Author Spotlight: Nathaniel Terrell

 

Poet Nathaniel Terrell 

Is There Not a Cause? by Nathaniel Terrell 

Available at Atmosphere Press, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

About the Poet

Nathaniel Terrell is an author, poet, writer and artist. He is currently promoting a collection of poems titled,  Is there not a cause, published by Atmosphere Press.  Other of his work has been in publications and online platforms including New Plains Review, Maudlin House, Nine Cloud Journal, Havik, Finding The Birds, Connecting Perspectives, Lifewriting.com, The Inside Interviews, Open Mic Night Poetry Podcast and more. He resides in Western, NY.

Poet Nathaniel Terrell is the author of Is There Not a Cause? Check out my interview with this poet!

Congratulations on your new book! Tell me about your latest work? What inspired it? 

NT: Thank you. Is there not a cause is a collection of poems that speak from time and experience, pain, loss, hope, calls for change, reflection and a creative voice within. This powerful manuscript was written over a span of six years. I incorporated much of what I was going through during that period. My imagination along with the social and political climates in this country and around the world were big inspirations as well

How did you get started as an author/ poet? 

NT: Putting lyrics together and writing songs and stories are things I could do as far back as my teens. But I didn't get serious and commit to becoming an author and poet until the end 2008.

Who are your favorite authors? Poets?

NT: Gil Scott Heron, Tupac Shakur, Edgar Allen Poe, King David, Erica LaShei

What has your writing life been like during the pandemic? Do you have a writing schedule? If yes, please explain. 

NT: It seems like during the pandemic I've noticed more opportunities for writers to be published. I really don't have a schedule, most of my time lately has been promoting, entering and competing for various book awards. And I am putting together drafts for my next collection.

What themes are most present in your work and why?

NT: Growth, dealing with pain, regret, faith, love, injustice and scenes of life.

These themes are most present in my work because at some point in many of our lives these are the things we endure. Many times the weight of these occurrences can make life difficult. My goal as a writer is to encourage anyone who reads my book to not give up and that oftentimes life can be unpleasant but you are not alone.

How do you connect with readers and your overall audience/ fan base? 

NT: I think it's a combination of passion, creativity and that I bare my soul through words, songs and stories. Also I feel like people connect because I ask questions and try to present my words in a way that causes the reader/listener to think and feel.

What are a few tips you have for new poets or authors?

NT: Sign up or use Submittable. This platform has connected me with the majority of the presses/publications/journals and online platforms that have published my work. Don't allow the rejections to break your spirit or discourage you. Understand rejection is part of the process!

Believe in yourself and your abilities. Maintain the commitment to perfect your craft

Where else has your writing been featured?

NT: Maudlin House, New Plain Review, Finding The Birds, Connecting Perspectives, Havik, Nine Cloud Journal, Open Mic Night Poetry Podcast, Lifewriting.com, UHyped Radio and more.

What’s next for you?

NT: I plan to continue to promote and sell my book. Also create more content for my social media pages. I have more interviews lined up and several book reviews that will be published soon.

Where can we find your work? Where can we follow or “fan” you?

NT: Follow me on Instagram @life.mid. Also follow me on Facebook, YouTube, and Reverbnation. You can find my book at Atmosphere Press, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

9/24 EVENT: DuEwa Features at 100 Thousand Poets for Change -- St. Louis

DuEwa will be a featured poet at the 6th Annual “100 Thousand Poets & Musicians for Change – St. Louis”
Produced by Susan “Spit-Fire” Lively & Amanda Wells
Saturday, Sept. 24th
4:30 – 10:30 p.m.
MELT
2712 Cherokee Street
St. Louis, MO 63118

Free and open to the public.
Follow DuEwa on Twitter @duewafrazier1

AWARDS: Digest by Gregory Pardlo Wins the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry

Congratulations to poet Gregory Pardlo who was recently awarded the covetous Pulitzer Prize in Poetry for his 2014 collection, Digest (Four Way Books)!

About the Poet

Gregory Pardlo is the author of Totem, which received the APR/Honickman Prize in 2007, and Digest, (Four Way Books, 2014), which was nominated for the 2015 NAACP Image Award in poetry. His poems have appeared in American Poetry Review, Boston Review, The Nation, Ploughshares, and Tin House, as well as anthologies including Angles of Ascent, the Norton Anthology of Contemporary African American Poetry, and two editions of Best American Poetry. He is the recipient of a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship and a fellowship for translation from the National Endowment for the Arts. An Associate Editor of Callaloo, he is currently a Teaching Fellow in Undergraduate Writing at Columbia University.

