#source: Made by Ernie Barnes

[hitchell-mope]

Hypothetical titles for season 23 of 88.

Unbridled. Season premier. Part one. The hunt Navillus is interspersed with therapy sessions that Jones urged Findlay to have with Melinda. Meanwhile. Navillus seeks some unexpected help.

Synchronicity. Season premier. Part two. Navillus’s escapades have an unwanted bit unfortunately useful effect on Findlay. Guest starring Matt Smith as the Boogeyman.

Not a girls girl. The team tracks Navillus down to New York’s red light district. Which ends with Findlay in a rather nasty situation.

Family only. Her pride and ego bruised, Findlay refuses to let anyone into her room while she’s recovering from her accident. Can Sidney and their boys get through to her?

Listen to mother. Navillus heads to England with a proposition for the Queen Mother. Guest starring Meera Syal as Nadine Burton, Dev Patel as Reuben Burton and Naomi Scott as Chantelle Burton.

All hail the queen mother. Navillus’s idea is as follows. To get her daughter back on side and reunite her with her wife and son. All Nadine has to do is recreate the British empire. Starting with America. Guest starring Rhianne Barreto as Rani Burton.

Whose side are you on? As Navillus and Nadine’s army prepares to march on manhattan, Findlay is offered an alliance from two very surprising sources; the Boogeyman and a professional thief with a distant and indirect connection to Delaney. Guest starring Ben Barnes as Ernie “Silvertongue” Roche

Reclamation. Odessa finally has enough with being left out of the loop and makes a deal with Derek Christensen to help take down Navillus once and for all. Guest starring Daniel Radcliffe as Derek Christensen. Final appearances of Navillus Yaldnif and Meera Syal as Nadine Burton

Mortem mutua tibi. Cleaning up the mess Navillus made leads Findlay into investigating Chambers mysterious, and most likely false, death.

Paper trail. The investigation into Chambers fake death leads to Arlene gaining a large inheritance and an extremely substantial extended family

The Charleston. Clyde celebrates his mother’s death by hosting a blow out party at the Oberon Hotel.

Minutes to hours. Midseason finale. Part one. Incensed at what she sees as disrespect towards Noreen’s memory, Deloris abducts Clyde and attempts to torture him into giving up his claim to their father’s fortune.

Hours to days. Midseason premiere. Part two. It’s almost Christmas and the team still have no idea where Clyde’s being held. But Butterball has a workable theory. Final appearance of Liz Gillies as Deloris O’Bannon.

Televangelism. Needing to blow off some steam. Findlay and Godfrey team up to take down a televangelist during her live stream debut.

Fads. Gideon finds out the dark origins of the latest celebrity diet.

Inside the soap dish. Findlay finally gets to experience a week as a character in The Mages And The Mundane when Theo’s unconscious spell work gets her sucked into the television. Guest starring Chris Pratt as Emerson Davenport/Jameson Oarlock, Aubrey Plaza as Tatum Mercer/Nina Oarlock, Sally Field as Marilyn Davenport/Maria Oarlock and Bruce Campbell as Ignatius Kennedy/Onslow Norman.

No more yielding but a dream. Robin Goodfellow (Maxwell Jenkins) is back. Only locked in a single form and exiled to earth due to a prank gone wrong, a schedule mishap and wrong choice in love affair. And he wants the team’s help to get back in Oberon’s good graces. By any means necessary.

The old retainers. Captain Birch is asked to liaison a case involving a breaking at the Wilmington Estate that was foiled by the heads of staff while the rest of the Five Families were at The Met to celebrate Jones’s 323rd birthday. Guest starring Sam Witwer as the butler Leopold Sterling, Stephanie Beatriz as the housekeeper Ermentrude Mando and Ludi Lin as the chef Dorian Holloway.

Unreliable. Maybelle, Aida and Jacob have 10 hours to figure out if a woman is lying about an assault or not.

The torment of a satyr as a young foal. Drummond’s biological uncle is back and in so much trouble with his former ally’s that he’s disguised himself as his younger self. Guest starring Iain Armitage and Jim Parsons as Parson Elmer Carothers.

What was it that Ellis Grey said? Season finale. Part one. Findlay finds herself the target of the all female SATFDONYS. Aka. Society Against The First Daughter Of New York State. First appearance of Lucy Hale as Abigail Mordaunt.

The bitches of Eastwick. Season finale. Part two. Findlay is highly amused when Gideon manages to track down Mordaunt’s place of origin.

Buzzwords. Season finale. Part three. Jacob and Andy get to the bottom of why Mordaunt wants to bring Findlay down to her level.

The rocket’s red glare. Season finale. Part four. Findlay submits herself to a public mob trial as the New York Giants play the championship game. Guest starring Mia Wasikowska as Zara Roche (nee Christensen)

#mine #copyright #modern fantasy #matt smith #meera syal #dev patel #naomi scott #rhianne barreto #ben barnes #daniel radcliffe #liz gillies #chris pratt #aubrey plaza #bruce campbell #sally field #sam witwer #stephanie beatriz #ludi lin #maxwell jenkins #iain armitage #jim parsons #lucy hale #mia wasikowska

[canmking]

#art #DJ #radio #records #melanin #music #vibe #groove #source: Made by Ernie Barnes

[blackfemmecharacterdependency]

BFCD Reviews by Nesha: Soul

Starting out... I got WAY more positive feedback and excitement from white people than I did the Black community... so, that's not a very great look to begin with, HOWEVER, this is Disney and I did already factor in the fact that they do not like the Blacks™️, so you'd best believe that I didn't enter this thing expecting much on the level of "Black ass story."

Furthermore, I check everything that I watch on IMDB before I watch, and there's hella *other folk* top billed that I didn't see much of in the Disney promos where they wanted to rope in that lingering "We Care" aftertaste of the thing that companies did over the summer and a portion of fall. You may have seent it - They made allegations of caring about the Blacks. Very trendy. Very Summer 2020.

So. Fine. Sure. Low expectations. Medium interest. High Black visibility, so I'm going to watch it, just for that fact. Mind you, we all remember that time when Princess and the Frog acted like there might be a Black princess and we got us a skrong Black girl who really was a frog the whole time, so the Black Disney bar is in hell for me at the start. All shade, all tea.

Film Starts: Off the top, I highly dig how the character designs remind me of Sugar Shack by Ernie Barnes.

I think that a lot of the audience is too young to even potentially have parents that listened to Marvin Gaye, so they may or may not have seen that artwork there or even on Good Times reruns, but my first thought upon seeing the characters was, "They look like that Black ass painting that we all know!" (The second thought was, "But the young folk might not know, so my brain might just be filling that connection in,") but STILL, a cool observation, even if only for me and me alone.

The fact that Disney+ don't let me do other shit on my phone while I watch stuff is trash. BUT. I saw on Twitter that the saxophone player is TIA FULLER. Who, I will admit I didn't know before Beyoncé, but BEYONCÉ'S SAX PLAYER IS IN THIS MOVIE and that's one of the most exciting things to me. (Followed closely by Auntie Phylicia Rashad, though I'm expecting that her role is small, being protagonist's mama).

But Tia!!! 

Get your checks, Sis. Get that Disney check.  

And let’s not also forget that in addition to be drawn like a queen and having a queen play her music, Sis was voiced by Angela Bassett. Dorothea Williams is the true star of this movie.

REVIEW TECHNICALLY BEGINS HERE (In my usual style of making notes live as a I watch and sharing them after the fact):

Bruh fell into a manhole??? 😂😂😂

Hey, I LOVE The Great Before.

Dang, this man's life was sad... but like... is this man gonna be a soul the whole movie? Is that his "frog?" Disney really said "No Negroes Beyond the Five Minute Mark."

Damn... the Zone... 🥺 These lost souls are relatable.

THIS DAMN CAT DIED! 😂😂😂

OK... So... they let the Black body come back to the main plot... and put a white lady voice in there. WHAT IS DISNEY'S GODDAMN PROBLEM? BECAUSE TECHNICALLY BITCH, THE BLACK CHARACTER IS TRAPPED IN A CAT BODY NOW. 😔

Moonwind doing body rolls while spinning that sign is sending me.

CONNIE DON'T QUIT! Whew. I'm glad she didn't quit.

This is a pretty good movie...

That shit with his mama made me tear up.

Kay, so I absolutely stopped taking notes and just watched the rest. Last thoughts: I appreciate that Joe was able to realize that his purpose wasn't what he had thought. I think that it absolutely exceeded my expectations of a Disney movie with a Black protagonist. I'd gotten word from dependable sources of the things that I wouldn't love about it, and I agree on some instances and disagree on others.

Like, the fact that the protagonist's plot point wound up being the character who was there to inspire others reeked of Magical Negro Trope, but at least he will have a happy life.

And I did enjoy the open-endedness of the story. I think that makes it so much more accessible to those who need the inspiration that was the theme of the movie.

One of these days, we will have a movie where the protagonist is Black, human, and whole the entire journey. For the time being, this really was ultimately a very cute movie and even though it's not something that I would rewatch, I would definitely recommend.

While it was not made for ME, I do see the appeal and the promise/potential. This movie is going to be a wonderful inspiration for so many kids and young people. It’ll be a source of wholesome entertainment and positive characters/representation. I love that for them. 

