Voices from the Block: A Legacy of African-American Literature

By Toyette Dowdell, Ann Fields and Bennye Johnson

A collection of unforgettable short stories, poems and essays from emerging and established writers, members of the Writer's Block. These original works are guaranteed to stroke your heart, mind and soul as they reveal in written form the very essence of life. Prepare to read about the ups and downs of marriage, the emotional trauma of being withou

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Writer's Block, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 14, 2014
• ISBN: 9780978625313

Book preview

About Writer’s Block

The Writer’s Block was formed in August of 1996 with the purpose of providing support and resources to African-American writers and authors in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. From an initial group of three, membership quickly grew and from growth rose a mission statement that reads, The Writer’s Block Inc. (WBI) exists to support the growth and advancement of aspiring and published, youth and adult, African-American writers of all genres and to promote African-American literature, authors and literary events.

With a vision of filling the world with black writers and black literature, WBI maintains three core objectives. They are: education for its members; charitable endeavors geared towards the community; and literary pursuits for members and the community. A sample of WBI programs and events includes: Crafting the Craft Writers’ Retreat; bi-monthly meetings; critique sessions; goal tracking; and serving as hosts/volunteers at literary events throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth area and beyond.

Voices from the Block: A Legacy of African American Literature is one of the outputs of WBI. Within this book is a sampling of the talent and creativity within the group. It is our hope that you will enjoy reading some of the best African-American voices from the Block.

For more information on WBI, please visit www.writersblockinc.org or write Post Office Box 170875, Dallas, Texas, 75217-0875, or email [e-mail].

Thank you for supporting black writers and black literature!

Foreword

by Breggett Rideau

Co-Founder of the Writer’s Block

There’s nothing to it but to DO it.

When my son became disabled by the DPT (diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus) vaccination shot, I thought my next breath was questionable. The tragedy with my son forced me to lean on something I assumed I had—faith in God. I needed God and Him alone, simply because no man had the answer. Therefore, I sought Jesus using everything that had worked in my past to obtain a college degree, a good job, and a great marriage. Guess what? Prayer didn’t work. Fasting didn’t work. Reading the Word didn’t work. Having intercessory prayer and prayer partners didn’t work. Silently, I ached and doubted that God would heal my son and my soul.

As my entire world worsened, I tried one thing I had used sparingly in the past—writing. I first began writing as a child. I wrote things that I thought others would love and not necessarily what was in my heart. But, with my heart broken by my son’s misfortune, I needed to speak truthfully. I was hurting deeply and after my first true letter to God, I felt a little lighter.

That letter led to poems of my childhood experiences like being molested, my parent’s divorce, my mom’s sickness and early death, and my sibling’s sufferings and wrong choices. I found that not only was I angry, but I was discouraged that my so-called right choices, like being a lady and conducting myself with integrity did not guarantee love, peace and happiness. Through my writings to Christ—raw and true; profane and angry—I was set free.

A friend noticed my elevated level of peace without the elevation of my circumstances and asked, What’s the reason for this new you? I let her read my letters to God in which I used curse words and other angry language to purge myself. She loved the letters, laughing, crying and gasping at my plain, brazen and unabashed way of speaking my mind. My friend advised me to take my work to someone to evaluate it. I did, but in an effort to learn how to write correctly, I went to a seminar in which I met one of my favorite people, Ann Fields. We were the only two chocolates in that glass of milk. It was a great class, but spun from an existence that would not allow our cultural freedom to dominate. To me this is okay when writing a textbook of some universal necessity, but not when expressing an honest self-portrait. For example, White love is love. Black love is deeply rooted in the entire Black experience, spanning slavery, Jim Crow, civil rights and present day issues.

It is for the responsibility of presenting the unedited Black experience from the viewpoint of Black writers that Ann Fields, Lavonne Kelley and I began The Writer’s Block. Our first meeting took place in a library in Irving, Texas, and now we are many members strong.

I am honored to participate in the second Writer’s Block anthology and I look forward to many more years of reading about the Black experience through this important publication. May the Writer’s Block and the anthology enjoy many blessed, great years to come.

Reach for the stars because God owns them!

Acknowledgements

Over twenty years ago, one of the founders of the Writer’s Block dreamt a dream. She envisioned a publishing company, owned by African-Americans with the objective of publishing great African-American literature.

The dream sat still for many years until 2005. That year, then president of the Writer’s Block, Jacqueline Duffey, received a vision from God to push that dream forward and form Writer’s Block Publishing. God didn’t stop there! He inspired Ms. Duffey to cull writings from the members to compile into an anthology and to publish a collection of these writings. That was in 2006—the first WBI anthology.