NEWS DuEwa selected for Artist in Residence, Municipal Arts & Letters Commission

Poet & Author, DuEwa Frazier



The Municipal Commission on Arts & Letters for University City (MCALUC) has named writer, educator, and award-nominated poet DuEwa Frazier as its 2015 Returning Artist. This year will be the 21st anniversary of the Returning Artist Program, which brings artistically renowned University City High School (UCHS) graduates back to work with current students. The Commission’s two goals with the program are to encourage students to investigate careers in the arts and to enrich the school’s art programs.

Frazier graduated from UCHS. Frazier is an award nominated poet and educator who not only has several volumes of poetry published  “Goddess Under the Bridge: Poems,” and “Ten Marbles and a Bag to Put Them In: Poems for Children” but is also the editor and publisher of the NAACP Image Award nominated book, “Check the Rhyme: An Anthology of Female Poets & Emcees.”  She is the author of the newly released young adult novel, "Deanne in the Middle."

Past returning artists have included visual artists, glassblowers, photographers, writers, filmmakers, graphic designers, videographers, animators, instrumental musicians, composers, actors, singers, and dancers. Workshops with students will take place during the first week in February, at several of the city’s schools. A public reception in celebration of this year’s program is scheduled for February 5, at 7 pm, in the UCHS library.

Visit University City Municipal Commission on Arts & Letters

Give the Gift of Books! Receive an Autographed Book from DuEwa this Season!

Gift the gift of books this season! Order one or more copies of the following Lit Noire Publishing books and receive each one with an original autograph from poet and author, DuEwa Frazier! The following poetry and children’s books are available for author signing and shipping to your work or home address:





- Deanne in the Middle, a young adult novel by DuEwa Frazier (2014)
– Goddess Under the Bridge: Poems by DuEwa Frazier (2013)
– Ten Marbles and a Bag to Put Them In: Poems for Children by DuEwa Frazier (2010)
– Check the Rhyme: An Anthology of Female Poets & Emcees Edited by DuEwa Frazier (2006) NAACP IMAGE AWARD NOMINATED ANTHOLOGY!
 



All books are on SALE! Perfect gifts for book lovers including book clubs and students! Fee includes USPS or FedEx shipping. Offer and sale ends December 31, 2014.
Contact duewa@duewaworld.com for orders and more information!

Repost: Hanging with the Big Girls in My Traveling Shoes by Patricia Spears Jones

This is a repost from award winning poet and author Patricia Spears Jones!  Check out her blog published at The Poetry Foundation!

Patricia Spears Jones

Hanging with the Big Girls in My Traveling Shoes by Patricia Spears Jones

Last year when I was invited to receive an award from the Black Students Association at Rhodes College as part of my 40th College Reunion, I was freaked out. I had a few weeks earlier been to Arkansas to bury my mother and what little money I had was gone. But to be honored as a Distinguished Alumni for a group I helped to organize decades before was an important opportunity I could not say no to. A very good friend, a wonderful novelist and elder heard about my honor and knew my predicament. She took me to a shoe store on Broadway and let me choose a pair of beautiful, well made dress shoes. I would not look like a poor poet at such a gathering. They are in a way my “traveling shoes,” the ones for readings and special events: memorials, weddings, high teas. They are the shoes I wore to A Celebration of Dr. Maya Angelou at Riverside Church on September 12.  Continue reading the rest of Patricia Spears Jones' blog here at The Poetry Foundation!

4/6 Event: Art. Love. Music. in Brooklyn!

On Sunday, April 6th I hosted Word Canvas presents Art. Love. Music. at Brooklyn's Rustik Tavern.  The event featured DuEwa Frazier (poet/performer), Rakiem Walker Project, Cheryl Boyce Taylor, Qurrat Kadwani, Radha MUSprime and Tai Allen.

I was so excited about this event!  I have been performing, writing poetry and hosting my own signature events since 2002.  I founded Word Canvas in 2005, as a brand of performance events featuring musicians, poets and actors.  I take great pride and pleasure in curating events, bringing artists together and watching them come off without a hitch!   It was great to have a spring show with talented artists.

DuEwa & Rakiem Walker @ Art. Love. Music.

Cheryl Boyce Taylor is a notable poet and author who I've come to know and cherish, through her event series the Glitter Poemegranate Series.  I love when she performs with her Trini accent.  Her poems are smooth and bring back memories you wish you had about living in the Caribbean.  Cheryl is the mother of Tribe Called Quest member Phife Dawg, so she is truly a legend and has influenced hip hop in a major way.  And one day I will take her Zuhitsu Writing Workshop in Brooklyn!