#BFCD Reviews by Nesha #Nesha Watches #Nesha Watches Soul #Disney #reviews #spoilers #Soul #Dorothea Williams #Tia Fuller

[horsesarecreatures]

Nearco (Pharos x Nogara)

      Born in 1935 at Dormello Stud by the shore of Lago Maggiore, Nearco was an Italian thoroughbred bred, trained, and initially owned by the famous Federico Tesio, who was a leading racehorse breeder in Italy and the rest of Europe.  Tesio owned Nearco’s dam, Nogara, and wanted to breed her to the Earl of Derby’s champion stallion Fairway. But despite the fact that Nogara was a highly successful racehorse herself and the Italian champion filly two years in a row, Tesio was denied the breeding due to the Earl’s stud manager’s prejudice against Italians. So Nogara was instead bred to Fairway’s full brother Pharos, and Nearco was produced.

      Nearco began racing in Italy as a two year old in 1937 and won all seven of his starts. This led to him being named Italy’s champion two-year old. During this time Tesio tried to sell Nearco due to the fact that he doubted the horse was a true stayer that would be successful in the classics. However, he failed to find a buyer. As a three-year old in 1938, Nearco again ran in seven races in Italy and France and won all of them, making him the champion of fourteen consecutive races before being named the Italian three-year old champion and horse of the year. His last race was the Grand Prix de Paris, which Tesio received special permission from Mussolini to run him in. His total converted racing earnings were $86,328, and he was able to win at distances of 1,000 mT to 3,000 mT. Due to the possibility of war and the fact that Tesio belived having a home stallion would cause breeders to use that stallion over others better suited to individual broodmares, Nearco was sold to Beech House stud in England against Mussolini’s wishes. His price of £60,000 was a world record for a sire at the time. 

      Nearco then began his career as a sire, and was the top English and Irish sire of 1947 and 1948. In 1952, 1955, and 1956 he was the leading broodmare sire of England and Ireland, and also of France in 1960. He sired 482 thoroughbred foals, of which 273 were winners and 87 were stakes winners. Nearco is best known as being the sire of sires, and almost all thoroughbreds today have him in their pedigree. Over 100 of Nearco’s sons stood at stud, the most famous of which were Nasrullah, Nearctic, and Royal Charger. Nasrullah in turn sired Bold Ruler, and Nearctic in turn sired the greatest sire of the 20th Century, Northern Dancer. Will Farrish, owner of lane’s End Farm, said of Nearco, “He is the most important horse of the century. His bloodlines are the best.” Nearco’s value and influence as a sire was so important that during World War II a bomb shelter was even built for him. 

      The influence of Nearco is also seen in many top sport horses. Lucky boy, the sire of Van Gough, Sassakiss, and leading grand prix jumper Calypso, is a grandson of Nearco’s. Nearco was also the damsire of the French leading jumper sire Armapour. Denny Emmerson is partial to thoroughbreds related to Nearco, saying, “I’ve had a zillion of them in my barn, and I love them. If you’re a crummy horseman and yank on their mouths and such all day, you'll be in trouble. I mean, you’ve got to be able to ride and have a little sensitivity-it’s all how you treat them. I’m not saying there aren’t hot horses, but you can usually trace it to the environment.“ Emmerson’s famous event stallion Epic Win was related to Nearco through both Royal Charger and Nasrullah. 

      Nearco was known for having a very difficult temperament, and hated being groomed and touched. He went through ten grooms before Ernie Lee was chosen, and he stayed with Nearco for the rest of his life. Lee’s philosophy about difficult stallions was to let them have their way for the most part and not push too hard. Nearco bonded with Lee, and it was him who taught Nearco to go inside the bomb shelter when air raid sirens went off. Nearco developed cancer in his hip and was humanely destroyed in 1957. When he died Ernie Lee was so upset that he left the horse industry for good. A figure of a book made out of marble marks Nearco’s grave to symbolize that he is the patriarch of the modern stud. 

 Sources: x x x x x x x x x x

#nearco #thoroughbred #racehorse #hotblood horse #horse #equine #federico tesio

[aion-rsa]

How Ghostbusters: Afterlife Honors the Original Legacy

https://ift.tt/3hwVjMQ

For director Jason Reitman, the first official announcement of Ghostbusters: Afterlife was, by blockbuster franchise standards, quite modest.

“Before we ever started shooting, the way we debuted the idea to the world was we shot this little teaser in secret, with Ecto-1 in a barn,” says Reitman, talking to Den of Geek by phone. “At the time, I remember thinking, ‘Okay, we have the script, we’re going to make this really fast. We’re going to put it out into the world before anybody knows it, and this whole thing is going to fly by.’”

That was back in early 2019. Now, more than two and a half years later, Reitman says, “I wish I could go back and pat that director on the shoulder and just be like, ‘All right, calm down. Be patient. This is going to take a minute.’”

It’s taken somewhat more than a minute: like so many films, Ghostbusters: Afterlife was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic from its original summer 2020 release. But in another sense, it’s taken more than 30 years – not just for this long-awaited second sequel to the original 1984 Ghostbusters to arrive, but for Reitman to embrace what in some ways is the mythology most closely related to his family name.

Reitman’s father, producer/director Ivan Reitman, was behind the camera for the original film, which he and his iconic cast – Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, the late Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, Annie Potts, and Rick Moranis – turned into a comedy classic for the ages.

Jason Reitman was not even seven years old when Ghostbusters came out in June 1984, yet his memories of being on the set are still vivid to him. “It was extraordinary,” he recalls. “It became my introduction to what it meant to make a movie. It was my introduction to really knowing my father as a filmmaker.”

Even though Reitman at first resisted the idea of following in his father’s footsteps and began pre-med studies when he got to college, the lure of the entertainment business was perhaps too great. He enrolled at USC and began shooting short films and commercials, eventually making his feature directorial debut in 2005 with Thank You for Smoking.

Yet while that was the beginning of a successful string of sophisticated satires, comedies, and dramas for Reitman that included such acclaimed films as Juno (2007), Up in the Air (2009), Young Adult (2011), and Tully (2018), Reitman says that the subject of Ghostbusters would come up constantly.

“From the moment I had shown interest in filmmaking, people wondered whether or not I would direct one of these movies,” he says. “Like any young person who has tried to define themselves outside the framework of their parents, I ran away from that… I really wanted to establish my own voice and my own sense and style of filmmaking.”

Meanwhile, the franchise itself seemed unable to move smoothly forward either. The first sequel, 1989’s Ghostbusters II, was, like the first one, directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Aykroyd and Ramis. While it scored at the box office (albeit earning far less than its predecessor), the film was scorned by critics and was generally considered a lackluster follow-up.

Although Aykroyd, Ramis, and Ivan Reitman continued trying to develop a third film for years, the death of Ramis in 2014 and an all-female remake (directed by Paul Feig) of the original film released in 2016 seemed to bog those plans down – until it was announced in January 2019 that Jason Reitman would direct Ghostbusters: Afterlife, a direct sequel to the first two movies set 30 years after the events of Ghostbusters II.

So what changed the younger Reitman’s mind about getting involved in the franchise? “I really didn’t imagine myself making a Ghostbusters movie, but then this character came to me, and that character became undeniable,” he says. “I think it didn’t hurt that she was the same age as my daughter.”

The character in question is Phoebe (Mckenna Grace), who moves with her single mother Callie (Carrie Coon) and her brother Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) to a dilapidated farmhouse in rural Oklahoma due to financial difficulties. The house is their inheritance, left to them by Callie’s late father, Ghostbusters co-founder Egon Spengler (Ramis).

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With the help of a local teacher (Paul Rudd), the Spengler family will rediscover their patriarch’s history with the Ghostbusters and learn why the house is apparently the source of some very unusual paranormal activity – which may be the reason Egon purchased it in the first place.

The film’s storyline mirrors Jason Reitman’s own complicated relationship with the franchise from both a familial and professional perspective: “Certainly, I think it is not an accident that I have questioned my whole life whether or not I would pick up the proton pack,” he says. “And we are introduced to a family that is considering the same thing.”

Although Reitman (who co-wrote the screenplay with Gil Kenan) was working within the parameters of a franchise for the first time, he says he approached the project the same way he’s developed all his other films.

“I come at things from character, and I come at things from the story,” he explains. “You look at all my movies, they’re all character-based movies. So as soon as I knew Phoebe, I was like, all right, I know my way into this. It wasn’t through ghosts and it wasn’t through lore. It was through a family.”

Saying he was “heartbroken by the death of Harold Ramis” and that Egon had always been his “favorite Ghostbuster,” Reitman theorizes that those were two of the reasons why he decided to make the family at the center of the movie the Spenglers.

Yet just as important as honoring Ramis’ memory was honoring the legacy of the original movie as well, which is perhaps how Reitman (and his dad, who is the film’s producer) got Murray, Aykroyd, Hudson, Weaver, and Potts to reprise their original roles (all five had briefly appeared in the Feig film, but as different walk-on characters).

Sony Pictures

“Gil and I wanted to make a movie that felt as though it clearly was being made by people who loved the film as much as the viewers,” says Reitman about including the original cast, choosing his words carefully. “We wanted to make a movie that felt as though the storytellers were handing everything you loved about Ghostbusters back to the audience sitting in their chairs. It felt impossible to do that without including the originals, even though this is very much a story about a single mom and her two kids.”

Reitman is, of course, reluctant to speak any further about the role of the original cast members in the movie, or how much we find out about what they’ve been doing for the last 30 years, which brings us back to where we started: with his original intention to make the movie quickly and spring it on the world with little fanfare (filming was actually completed in the fall of 2019).

“(It was supposed to) arrive on everyone’s plate before they knew it,” says Reitman. “It was just going to be this kind of hopefully lovely surprise. And now there’s been years of buildup and opportunity for people to talk about it.”

