...

Author’s Bio: Natalina wrote her first romance in collaboration with her best friend at the age of 13. Since then she has ventured into other genres, but romance is first and foremost in almost everything she writes. After earning a degree in tourism and foreign languages, she worked as a tourist guide in her native Portugal for a short time before moving to the United States. She lived in three continents and a few islands, and her knack for languages and linguistics led her to a master’s degree in education. She lives in Virginia where she has taught English as a Second Language to elementary school children for more years than she cares to admit. Natalina doesn’t believe you can have too many books or too much coffee. Art and dance make her happy and she is pretty sure she could survive on lobster and bananas alone. When she is not writing or stressing over lesson plans, she shares her life with her husband and two adult sons. DL: What inspired you to write your book? NR:...

About the Author: Mrs. Sherrita Berry-Pettus M.Ed. is a mommy, educator, and author. Mrs. Berry-Pettus is a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, where she earned her masters in Urban and Minority Education, a B.S in Early Childhood Education, and a B.S. in Family Science. She enjoys playing with her boys and teaching children.  Sharing messages from her heart to all children of color in the world. Mrs. Berry-Pettus believes children in the world should know and understand that they are perfect exactly the way they are. So she created four fabulous books all children of color should own!  Mrs. Berry-Pettus is the author of Rock On With Your Afro Puffs, Smile Bright Chocolate Prince, I'm Brown and I'm Smart, and I'm Brown and I'm Pretty! She successfully authored and published four books in less than a year.  For more information about Mrs. Berry-Pettus, like and check out her Facebook page - facebook.com/MrsBerryPettus . You can also f...