ESSENCE asks: Where Is the Love?

In February, Essence covered the front of the magazine with Reggie Bush for its "Live your Fantasy" cover story featuring "10 of the sexiest men you've ever seen." That cover attracted far more attention than the editors ever expected. They got a boatload of letters like this one from a Baltimore reader..."I am saddened that ESSENCE chose to highlight Reggie Bush. There are so many other Black men, dating Black women, who would have made a great cover. This issue left a bitter taste in my mouth."

Although all of the feedback was not from people who had a problem with the magazine highlighting interracial relationships, that discussion does continue into the March Issue with the On Her Mind column, "Why it still hurts when a Black man chooses a woman from another race."

The February issue was just the beginning of the magazine's focus on the plight of Black love in the media. Also catching major attention are the online articles, including Black Love Under Media Attack and The Myth of the Perfect Man.

Literally Gems Book Club will get together this weekend to take this discussion to new heights. You and your friends and/or book club should do the same.

Orange Mint & Honey...Hmm...

I just figured out what I want to be when I grow up. A writer, of course. Nothing new here; It's what I've always done and what I've always wanted to do, but today I saw something that made me dream again. One of my writer friends posted a Facebook status update about an upcoming Lifetime movie called Sins of the Mother, starring Jill Scott. I had seen the movie preview a time or two but never knew the movie was based on a book. In fact, before today, it's sad to say I had never even heard of the title or the author: Orange Mint and Honey by Carleen Brice. And just like that, Carleen Brice is one of my new sheros as I can think of very few things I would like better than to have one of my books made into a movie, big screen or flat screen.

Essence magazine-endorsed Orange Mint and Honey was published in February of 2008, but a little research shows me that Carleen Brice has been on the scene for quite a while, having both fiction and non-fiction titles to her credit that date back to 2003, perhaps earlier.

I was a bit bothered by the fact that I'm finding out about this gem along with the masses who generally don't read. It is most certain that the book sales will skyrocket as the movie is advertised. Already Literally Gems is considering it for the book of the month at some point this year.

I'll be the first to admit that I am not a regular Lifetime Movie Network viewer (I'm more of an Investigation Discovery addict), but I will be tuning in this weekend to catch Sins of the Mother. Do I have time to read the book first?

Watch the trailer.
Buy the Book.
Check out the author.