MONDAY MUSING embraces the possibilities to be introduced to strong but very different authors and their writings and their life experience due to Black History month.
Today I will write about Thursday night's speaker, the unabashed prolific writer Reshondra Tate born in Smackover, Arkansas, who has penned 54 books.
Her audience got to hear many details and inspiration after her newest published book, With Love from Harlem, about the 'bold, brave and flawed' Hazel Scott, the fearless 1940's- 50's, Queen of Jazz Piano, the first woman to have her own television show. a powerhouse who blended classics with swing, boogie woogie and her own wild improvisations. A powerhouse who was blacklisted during McCarthyism.
An activist who surrounded herself with legends like Billie Holiday, Langston James, James Baldwin, Nina Simone, Miles Davis and Quincy Jones. The main man in her life was her husband Adam Clayton Powell, had the wedding of the century with 3 thousand guests, power couple whose light eventually was dimmed by him... This book is historic fiction using researched facts including others's autobiographies to validate Ms Tate's work.
Ms Tate followed her own advice to a young author during the Q& A : "Don't wait for someone to validate you. Do your own self promotion" and then she videoed the audience holding up their new copies of With Love from Harlem...
She won at least one new fan in me Thursday night...
Thanks to our library system for their wonderful programming.
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