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MARLON RICE Brooklyn Writer/Author: Rooted Locally, Rising Nationally

Editor, Our Time Press
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Marlon Rice was born and raised in Brooklyn. He attended P.S. 3-Satellite East, Concord Elementary School, Brooklyn Tech High School and Morgan State University. He currently writes for the New York Society of Ethical Cultural. His obsession for reading everything he could put his hands on, following the great habit of his “voracious reader” mom — shaped his decision to be a writer, and to become a storyteller. He completed his first book at age 10 inspired by personal experiences growing up in his Clinton Hill neighborhood. He also was a student of the great works of such artist/chroniclers as Jacob Lawrence and Norman Rockwell, who captured the human experience “so effectively” – something Marlon wants to do in his writings about the urban experience. He recently published his first book Blow One Down, which he describes as a “raw shocking tale of cause and effect,” and he is working on another. Following is Marlon Rice, in his own words.   Bernice Elizabeth Green 

Why I Write

By Marlon Rice

 

As early as I can remember, she would give me books, require me to read them, and then ask for either a verbal or written summary of the book. That lady and I went through this process more times than I can remember.

By age twelve I had spent time with every major name in literature: Alex Haley, Octavia Butler, Langston Hughes, Toni Morrison, George Orwell, Claude Brown, Mark Twain, Richard Wright, Zora Neale Hurston, James Baldwin, J.D Salinger, V.C Andrews, John Steinbeck, William Golding, even Shakespeare – I read works from each of them and had to tell my mother all about it.

I don’t think she succeeded in making me heir to the crown of the　most　voracious　book reader in Bed Stuy.　 I would say that I’m somewhat of an avid reader. Not the competitive eater, but more of a three squares a day and occasional snacks kind of eater. However, she succeeded in doing something special. You see, somewhere within the process of reading these great books and then talking to her about them, I fell in love with great stories, and the telling of great stories. Reading all of these different authors forced me to begin to recognize the difference in the style and texture of how to tell a story.　 The moment that I noticed those differences, I began to search for my own voice and how I would tell a story.

There I was, a twelve year old with a dream of telling stories like the greats. I would tell my mother, a legal secretary, that I wanted to write books when I got older, and she would look at me and say, “Baby writing is good, but writers don’t get a pension.” I’d turn to my father, a New York City Police Officer, and I would tell him that I wanted to write books when I got older and he would say, “Son you can write all the books you want, after you take the　Police exam, get on the job and retire.” It wasn’t that they were intentionally doubting that I could indeed become a great writer, they were just being practical. You see, when you become an adult the responsibilities of caring for yourself or a family can begin to take the wind out of the sails of your dreams. Pretty soon you’re a husband and a father and dreaming takes a back seat to being practical. Their advice was of a protective nature, tried and tested by the very ones advising me. It’s hard to argue with success, right? So even early on the dream was in danger of being deferred.

Dreams are resilient creatures though. They must　be because right out of the starting gate they are attacked by doubt and practical advice. Funny thing is that I did not　listen much to my parents　as it dealt with this particular issue concerning writing. The child they were advising did not even know what a pension was, and he didn’t want to be a cop. No, he wanted to live the dream. And that is what I did. I wrote all of the time. I wrote stories and poems. I wrote rhymes, essays, and ideas for television pilots. I would even write love letters, not just for myself but for whatever friend needed one. I don’t know if Baldwin or Golding started out ghost writing love letters for friends, but I’m sure they could relate to my hunger to be expressive, and my naive search to find my role and my pace within the craft of writing.

Yes, I was well on my way to becoming one of the greats. But something happened. I grew into an adult. I had my daughter at the age of 20, and immediately I had to become practical. Three years into college at Morgan State University, I set aside and deferred my education so that I could be a father. The same thing happened to my dream.　It was deferred in order for me to handle my responsibilities. I couldn’t spend hours writing anymore; I was working two jobs, trying to squeeze both the abandon of youth and the practicality of fatherhood into my life. It was a busy time. No time to dream.