The director says his original hope was that “no one was even going to know that the originals were even part of it,” adding, “I don’t really want to give away anything further, except to say that this is not a movie about the originals. This is a movie about the Spengler family, but it will touch upon everything that you love about Ghostbusters.”

And that, in the end, is what making a new Ghostbusters movie – and adding his personal take on his own family’s legacy – is all about for Jason Reitman.

”I know that my personal goal was to, one, make my father proud, and two, give audiences another trip into the world of Ghostbusters,” he concludes. “I hope they feel like it’s authentic. I hope they love it as much as we loved making it. The best Ghostbusters movie has already been made. It came out in 1984. Now I’m just excited for audiences to take another trip into this universe that we all grew up on.”

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Ghostbusters: Afterlife is out in theaters on November 11.

The post How Ghostbusters: Afterlife Honors the Original Legacy appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3ElbFlA

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

[creativitytoexplore]

Kind Girls by Alexander Richardson https://ift.tt/3j7e3k9 Ethel and Elizabeth take diabolical action to avoid a visit from their abusive uncle; by Alexander Richardson. 

Elizabeth clutched the book under one arm and held the wicker basket in the other as she took the steps down two at a time. She reached the front hall, and was about to run out the door when he spoke. "Lizzie? Just where is it you're goin' to, girl?" She turned to her father. He wore soiled overalls, and was rubbing an oil-spotted rag between his hands. "Up to the hills, Pa," she said. "Me and Ethel gonna have a picnic." He nodded, moving the rag from one hand to the other. "Y'all finish cleanin' your room?" "Yes, Pa, and I'll dust again 'fore bed." He smiled. "Good girl, Lizzie. I want ever'thing lookin' nice for your uncle." She felt a knot in her stomach, and swallowed. "Yes, Pa." He squinted. "What's that book you got?" Elizabeth clenched it against her chest. "It's from the library, Pa. It's about... birds." His brow furrowed. "You best be careful with a library book outside, hear?" She nodded. "I hear, Pa." "Go on and have fun, then. Don't be playin' too late. After supper, I wanna fix up the guest room." The knot tightened. Elizabeth's knuckles whitened as she gripped the book. "Yes, Pa." He smiled, and she hurried outside to her sister.

She found Ethel by the apple tree, up on the hill overlooking their home. From here, they could see all of it; the house, the barn, the old scarecrow and his crops, the horses, and the dirt road leading into their farm. The area provided a clear view of anyone coming. Ethel watched as Elizabeth opened the basket and took out four thick candles, matches, a copper pot, and a letter opener. Elizabeth dropped to her knees and began rifling through the book. "Here it is," she said, pointing to the page. Ethel looked over. "From the top of Gram's shelf. Told you she was a witch. I read up good on it last night while you was sleepin'." Ethel swallowed. "What we gotta do?" "Lay out them candles in a square. Make it big enough to fit us both." Ethel did. Elizabeth placed the pot in the center. They both stared at the letter opener for a moment, and Elizabeth picked it up. "Lizzie, you sure this'll work?" "Yes." She shivered. "I won't let him touch us no more." Elizabeth laid out the book before them. "Okay," she said, handing the letter opener to Ethel. "Hold this a sec. I gotta read." Elizabeth took a breath and began reading from the book.

"Azazel, come forth, take what is yours Azazel, come forth, cleanse with your sword. Slay this beast, Azazel, free us from his spell. Azazel, come forth, and drag his soul to Hell."

"It ain't 'xactly a spell," Ethel said, "is it, Lizzie?" "The book didn't have no pages dedicated to creepy uncles." Elizabeth raised the letter opener, swallowed, and stuck it into her hand. She gasped, and handed it to her sister. Ethel looked at her, eyes watering. "Lizzie, I don't wanna. I can't. Elizabeth grabbed her arm. "Uncle Ernie ain't been as rough as he coulda, Ethel, but it only starts with touchin'. There's things worse than little cuts. C'mere." Ethel tried to pull away. "Can't we just tell Pa? You ain't never explained why we can't tell Pa. I wanna tell Pa." Elizabeth took her hand off Ethel's arm just long enough to slap her across the mouth. Ethel yelped, and Elizabeth pulled her close by the collar. "Hush that bawlin' and listen good. Pa loves Uncle Ernie like a pig loves mud, and there ain't no way this side o' Heaven he gonna hear about his beloved brother gettin' touchy with his little girls. No way, no how." "B-b-but last time he took his pants off!" "And Pa won't hear it, Ethel. He won't be able to wrap his head round it at all. This is the only way." She pressed the hilt of the letter opener against Ethel. "Now get cuttin'." Ethel choked back one more sob. "Lizzie, please." Elizabeth glared at Ethel for a long moment; in a quick motion, she pulled on Ethel's wrist and brought the letter opener down against her forearm. Ethel gasped, and Elizabeth pressed both their wounds against the inside of the pot, staining it with their blood. A gust blew through, putting out the candles. Ethel opened her mouth, and a sharp voice made them both jump: "Why, kind girls, have I been summoned?" Ethel turned towards the house. Elizabeth grabbed her again. "If you leave the square," she said, whispering, "the book says you'll break the ritual. Be brave." Ethel nodded, her eyes wide. Elizabeth took a deep breath. "We're here," she said, looking around for the source of the voice, "to ask that you please kill someone." The voice laughed, chilling and sharp, and Elizabeth's heart pounded. She wrapped an arm around her sister, careful not to smear blood on her. "And what," said the voice, "shall be your payment?" Elizabeth released her trembling sister. She reached into the basket, pulling out a string of pearls and a plate wrapped in aluminum foil. "We got Ma's old jewelry and two dozen raisin cookies, with another two dozen coming after." The laughter returned, sharper and louder, and it was all Elizabeth could do to not run from the spot. Ethel threw herself around her sister, and they dropped to their knees. "You bring bauble and sweets, children? Trinkets and treats, to end a life? Kind girls, do you think me a whore? Elizabeth didn't know what a whore was, but she shook her head. Tears streamed from Ethel's eyes. "What... what you want, then?" Elizabeth asked. There was silence for a moment. Then: "Something of worth. When your uncle is dead, be ready with a proper payment." Elizabeth gulped. She hadn't told this dark spirit anything about her uncle. "Okay," she said. "I agree." "And you, child?" Ethel didn't look up. "Yes," she said, her voice small. The laughter returned, louder and louder, until Elizabeth was sure Pa would hear it. On and on and on, and when it stopped, the girls ran; their belongings forgotten, they nearly rolled down the hill in their rush, stopping only when they were inside the house. They shook and shook, and Elizabeth thought she would scream. Pa walked into the room. "Say, you girls look like you seen a ghost." His eyes lingered on Elizabeth. "You been sure to bring in that book?"

The following morning, Elizabeth and Ethel were back under the apple tree, watching the road. Elizabeth could hardly sit still; she'd spent the night trying to think of a proper payment for the creature they had summoned and was at a loss. They didn't have money, outside of whatever the house and land were worth. On top of that, she had expected to hear something by now ("Uncle Ernie's been in a car accident; Uncle Ernie's heart gave out; Uncle Ernie's taken ill and it don't look good"). She continued to wonder, until she saw the familiar green jalopy puttering towards the farm. "No," she said. The car pulled up past the scarecrow and out stepped Uncle Ernie, suitcase in hand. He wore that darn flannel shirt she and Ethel had seen him unbutton so many times. She shuddered, and Ethel started to cry. Pa stepped out of the house, and the two men embraced. They chatted a moment. Elizabeth could picture the conversation, even if she couldn't hear it. Where them girls at, Ed? Brought 'em their favorite treat. They both went inside, and Elizabeth slapped her cut hand against the grass. "What was the point of all that, if we're still stuck in the same dang -" She was interrupted by Ethel pulling on her arm and pointing. "Lizzie, look!" Elizabeth did, and flung a hand to her mouth. The old scarecrow had stepped down from its cross and was strutting quite freely toward the house. It stopped at the stump where Pa chopped wood and pulled the axe free. Swinging it over its shoulder, it opened the door and went inside. Elizabeth stared at the house, transfixed, and jumped when she heard a man scream. The scream turned to a shriek, reaching higher and higher, and abruptly stopped. Ethel grabbed Elizabeth. "What we done? What in God's green garden we done?" The door opened again, and out walked the scarecrow, still carrying Pa's axe. Blood covered its chest and head and the axe's blade. It turned to the apple tree, to the girls, and started walking. The screen door slammed open as Pa rushed out, his double-barreled shotgun in hand. He pulled back the hammers and aimed. "You done killed my brother, you dirty sonofabitch!" Both barrels erupted into the scarecrow's back, rocking it forward. Hay filling exploded out of its sides, like a watermelon under an anvil. Elizabeth squeezed Ethel's hand. They'd brought forth evil, but Pa had killed it. Pa had saved them. Laughter filled Elizabeth's ears, same as the day before. Her eyes widened as the scarecrow turned, its sides stitching together to repair the shotgun's damage. Elizabeth watched her father stumble and yell as the scarecrow brought its axe down on him. "No!" Elizabeth and her sister began screaming. The scarecrow swung again and again and again, until their father was little more than pieces of meat. It dropped the axe, and the girls rushed forward. "This wasn't our deal!" Elizabeth yelled. Ethel dropped next to their mutilated father, wailing. "Only Uncle Ernie was 'sposed to die!" The scarecrow turned to her. "I assured Uncle Ernie's death, child." Its voice was the same as the one they'd heard yesterday. "No other guarantees were made." Elizabeth stared at him, open-mouthed, speechless. "My end of the bargain is complete. I will claim my payment." Ethel continued sobbing. Elizabeth tried to choke back tears. "What you want?" The scarecrow folded its arms. "You were to be ready." Elizabeth gulped. "Take Uncle Ernie's jalopy, then. Or our house. Don't need no house without Pa." Ethel held her late father's head against her chest, rocking and moaning. "Mortal acquisitions do little to sway my dark heart." The scarecrow stepped forward, axe raised, and a stain spread across the lower half of Elizabeth's dress. "Pay now, kind girls. I'll wait no longer." Ethel, her father's head still pressed against her chest, looked up and pointed a trembling finger at Elizabeth. "You done this!" Elizabeth glared. "Hush, Ethel." Ethel stomped her foot on the ground. "Take her, demon! This was her idea! Just take her away!" Elizabeth's jaw dropped, and a gloved hand closed around her hair. "That's a fine idea." Elizabeth reached back, prying at the fingers. "You can't do this! It was me done made a deal with you! Me!" "Child," the scarecrow said, laughter hanging around its words, "you both gave of your blood." Elizabeth's heart caught in her throat. She reached for her sister. "Ethel! Ethel, stop him!" But Ethel was back to staring at the remains of her father, fresh tears flowing. That cackling laughter returned, and the scarecrow dragged Elizabeth away from the house and out of sight as she screamed for her sister.