 Poet, Cheryl Boyce Taylor

I met Qurrat Kadwani some years ago when we worked for the same company; I had no idea she was an award winning actress until we connected recently on Facebook!  She is quite talented!  Qurrat has received much acclaim for her one woman show "The Call Me Q!" She is raw, beautiful and oh so talented.  The monologues she performed at Art. Love. Music. were awe inspiring.  Just watching her transform was a real treat.  Tai Allen is such a soulful singer and poet.  He really conjured the spirit of Gil Scott Heron during his performance.

Rakiem Walker is so versatile as a sax player and he brought his trio, and they brought us jazz, funk and hip hop! I have known Rakiem for years and it's always a blast working with him.  Last time we collaborated in 2010 for Word Canvas Soul, I sang Jill's Scotts "A Long Walk" and we really had a good time with it.  It was so much fun for me to collaborate with Rakiem and his band again.  They backed me for my brief rendition of Prince's "She's Always in My Hair" and an even shorter piece of me singing Taylor Swift's "Trouble" that I paired with a poem I wrote titled, "Trouble."  My set was pretty cathartic for me as an artist.  I had the pleasure of seeing Radha MUSprime perform at Imagenation's Belletrix Exhibit in Harlem last month.  She is an MC, lyricist and truly a creative genuis as a writer. This sister is fire!! She gave us a whole set of her new performance show "The 40-year old Version" and I can't wait to check her out on April 22nd when she features at Joe's Pub.

I wanted to have an open mic segment, but we started a bit late so there was no time for it.  But next time for sure! 
Follow DuEwa on Twitter @duewafrazier1

New Book: Difficult Fruit by Lauren K. Alleyne

 Lauryn K. Alleyne (photo: Rachel Eliza Griffiths)

Poet, Lauryn K. Alleyne's new book Difficult Fruit (February 2014), is the author's debut book!  Lauryn will be featured at the upcoming BOCAS Literary Festival, Trinidad and Tobago April 23rd - 28th.  Visit her website for more information. 

Goddess Under the Bridge: Poems - Now available in Ebook formats!

Goddess Under the Bridge: Poems 

by DuEwa Frazier

Goddess Under the Bridge: Poems is now available in Ebook formats!  Visit the following websites to purchase for your e-reader!

• Amazon Kindle

• B&N Nook

• Indigo (Kobo Edition)

From the award nominated poet and author of Shedding Light From My Journeys, Stardust Tracks on a Road, Ten Marbles and a Bag to Put Them In and others, comes a new volume of powerful, inspirational poetry.  Goddess Under the Bridge DuEwa's fourth poetry collection is a meditation on the beautiful, the ugly, the passion, the struggle and reflection of the inner goddess looking out and reflecting the world.  The poems pay homage to Alice Coltrane, Suzan Lori Parks, Lucille Clifton, Pearl Cleage and other notable artists and thinkers.  Frazier's words shake and shout, rant and conjure moving and familiar images from the past, present and future of one's waking life.  The setting of these poems may be Harlem, St. Louis, Brooklyn, Chicago, a river, a bridge, a road or the seat of a soul. 

11/8 Event: Glitter Pomegranate Poetry Series - 7pm @ Eve's

GLITTER POMEGRANATE PERFORMANCE EVENT!

 Friday, November 8, 2013 @ 7:00 PM

 

 Hosted by Cheryl Boyce-Taylor, Founder & Curator 

FEATURING:

 

DuEwa Frazier - (author of Goddess Under the Bridge)

Robert Gibbons

Nichelle Johnson

Charan Morris and an open mike

 

 Eve's Lounge   

769 Washington Avenue  

Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, New York 

(between Sterling & St. Johns)

  

 

This event was funded in part by Poets & Writers, inc. with public funds from the NY State Council on the Arts and with the support of Governor Cuomo and the NY State legislature, and by Calypso Muse.

11/7 Check the Rhyme Teen Writing Workshop @ BPL

CHECK THE RHYME TEEN WRITING WORKSHOP  FREE!

Thursday, November 7th, 14th and 21st @ 4pm 

Brooklyn Public Library - Central Library - Youth Wing

10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, NY 11238

(718) 230-2100

 

            Check the Rhyme Writing Workshop facilitated by educator, author and award nominated poet, DuEwa Frazier, is a workshop for teens focusing on supporting them in the creation of original poetry and short stories.  Each workshop will focus on a craft lesson which teen writers can use to elevate their writing and understand the elements of the genre. Teens can sign up to register in the youth section of the library!