Langston Hughes said, when pondering on what happens to a dream deferred, that maybe it just sags like a heavy load. He was right. Not living my dream made me a different person, a bit more sullen. I did not love telemarketing, or security, or working in the mailroom, or any of the other things that I did at one time or another to make ends meet. I simply submitted to doing them to make ends meet. The dream though never disappeared. In fact, it sat in the pit of my stomach like rotten meat making me nauseous, leaving a feeling like I would die if I did not throw it up.
Ironically, the one thing that cured my nausea was the same thing that inspired me to dream way back in my childhood bedroom: reading. I started taking books　to my security job, and I would read while on post.　 I reread the authors I read in my youth: Orwell, Butler, and the regular cast. I did add just one new author to my precious circle of trusted scribes, Mr. Walter Mosley. Before I knew it, I was reading on every shift. That heavy load in the pit of my stomach began to lighten with every finished work. Lord of the Flies, 1984, Black Betty, with every novel it was coming back. That feeling was coming back. I was dreaming again.

Once I felt it, I could not help myself. I began to write. This time, it was different though. I wasn’t the same teenage kid searching for his place. From all of those past journeys into multiple genres I did learn something. I wanted to write novels, just like the ones that had nurtured this energy in me at the beginning. So I started to write a novel. When you actually begin to walk towards your goal two things happen. First, with each step you get closer to your appointed destination, as with any journey. Second, each step makes you stronger and more prepared for the next step. It’s like working out, the more you work out the stronger you get.

What began as a walk, became a jog, and then an all out sprint towards the goal of finishing my first novel, Blow One Down. It was a passionate obsession, something I thought about with every free moment during the day, not unlike the feelings of a fresh, new love when everything is so right and exact. Doing something you love to do gives you that feeling everyday, even if it isn’t yet sustaining your lifestyle. I must admit, I do have a career now that I enjoy and that sustains me. However the feeling of challenging yourself to make your dreams into reality is a process that strengthens the mind and the soul far beyond what you do for a living. If I’m a little lucky, and a little blessed I will someday be able to do what it is I love for a living.

In the meantime I plan to continue to love the process, and to keep that same passion for telling a story. This is the way to turn your dreams into reality. Love and enjoy the Process, which is the journey from where you start to your destination. Keep the passion, which is the love and respect for what it is you want to do. When you love something, when you really love it you will do anything for it. That is the passion you need to make your dreams come true. The point is doing　what you need to do to keep that passion burning. For me it’s simple, just give me a great story to read. Am I a great writer yet? No,　I wouldn’t say that. Not yet. But you know what? I’m living out my dreams.

Langston Hughes offered many possibilities for what happens to a dream deferred, but his last option was the most important because it explains what should happen to all dreams, even the ones deferred. He asked, “Does it explode?” The answer is yes.

Make your dreams, even the ones you may have deferred, make them explode into reality. Don’t let them dry up, or fall into the pit of your stomach. Take them and make them explode, blow them up.
For more information on Mr. Rice, contact him at: hwemudua@gmail.com

 

　

BLOW ONE DOWN

Author’s Description

Come out and meet the author at his next three booksignings:

Thursday, December

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What really does happen to a dream deferred? Those dreams we have as children of what our lives will become, do they really dry up like a raisin in the sun?
　　I have a mother who is a voracious reader. As long as I have known her she has approached reading like it was competitive eating, devouring multiple books in the time that it takes most readers to finish just one. As I am her oldest child and only son, she made a deliberate attempt to pass on her passion to her “baby boy.”

 

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6:00-9:00pm

Damon woke up this morning to his normal life, in his normal townhouse next to his normal fiancée. But after a call from his friend Freedom, things begin to unravel until ‘normal’ is as knotted and as jumbled as tangled yarn. In order to untangle this mess Damon is going to have to settle with his past. That is, before his past settles with him.　

Damon’s uncle Jomo used to tell him that good decisions yield good fruits, and bad decisions yield the fruits of punishment. Damon made one real bad decision five years ago, but he has cut that part of his life away. To him, Brooklyn doesn’t exist anymore. He doesn’t know it yet, but Freedom’s phone call is bringing it all Back. By the end of the day, Damon will be forced to reap what he has sown.

Blow One Down is a hard-boiled story about a bad day. It is about a person destined to destruction through a flaw of character and conflict with society. It is a blatant, raw story told from the inside out like a journalist reporting live from the scene. By showing the aggregate result of making bad decisions, Blow One Down reveals the thin boundary between order and chaos within the context of cultural struggle and depiction of common urban themes.

