The Harlequin More Than Words Program is looking for a few good women.

Somewhere right now a woman’s compassion is improving the quality of life in her community-not only for herself, but for those she cares about most. With each act of kindness, each word of support, she is proving that real-life heroines do exist. At Harlequin, we believe that her story should be told!

The Charlotte Literary Festival

CHARLOTTE TO HOST ONE OF THE LARGEST INSPIRATIONAL EVENTS OF THE YEAR, THE CHARLOTTE LITERARY FESTIVAL

Best-Selling Authors and Motivational Speakers to Attend This Year’s Festival

Charlotte, NC (BlackNews.com) – The Charlotte Literary Festival will take place September 6, 2008 at the Charlotte Convention Center. We have some of the best influential speakers and authors in the industry featured at the festival this year. We will attract over 10,000 people!

Is This the End of Street Lit?

For the record, I never called my work “street literature” and I never will. When I began to publish ground breaking contemporary novels with Flyy Girl in 1993, and Capital City in 1994, I called them “urban classics.” They were “urban” because they dealt with people of color in the inner-city or “urban” population areas. They were “classics” because I considered myself one of the first to start the work of a new era. But now, after sixteen years and sixteen novels in the African-American adult urban fiction game, I feel like the man who created the monster Frankenstein.

Omar Tyree sounds off in his article, “An Urban “Street Lit” Retirement.”

Copyright Registration

Beginning July 1, 2008, the Copyright Office is offering online registration of claims to copyright. Online registration through the electronic Copyright Office (eCO) is the preferred way to register basic claims for literary works; visual arts works; performing arts works, including motion pictures; sound recordings; and single serials. Advantages of online filing include a lower filing fee; the fastest processing time; online status tracking of your claim; secure payment by credit or debit card, electronic check, or Copyright Office deposit account; and the ability to upload certain categories of deposits directly into eCO as electronic files.

To register your claim electronically, go to the Copyright Office website at www.copyright.gov and click on the eCO logo.

This cool tidbit was found on the Christian Writers’ Marketplace.

Author Launches Children’s Book Series About Autism

Mrs. Williams-Hines and son, Joshua, hope to promote autism awareness and understanding through her No Small Victories book series in which Joshua plays the main character.

Springfield, MA (BlackNews.com) – Author and autism awareness advocate, Jacqueline Williams-Hines, announces the release of her second children’s book in her No Small Victories book series, The Adventures of Suther Joshua from Planet Yethican. Mrs. Williams-Hines is the parent of an 11-year-old son with autism, and a strong advocate for autism awareness and social inclusion. Currently working on the third book in her series, she hopes to introduce various aspects of autism to her son’s typical peers in an effort to promote understanding and acceptance.

New Digital Magazine Inspires Urban Teen Girls to Be Confident!

Double Dutch Magazine Cover – Spring 2008 (Issue 2)

New York, NY (BlackNews.com) – Double Dutch, a new urban magazine, inspires teen girls to be confident and have fun!

Double Dutch is a digital magazine for multicultural, teen girls ages 12-17. Double Dutch is a magazine created for girls who live in urban communities or follow urban trends. Double Dutch has the same format of a print magazine, but can be viewed online. It is a New York City-based magazine that is published on a quarterly basis (four times per year).