Back in June 2008, I was able to chat with Eustace, so I thought it would be a great idea to follow-up with this talented, young, sexy, black, handsome and down to earth brother who's on a positive mission.


 

The Interview

John: What was the reaction from your friends and family once they read your interview at GBMNews? Eustace: Some thought that it was a good interview, others thought that you were getting a little too personal but I told them that you were doing your job. (laughing) But they thought that it was a very good interview, you made it interesting, you kept them reading. John: After you read your interview, did you discover anything new about yourself? Eustace: Yes, I rediscovered that I'm blessed and I have to stay strong. You have to keep a creative mind, you have to keep your mind in positive thinking and doing positive things for others, otherwise you've not really living. I've been blessed to be a part of others who are interested in my story, who want to interview me, I'm willing to share my experiences. I love what I'm doing, you can only do what you know. John: Within the last year, do you feel that you've grown as an artist? Eustace: I would say that I've grown as an entrepreneur, I'm very business orientated and networking making, I've met a wide range of folks in the business, yes I've grown. I've picked up two clients that I'm publishing. I'm challenging myself, allowing myself to grow.

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E. Lynn Harris

It was those childhood memories that helped motivate his success in later years.

"I didn't grow up in the kind of environment that my characters grew up in, or the kind of environment that I live in now," the 52-year-old author says. "It was one of the things that I always aspired to."

His fame has made him a part of a more privileged world, and his success can be partly attributed to showing his readers a world with which they were previously unfamiliar: the secret world of professional, bisexual black men living as heterosexuals.

Last week, Harris was back after a two-year hiatus with his 10th novel, "Just Too Good to Be True." In some ways, the book returns to some of his typical themes - family, relationships, fame - but Harris also takes on new territory, focusing for the first time on a straight relationship.

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The fair also showcased the largest amount of African-American literature in the nation.

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In support of his new autobiography, “My Life In Porn- The Bobby Blake Story” on Perseus Publishing, Bobby shared with the audience his current passion in life which is being a truthful positive example to the youth of his community through his still deep involvement with his local church.

A large striking hulk of a man Bobby’s manner was gentle, confident, and easy. With the skill of a grand southern minister he was eloquent and used his hands to punctuate his words. After several biting questions posed by Mr. Davis, Bobby then responded to audience questions and signed copies of his book.

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By Saul Austerlitz

All About the Beat: Why Hip-Hop Can't Save Black America
By John McWhorter
Gotham, 186 pp., $20


Party Crashing: How the Hip-Hop Generation Declared Political Independence
By Keli Goff
Basic Civitas, 294 pp., paperback, $16.95

The hip-hop generation: The phrase has a certain summational ring, an aura of capturing a kernel of truth about American youth in the same way that Generation X seemed to define an earlier cohort. A nation of millions, raised on Public Enemy's "Fight the Power," Jay-Z, and Kanye West, will rise to seize power from greedy capitalist fat-cats and neoconservative warmongers. Hip-hop, the revolutionary art form of the past quarter-century, will expand its reach into spheres beyond music and culture, remaking politics in its image.

Or will it? Two new books examine the promise of the hip-hop generation, wondering what - if anything - will be its political legacy. John McWhorter's "All About the Beat: Why Hip-Hop Can't Save Black America" and Keli Goff's "Party Crashing: How the Hip-Hop Generation Declared Political Independence" reach diametrically opposed conclusions about hip-hop's political impact, but share a fundamentally flawed set of assumptions that cause them to misunderstand the relationship between culture and politics.

McWhorter, noted policy wonk and author of "Losing the Race," pets hip-hop with one hand as he slaps it with the other. How can mere music - particularly music riven by such inner contradiction - be capable of true change? "Actually listen to a rap track, even by a conscious artist, and then think about the real world. How many among us really believe there is a meaningful connection between that rap and making people think in new ways - ways so new that the nation's fabric changes?" The answer is almost nobody. McWhorter assembles a paper tiger in order to repeatedly lunge at it, and then waits for our applause when he has vanquished the beast. It is not that "All About the Beat" is fundamentally mistaken; hip-hop is not a likely precursor of revolutionary change, and incremental, piecemeal efforts to improve the lives of African-Americans are often ignored in favor of pie-in-the-sky theorizing. It is just that in 2008, in the era of Soulja Boy, few would claim otherwise.

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And others wanted to reminisce over their fondest memories. Russert, host of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” collected their stories in his new book, “Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons.” He was invited on “Today” to discuss his book. Read an excerpt:

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Author Ananda Kiamsha Madelyn Leeke ’s debut novel, Love's Troubadours - Karma: Book One, pays tribute to the contributions made by Afro-Latinos to culture, history, music, and dance in the Americas. It features characters with Afro-Cuban, Afro-Mexican, and Afro-Peruvian roots. These characters offer rich dialogue peppered with references to Afro-Latino culture and history. They also work with and maintain positive relationships with African Americans that promote Black and Brown solidarity.

Love's Troubadours - Karma: Book One educates readers about Yanga, an African who ran away from his slave master in 1609 and founded the first free African township near Veracruz, Mexico. The novel gives readers an interesting history lesson about American-born African slaves who fled to Mexico in the mid 1800s. Readers also visit museums such as El Museo del Barrio in New York City and National Museum of Mexican Art (formerly known as the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum) in Chicago that exhibit Afro-Latino art. In addition, they have a chance to fall in love with the music of Afro-Cuban Jazz Musicians Mongo Santamaria and Omar Sosa, Afro-Puerto Rican Jazz Musician Willie Bobo, and Afro-Peruvian Singer Susana Baca. By the end of Love's Troubadours - Karma: Book One, readers may find themselves dancing Salsa just like the main character Karma Francois.

Love's Troubadours - Karma: Book One by Ananda Kiamsha Madelyn Leeke tells the story of Karma Francois, a thirtysomething California-born BoHo BAP (Bohemian Black American Princess) with Louisiana roots and urban debutante flair. The novel illustrates how a woman uses therapy, yoga, meditation, art, music, poetry, and support from family and friends to confront the effects of her poor life choices and embrace a spiritual journey of healing and love. It was published by iUniverse, Inc. and is available on www.amazon.com.

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