10/20 RADIO INTERVIEW: Poet, Tamara Madison on Rhymes, Views & News Talk Radio

 

Poet, Tamara J. Madison

 

 

Kentucky Curdled by Tamara J. Madison

Rhymes, Views & News Talk Radio is ALL NEW this month with your host DuEwa Frazier!  Listen live on October 20, 2013 @ 5:30pm EST with featured guest poet and author TAMARA J. MADISON!  Tamara will discuss her new book Kentucky Curdled and share her poems.   Call in to the show, at (646) 716-9474 to join the discussion! 

5/27 EVENT Word Canvas: Garden of Poetics

-->

Monday, May 27, 2013, 7-9pm FREE
Word Canvas: Garden of Poetics
@ Bluestockings Bookstore
Hosted by Robert Gibbons

Featuring

Monica Hand
DuEwa Frazier
Metta Sama

Join us in celebration of the word with three intriguing women poets reading and discussing their new and selected work.  Discussion hosted by poet, Robert Gibbons.

About the Poets

Monica Hand, author of me and Nina, (Alice James Books, 2012). Her poems have appeared in numerous publications including Aunt Chloe, Black Renaissance Noire, Naugatuck River Review, The Sow’s Ear, Drunken Boat, Beyond the Frontier, African-American Poetry for the 21^st Century, Gathering Ground: A Reader Celebrating Cave Canem’s First Decade and American Creative Writers on Class. She has a MFA in Poetry and Poetry in Translation from Drew University. A Cave Canem alum, she is also a founding member of Poets for Ayiti. Currently, she is a PhD candidate – Creative Writing – Poetry at the University of Missouri- Columbia. 

Metta Sáma is a poet, professor, activist, painter, collage artist, fiction and essay writer. She is the author of South of Here (New Issues Press, published under the name Lydia Melvin), a collection of poems, and Nocturne Trio (YesYes Books, 2012), with visual artist Mihret Dawit.  Her work has appeared several journals. She received her MFA in creative writing from Western Michigan University and her PhD in English with an emphasis in creative writing at SUNY – Binghamton. 

DuEwa Frazier is a poet, author and educator.  She is the author of Goddess Under the Bridge: Poems (Lit Noire Publishing, 2013) and the forthcoming young adult novel, Deanne in the Middle.  Her work has appeared in Tidal Basin Review, Reverie, Kweli Journal, Poetry In Performance, X Magazine and others.  She earned the MFA in Creative Writing degree at The New School.  DuEwa is a candidate for the Ed.M. degree in Educational Leadership at Columbia University.  

 

Bluestockings Bookstore
172 Allen St  New York, NY 10002
(212) 777-6028

www.bluestockings.com

3/17 RADIO INTERVIEW: Truth Thomas Author of Speak Water

RHYMES, VIEWS & NEWS TALK RADIO with host DuEwa Frazier is *ALL NEW* on Sunday, March 17th @ 5pm EST featuring poet, singer, songwriter and author of the NAACP Image Award winning book SPEAK WATER - TRUTH THOMAS!

Listen LIVE or call-in to hear Truth Thomas speak about his award winning new book!  Call in to speak with the host and guest at (646) 716-9474. 

Publication News: Tidal Basin Review Summer 2012 Issue

T ∫ B ∫ R

tidal basin review
 

Tidal Basin Press Launches the Summer 2012 E-Issue!



The complete E-Issue of the Tidal Basin Review is available at www.TidalBasinPress.org. 


September 14, 2012 – Washington, DC  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:



Tidal Basin Press, Inc. launches the SUMMER 2012 Issue of the Tidal Basin Review.



Tidal Basin Review is an electronic literary journal with a print-on-demand option. Tidal Basin Press, Inc. seeks to amplify the voice of the human experience through art that is intimate, engaging, and audacious. We make every effort to include work that propels the present artistic landscape and to publish the wide spectrum of American voices.



The Summer 2012 Issue features artist, Monica Ong, and the works of 31 writers, many of them reflecting on their respective cultures. Also, meet Erik Mortenson, Summer 2012 center-featured Series Poet, whose poem “From the Fifteenth Station” graces the print version of the Summer 2012 Issue available for purchase now. Read his interview with TBR Editor-in-Chief, Randall Horton, on The Basin Blog.

Summer 2012 Contributors: Claudia Akyeampong, Allie Marini Batts, Rosebud Ben-Oni, Zackary Sholem Berger, Jeremy Bruno, D. S. Butterworth, Darren C. Demaree, celeste doaks, Jacqueline Doyle, DuEwa Frazier, Brother Yao (Hoke Smith Glover III), Rain Goméz, Peggie Hale, Amaris Howard, Ann Howells, Geoffrey Jacques, Joseph Legaspi, Henry Leung, Richard Luftig, Cynthia Manick, Erik Mortenson, Ricardo Nazario y Colón, Monica Ong, Glenis Redmond, Jay Rubin, Aisha Sharif, Cherene Sherrard, Debra J. Stone, Valerie Valdes, Andrea Walls, Gerald Yelle and Natalie Young



View the full E-Issue and order your print copy of the Summer 2012 Issue Tidal Basin Review at www.TidalBasinPress.org.