Green Sustainable Vision Growing in Bedford-Stuyvesant

David Mark Greaves
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The announcement of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) award for a Smart Growth Technical Assistance Grant to create a Green Sustainable Vision for Bedford-Stuyvesant held at Restoration Plaza, was an important example of a community in action. There were only three of these grants awarded in the nation, said Colvin Grannum, President of Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation. And this one was won by the creation of the Coalition for the Improvement of Bedford-Stuyvesant (CIBS), a collection of Local Development Corporations brought together into a working group by Councilman Al Vann, where they were free to collaborate, “Not working in silos,” sharing resources and planning is how Grannum put it.

The result has been the opportunity to “Develop projects that can be implemented as models for all of New York City and beyond”, said Melissa Lee, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Comprehensive Neighborhood Economic Development (CNED). “Bedford-Stuyvesant is one of the oldest and most historic communities in Brooklyn,” she said, “And it was the partnership with CIBS that has made us successful.”

Ron Borsellino, Deputy Director Office of Policy and Management, EPA Region 2, said “the purpose of these awards is to develop an overall strategy for green growth.” As that strategy develops, Jeffrey Dunston, Chief Executive Officer for Northeast Brooklyn Housing Development Corporation and Chair of the CIBS Housing & Physical Development Network, said that the economic consequences and the long-term effect of that “green growth” on the community must be included in any calculations. And that the development of Bedford-Stuyvesant must be holistically done so to “marry local economic development with commercial development as well as environmental protection.”

 
 
 
 
 

 

 

“That’s My Mother! That’s My Mother!” was the Anguished Cry on Clifton Place

David Mark Greaves
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I was walking our dog Gray home from the Our Time Press offices Sunday evening, entering onto the south side of Clifton Place at about 9:25pm, when there was a burst of commotion with someone coming out of a ground floor of a white building. There was a woman who had also come out of the doorway and she was holding her hands to her head with what can truly be described as a stricken look of horror shrieking “he’s killing him! He’s killing him!”

Then there were others coming out and the activity moved a short distance up the block parallel to the direction I was walking, but out of the light and toward where the woman had been looking. Then there were people moving back toward the house, there was confusion and I became briefly aware of what appeared to be a woman running back toward the house with the light from a cell phone illuminating her face.

Gunfire on the street doesn’t sound like anything in the movies, there was only a pop, pop, but the sound carried a finality that is instantly understood, and I dropped to the ground like a stone, very thankful for the SUV between me and the madness happening directly across the street.

I pulled out my cell phone and called 911, and reported that shots had been fired on Clifton Place between Classon and Grand. The time recorded on my phone was 9:26:54pm

There was more screaming and I looked up and saw a man with a bloody head going to the door, pounding saying “Let me in!”

I was still on the phone when the first whiff of gunpowder came by and the operator was asking, “Was anyone shot?” At this point there was screaming and crying across the street and I said I thought someone had been shot.

The operator had to connect me to the ambulance operator for routing and despite my anxiety, she assured me that the police were on their way, and they arrived probably within 2 minutes of my call. In fact, the whole call lasted only 3:47 secs, during which the police had arrived and I was still talking to the operator and had walked up and down the block.

As the police cars came into the block and officers began opening trunks and pulling out the crime scene tape, a young man had to be restrained as he screamed, “That’s my mother! That’s my mother!” while looking down at the dark area under the tree. As the police began to cordon off the area, I walked across the street and looked over and saw the legs and back of 51-year-old Audrey Carrie Johnson facedown beneath the tree. It was a heart-breaking walk home that night.

 

(Michelle Etwaroo, Events and Communications Manager at Pratt Area Community Council, informs us that Ms. Johnson’s brother works at PACC and that in an effort to help the family deal with the expenses of the aftermath of the tragic shooting, they are requesting that donations be made out to Carrie Johnson, Audrey Carrie Johnson’s mother.   Please send the donations to the PACC Office at 201 Dekalb Avenue Brooklyn NY 11205.) 

