August 29
A few updates
After 30 years in North Carolina, I moved to central New York. Looking for work. Acclimating to the area. And getting back in the swing of things.
Reading
Womanly Words by Karl Taro Greenfeld
This is incredible work of short fiction is a period piece by Karl Taro Greenfeld - writer on HBO’s Tokyo Vice series - follows its protagonist navigating the rigid cultural, societal, and familial structures of their home country during wartime.
Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™ by Rebecca Roanhorse
Whoa…
Rebecca Roanhorse’s Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™ reads like falling into a pit of despair***, brilliantly weaving first, second, and third-person perspective.
The lede is a quote from storied novelist Sherman Alexie [How to Write the Great American Indian Novel],
In the Great American Indian novel, when it is finally written, all of the white people will be Indians and all of the Indians will be ghosts.
Is the tip of the iceberg for the wave of emotion invoked.
To say it’s a must-read would be an understatement.
Look forward to reading more of Roanhorse’s work in the future.
***UPDATE 08/30/25: Please note, it was brought to my attention a more apt expression for this state of being is, “A mind spread out on the ground”
Nickel Boys by RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes
Based on Colson Whitehead’s novel of the same name and adapted for the screen by multi-hyphenate RaMell Ross and prolific producer/writer Joslyn Barnes, Nickel Boys was a particularly heart-wrenching story.
This was largely due to its protagonist (Elwood) making one simple mistake, a most minor lapse in judgment made in earnest naivete, that wiped clear the bright future before him.
I’ve not been a practicing Christian since my teenage years, but there are many times I dwell on the expression, “Here but for the grace of God go I,” and while reading this screenplay it made me all the more ashamed of past poor judgment that could have easily put me before those who seek to do unspeakable harm to my body and spirit.
Though I’ve not read Whitehead’s novel, Ross - an artist with a capital A - and Barnes masterfully craft a cautionary tale of the segregated South in eye-opening detail.
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
Coincidentally after re-viewing I Am Not Your Negro, I was gifted the opportunity to attend a stage production on the life of the activist and literary giant James Baldwin.
On both the stage and documentary, Baldwin’s collection of essays from The Fire Next Time were cited as some of his most imperative writing.
Baldwin’s works, titled MY DUNGEON SHOOK and DOWN AT THE CROSS, are open letters drafted with searing insight into his hopes for his nephew (namesake James) as well as his hopes for people, respectively; the latter rooted in arguments of the Christian church.
Despite the reverence and remembrance of Baldwin, having read only one of his works feels like posterity has been done a great disservice not just on my part, but by predecessors.
Documentary
Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time dir. by Traci A. Curry
Last year I viewed When The Levees Broke (dir. by Spike Lee) for the first time, despite its release just one year after Hurricane Katrina.
And watching Hurricane Katrina: Race Against Time was upsetting not just for the poor response to the disaster in every stage, but for my lack of knowledge during the events that took place.
When Hurricane Katrina hit, I was beginning my senior year of high school. News dissemination wasn’t what it is now - take that for what you will - regardless, many of the false narratives established like “babies being raped” were my only understanding of the situation.
It was not heavily discussed in the household, for which I felt a great sense of shame and anger with myself and parents for having no open dialogue about what was occurring.*
But fully watching how the Black, impoverished, and elderly people of New Orleans and neighboring communities of Algiers [LA] and state of Mississippi are impacted to this day hurt my soul.
There’s really nothing I can say to encapsulate the pain, anguish, and enduring spirit of the people, but encourage any and everyone who reads this to view the five-part series on Hulu; some episodes are available on National Geographic’s YouTube channel.
*During this time, my father was in his weakest state living with ALS, to which I take great compassion understanding the very real situation my parents faced and handling it as best they could.
Television
Eyes of Wakanda created by Todd Harris
I really enjoyed this series, especially the episode following Memnon, who I’ve spent a considerable amount of time researching for a short story stuck in the concept stage.