Press Contacts:  

Melanie Henderson, Managing Editor

Randall Horton, Editor-in-Chief

tidalbasinpress@gmail.com

2/10/12 NYC BOOK LAUNCH: me and Nina by Monica A. Hand

 

New York City Book Launch 

for me and Nina by Monica A. Hand

Friday, February 10, 2012

Time: 6:30pm until 9:30pm

Where:

Cave Canem 20 Jay Street, Suite 310-A Brooklyn, NY

Celebrate the launch of Cave Canem fellow Monica Hand's debut collection, me & Nina (Alice James Books, 2012), winner of the 2010 Kinereth Gensler Award and lauded by Elizabeth Alexander as a "moving, deeply satisfying, and unforgettable book."  Tara Thierry will be performing with Monica A Hand.

$5-10 suggested donation. Wheelchair accessible.

ARTICLE: Making It Online via TNJ.com

Here is an excerpt of an article I'm mentioned in via The Network Journal (TNJ.com).  

Making It Online

Kweli Joins the Ranks of Web Publications

By: CLARENCE V. REYNOLDS

Wednesday, April 20, 2011 Business

For better or worse, the Internet in the 21st century has certainly changed the ways we access information, be it academic, journalistic or literary; challenging the merit of content and offering a place for creative prose to flourish at the same time. The closings of bookstores nationwide along with the decline of print publications — particularly those with an artistic focus and a specific audience in mind — continue to leave readers, writers and publishers wondering about the future of hardcover books and outlets for literary works in general. Although low circulation, loss of advertising dollars, and even concern for the environment have led to rethinking strategies within the publishing market, the Internet has been the impetus behind the emergence of countless online publications. In 2009, Poets & Writers magazine, in the article “From Page to Pixels: The Evolution of Online Journals,” commented that “Today’s best online journals offer innovation as well as visibility.” So with a strong belief on that promise, Kweli Journal (www.kwelijournal.org), in 2009, joined the growing number of online publications.   CLICK TO READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE...

3/15 Radio Interview: DuEwa Frazier on Book Talk w/Anjuelle Floyd 3p EST

Author and poet DuEwa Frazier features on Book Talk, Creativity and Family Matters hosted by Anjuelle Floyd.  Frazier will discuss her writing and love for promoting books and the arts.  Listen live or call in to speak with DuEwa and Anjuelle at (347) 215-7740. 

What you'll hear during this interview:

• How to use every available resource to promote your book or business.
• How DuEwa created a number of events, websites and social networks to promote books and collaborate with other artists.
• All about DuEwa's latest passion projects!
• Visit http://www.blogtalkradio.com/anjuellefloyd/2011/03/15/duewa-frazier



COMING SOON!: The Chatting with Author Feature

I decided I'd like to add something new to the blog here at Rhymes, Views & News. I've been interviewing authors and artists on Rhymes, Views & News Talk Radio for a few years now. I thought it would be great to have a text interview component for the blog.

So, coming soon I'll have interview posts featuring authors called "Chatting with..." The subjects may provide writing tips or discuss their recent book.

Be on the look out for it!

EVENT: "Haiku & Handgrenades: Sonia Sanchez" A Tribute

Legendary Poet, Sonia Sanchez

The 2010 Harlem Book Fair, Saturday July 17, 2010 from 3-5pm

Presents

"Haiku & Handgrenades: Sonia Sanchez" A Tribute

Saturday, July 17, 2010 from 3pm-5pm

Featuring poets, scholars and musicians: Sonia Sanchez, Haki R. Madhubuti, Max Rodriguez, Willie Perdomo, David Mills, Pineal E. Joseph, Tracie Morris, jazz percussionist Eric Frazier featuring African drummers, Atiba Wilson and the B4 Quartet, and hosted by DuEwa Frazier.

Sonia Sanchez will sign copies of her latest book, Morning Haiku (Beacon Press) after the tribute program. Join us to celebrate the life and contributions of Sonia Sanchez!

Free and open to the public. This event was funded in part by Poets & Writers, Inc. and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

Thurgood Marshall Academy 200 West 135th Street New York, NY 10030 (2, 3 to 135th Street)

Contact: DuEwa Frazier 800-796-4369, Harlem Book Fair 212-348-1681