What I'm Celebrating for World Book Day

First and foremost I am celebrating literacy for World Book Day because it is a life skill that affects everyone. It is imperative to learn how to read, at any age although preferably at a young age. However, you are never too young to learn new things and I have had the pleasure of teaching and assisting people with their reading skills over time.

It breaks my heart when I find out about girls and women that have been ridden of not only education but their basic right to learn how to read due to their gender in certain countries. It vexes me when older illiterate adults in developed countries do not want to know how to read out of ignorance. Like I said it is a life skill, one that has an impact on our daily lives.

Aside from the hard stuff, of course reading is also for pleasure which is what I presume today is all about. Roald Dahl is one of my favourite Writers of all time and I have several of his books so no doubt one of his books was the first I ever bought for pleasure if not a Jacqueline Wilson book. Wilson was also a childhood favourite however, I would still read Roald Dahl today despite that Disney kind of ruined his stories for me. Not all books are meant to be adapted to film. Hollywood studios are ignoring me completely on that one.

Books are big business which is funny because I was told twice that "There's not much money in books" YEAH RIGHT! I am sure that J.K Rowling, Celebrities that have written books especially TV Chefs and all lesser known people that eventually wrote a tell-all for big publishing houses, would beg to differ. Kmt. It all depends on the publishing deal (if any), resources and your audience of course. My point is that, what they were saying is not necessarily true and their standpoint mostly applies to small publishing houses, people with few resources and Author's with low public profiles.
If I haven't said so before what I will say is; much like the music industry not everyone who is creating the work will end up profiting from it but book publishing is still big business I can assure you.

Taking me to my second reason for celebration, as a new Author I am celebrating my debut book. It feels both strange and fantastic to know that my work is now 'a part' of World Book Day being that I'm now published.

I really wish I could post a better picture onto the web but this one still gets my point across and as long as I put my vanity aside it will suffice.

RIP Harper Lee. Lee was a pioneering Author of her day who passed away recently, I had no idea that it was her who wrote To Kill a Mockingbird and with the news of her death I can't keep pushing off the chance to watch the film version on Netflix. I am learning more about her now, reminds me that I also need to finally buy I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (RIP Maya Angelou).

Apparently, David Bowie was an avid reader and that is what he did for leisure. It takes me forever to finish a book although I do love to be in a bookstore. I am not so much of the reader that many people would expect me to be. I love to read poetry (obviously) but even more so I prefer reading frequent short pieces of information and anything that makes me feel instantly intellectually stimulated as opposed to reading fiction hours on end. I just don't have the patience but admire the Writers who compile great stories and worlds of imagination together. Biographies do it for me also but again, I do not have the patience to give it my undivided attention start to finish.

Happy reading people, BIG UP BOOKS & AUTHORS EVERYWHERE!

RIP to a British Rock Legend

I just found out about the passing of Rock/Pop legend David Bowie. Something I saw on television reminded me of him the other day, he is the epitome of the word 'icon' and I don't just mean in the UK but in music and fashion, he has contributed so much to pop culture and certainly the music industry (do your research if you don't know any better) that is still apparent today. His music even influenced contemporary Hip Hop icons of today, did you know that both P. Diddy and Jay Z have sampled his music?

Bowie is very well known for his eccentric and eclectic unique (at the time) style of fashion so it is no wonder why I see the fashion industry speak on his death also, neither was it a surprise to me to see an exhibition held in his honour at the historic V&A museum that I really wanted to go to. I am so p*ssed that I didn't go, just another reminder to cease the opportunity while it's there. Time waits for no one and circumstances change. Indeed.

I knew he was loved but I did not know just how popular he was with his industry peers until I saw this all blow up on social media, he's either worked with such and such or was a personal friend of such and such. There is a lot of sincerity in the messages that I have seen online from others who knew him.

Personally, I liked that he was just himself, unafraid, innovative, incredibly unique and outspoken in his activist way. Anyone can respect someone who stand up for what is right despite how it may affect their image or career and he done that in regard to race and other matters it's quite admirable. I first came to know of him from an old fantasy film called Labyrinth, I remember thinking that he looked strange but good-looking. What I loved the most about Bowie in later years was his loving relationship with his wife, supermodel Iman. In actual fact they are both icons of their day and although they were an unpredictable couple to be they made perfect sense. They are beautiful to look at together. So much so that I referred to their relation in my poem My Sermon, My Plea where I say "As believable as Iman and David Bowie." Audiences of my age and upwards fully understand what I mean and I get agreeable feedback on that often.

They really were a great couple (feels awful to say that in past tense now) to admire over the years, always caught happy in pictures and as Damon Dash rightly pointed out once, you never saw or heard of them in tabloid nonsense. Judging by their apparent positive partnership it was inevitable for me to include them in my poem along with the many other examples I gave of other famous couple that I admire.

This is almost affecting me as much as it did with Cilla Black another British legend but in TV, who I'd known throughout my childhood more so than Bowie and wanted to meet one day. Cilla Black was also in a (nationwide) famous long-term marriage that was very much adored by the public. Every single time she would come into conversation someone usually adds "She really loved her husband so at least she's with him now..."

Much like when Ruby Dee died, that brought me down as I have always known who she was of course but I was more familiar with her acting work. It was only in recent years that I became a growing fan of her decades of activism alongside her famous other half Ossie Davis. I also came to learn that she too was a Poet thanks to the documentary she did with Alicia Keys not long before she died. Coincidentally I also have a line in that same poem for them too "Better yet the Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis till death do us part, love...." Ah, still gets to me.

All such icons, such pioneers in their fields and such great examples of strong, long lasting marriages. So sad. Rest in peace.