#FICTION on the WEB short stories

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College basketball wishes happy retirement to Tom Konchalski, revered inside the sport but unknown beyond

Legendary scout Tom Konchalski was standing alongside one of the many basketball courts stuffed inside the Sewall Center on the campus of Robert Morris University. He was easy to spot. It might be a challenge to locate him in a crowd of players, but among the few reporters congregating to watch the action at the Five-Star Basketball Camp, someone standing 6-6 was certain to tower above the crowd.

Konchalski stood above other scouts figuratively, as well. Few ever have had the same eye for talent, for what it is that separates a good high school basketball player from a great college basketball prospect. Hall of Fame coaches sought his opinion. All-Star players recalled how he discovered them.

MORE: Clearing up misconceptions about new NIL rules for student-athletes

On that day in July 2000, I was visiting Pittsburgh along with my wife to spend a few days with family and friends. She was out shopping with her sister and our niece, so I had an afternoon to sneak out to the Five-Star Basketball Camp and take in the hoop scene. But I only had the afternoon. We were meeting later for dinner, and missing was not an option.

“You have to see this young man, LeBron James,” Konchalski said to me as I squeezed in next to him.

“Really? OK, when does he play? What court?”

“He doesn’t play again until tonight. You HAVE to see him,” he said.

The urgency with which he issued this declaration made it clear I was going to be missing something extraordinary, even historic. It was like being told by The New York Times theater critic that you had to get to a performance of “Hamilton,” at the Public Theater, before it got to Broadway and everyone discovered it.

Even that many years ago, however, I’d been married long enough to understand an afternoon hall pass expired when the afternoon was over. Konchalski seemed almost defeated. He knew how I’d have appreciated that moment.

Now 73, Konchalski is retiring from his life’s work of publishing the HSBI Report, the scouting service to which most every major college basketball coach subscribed, and which has carried him on a journey across more than 40 years and thousands of miles, not one of which he has driven.

A native New Yorker, Konchalski never owned a car, using public transportation for much of his travels. He also never bothered learning to use a computer and doesn’t carry a cell phone. He composed his scouting reports using a typewriter. He compiles them for coaches to peruse, and employ, not for public distribution.

“Tom is one of the best and smartest human beings on this planet,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski told Sporting News. “His instant recall of players, coaches, games and events is unmatched. He helped thousands of players get the opportunity to play college basketball at all levels. Every youngster that he talked about was important. With the Five-Star Basketball Camp, Tom and Howard Garfinkel created an experience for players and coaches that will not be duplicated. Tom is a true gift to the game of basketball.

Konchalski  fell in love with the game watching Connie Hawkins in the late 1950s and completed his last reports in a year that will produce such future stars as Cade Cunningham and B.J. Boston. In between he scouted Michael Jordan, who currently is being celebrated in “The Last Dance,” an epic-length documentary series on ESPN. Jordan got into one Five-Star Camp session on Konchalski’s recommendation and wound up as the best player there. 

“Tom Konchalski is one of the most kind and sincere souls in basketball,” Villanova coach Jay Wright told Sporting News. “He truly lived for others, always revering the great players, respecting every player. I think he is the most honest and precise evaluator of talent ever. One of a kind, never to be matched.”

Early in Konchalski’s career, he helped Tennessee find Ernie Grunfeld and Bernard King in New York City. The “Ernie and Bernie Show” remains one of the most revered periods in the history of Vols basketball, delivering an SEC championship in 1977 and five victories in six tries against SEC power Kentucky. It was not long after that success, in 1979, that Konchalski chose to leave his job as a schoolteacher and scout full time for Howard Garfinkel, the originator of the Five-Star camps who owned HSBI. Konchalski subsequently purchased the service from the man known to all of basketball as “Garf” and continued until now.

MORE: SN staff picks best high school basketball players they ever saw

Hofstra coach Joe Mihalich told Sporting News he followed Konchalski’s work, “Only for like 40 years! I am so sad. There may be more scouting services, but there will never be another Tom Konchalski. He is an icon, and truly loved by the entire basketball world. This is the end of an era.”

For the past decade or so, basketball writer Adam Zagoria has been Konchalski’s “chauffeur and roommate,” mostly at the annual Nike EYBL at the Peach Jam tournament in North Augusta, S.C.

Those are long days, with four to six games occurring simultaneously and often running from 9 a.m. well into prime time. Konchalski is so respected that Zagoria often would find himself frustrated by the mere act of trying to leave the community center gymnasium when the games were complete.

“It’s 11 o’clock at the end of the day and you want to go out and get some food … and it takes an added 30 minutes because everybody wants to talk to him with him and spend some time with him,” Zagoria told SN. “I’m not going to lie: That gets a little frustrating.

“Last year in the parking lot, we ran into Jamal Mashburn. He was there to watch his son. Jamal’s face lit up when he saw Tom, couldn’t have been happier to see him and shake his hand. So we spent another 10-15 minutes standing in the dark, listening to Jamal talk about how Tom first scouted him and was one of the first people to evaluate him.”

Konchalski owns an astonishing memory of the players he scouted; players who’d been in his reports would tell stories about how, even decades later, he would recognize them and immediately rattle off what school they’d attended and some of their old teammates.

He also owns an encyclopedic knowledge of the game. When returning last winter from the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Mass., a three-day tournament for top high school teams, Konchalski and Zagoria stopped at a diner and began to discuss where this past season’s Montverde Academy team, featuring Cunningham and Florida State-bound Scottie Barnes, would rank among the best high school teams ever.

Konchalski told Zagoria the three best high school teams ever were the Power Memorial teams featuring Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Lew Alcindor) from 1963 to 1965. He also cited the Power Memorial’s 1970 team with Len Elmore, Jap Trimble and Ed Searcy, the early 1980s Baltimore Dunbar teams featuring Reggie Williams, Muggsy Bogues and David Wingate, and the 1989 Jersey City St. Anthony’s team that included Bobby Hurley, Terry Dehere and Jerry Walker.

Zagoria thought that was worth sharing with the world, so he put Konchalski’s thoughts on Twitter.

Almost immediately, Zagoria received a response from Oak Hill Academy coach Steve Smith, eager to learn where the best Oak Hill teams might fit into that discussion. When Konchalski spoke, the basketball world was listening.  

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Between the Lines: How Ernie Barnes Went from the Football Field to the Art Gallery Written by Sandra Neil Wallace and Illustrated by Bryan Collier Published in 2018 by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers ISBN 978-1-4814-4387-6 Grades K-5

“Ernest looked around his neighborhood. It no longer appeared ordinary. In the movement of every football play…in the explosion of a kickoff..in the swivel and swerves of game action, he saw beauty.” In this picture book biographic tribute to Ernie Barnes, Between the Lines introduces young readers to the man, the artist, and the athlete in equal measure. The book begins with Ernie as a young boy growing up in North Carolina in the 1940s where he made mud paintings in his backyard after it rained. His childhood motivations to draw came from his lived reality –the junk man peddling hubcaps, families walking home from church, the old man snoring on the green sofa in the vacant lot. While he preferred to have “drawing hands” not baseball or football hands, he grew to be 6’3” and the local football coach recruited him to his high school team. The trials and tribulations of Ernie’s football career leading to the NFL and AFL are explained by former sportscaster Sandra Neil Wallace. Her writing provides enough detail to support readers to understand that Barnes’ life path was as looped and crossed as his early lines in the mud. What comes across most to readers is Barnes’s steadfast pursuit of his craft and his ability to affirm the beauty that surrounded him whether he was sketching the movements of his fellow players or flowers that grew in cracked sidewalks. Fans of Bryan Collier’s work will recognize his signature watercolor and collage illustrations which incorporate a variety of perspectives and textures to further support readers to understand the hope and struggle that Wallace’s words convey. The actual art of Ernie Barnes is intentionally incorporated into the illustrations to introduce readers to the exaggerated figures and expressive movement that Barnes was best known for without compromising Collier’s signature style. Extensive back matter includes a historical note, author’s note, illustrator’s note, and quote sources and includes further explanation about Barnes’s influence on the art world and the Black is Beauty cultural movement. Between the Lines is a powerful read aloud selection to support young people to know that our identities are fluid and never singular and that beauty can be found in our own realities.