The collection you hold in your hands is the second volume of great African-American literature by some of the gifted members of the Writer’s Block, but it will not be the last. For as sure as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, a legacy of great African-American literature will continue to pour forth from the hearts, minds and voices of Writer’s Block members.

The dream is real because it is its time, and because of the talent, dedication and prayers of many, including:

Current contributors: Toyette Dowdell, Ann Fields, Bennye Johnson, Ingrid Lawton, Sharron Pete, Breggett Rideau, and Faith Simone

Current and former members of Writer’s Block, Inc.

Former president: Jacqueline Duffey

2013 WBI Anthology Project Managers: Reba Woodson and Faith Simone

Co-Founders: Ann Fields, LaVonne Kelley, and Breggett Rideau

Special Dedication

From January until July 2013, Reba Woodson served as project manager for the 2013 anthology. Sadly for us, on July 30, Reba earned her heavenly wings and transitioned to heaven. There, to no doubt look upon us and encourage us from above. Here on earth, she left a legacy of human lives forever emboldened by her faith-filled words, positive spirit and loving touch. The Writer’s Block, and specifically the anthology project, owes an immeasurable thank you to Reba for reviving this book project and for carrying it on her shoulders even onto her last days. Given that, it is only right that this book, this great work of literature, be dedicated to her.

To Reba Woodson: heart poet and writer of love and faith.

To God be the glory for your marvelous works.

Reba Waynee Chapple Woodson

July 14, 1959 - July 30, 2013

author

Toyette Dowdell

Toyette Dowdell is a longtime writer and lover of all things mystery, thriller and suspense. A longtime resident of Dallas, Texas, she is originally from New York and sometimes misses the rumble of the subway, but not very often. When she isn’t working on her latest mystery suspense novel, she enjoys running and making jewelry.

One More, Again

by Toyette Dowdell

Doug Hartwick sat in the darkened Chevy Impala brooding. Cigarette smoke hung around his neck like a fur collar. He shouldn’t be here. He was four months out of Attica and this was the kind of thing that would get him sent back. How did he let Mickey talk him into doing another job? Michelle would be livid. She might leave him for good this time. Take the kids and split for someplace where a knock on the door didn’t make her stomach flip upside down.

He hadn’t always been this stupid. Back in high school he’d held a B average and was captain of the wrestling team. His senior year he’d been all-state and on his way to Albany on a four-year scholarship. Then the Imperiolis moved to town and rented the house right next to Doug’s. Mrs. Imperioli had fallen in love with its candy corn yellow and orange mums inside the bright red window box on the two-story home. And Doug had fallen for Donna Imperioli. She was sixteen with an adventurous spirit born of another place and time. She wasn’t exactly pretty, but she had the body of a mature woman and her kisses were like a warm bed on a cold night. They spent hours on her rooftop watching the clouds twist themselves into different movie scenes and even more time creating their own. As a high school jock, he’d had plenty of girlfriends and he wasn’t a virgin, but this was different. She was different. So when Donna asked Doug to take her for a ride in the shiny cobalt blue 1967 Mustang they walked by every day on their way home from school, he didn’t hesitate. It would be a quick spin around the block and nobody would even notice it was gone. But someone did notice and six months after the moving van had pulled up to the Imperioli curb, Doug was in jail for grand theft auto. The owner of the Mustang was a local attorney high on law, order and consequences. After some lengthy legal maneuvering, Doug was convicted, sentenced to three years and immediately paroled, but by then his scholarship was gone. Donna was gone by then too. Her mother had found another house to love the next town over.

Devastated by the loss of his soul-mate and status as hometown hero, he embraced his new role as convicted felon. He had enough credits to graduate so he stopped going to school and began stealing even fancier cars, selling them to local chop shops for liquor money. He graduated to full-on heists, robbing jewelers and high-end boutiques. After a good run of nine years, he was caught and forced to serve out his original sentence plus five more years. His lawyer said it was a gift given his earlier conviction. That was the start of his official relationship with the New York state penal system and the beginning of his friendship with Mickey. Mickey was a small-time hustler who unlike Doug’s one-time pop, had been in and out of jail his whole life. Somehow he had become one of Doug’s closest friends. Even closer than his wrestling buddies who had surprisingly stuck by him after his downward spiral. The problem was that Mickey and prison were hopelessly linked. Every time Mickey got out he always said he wasn’t coming back; however, a few months later he would return, like the prodigal son, sheepish at first, then ultimately deluding himself into thinking prison chow was his fatted calf. But Doug had no intentions of playing Mickey’s revolving door game. Now that he was out, he planned to stay out. Or at least, that was the plan. So what was he doing here?

The rattle of the car engine brought his attention back to the deserted office building and he fixed his eyes on the side door that Mickey had pried open with a rusty crowbar. That door led to a jewelry appraiser’s office which contained a safe with fifty