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Visions of Black Life: An Outstanding Collection of Short Stories and Poetry, Volume I
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ISSN 1556-2190;
ISBN 978-0-9653308-6-2 (softcover), US $25.00
June 2005.
96 pp.
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Book Description (Annotation) Annual periodical that is a collection of literary short nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. Authors capture the black experience from interesting perspectives—mature versus young adult, thought-provoking to humorous. Includes the work of five contributors: "Like White" is a stunner about a biracial family confronting racism during a KKK march in Newark, Delaware (Rachel Elizabeth Griffiths). In "My Sister's Keeper," a newly divorced mother of two finds friendship as she leaves behind her privileged middle class life for humble surroundings (Cassandra L. Manuel). "The Story of Tina" reveals the troubles of teen life when Tina confronts love and the deception of her boyfriend, Raashan (Cassandra L. Manuel). Like an African tale and for the young and young at heart, the kids at summer camp ask their mayor and city council for help when their lunch is a disaster in "P'nut Butter and Rubber" (Kemba Sonnebeyatta). The poetry is equally rousing, even controversial. "Just Asking" sharply criticizes black folk engaged in self-destructive behavior (Cassandra L. Manuel). A forceful warning for youngsters bursts from the page in "Predators" (Cassandra L. Manuel). "Freedom" recounts past challenges and progress and failure that impact the present (Adrianne K. Scott). "Black and White," with sophisticated imagery, examines the complexity of "separate but equal" education (Stefanie Dara Gordon). |
Contributing Authors |
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| Rachel Eliza Griffiths | |
Rachel Eliza Griffiths received her bachelor and master degrees in English Literature from the University of Delaware. She has taught numerous poetry workshops for youth. At the time of publication, she was a graduate student in the master of fine arts creative writing program at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. She currently teaches at Bloomfield College. Read her more recent bio to see her artistic endeavors. |
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| Cassandra L. Manuel | |
An African-American woman who chooses to teach in an urban public school district, Cassandra encounters interesting people in every area of her life. Once a divorced single mother, Cassandra is constantly fascinated by the resourcefulness and resilience of the human spirit. Her stories and poems make every attempt to capture a portion of that remarkable essence. |
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| Kemba Sonnebeyatta | |
About the story. When her children were young, they went to summer recreation while Kemba worked. When she came home, she usually asked them what they had done that day. One day they described an especially distasteful lunch meal. One of the children described it as, “P’nut butter and rubber.” Hence, the story began. Kemba presently teaches American literature at Woodrow Wilson High School in Camden, NJ. She has recently received her master’s degree in school counseling. She is most proud of the following two things: She raised seven children, six of them sons, in Camden, New Jersey, as a single parent. None of her children has been involved in the criminal justice system, all of them have graduated from high school, and all of them have gone to college. The other thing is that her students, who call her Ms. “SonneyB”, are guaranteed to learn from a uniquely cultural, and diverse, slant. And, they respond positively. |
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| Adrianne K. Scott | |
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| Stefanie Dara Gordon | |
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Cassandra L. Manuel is a woman who enjoys all the “hats” she
wears. Some of those include wife, mother, grandmother, teacher, and aspiring writer. Cassandra teaches English and Reading Skills
classes in East Orange Campus High School, East Orange, New Jersey. She is also an adjunct at Rutgers University in Newark, New
Jersey. Her aspirations are to continue teaching and writing. She knows that there is an audience for her stories and she hopes to
reach and touch them. 
Kemba Sonnebeyatta, the daughter of a preacher and a teacher, was born in North Philadelphia and raised in West and Southwest Philadelphia. After graduation from high school, she went to Cheyney State College and, finally, discovered herself. It was while a student at Cheyney that Kemba was introduced to her cultural heritage. She has not stopped learning about and loving her African self; she takes her African roots very seriously. Not only has she adopted a name that identifies her with her roots, she has bestowed the same on all seven of her children. Four of the names used in this story are names of her children.
Adrianne K. Scott was born in Jacksonville Florida. She has been writing since about 8 years old, when her family permanently moved to Delaware. She has always been interested in being a professional author— she loves to write— it is one of her favorite things to do. Adrianne graduated from Brandywine High school in Wilmington, Delaware on June 6, 2004. At time of publication, she is attending Neumann College and plans to transfer to Liberty University in the fall of 2005. She is pursuing a nursing degree, as well as a masters in physical therapy. Adrianne is also minoring in creative writing and plans to continue to write, as well as publish, as many works as possible.
Stefanie Dara Gordon attends the University
of Delaware, majoring in English with a concentration in
journalism. She graduated from Brandywine High School,