Teaching Ideas: Invitations for Your Classroom

Affirming Beauty through Art: Duet Model. Ernest Barnes used art as a means to paint his reality, but also to affirm beauty in everyday life around him. He became known for his dynamic paintings of sports, particularly the ways he captured the beauty and grace of football. But, he was also known for the ways he captured the beauty of daily life with paintings of playground scenes and dance halls. Explore with students how Ernie came to view the world this way by looking back at the scene between Ernest and his art teacher, Mr. Wilson. Extend your students’ thinking by comparing Between the Lines with Maybe Something Beautiful, a fictional story based on the muralist Rafael Lopez. In what ways do both books affirm beauty found in everyday life? One book is written as a picture book biography, the other is fictionalized. Which reading do students enjoy more? Why? Support students to affirm beauty in their own neighborhoods through art by providing a variety of art materials to choose from including watercolor, collage, murals, photography, or even video creation.

Self-Taught Artists: Duet Model. Pair Between the Lines with A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin by the author-illustrator team Jen Bryant and Melissa Sweet. Both men were self-taught artists at different times during the 20th century. In what ways were their life stories similar? How were they different? What inspiration did both men find in their lives to create art? What are people your students know that are self-taught in a particular skill? Have your students used Youtube, other media, or books to teach themselves things like video game strategies, how to code, or how to learn an instrument? Have a conversation with students about what they can do to teach themselves things they want to learn using Ernie Barnes and Horace Pippin as models.

The Significance of Setting: Civil Rights and America’s Segregated South. Explore with students the ways the Civil Rights Movement and the position of African Americans throughout Ernest’s life influenced his life trajectory. For example, we learn in the beginning of the book, that Ernest’s Mama was a housekeeper who did not feel welcome in museums. By the time Ernest is in college, the Civil Rights Movement was breaking down barriers and he could visit the local museum but still paintings by African American artists were notably absent. Later in the story, Ernie reads “I Am A Negro” by Paul R. Williams which stirs in him his longing to be an artist. Discuss with students whether or in what ways they think Barnes’s life story would be different if he were a young person today.

Theme Study: Courageous Life Choices. The English word courage comes from the French word corage and the Latin cor meaning heart. Share with students this etymology and ask them how did Barnes live whole-heartedly. Throughout his life, Barnes had to make choices about what to pursue and how to direct his life. Discuss with students the various acts of courage Barnes displayed in the book and whether they would have made the same life choices. Courage is often instilled in us thanks to the support of others. Discuss the importance of Mama and Mr. Wilson, Barnes’s art teacher, in supporting him to be courageous and confident in his life pursuits. Who are the people in your students’ lives that support them to be courageous?  Then, ask your students how they themselves live whole-heartedly even when faced by things that scare them or they find difficult.

Who Am I? Who Are You? Human Library Exploration. Barnes’s story shows us that we are never one thing. We all play multiple roles and have multiple identities. He was not an artist or a football player. He was both. He was also a son, a teammate, and a student. Explore with students the many identities Barnes had that are explained in the book. Then have students create “character profiles” of themselves where they write or sketch the multiple roles and identities they have possibly including: son, daughter, brother, sister, friend, sports player, card collector, animal lover, etc. You may want to extend this exploration further by creating a “Human Library” event to encourage students to shatter stereotypes they have about one another by engaging in face to face conversation that encourages students to share parts of themselves others may not know. The “Human Library” is an international movement that began in Denmark in 2000 and is now held in more than 70 countries.

Painting Mud: Sensory Art Experiences.  On the first page of the book, readers are introduced to Ernest as a boy who loved the North Carolina rain for the opportunity it provided to paint in the mud with a stick. This simple sensory experience launched his love of art. Revisit this page with students and note the ways Sandra Neil Wallace describes Ernest’s mud painting: “He drew straight lines and curved lines. Looped lines and crossed lines. Lines that kept moving, past his father’s new picket fence and onto Willard Street.” (unpaged). Invite students to reenact this scene, by creating their own mud paintings following a rainy day. Encourage students to create their own kinds of lines and then have them step back and view their paintings at-large. Discuss with the class what they thought of the experience and how they could paint with mud, snow, or sand in the future as a way to release their imaginations. If you are unable to take students outside to paint in the mud, consider creating a small sensory bin filled with wet dirt to allow students to engage in the sensory experience that launches the book.

Visual Study. It’s noted in the book that Ernest never sold the painting titled The Bench. Project an image of The Bench for students to visually analyze starting by first naming what they see. What is the story the painting tells? What personal associations do students have? What do they wonder? What do they notice about Barnes’s use of color, layout, and line choices to create a sense of movement or anticipation inherent to football? Engage students in a discussion about why they think that Barnes never sold The Bench. Conduct a simple Google image search to project other artworks by Barnes such as the Sugar Shack which was featured in the closing of the 1970s television show Good Times. Have students select a favorite image for further study by answering some of the same questions to deepen their visual analysis. Invite students to try to draw a scene from their own lives using Barnes’s signature techniques. You may want to go on a neighborhood walk like Barnes did to find everyday scenes to capture through art.

Mixed Media Art Study and Exploration. Gather other books illustrated by Bryan Collier including Dave the Potter by Laban Carrick Hill; I Too, Am America by Langston Hughes; Rosa by Nikki Giovanni; Barack Obama by Nikki Grimes, and Uptown which he also wrote. Support students to simply immerse themselves in his illustrations noticing the ways he uses watercolor and collage to create various effects. Then, provide students with watercolors and collage materials for them to create their own scene about something in their own lives or something from their imaginations.

*Picture Book Biography Genre Study: Artists’ Stories. Many wonderful picture book biographies of artists have been published in the last few years. Gather together a collection of picture book biographies of artists (the listing below from The Classroom Bookshelf will get you started). Read the books with your students and closely examine the choices that the biographers have made about text and illustration. Which aspects of their subjects’ lives have they chosen to highlight? Do they focus more on the childhood or adult life of the artist? How are the artists’ mentors, inspirations, commitments, and styles presented? When examining the illustrations, discuss how the art of the picture book biography enhances the reader’s’ understandings of the artists’ lives and work. You might find it particularly interesting to note how the artists’ works are depicted in the book. Are they reproductions of the actual works or are they illustrators’ representations?

*African American Artists: Text Set Exploration. Learn more about Ernest Barnes and other renowned African American artists through a text set that focuses on African American Artists. Begin with artists specifically mentioned in Between the Lines: Henry O. Tanner, Edmonia Lewis, and Palmer Hayden. Examine examples of their work and seek out additional biographical information through an online investigation. Next, gather picture book biographies of other African American artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Horace Pippin, David Drake, Jacob Lawrence, Ashley Bryan, Clementine Hunter, Augusta Savage, and Benny Andrews (see the Further Explorations section below for titles and seek out additional titles from your local libraries). Compare the artists’ life stories and their art, considering the historical context of the work, their influences, their challenges, and their accomplishments.  Consider asking students to work in small groups to research an artist, creating a presentation to share their findings with their classmates.

Critical Literacy

Diversity Gap Study of Museums. When Barnes was in college, he visited a museum and asked where the paintings were by African Americans. The art guide responded, “Your people don’t express themselves that way.” Support students to share their responses to this moment in the text. In what ways does this statement reveal prejudices of the segregated South at the time? Would anyone still hear statements like that today? Then, engage upper elementary students with an inquiry into whose art gets displayed in museums. Research with students the permanent collections of well-known national and international museums. If available, go on a field trip to a local museum to notice and wonder about whose work is valued and why.

African American Art: Appropriation and Agency. Pair Between the Lines with the middle grade novel The Harlem Charade about art, adventure, and activism. Investigate the collections from museums of African American art (see Further Explorations below). What do the galleries have in common? What are their expressed missions? Who supports and funds them? Whose art is displayed there? How do these galleries compare in terms of size, scope, mission, and artistic reputation with “larger” and more well known museums, such as the Met or the Smithsonian? If you and your students are not near NYC, use this also as an opportunity to look at the ways that local artists are showcased where you live. Where are the museum and galleries in your town or county? Extend this study by considering the ways African American art have been “discovered” and appropriated such as the Gee’s Bend Quiltmakers. In what ways did they hold on to their agency? Compare this to Ernie Barnes’s agency in what became of his artistic works.

#2018 #between the lines: how ernie barnes went from the football field to the art gallery #ernie barnes #sandra neil wallace #bryan collier #simon and schuster #books #art #black art #black artists #black literature #black lit #literature #lit #young adult #ya

[biofunmy]

What They Left Behind: Toons, the Snurfer and ‘Macho Man’

Obituaries in The New York Times give account of the lives of the people around us — what they accomplished and how they lived — and reading them can be an exercise in discovering, or rediscovering, the marvelous things they left behind.

Here is a sampling of such legacies from recent weeks.

A World of Color

Carlos Cruz-Diez luxuriated in color. His installations, light constructions and paintings were suffused with rich hues that brought viewers into what this Venezuelan artist called “chromatic situations.” His work appeared on the hull of a ship, an airport floor, a Los Angeles crosswalk. He was one of Latin America’s most important artists in the second half of the 20th century and beyond.

An Early Snowboard

Sherm Poppen worked in the welding supply business, but it was by joining two pieces of wood that he made his most lasting mark. To entertain his rambunctious daughters on a snowy Christmas Day, he bolted together two of their child-size skis to create a stand-up board that they could use to surf the snowy sand dunes behind their lakeside cottage. Thus was born the “Snurfer,” which in a later incarnation developed by others became the snowboard.

A Photograph

Barbara Crane was a photographer whose eye transformed the ordinary — an apartment building, a scene of party chitchat, a fire escape — into an abstract image. Her work could evoke a spectrum of sensations, from the playful to the ominous. Over a 70-year career, she focused on Chicago, with one of her best-known series named after the Loop.

