"If you Don't Write It Down, It didn't happen"

(Commemorating the First African American Literature Book Club Summit at Sea! Year 2000)

by Maxine E. Thompson
http://www.maxinethompson.com

"If you don't write it down, it didn't happen." These words still haunt me.

When I was a social worker, this threat held the death knell for many workers. 

For instance--God forbid--if a child died on any worker's caseload, the worker usually was fired right there on the spot. Generally, the biggest reason was that there was no documentation in the worker's case to support his or her decisions to send this child home, or to show reasonable efforts provided via home visits, (rather said child was in his home or foster care). That worker could hang it up. They would get kicked to the curb. Humiliated. Scourged. 

Because what higher calling is there than to serve a child? Might as well go change your name and identity if that happened to you, with the way the media and your conscience would crucify you. 

With this thought in mind, I think there is a calling which rates equally as high--that of trying to preserve our oral and unwritten history as an African American, (in my case historical,) writer through the printed word. In general, many of our stories never were learned in a classroom because they weren't written down. As far as history books, African Americans' stories were ignored. For example, I learned from Anita Bunkley's book, The Yellow Rose, that the song, "The Yellow Rose of Texas" was based on a mulatto woman.

Since I'm now self-employed I won't get fired if I don't write this event down. But I feel I would be remiss not to take this opportunity to give praise to God and to the Pageturner.net for orchestrating this event. This way the media won't have to tell our stories the way they want to present them. We can tell them ourselves.

In the same way Juneteenth came to symbolize the day Texan Blacks learned of the Emancipation Proclamation, this article is to commemorate our Literary Liberation, as well as record the history of Pageturners.net. Their first annual event was called the African American Book Club Summit at Sea. This was a literary cruise of book clubs, writers, and publishers. 

This event was organized by Pamela Walker Williams, Mary Jones, Juanita Cole Howard, and Lauren Yoni Benson. Kudos to them! There were twelve book clubs present and participants represented from 20 states. These book clubs included: Beautiful and Together Sisters (BATS of Phoenix, AZ), Circle of Essence Book Club, (Galveston, TX,) The Good Book Club (Houston, TX), Nefertiti Book Club, (Memphis, TN), Sista Harmony Book Club, (Phoenix, AZ), Sister Friends Book Club (Houston, TX), SisterPower Book Club, Stories of Our People (SOOP), Arlington, TX, Uplifted Book Club, (Houston, TX), Mahogany Minds, Houston, TX
~ Sister Circle, Houston, TX, In The Company of My Sisters, Roosevelt, NY.

The featured authors were Eric Jerome Dickey, Lolita Files, Evelyn Coleman, Kimberla Lawson Roby, Anita Richmond Bunkley, Jewell Parker Rhodes, Evelyn Coleman, Kathleen Cross.

Other authors present, included new and up coming authors, Anfra Boyd, Parry "Ebony Satin" Brown, Dr. Edwin T. Johnson, Sara Freeman Smith, Trisha Thomas, Pat G'Orge Walker, Victor McGlothin, Jacquese A. Council-Silvas, Pamela Williams Guinn, Delores Thornton, Jetola Anderson Blair, Vincent Alexandria, Norma Jarrett, Nina Foxx, Vanessa Morman and this writer.

These are just a few of the highlights of this cruise from my point of view.

As we sailed the high seas of the Gulf of Mexico to the beautiful aqua waters of Cozumel and CanCun, I discovered many gems. The first one was meeting in person, the author of Turning Stones into Gems, Sara Freeman Smith.

Anfra, of You Are My Sister Fame, wowed us with her opening workshop, "To Thine Ownself Be True."

My first author I published as an ebook writer, Pat G'Orge-Walker (author of ebook "Sister Betty Goes Hollywood) performed the Sister Betty God's Calling You Skit to a rip-roaring audience. In this particular show, the zany Sister Betty even anointed the audience as she danced her way to her "Say it and Pray It" telephone line. Later, as part of her "Shameless Promotions," author Pat G'Orge-Walker took pictures while wearing her Sister Betty outfit with her newly embraced readers. 

As an ebook publisher, I was able to do my workshop on "E Publishing" and hopefully will see an increase in the number of Black ebooks out in cyberspace.

I had the opportunity to mingle with other historical writers such as Anita Bunkley and Jewel Parker Rhodes. I finally met the wonderful mystery writer, Evelyn Coleman Young. These women were all warm, gracious and supportive of new and aspiring fellow writers. Later, I found out the mystery at sea (written by Evelyn Coleman) made use of the titles of all our books! That was another treat.

And it wasn't just all business, book discussions, and empowerment workshops. There was time to let our hair down between Galveston, Cozumel and Cancun. Many, (who would like to remain nameless), crooned Karaoche to the tunes of Gladys Knight and the Pips, and Aretha Franklin's Respect, among other songs.

Over all, this gathering was a fine tribute to what determined Sisters can accomplish. Oprah's book club, the book clubs across the country and the Internet have definitely enhanced the quality of our lives. Women now get together to discuss literature and the human condition, instead of "Who Shot John."

Moreover, I found out many of the book clubs do community service and help feed the poor. Hats off to them! The book clubs are a force to be reckoned with.

I also learned that the Nefertiti Book Club of Memphis, (and particularly Rebecca C. Brown who gave me a warm welcome before we even embarked on the ship), were truly interested in knowing more about my characters in No Pockets in a Shroud, which they read in April of this year.

I finally met Robin Green, of Sibanyeinc Book store in Baltimore, Maryland. We've only been emailing each other for the past 2 years.

Personally I unwound from a hectic schedule the first 2 days, but after Wednesday I was able to play Spades, enjoy the finest cuisine ever, and meet new and aspiring writers (hopefully among the book clubs; most avid readers are budding writers). As a publisher, I would like to one day say I discovered the next Toni Morrison on this cruise.

In addition, these are the benefits of such events:

-Putting a face to the person behind the email address.

-Meeting the book clubs and finding out how they feel about our books.

-Giving self-published writers high visibility and a chance to interface with more readers and other seasoned writers.

-Helping seasoned and new writers maintain contact with their readers.

-Encouraging new writers to pen their stories.

-Networking, networking, networking.

Besides the benefits, I found the purpose of this cruise was twofold. Writers were able to discuss their books and sign them for their readers; others gave workshops. Book clubs got a chance to mingle with writers and each other. 

There is an Ethiopian Proverb: "When spider webs unite they can tie up a lion." This is what we did--unite. We even sold books to other people on the cruise, which will definitely widen our audiences.

The African American Book Club Summit was more than just a matter of getting together, meeting, eating and greeting. This was about forming new and solidifying old relationships--the currency of the New Millennium. And it was also about our having each other's back.