BlackNews.com - Gumbo For The Soul Literacy Program Founder Beverly Black Johnson Seeks Contributing Writers For Anthology

Gumbo For The Soul Literacy Program Founder Beverly Black Johnson Seeks Contributing Writers For Anthology

"Gumbo for the Soul: The Recipe for Literacy in the African American Community"

"Gumbo for the Soul"

Contributor, Vecepia Towery-Robinson, "Survivor" winner

Contributor, Donna Hill, author of "In My Bedroom" and "Divas Inc"

Contributor, Leslie Maxie, former "Cold Pizza" news anchor

San Jose, CA - The most recent published report from the National Center for Education Statistics conveys the high school drop-out rate for African Americans is 10.9 percent, far outpacing the percentage for whites, whose drop-out rate is 7.3 percent. Bay Area parent and youth activist Beverly Black Johnson has taken steps to address the dismal statistics. She founded "Gumbo for the Soul" Literacy Program¹ to implement resolutions to black students' declining GPA's, and to improve the scores of college-bound high school seniors by developing local after-school tutoring programs. Johnson shared her vision for the literacy program with some of the nation's best-selling and first-time African American writers, professionals, entrepreneurs, educators, community leaders, laypersons and students. Several of these talented individuals anxiously agreed to contribute to an anthology titled Gumbo for the Soul: the Recipe for Literacy in the African American Community.

The inspirational collaboration will encompass poetry, personal stories, quotes and reflectional accounts of contributors' respective educational and occupational experiences dealing with adversity, obstacles, perseverance and determination. Johnson eagerly invites more contributions to Gumbo for the Soul in the form of an essay, poetry or a savory gumbo recipe. Submission deadline is Monday, January 31, 2005. Persons who are interested in contributing to Gumbo for the Soul may access the PDF contributor guidelines/registration form at www.BlackNews.com/gumbo.pdf. Proceeds from the sale of the completed anthology Gumbo for the Soul: the Recipe for Literacy in the African American Community will benefit development of "Gumbo for the Soul" After School Literacy Program.

Johnson plans to launch the "Gumbo for The Soul" annual scholarship in 2005, which will benefit African American youth of all ages. "We as parents have to step up and place higher demands on the education system to get our kids the quality of education they need and deserve," said Johnson. "We cannot afford to stand by the wayside and let our kids slip through the cracks."

Partial listing of confirmed contributors to "Gumbo for the Soul":

Keyanna Bean, foster care advocate, writer
Toni Beckham, president & CEO, PR, et Cetera, Inc.
Heather Covington, President of The YOUnity Reviewer's Guild
Dr. Frank E. Dobson, Dir., Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center, Vanderbilt Univ.
Damainion Ewell (The Millennium Writer), freelance writer
Sheila Goss, author of Roses are Thorns, Violets are True
Donna Hill, author of In My Bedroom and Divas Inc
Niambi Jarvis, founder/CEO, Hiyaah Power, Inc.
Joylynn Jossel, author of The Root of All Evil
Rhonda M. Lawson, author of Cheatin' in the Next Room
Laverne Lewis Gaskins, author of Child Support and Other Guarantees
James W. Lewis, author of A Hard Man is Good to Find
Dwana Makeba, M.A., Artist Rep./Road Manager for Sweet Honey in the Rock
T.C. Matthews, author of The Cradle Robbers: Class Act
Leslie Maxie, 1988 Olympic hurdler, former "Cold Pizza" news anchor
E. Joyce Moore, author of Gettin' to the Good Wood
Sylvia McClain, former columnist for Dearborn Press and Guide
Barbara Perkins, founder, SistersAtTheWell.com
Debra Phillips, author of The High Price of a Good Man
Tzyna L. Pinchback, Author of Playing by Heart and Eve Songs
Rolanda Pyle, Dir., NYC Dept. of Aging Grandparents Resource Center
Kim Robinson, author of The Roux in the Gumbo
Valetta Robinson, B.A., M.A., director, Joy Adolescent Treatment Center
Bonita Sanabria, writer, educator, mediator
Vecepia Towery-Robinson, CBS "Survivor" winner
Beverly Black Johnson, founder of "Gumbo for the Soul"
(confirmed contributors too numerous to list in entirety)

Editors for "Gumbo for the Soul":

Christopher Chambers, writer for "Urban Stage & Screen/Urban Film Journal" magazine
Nathasha Brooks Harris, author of Panache, contributing editor, "Today's Black Woman"
Davidae "Dee" Stewart, managing editor, Suite 101.com's "African American Women Writers Finding Voice"

¹Proceeds from the sale of the completed anthology "Gumbo for the Soul" will benefit development of "Gumbo for the Soul" After School Literacy Program - a 501(c)(4) public service initiative www.gumboforthesoul.com

"Gumbo for the Soul" welcomes inquiries from literary agents and publishers gumboforthesoul@yahoo.com

"Gumbo for the Soul: the Recipe for Literacy in the African American Community"
� 2004-2005 Beverly Black Johnson

PRESS CONTACT: Toni Beckham, toni@pretcetera.com, 408-499-3664