Writer's Block Announcement

Writer's Block "daily quotes" will be cut back to once a week. Please stay tuned for other new and exciting post that you are sure to enjoy! If you have any suggestions, or questions, please email: thebrillianttouch@gmail.com

Writer's Block

I am being frank about myself in this book. I tell of my first mistake on page 850. -Henry Kissinger (born May 23, 1923)

Writer's Block

The writer must write what he has to say, not speak it. 
-Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961)

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No man understands a deep book until he has seen and lived at least part of its contents. -Ezra Pound (1885-1972)

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Style is a hallmark of a temperament stamped upon the material at hand. -Andre Maurois (1885-1967)

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Hold fast to your dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly. -Langston Hughes (1902-1967)

Black History Salute- Langston Hughes

Born in Joplin, Missouri, James Langston Hughes was the great-great grandson of Charles Henry Langston (brother of John Mercer Langston, the first Black American to be elected to public office). He attended Central High School in Cleveland, Ohio, where he began writing poetry in the eighth grade. His father would discourage him from pursuing writing as a career, in favour of something ‘more practical’. Langston’s tuition fees to Columbia University were paid on the grounds that he study engineering.

After a while, he dropped out of the degree course, but continued to write poetry. His first published poem, The Negro Speaks of rivers, was also one of his most famous, appearing in Brownie’s Book. Later, his poems, short plays, essays and short stories would appear in the NAACP publication, Crisis Magazine, in Opportunity Magazine, and others.

Langston Hughes received a scholarship to Lincoln University, in Pennsylvania, where he received his B.A. degree in 1929. In 1943, he was awarded an honorary Literature Degree by his alma mater; a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1935 and a Rosenwald Fellowship in 1940. Based on a conversation with a man he knew in a Harlem bar, he created a character known as My Simple Minded Friend in a series of essays in the form of dialogue. In 1950, he named this lovable character Jess B. Simple, and authored a series of books on him.

Langston Hughes was a prolific writer.  In forty-odd years between his first book in 1926 and his death in 1967, he devoted his life to writing and lecturing. He wrote sixteen books of poems, two novels, three collections of short stories, four volumes of “editorial” and “documentary” fiction,

Twenty plays, children’s poetry, musicals and operas, three autobiographies, a dozen radio and television scripts and dozens of magazine articles. In addition, he edited seven anthologies. The long and distinguished list of Hughes’ works includes: Not Without Laughter (1930); The Big Sea (1940); I Wonder As I Wander (1956), his autobiographies. His collections of poetry include: The Weary Blues (1926); The Negro Mother and other Dramatic Recitations (1931); The Dream Keeper (1932); Shakespeare in Harlem (1942); Fields of Wonder (1947); One Way Ticket (1947); The First Book of Jazz (1955); Tambourines To Glory (1958); and Selected Poems (1959); The Best of Simple (1961). He edited several anthologies in an attempt to popularize black authors and their works. Some of these are: An African Treasury (1960); Poems from Black Africa (1963); New Negro Poets: USA (1964) and The Best Short Stories by Negro Writers (1967).

Published posthumously were: Five Plays by Langston Hughes (1968); The Panther and The Lash: Poems of Our Times (1969) and Good Morning Revolution: Uncollected Writings of Social Protest (1973); The Sweet Flypaper of Life with Roy DeCarava (1984).

Langston Hughes died of cancer on May 22, 1967. His residence at 20 East 127^th Street in Harlem, New York has been given landmark status by the New York City Preservation Commission.  His block of East 127^th Street was renamed “Langston Hughes Place”.

How do you believe society has evolved in the 20^th century in relation to the subject matter read in many of Langston Hughes creative works? Do you think society has shifted far enough away from these ideas that his writing style would be considered outdated? 

Please click on the link below to read the complete biography (this portion of his biography was excerpted from the website below) of Langston Hughes and to enjoy a sample of his creative works.

Other Related Links:

Langston Hughes Biography

http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/langston_hughes/biography

The Weary Blues

http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/langston_hughes/poems/16958

The Negro Speaks of Rivers

http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/langston_hughes/poems/16953

Life Is Fine

http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/langston_hughes/poems/16946

Juke Box Love Song

http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/langston_hughes/poems/16962

Advertisement For The Waldorf-Astoria

http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/langston_hughes/poems/16970 

Writer's Block

The best part of every author is in general to be found in his book, I assure you. -Samuel Johnson (1709-1784)

Black History Salute

In honor of Black History Month, I will be featuring a total of four, one every week, of Black American's who have contributed to the creative arts community.  Stay Tuned!

Writer's Block

I think with my right hand. -Edmund Wilson (1895-1972)

Writer's Block

The writer is committed when he plunges to the very depths of himself with the intent to disclose, not his individuality, but his person in the complex society that conditions and supports him. 
-Jean Paul Sartre (1905-1980)

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There is one last thing to remember: writers are always selling somebody out. -Joan Didion (born December 5, 1934)

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I keep six honest serving men. (They taught me all I know); Their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and Who.   
-Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)

Personal Branding

I was sitting in a workshop several weeks ago and the facilitator brought up the topic of “Your Personal Brand”. She talked about the subject from the perspective of branding yourself to be more marketable to employers. However, I processed and adapted the information to strategize a plan to build my personal brand in relation to my passion and other areas of expertise.

In doing this, I thought about the ideas and goals in relation to fueling my brand as both a Writer and Entrepreneur and focused the direction of that brand toward creativity and words…my strengths!  Now that you have insight into the building of my brand, please feel free to use the following equation I developed to help in building your own personal brand and strategy:

You+Your Passion+Your Skills=Your Brand

It takes you to build your brand.

It takes passion to build your brand. What do you love to do? It is often tied to your natural ability (in my case writing). There are no stupid or small passions!

It takes recognition of your passion coupled with your skills (the thing we learn to do well) to market you and take your brand to another level. Based upon my passion of writing, the following skills (associated with creativity and writing) would help to fuel my brand:

1. Free use of my imagination
2. Restructuring of goals to create new ones
3. Combine ideas and information in innovative ways
4. Seek out new information and people with expertise

I hope this has been informative and given you a little insight into branding.

With that said, what do you feel is your personal brand and how can you adapt your passion to fuel that brand? 

Other Related Links:

Oakland County Michigan Works! Centers

 http://www.oakgov.com/workforcedev/info_pub/mi_works_centers.html

Brand-Yourself: Become Remarkable

http://blog.brandyourself.com/

Writer's Block

Writing is turning one's worst moments into money.
-Georges Simenon (1903-1989)