A Song

The name of the song is unprintable here, but the award is not: It’s called an Emmy, and Katreese Barnes won two of them. One was for a risqué parody of an R&B song that became a viral internet hit while she was musical director for “Saturday Night Live.” She and another musician wrote the music for the number, featuring Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg. But she did far more in her career than write that one song. She played keyboards and alto saxophone, sang, composed, produced and worked with major stars, including Roberta Flack, Sting and Chaka Khan.

A Disco Sensation

It was late one night at the Anvil, a gay nightclub in Manhattan’s West Village. Henry Belolo, a music producer, and his business partner noticed a bartender wearing a headdress and loincloth and another patron in cowboy garb. “We said, ‘My God, look at those characters.’ So we started to fantasize on what were the characters of America. The mix, you know, of the American man.” They ultimately dreamed up the Village People, a disco group whose members represented a sailor, a police officer, a cowboy, an American Indian, a biker and a construction worker. Nothing screams 1979 more joyously than their songs “Macho Man” and “Y.M.C.A.”

A Poem

The path to a child’s mind and heart, Lee Bennett Hopkins believed, was through poetry. He published scores of anthologies of verse directed at young readers. But he also wrote poems himself. One of them goes:

It’s poem o’clock.

Time for a rhyme —

tick-tock

ding-dong

bing-bong

or

chime.

Poems are

wistful

wish-filled

sublime —

Come.

Unlock a minute

for

poetry time.

An Installation

Nancy Reddin Kienholz, working closely with her husband, the sculptor Edward Kienholz, scoured junk shops and flea markets to harvest materials for elaborate installations and tableaux. The works were jarring, sometimes disturbing and often focused on society’s troubling issues — child abuse, sexism and racism.

Toons

The movie “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” released in 1988, drew on the traditions of film noir, but it broke new ground by mingling live actors with animated characters on the screen. The animated folk, some established and some new, were known in the movie’s universe as toons, and the man credited with their “performances” was Richard Williams. He received a special Oscar and shared another for visual effects.

An Illustrated 9/11

The comic book artist Ernie Colón drew Richie Rich and a warrior princess named Amethyst, but he stepped out of that mode to illustrate an adaptation of “The 9/11 Commission Report.” It became a best seller.

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Black History: Special Delivery!!

Artist Bisa Butler brings together a multiplicity of quilts from patterned fabrics to display of people from all walks of life. Bisa Butler was born in Orange, NJ. She was the youngest of four siblings. Her artistic talents became apparent early. At age four she won a blue ribbon in the Plainfield Sidewalk art competition. At age five, she was named the “artist of the month” at her nursery school.

Butler currently lives in West Orange, New Jersey and works in Newark Public Schools as an art teacher. She graduated Cum Laude from Howard University with a bachelors degree in fine arts. Her talents were honed under educators such as Lois Mailou Jones, Elizabeth Catlett, and Ernie Barnes. She also closely studied the works for Romare Bearden, Faith Ringgold, and Henry O. Tanner.  While pursuing her Master’s degree she took a fiber arts class that further ignited her artistic expression. After completing the class she made a quilt for her grandmother who was dying. The quilt depicted an old photograph of her grandparent from a photo booth.

As a child, she grew up watching and learning from her grandmother how to sew. After the class and making her first quilt has been “quilting ever since”. Her quilts are breathtaking in their use of color, texture, and presence as well as in their display of people in everyday walks of life. Her work has been displayed at the Smithsonian Museum of American History and Walt Disney World’s Epcot Center. Her work expresses a sense of heritage, beauty, and essence. Her quilting focuses on images of black people. She often groups figures together often using a silhouette technique. Butler has shared that she has always been drawn to portraiture. As a child, she would pour over family albums with her grandmother. Butler was drawn to the stories behind those photos. She often begins her pieces with black and white photos as inspiration to tell a story.

Quilting has become her primary medium for artistic expression. Her quilts weave narratives of expression. Today we celebrate her creativity!

Sources:

https://www.blckprism.com/black-artist/bisa-butler

https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2019/02/colorful-quilts-by-bisa-butler/

https://blavity.com/gorgeous-quilts-celebrating-black-life-will-blow-mind

  Bisa Bulter: African American Artist Who Creates As A Form Of Narrative Expression Black History: Special Delivery!! Artist Bisa Butler brings together a multiplicity of quilts from patterned fabrics to display of people from all walks of life.

#Bisa Butler #Black History #Black History Month #Howard University #Quilt #Quilter #Quilting #Womens History

[medproish]

Kevin Love has done nicely pitching in to help LeBron James and the Cavs in Game 2 against the Raptors. (Frank Gunn/AP)

Follow along with live coverage of tonight’s Game 2s. This post will update frequently. Catch up on Wednesday’s games here.

Eight straight points to start the third quarter for the Cavaliers. Four fouls for Kyle Lowry. It’s safe to say the start of the second half did not go the way the Raptors would’ve liked.

A timeout less than two minutes into the second half by Toronto Coach Dwane Casey is what the Raptors hope will stop the bleeding, but this is the doomsday scenario for the home team: down 0-1 in the series, giving Cleveland no resistance at all defensively and looking tight.

That needs to change soon, or else.

The Raptors had a great first half. They shot 25-for-42 (58.5 percent) from the field and 7-for-14 (50 percent) from three-point range. They had 14 assists on 25 baskets. They got 29 points on combined 11-for-16 shooting from Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan.

And, with all of those positive markers in their favor, the Raptors only led the Cavaliers by two at halftime.

That’s a big problem for Toronto.

Already down 1-0 in the series after falling apart late in Game 1, Toronto simply can’t afford to head to Cleveland for Game 3 Saturday trailing 2-0 in this best-of-seven affair. Yet, at this point, it feels like that is the most likely outcome.

Kevin Love finally broke out in the first half for Cleveland, scoring 18 points, more than in all but one game in these playoffs so far, while LeBron James had 16 points and seven assists. But Cleveland is just 3-for-12 from three-point range, a number that feels like it has to increase in the Cavaliers’ favor.

The New York Knicks agreed to hire David Fizdale as their next head coach, multiple sources confirmed.

Fizdale, whose hiring was first reported by ESPN, replaces Jeff Hornacek, who was let go last month after two seasons. Hornacek never had a chance in New York, spending his first season working under Phil Jackson and his second under new general manager Scott Perry.

Fizdale will now come into the job with the full support of the current regime, which has openly discussed a full-scale rebuild with Kristaps Porzingis recovering from a torn ACL, a rookie guard to develop in Frank Ntilikina and with a high pick in this year’s draft to come.

That is the kind of organizational buy-in that Fizdale was undoubtedly looking for following his first head coaching job, with the Memphis Grizzlies, ended earlier this season after his relationship with Grizzlies star Marc Gasol disintegrated and the organization sided with its longtime star player.

Fizdale, 43, was one of the league’s most highly regarded assistants for years, working under Erik Spoelstra with the Miami Heat. He formed close relationships with stars like Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, and received unequivocal backing and support from Spoelstra both before and after he left Miami.

After five straight years without a playoff berth, the Knicks will be hoping Fizdale can finally be the coach to lift them out of what has been close to two decades of near-constant futility.

The Cavaliers have been waiting for the version of Kevin Love they got early on in Game 2 against the Raptors.

Love may not have been particularly efficient in his 12-minute stint in the first quarter, but he was aggressive, and Cleveland will gladly take aggressive. Battling a thumb injury throughout most of these playoffs, Love has not looked like his usual all-star self.

He began Game 2 going 4-for-9, scoring 10 points to go with three boards. That surpassed the seven points Love scored in Game 1, the fourth time finished in single digits this postseason.

The Cavaliers have been waiting for Love to get into a groove. Perhaps his start to Game 2 will serve as the beginning of it finally happening.

The Celtics have managed to survive — and, at times, thrive — in these NBA playoffs despite missing Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward throughout. Jaylen Brown also sat for part of a Game 7 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, and all of their Game 1 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.

So how are they doing it? Because their remaining, healthy star, Al Horford, is doing the one thing in these playoffs that he has spent so much of his time in his NBA career not doing: scoring.

Horford has carved out a successful career as a five-time all-star — first with the Atlanta Hawks, before signing as a free agent with the Celtics two years ago — by operating as a big man who can do anything that’s asked of him. He’s an excellent passer. He’s a capable shooter out beyond the three-point arc. He’s one of the smartest defensive players in the league, capable of switching onto just about any offensive player and making a scheme work.

But, throughout it all, Horford has rarely taken on a large burden when it comes to scoring. In the 92 playoff games Horford played during his first nine trips to the postseason, he scored 20 or more points 13 times — and 25 or more just twice.

In eight playoff games this season, Horford has already scored more than 20 points four times — including matching his playoff career-high of 26 points twice.

So often, what hasn’t been asked of Horford is to score. Instead, it’s been to do everything else that’s necessary to help his team win. But with Hayward and Irving out, and the Celtics relying on a young supporting cast to try to advance deep into the postseason, Boston Coach Brad Stevens has called on Horford to become a the typical scoring threat that max players are at this time of year.

Horford has responded, and the Celtics are still playing because of it.

Schedule, results and channel:

Cavaliers at Raptors, 6 p.m., ESPN

76ers at Celtics, 8:30 p.m., TNT

Additional reading:

Meek Mill will reportedly watch Sixers in Boston with 76ers’ owner

Get ready for more Stephen A. Smith: ESPN is expanding his role during the NBA playoffs

Donovan Mitchell on dunk vs. Rockets: ‘I just happened to be up there’

The Wizards quietly gave GM Ernie Grunfeld a contract extension last fall. Now he faces a tricky offseason.