THE GOVERNOR LAUNCHES “PEOPLE FIRST” CITY-WIDE CAMPAIGN in BEDFORD STUYVESANT

Mary Alice Miller
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Three thousand people came out to hear Governor David Paterson’s message to the community on Tuesday at Brooklyn’s First AME Zion Church, pastored by Rev. Darren H. Mitchell. The governor was warmly greeted by the standing room only crowd in the first of a series of conversations he is holding across the state.
Governor Paterson spoke of NYS’s budget woes, and put them in a national context. “The amount of deficits states have run are twice the stimulus dollars,” said Paterson. “Without it, things could be worse.” Paterson credited President Obama’s stimulus as mitigating the problem.
The Governor gave an overview of the problem. NYS receives 20% of our tax proceeds from Wall Street. Our tax receipts are down – twice the national average. Governor Paterson identified the national crisis first in July 2008. In August 2008, NYS balanced its budget and was able to create a ½ billion dollar emergency fund that has enabled New York to do far better than other states.
Paterson said 34 states have had to take actions that NYS has not: 26 states shut down all Pre-K and kindergarten programs; 21 states have furloughed workers; 9 states have let prisoners out. Hawaii shortened its school week from 6 days to 4. In addition Hawaii, and Michigan (which has a 16% unemployment rate) have no more after-school programs. Arizona sold its assets, including the state capitol, which is leased back to itself. California’s credit rating is triple B – one step above junk bond status. As a result, California has a $1 billion interest on their debt.
In comparison to many other states, Governor Paterson said NYS policy is “shared sacrifice.” He acknowledged NYS has the 2nd highest tax rate in the country. The state’s rebate on property tax relief has been abolished.
The Governor said 55% of NYS’s budget goes to health care and education. In response to what Paterson describes as “misleading” commercials, 71% of all education costs go to administration; 29% is for children. Paterson said 95% of school districts we cut have reserve funds, therefore he recommended “wealth-based” tax cuts. The state didn’t cut poorer school districts.
Regarding the impact of health care cuts, Paterson said “No Medicaid patients will be denied services due to cuts.”
The Governor gave an example of how painful it has been for him to make cuts to services. In 2004, when he was a State Senator, Paterson co-sponsored a $50 million bill for lead paint. In 2008, that legislation passed. Paterson said, as governor, he had to veto it. The Governor described how he had to face the music from his then-Assembly member co-sponsor, David Gantt who all but “cussed” him out. Paterson said since then, he found $25 million to help victims of lead poisoning.
Paterson said he is cutting now to avoid closings later. “California is closing hospitals. Arizona is closing schools. New York will be recovering in the new economy.”
In contrast to 34 states that are behind on payments, Governor Paterson said, “I’ve balanced 2 budgets in the middle of a recession. We have not missed a payment [obligation]. NY has maintained its credit rating.”
After his opening remarks, Governor Paterson took questions from the audience.
Regarding a question about John White, the husband and father who was convicted for protecting his family and home from a drunken mob, the governor said he “has met with John White,” and explained he “cannot intervene in ongoing court proceedings,” (the case in on appeal) and cannot comment further.
On the ever-controversial Atlantic Yards project, Paterson said he met with representatives of the opponents to Atlantic Yards just prior to his conversation with the audience. The Governor promised “an objective and fair hearing” on the issue. “The state has an interest in Atlantic Yards,” the Governor said. “Upon advisement of [Council woman] Tish James, I will review.”
On the topic of employment, Governor Paterson said NYS’s official unemployment rate is 8.9%, “but I believe 15-18% of able-bodied adults don’t have jobs.” Paterson said he has expanded the W/MBE system. “NYS was 45th out of 50 states” in awarding contracts to W/MBE’s. He explained while “8% of W/MBE’s qualified, only 2/3 of 1% (.66%) were getting business.” Paterson said NYS had one of the worst records in the country, “Mississippi was better.” Under his leadership, Governor Paterson said the rate of M/WBE’s that do business with the state increased from .66% to 11.1%. Paterson views W/MBE’s as a way to “create jobs in the community.”
Governor Paterson was asked about Alton Maddox’s law license and records surrounding the Tawana Brawley incident. Paterson said Maddox’s law license has been suspended for 20 years, amounting to “4 times the maximum suspension” under NYS law. Paterson felt it would be “equitable to give Maddox’s license back.” Regarding the records on Tawana Brawley, Paterson said he doesn’t have those files. Paterson recommended taking up the issue with the independently-elected District Attorney or the state’s Attorney General, Mario Cuomo. There were many more questions than time, and the Governor said he would return to continue the conversation. Oh, and yes the governor is running in 2010.

