Of logos and expos.In one of his last interviews, Ossie Davis told BIBR BIBR Bay Islands Beach Resort (Roatan, Honduras) BIBR Backward Indicator Bit Received interviewer Sharon D. Johnson: "One of the most important things the black artist has to learn early on is how to belong to black people." I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Davis twice--first at Earl Graves's Black Enterprise golf and tennis classic in Miami, and then at an awards program for Haki R. Madhubuti Haki R. Madhubuti (born Don Luther Lee on February 23 1942 in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States) is a renowned African-American author, educator, and poet. He received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Iowa, and served in the U.S. Army from 1960 to 1963. at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. Both occasions belonged to black people, and his words resonated with me as I contemplated design changes in the Black Issues Book Review logo and greater participation in the premier annual book industry event, BookExpo of America. How would I make sure Black Issues Book Review belongs to black people in a world where the culture of black books has--fortunately!--begun to be appreciated by everyone? Take a look at our cover. Our goal in the logo redesign re·de·sign tr.v. re·de·signed, re·de·sign·ing, re·de·signs To make a revision in the appearance or function of. re was to bring more attention to what we do--review books. (Thank you, our terrific designers--Michele Washington, Kelvin kelvin, abbr. K, official name in the International System of Units (SI) for the degree of temperature as measured on the Kelvin temperature scale. A unit of measurement of temperature. Oden and Salahadeen Betts.) Our focus on the world of black books has not changed one iota. Black authors, readers and African Americans African American Multiculture A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. See Race. working in the publishing and book-retailing industry remain our sole focus. We still belong to black people and we are grateful for the tens of thousands who subscribe, buy our publication in bookstores and on newsstands, and who check us out at libraries (see "Check It Out," page 20). We also appreciate and welcome the growing numbers of booklovers of diverse backgrounds who seek us out because they share an interest in what we do. The more we do with books at BIBR, the clearer it becomes that we are not only part of the awesome, amorphous Unorganized or vague. A lack of structure. For example, the amorphous state of a spot on a rewritable optical disc means that the laser beam will not be reflected from it, which is in contrast to a crystalline state which will reflect light. See crystalline. African cultural Diaspora. We are also part of an expanding, gradually diversifying book industry. Black Issues Book Review belongs to black people AND to the world of books. That belonging is demonstrated by the American Booksellers Association and Reed Exhibits as they continue in BookExpo 2005, the groundbreaking work done by black publishers who created the first African American Pavilion at last year's Expo. This issue serves as a call for even more black publishers to exhibit in the African American Pavilion at BookExpo 2005 (Yes, there's still time!); and as an advance guide to attending the event (see page 14), Robin Green, a former Baltimore bookseller and veteran of the Expo, details what to look for and some tips for those who are coming. On pages 8 through 21, we offer articles of special interest to those in the book industry. Stop by and meet the entire BIBR staff in the African American Pavilion. We welcome your visit and look forward to mingling. I hope Ossie Davis would approve of what is going on at BIBR, as he and Ruby Dee Ruby Dee (born October 27, 1924) is an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and activist. Early life She was born Ruby Ann Wallace in Cleveland, Ohio, and grew up in Harlem, New York. grace the cover. I hope he would feel we are learning, from his shining example, how to belong to black people AND the entire world. Special thanks to my dear friend Haki R. Madhubuti for his tribute to Ossie Davis (see "Catch the Keynote," page 27) and for his own living witness to the principles this great man embodied em·bod·y tr.v. em·bod·ied, em·bod·y·ing, em·bod·ies 1. To give a bodily form to; incarnate. 2. To represent in bodily or material form: . Enjoy the issue. Come and give us your feedback at BookExpo! Sincerely, William E. Cox William Elijah Cox (September 6, 1861 - March 11, 1942) was a U.S. Representative from Indiana. Born on a farm near Birdseye, Indiana, Cox attended the common and high schools of Huntingburg and Jasper, Indiana. President/Editor-in-Chief |
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