Dragging these flawed Cavs to the NBA Finals would be LeBron James’s most remarkable feat

Steph Curry comes off bench to vault Warriors to 2-0 lead; Raptors lost a game they had to win

Breaking: LeBron James finally gets called for a lane violation on a free throw

Draymond Green invites Charles Barkley to punch him or else shut up. Or possibly both.

Global Ambassador starts war! Drake and Kendrick Perkins skirmish in Toronto!

NBA Podcast: USA Today’s Sam Amick on the West playoffs, what’s next for Paul George and Portland

The banged-up Celtics aren’t as talented as the Sixers. They didn’t need to be in Game 1.

Why is there a snake on the Philadelphia 76ers’ court?

‘A leader should say that’: Paul Pierce loved John Wall’s comments about Wizards teammates

Impressive as it was, the Pacers’ Victor Oladipo isn’t satisfied with his breakout season

For once, LeBron James’s supporting cast makes all the difference for Cavaliers

John Wall wants the Wizards to overhaul their roster. They likely won’t be able to.

Friday’s loss is likely just the beginning of a painful summer for the Oklahoma City Thunder

The Miami Heat bet big on Hassan Whiteside. It appears they made a mistake. Now what?

The one-and-done rule is on the way out — because of NBA money, not NCAA morals

It feels like the end of an era for the San Antonio Spurs

After first-round sweep, Blazers’ next steps could include trading away their stars

‘All my best games I was medicated’: Matt Barnes on his game-day use of marijuana

Adam Silver: One of the WNBA’s problems is that not enough young women pay attention to it

‘Get off her back’: LeBron James defends TNT reporter who asked him about Erin Popovich’s death

NBA, Twitch reach deal on 2K League streaming rights

Comment Q&A

Hop into the comments section below to chat with The Post’s Tim Bontemps about all of your NBA questions.

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[janeaddamspeace]

Jacqueline Woodson, newly named 2018 Wilder Winner, Calls for the End of the Label "Struggling Reader" #JACBA Newsletter 16Feb2018

Stop Using the Label 'Struggling Reader,' Author Jacqueline Woodson Advises

Woodson: Any kind of qualifier can be harmful because who we are is not static. Our abilities are constantly changing. What does it mean to be a struggling reader? I know if I was raised in this day and age, I would have been labeled a struggling reader. But what I know now is I was actually reading like a writer. I was reading slowly and deliberately and deconstructing language, not in the sense of looking up words in the dictionary, but understanding from context. I was constantly being compared to my sister who excelled, and it made me feel insecure. What gets translated is 'you are not as good,' and that gets translated into our whole bodies. That's where the danger lies.

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Each Kindness written by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by E.B. Lewis 2013 Awardee

From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun by Jacqueline Woodson 1996 Awardee

I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This by Jacqueline Woodson 1995 Awardee

ALA Awards: Jacqueline Woodson wins 2018 Wilder Award

Jacqueline Woodson is the winner of the 2018 Laura Ingalls Wilder Award honoring an author or illustrator, published in the United States, whose books have made a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children. Her numerous works include "Brown Girl Dreaming" and "After Tupac & D Foster."

"From picture books through novels for young teens to her exquisite memoir in poetry, Jacqueline Woodson has established herself as an eloquent voice in contemporary children's literature," said Wilder Award Committee Chair Rita Auerbach.

If children's literature today addresses themes of racism, sexuality, and class; if previously invisible characters have come to the fore; if different voices are now heard; if more children see themselves and others in books, look to Jacqueline Woodson as a prime-mover. For over 25 years, in elegant poetry and prose, she has courageously explored issues once ignored and nurtured her readers' self-esteem and empathy.

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ALA Awards: Larry Dane Brimner wins 2018 Sibert Medal

Larry Dane Brimner, author of "Twelve Days in May: Freedom Ride 1961," was named the winner of the 2018 Robert F. Sibert Medal for the most distinguished informational book for children published in 2017.

"Twelve Days in May: Freedom Ride 1961" is published by Calkins Creek, an imprint of Highlights. In 1961 on the seventh anniversary of the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling, 13 freedom riders boarded two buses in Washington D.C. bound for New Orleans. The riders were willing to risk their lives to challenge illegal Jim Crow practices on interstate buses and in bus terminals.

"Spare text, bold graphics and arresting photos combine to take young readers on a 12-day journey through the Jim Crow American south of 1961," said Sibert Medal Committee Chair Tali Balas.

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We Are One: The Story of Bayard Rustin by Larry Dane Brimner 2008 Awardee

Birmingham Sunday by Larry Dane Brimner 2011 Awardee

ALA Awards: Eloise Greenfield is the 2018 recipient of the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement

"Eloise Greenfield is a trailblazer whose extraordinary books of poetry and prose have influenced many and continue to resonate with children today. Her rich body of work inspires and enriches readers," said Award Committee Chair Deborah D. Taylor.

Early in life, [Greenfield] discovered a love of reading and writing and realized there were few books that showed the fullness of African American life. She published her first book in 1972 and went on to write and publish more than 40 books. From "Honey, I Love" to "The Great Migration," this multiple award-winning author has captivated audiences through the years.

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Paul Robeson by Eloise Greenfield 1976 Awardee

Pierre TechnoKids to compete in World Championships

The Pierre Techno Kids, who compete in the FIRST LEGO League, will see competition at the FIRST Tech Challenge World Championships in Detroit on April 25-28. The teams create LEGO Mindstorms robots to help them complete these tasks. Teams compete in four areas, including a robot game that sees the robot complete a series of tasks in two and a half minutes without outside assistance. The other three area include core values robot design, and project.

The real world problem that teams were given this year was hydrodynamics, or in other words, the finding, transporting and use of water. According to Techno Kids coach Carolyn Ryckman, the team was inspired by the book "The Long Walk to Water" by Linda Sue Park, in which a girl in Sudan spends eight hours a day carrying water for her family. The solution that the Techno Kids developed was using drones to carry water to people in need.

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Newbery Medal-winner Linda Sue Park to speak at Bridgewater College

Children's and young adult literature author Linda Sue Park, winner of the 2002 Newbery Medal for her book, A Single Shard, will present a public lecture at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21, in the Carter Center for Worship and Music at Bridgewater College.

She has written numerous picture books and novels for children and young adults, including the Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year, When My Name Was Keoko, and Project Mulberry, which won the Chicago Tribune Young Adult Fiction Prize. Her most-recent titles are A Long Walk to Water (a novel from Clarion Books) that received the Jane Addams Children's Book Award; and more.

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A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story by Linda Sue Park 2011 Awardee

When My Name Was Keoko by Linda Sue Park 2003 Awardee

LI exhibitions shine light on black experience, artistry

Hofstra University is showcasing the work of artist Romare Bearden in a series titled 'Odysseus Suite.' Patchogue Arts Council is exhibiting the works of more than a dozen African-American artists.

The works are varied and include a detailed quilt by artist Faith Ringgold titled, "Tar Beach," which depicts a black family on the roof of their Brooklyn apartment on a summer night.

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Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky by Faith Ringgold 1993 Awardee

Civil rights icon Ruby Bridges inspires thousands with speech on values

Ruby Bridges, the "youngest foot soldier" of the Civil Rights movement, delivered the Presidential Colloquium to a crowd of over 2,000 people at Smith College on Friday, Feb. 2.

Dana Warren, a fourth grader from Westhampton Elementary School, was responsible for Bridges speaking at the college. After reading Bridges' autobiography "Through My Eyes," in the second grade, Warren was immediately inspired by Bridges' story and what it represented.

Hoping that others would be able to hear Bridges' message, Warren wrote to Smith College President Kathleen McCartney asking her to "help achieve her dream."

After listening to the speech she helped organize, Warren said "it was "amazing" to meet Ruby Bridges, and hear her story "literally through her eyes."

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Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges 2000 Awardee

Start the year of the dog off with young adult social justice books

Lion Island by Margarita Engle

Through a series of poems, Engle tells the story of Antonio Chuffat, an Afro-Cuban whose youth was shaped by the struggle for independence and freedom of expression, and specifically against forced labor.

Margarita's verse novel elegantly sketches the young protagonists' personalities, fears and dreams. Antonio is entrusted to carry dangerous messages; indeed, his father hides runaways among his cuadrillas (work gangs). Yet his friend, Wing, runs away to take up guns with the Resistance. Fan had to run away from home to take her singing role and her father takes a local woman as a wife. The young people ponder their cultural identities, especially when lacking opportunities to further their Chinese or other language studies.

Margarita's compelling story inspires further research, and she ends by including sources for young people and adults. To place the experiences of nineteenth century Chinese diaspora in this broader context complicates yet also makes Asian American identity more whole.

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Silver People: Voices from the Panama Canal by Margarita Engle 2015 Awardee

The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle 2009 Awardee

'Love' and other best children's and YA books to read this month

Go ahead and judge Between the Lines (Simon & Schuster, ages 4 to 8) by its wonderful cover. Rightfully front and center is the picture book's subject - football player turned artist Ernie Barnes - handsomely wrought by illustrator Bryan Collier. Barnes is flanked by a football scene on one side and by Collier's version of "Sugar Shack," Barnes's most famous painting, on the other.

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Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. written by Doreen Rappaport with artwork by Bryan Collier 2002 Awardee

Dear Match Book: Poems for Young Readers

Stretch the Rules: Once you've played with some words you'll want to master some forms.