TOYS

Editor, Our Time Press
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What are the winter holidays without toys? Pretty disappointing is the probable answer.  Everyone likes a toy.  Some toys are simple and others are so techie delectable.
pardYour Toy
For the adults in the home, Sirius (www.sirius.com) offers one hundred streams of satellite radio.  What is satellite radio?  Try digitally produced music and entertainment that=s beamed up to a satellite and then beamed down to subscribers.  What are the one hundred streams?  One hundred channels of crisp, clear sounds packaged for various tastes.  Sirius offers sixty streams of commercial-free music and forty streams of sports, news and entertainment.  There are three satellites orbiting around the Earth that make this happen.  Much of the music is produced live at Sirius= studios that are located at Rockefeller Center in New York City.  In the world of satellite radio, stream jockeys replace disc jockeys.
What is needed to be in the streams are an antenna, an FM modulator for your car radio or a plug n= play console.  Subscribing to a service plan and activating one=s account are the final steps.  Imagine: in your car or in your home, crisp clear extreme sports streams or world music or the latest on your favorite celebrity.
VOOM (www.voom.com) is a high definition satellite television service (HDTV).  HDTV turns your home into the local cinema.  Similar to satellite radio, HDTV gives brighter, crisper, and clearer images on the television screen and the HDTV screen is much wider than standard TVCforty-two inches.  The magic behind the picture is the use of smaller dots that make up the images.  Similar to scanning, a clearer image is produced from using smaller dots.  The last touch to the theater effect is the surround sound speaker system: one in the television, two on opposite sides of the television and two behind the couch.
VOOM is also commercial-free and subscription based.  The satellite, Rainbow-1 that was launched July 17, 2003, facilitates the VOOM experience.  A subscription consists of a choice of thirty-nine HD exclusives and ten 24/7 wide screen movie channels.  The satellite TV service requires obtaining a satellite dish, antenna, HD receiver, remote control and the subscription.  Being all in the family, the kids will say, AWhat=s yours is ours.@  Be charitable and share.
pardKid Toy
Xbox is a video game system that=s >all the rave=.  If the Website (www.xbox.com) is an example of the actual product, it=s engaging to say the least.  From user reviews Xbox is a powerful games experience.  It supposedly more dynamic than PS2 or Gamecube and has great graphics.  Microsoft, the maker, markets the product to the teen-to-adult segment.  The games categories include Simulation, Sports, Shooter, Racing, Action, Role Playing, Adventure, and Strategy.  The content is rated as Teen, Mature, or Everyone.  The games list appears to be never ending given the number of game producers that work their craft.
The basic equipment is the Xbox console and the controller.  These pieces are attached to a television.  To add depth to the Xbox experience, try Music Mixer for Karaoke and photo displays; the DVD Movie Playback kit; and System Link Cables to connect two Xbox consoles on separate televisions.  Imagine >Xboxing= by yourself, with another person or with a group.  This is accomplished by connecting the Xbox to a television and then, connecting the >Xboxed= television to another one.  It seems that Microsoft seeks to create a world of >Xbox people.=
pardStore Toy
Make way barcode scanners, RFIDs are here.  What are RFIDs?  Radio Frequency Identification is an electronic chip smaller than a grain of sand that emits a radio signal.  RFIDs are currently deployed by the US military.  The US Navy keeps track of wounded personnel and prisoners in military hospitals in Iraq.  US retailers will deploy RFIDs to tag merchandise for inventory and security purposes.  Each chip is unique so any item that is tagged with one can be tracked individuallyCanytime, anywhere.  Where the barcode identifies a type of good, RFIDs identify the individual item.  Using London Fog raincoats as an example, a barcode can identify a woman=s beige raincoat.  RFIDs can identify the particular beige woman=s raincoat that you bought and can track that coat outside of the store indefinitely.
That close surveillance has people uneasy; therefore, RFIDs will be implemented just short of the end user, in the United States.  RFIDs will tag bulk packages of goods in warehouses.  Wal-Mart requested a large supply and will introduce them by 2005.  Wal-Mart foresee greater control from warehouse to backroom to shop shelves.  Consumers need to organize now to ensure that RFIDs are not attached to pieces of clothing and accessories.
pardAfrican Briefs
Algeria, Nigeria and South Africa have launched their own satellites.  Nigeria=s NigeriaSat-1 is part of Disaster Monitoring Constellation.  This satellite monitors such environmental concerns as deforestation and water supplies.  At the cost of ten million dollars some quarters criticize the government=s decision, while others see the need to assess the ecological balance.

Africa is more than safari, batik, and soukous.  Africa has a thriving film industry.  Every two years FESTPAC is convened to view and judge the latest full feature and shorts in all genres.  FESTPAC is held at Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso.  The last one was in February 2003.  Plan ahead by booking your flight and hotel accommodations in the latter part of 2004.
Have a computer question, know of a great site?  Contact me at akos_a@juno.com

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