The story I aim to complete in the future is nothing at all like that of the anthological protagonist in the series, nonetheless, it was great to see a lesser known character of Greek mythology brought to life onscreen.
Washington Black created by Selwyn Seyfu Hinds
Sometimes I just want whimsy and adventure, and Washington Black based on the novel by Esi Edugyan, gave me all that and more with historical fiction, much like Eyes of Wakanda.
Looking up the creator, Selwyn Seyfu Hinds, it was not only a pleasant surprise that he is a writer and co-executive producer on Nnedi Okorafor’s Who Fears Death? forthcoming HBO Max series adaptation, but that he also served as the editor-in-chief of The Source magazine.
At a time when getting me to crack open a book was like pulling teeth, I came into possession of a stack of The Source when my older brother moved out.
Though I was an avid Transworld Skateboarding reader, The Source gave me interviews and features that greater reflected the variety of Black communities and thought. Moreover, while these issues were not wholly reflective of all the communities that exist in Black culture (or the spaces I frequented), the magazine served as a foundation to develop a greater understanding that culture is not the monolith so often portrayed in media.
Demascus created by Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm
Presented by Tubi, I’ve only watched the first episode of Demascus but it’s imaginative, funny, and thought-provoking.
Out of happenstance, the series features a similar premise to writer Rebecca Roanhorse’s speculative short fiction story, Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™.
Can’t wait to dive back in.
Theatre
By Any Other Name: An Opus for James Baldwin written & dir. by Brian Daye
Presented by Black Box Theater (at VAPA Center), this limited run production featured a stellar performance by actor Gerald Hazelton.
It’s crazy to fathom how the nearly one-man show, largely the collaborative effort between Hazelton and Daye, could result in the embodiment* of a historical figure like Baldwin down to his tone and diction.
It was a gut-punch to view/experience/witness the anger, frustration, and heartache expressed by the loss of Baldwin’s friends and fellow civil rights leaders, Malcolm X, Medgar Evers, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Bravo to the whole production in delivering with such sincerity.
*This opinion is based on recordings and archival footage
Events
Cusetown Hip Hop Evolution hosted by Black Citzens Brigade
The panel featured some of the founding members of Syracuse hip-hop. It was dope.
Panelists shared the obstacles to self-expression in hip-hop, especially legacy media (radio), where it is is more often commodified than recognized for its artistry.
It was wonderful to hear the spirit of endurance, ingenuity, and collaboration of the founding generations mentoring newcomers, who are now continuing their efforts - both on and off the mic - to inspire, organize, educate, motivate, and activate future generations.
Hip-hop is the voice of the people, people make up the community, and this panel gave me greater insight into the community of Syracuse, particularly the underserved.
DEAD END. curated by William Strobeck
Bill Strobeck has been one of the biggest names in skateboarding over the last decade, and I had no idea he is from central NY.
It so happens that the Everson Museum recently hosted an exhibit curated by Strobeck featuring a lifetime of skate photos, videos, art pieces, clips and set stills [from the feature film Kids].
I’ve never seen a mini-ramp - a skateable one at that - in a museum featuring fine art, but it was as the expression goes, “something to write home about.”
Music (Video)
No More Old Men - Chance the Rapper ft. Jamila Woods from the album Starline
“It’s a good a year for hip-hop” - the people
The Birds Don’t Sing - Clipse ft. John Legend & Voices of Fire from the album Let God Sort Em Out
Community - JID ft. Clipse from the album God Does Like Ugly
Live - Earl Sweatshirt from the album Live Laugh Love
Nickel Boys (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Alex Somers and Scott Alario
Visual Art
Anthony Gordon featured in A 20 Of Regular
Completely biased opinion, but this is like the perfect type of video part to me. I enjoy skating in all its forms and facets - ledge masters, technical wizards, rail chompers, circus skaters, vert, tranny [meaning transition], and whatever else under the sun - lines just do it for me.
And in this part from Anthony Gordon, he not only puts down line after line but showcases a deep bag of tricks, speed, style, and stances.
Hope to see more from him.