And, for a more immediate though no less complex wordplay, turn to Paul Fleischman's exquisite book of read-aloud verse, "Joyful Noise." The insect-themed compositions unfold in rich counterpoint meant for two readers. After exchanging lines of verse while you are apart, I imagine that it will be poetic to hear your voices together.

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Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman 1998 Awardee

A$AP Rocky, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Director Anthony Mandler on Their Sundance Drama 'Monster'

One of the many films to world premiere at this year's Sundance Film Festival was Anthony Mandler's feature film debut, Monster. Adapted from the best-selling novel of the same name by Walter Dean Myers, the film is about a 17 year old honors student and aspiring filmmaker Steve Harmon (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) who ends up being charged with a crime he says he didn't commit. As we jump back and forth between the trial and the time that led him to jail, the audience is asked to decide what kind of man he is - a young black criminal, assumed guilty and labeled a monster, or an innocent?

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Now Is Your Time! The African-American Struggle for Freedom by Walter Dean Myers 1992 Awardee

Patrol: An American Soldier in Vietnam by Walter Dean Myers 2003 Awardee

Unit 4 schools celebrating National African American Parent Involvement Day

Students in Ms. P's class will be studying the work of author/illustrator R. Gregory Christie and creating their own illustrations inspired by his unique style.

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The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth & Harlem's Greatest Bookstore by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie 2016 Awardee

Activism Anthologies and Guides for Young Readers

While activism isn't new, the methods and means available to today's citizens certainly are, as well as the platforms afforded to historically underrepresented people. Here we round up a list of recent and forthcoming titles that bring to the forefront progressive issues, individuals who are fighting for equal rights, and strategy guides for politically motivated young readers.

We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices: Words and Images of Hope Ed. by Cheryl Willis Hudson and Wade Hudson Fifty influential children's book creators, including Jason Reynolds, Jacqueline Woodson, and Kwame Alexander, offer their own responses to the following prompt: "In this divisive world, what shall we tell our children?" via poems, letters, essays, and art.

Shaking Things Up: 14 Women Who Changed the World Ed. by Susan Hood (Jan. 3, HarperCollins). This picture book tells the stories of influential women through history, from Malala Yousafzai to Pura Belpré, and features stories and illustrations by all-female contributors, including Selina Alko, Sophie Blackall, LeUyen Pham, Melissa Sweet, and many more.

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Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909, written by Michelle Markel and illustrated by Melissa Sweet 2014 Awardee

Black History Month: Acclaimed picture book author to talk about segregation, social justice, writing

To mark Black History Month, acclaimed picture book author Carole Boston Weatherford will participate in a couple of free and family-friendly events in the Triangle.

Weatherford, an English professor at Fayetteville State University, has won numerous awards for her picture books, including "Freedom in Congo Square," which was a Caldecott Honor Book last year, and is a New York Times best-selling author. Other books include "Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement," "Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library," "In Your Hands" and "The Legendary Miss Lena Horne."

"Segregation, Social Justice and Civil Rights:" how our history and cultural evolution is shaped by slavery, segregation and social justice.

"Poetry and All That Jazz:" Celebrate the poetry of music and musicians, from North Carolina-born jazz saxophonist John Coltrane to legendary entertainer and activist Lena Horne.

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Birmingham, 1963 by Carole Boston Weatherford 2008 Awardee

How you can celebrate Black History Month...

Every year, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History selects a theme for Black History Month. This year, the theme, African Americans in Times of War, is meant to commemorate the end of World War I.

GIVE A CHILD A GIFT OF A BLACK HISTORY BOOK. One of my favorites, Preaching to the Chickens: The Story of Young John Lewis, by Jabari Asim, celebrates a contemporary hero, Congressman John Lewis.

Another, Minty: The Story of a Young Harriet Tubman by Alan Schroeder, tells the story of the Maryland icon who helped dozens of enslaved people escape through the Underground Railroad (legend says it is hundreds, but at Harriet Tubman Museum (operated by the National Park Service in Church Creek, Maryland) researchers say some of the estimates are too high.

The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist by Cynthia Levinson will motivate young people to activism.

Sit In: How Four Friends Stood Up By Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney will also motivate young people to take on activist roles.

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Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney 2011 Awardee

Sojourner Truth's Step-Stomp Stride, by Andrea Davis Pinkney & Brian Pinkney 2010 Awardee

We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March by Cynthia Levinson 2013 Awardee

We Shall Overcome: The Story of a Song written by Debbie Levy, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton 2014 Awardee

Abilene children's center making history with 'Our Voice' exhibition

An exhibit three years in the making opens Thursday at the National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature, 102 Cedar St.

"Our Voice: Celebrating the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Awards" will run through at least May 19, according to Sujata Shahane, director of education and exhibitions programming at the NCCIL.

The Coretta Scott King Book Awards have been given annually since 1969 to African-American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults for demonstrating African-American culture and values.

Of the 108 illustrated books that have been honored for their illustrations, the exhibit has art, either original or official reproductions, from 100 of them. Of the 38 illustrators who have been honored with the award, the exhibit has work from 33 of them.

"I Too Am American," by Bryan Collier, is part of the "Our Voice" exhibition

The art runs the gamut of oil-based and water-based painted works, computer-generated works, art that is on ceramic tiles and even an illustrated quilt from Faith Ringgold. One of the exhibit's prized pieces is work from South African photographer Peter Magubane, Nelson Mandela's personal photographer.

Many of the exhibits are interactive. Patrons can scan a barcode on works and hear the artists talk about their works.

In addition to the exhibit, there will be presentations by artists Javanka Steptoe and Jerry Pinkney on March 20 and April 5, respectively. Claudette McLinn, chairman of the Coretta Scott King Book Awards Committee for 2017-2019, will be speaking at the NCCIL on March 5.

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Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. written by Doreen Rappaport with artwork by Bryan Collier 2002 Awardee

Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky by Faith Ringgold 1993 Awardee

Hot Day on Abbott Avenue by Karen English, with collage art of Javaka Steptoe 2005 Awardee

Why Christopher Paul Curtis writes best from a place of fear

Curtis: I find the writing goes best for me if I try to replicate as much as possible all of the circumstances of my first book, The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963. I was writing from a point of fear back in 1994 and that seems to be the place I find my best work. I was afraid I'd taken a year off work to write a book and wasn't going to be able to do it, I feared the loss of income for a year, I feared how it would feel to be unsuccessful at having the chance to try to "follow my dream" and finding out a nightmare was at the end of the journey.

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Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis 2008 Awardee

The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis 1996 Awardee

Children's production 'Roll of Thunder' doesn't shy away from America's history of racism

Mildred D. Taylor's Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry was published in 1976, a novel for young adults during an era when educators were embracing the idea that children's books could and should tackle life's serious realities. Books like Roll of Thunder - and The Outsiders, and Bridge to Terabithia - could help kids understand, and grow.

It's a complex story of people who are striving to do right in an impossible situation, and a new SteppingStone Theatre production directed by Kory LaQuess Pullam ensures that every member of the audience appreciates the stakes. As the play opens, opposing crowds of black and white actors stalk forward to confront each other, chanting, "This is my world! My world! My world!"

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The Well by Mildred D. Taylor 1996 Awardee

Let the Circle Be Unbroken by Mildred D. Taylor 1982 Awardee

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor 1977 Awardee

Song of the Trees by Mildred D. Taylor 1976 Awardee

McNay showcases African American art

The exhibits include "Something to Say: The McNay Presents 100 years of African American Art" and "30 Americans: Rubell Family Collection" and will continue until May 6. "Something to Say" is the first major survey of modern and contemporary African American art to be presented at the McNay. The exhibition juxtaposes works from the pioneering collection of Harmon and Harriet Kelley with loans from the collections of Guillermo Nicolas and Jim Foster, John and Freda Facey and the McNay.

The concept is to provide visitors with the opportunity to reflect on a range of African American experiences and examine how artists have expressed personal, political and racial identity over 100 years.

Also included in the exhibit is Benny Andrews' "Sexism," the seventh in the McNay's series of AT&T Lobby instillations. Between 1970 and 1975, Benny Andrews created six monumental paintings as part of his Bicentennial series, in response to the United States Bicentennial plans in 1976.

McNay hosts the fourth work in the series, "Sexism," 1973, explores oppression of women. The works are classified as provocative and complex in its contemplation of power among genders.

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Delivering Justice: W. W. Law and the Fight for Civil Rights, written by Jim Haskins, illustrated by Benny Andrews 2006 Awardee

Read all about it: Black History Month books for kids

"Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose (Farrar, Strauss and Giroux 2009) is an excellent choice for teens. Hoose tells the story of Colvin, who as a teenager refused to give up her seat for a white passenger on a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama, and was arrested. This was nine months before Rosa Parks did the same thing.

While Parks was celebrated for her disobedience, Colvin was not. Colvin chose to challenge the segregation law in court, but was found guilty, leaving her with a criminal record. She became one of the plaintiffs in the Browder vs. Gayle lawsuit that eventually desegregated Montgomery's buses.

The message of this book isn't to detract from Rosa Parks' legacy, but to recognize another brave woman who fought for justice and equality. Hoose's writing is based on several personal interviews with Colvin, and included within the book are black-and-white photos from the time period and copies of documents and newspaper articles. "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" was the winner of the 2009 National Book Award.

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Hey, Little Ant by Phillip and Hannah Hoose 1999 Awardee

Claudette Colvin by Phillip Hoose 2010 Awardee

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The Jane Addams Children's Book Award annually recognizes children's books of literary and aesthetic excellence that effectively engage children in thinking about peace, social justice, global community, and equity for all people.

Read more about the 2017 Awards.