#Jones Kamau

[alexpeteronoja]

African Folktales, Reimagined Season 1 (Complete)

The series features works from six filmmakers, the winners of the streamer’s 2021 short film competition with UNESCO. Selected to represent sub-Sahara Africa, each winner got $25,000 plus an additional production budget worth $75,000 to reimagine folktales for the current audience. The selected entries are from Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Mauritania, Kenya, and Uganda. VIDEO…

[captaingimpy]

Companion Piece: Diving Into the Disability Episode of United Shades of America

The disability-focused episode of United Shades of America, which aired on May 20, 2018, dives into the lived realities of people with disabilities in America. Throughout the episode, host W. Kamau Bell meets with individuals across the disability spectrum, explores systemic barriers, and attempts to shed light on an often overlooked group of people. However, while the episode offers some…

[intoxicatingimmediacy]

Is Oakland the next Hollywood? These Bay Area creatives believe it can be

Rafael Casal doesn’t quite have superpowers, but with his recent foray into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the East Bay screenwriter and “Loki” actor is hoping to use his success to spotlight other budding creatives from his hometown with what is being dubbed the Bay List.

The newly announced initiative aims to highlight the top 10 screenplays and pilots by writers with close Bay Area ties. The first cohort will be chosen by participants such as Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry’s Unanimous Media; “Sorry to Bother You” director Boots Riley’s Cinemama; and comedian, documentarian and activist W. Kamau Bell’s Who Knows Best Productions. All three, as well as Casal, are part of the East Bay Film Collective, a broader effort spearheaded by Bell that is working to make it easier for filmmakers to shoot their projects in the area.

“It’s a massive co-sign,” Casal said of the high-profile creatives onboard. “Not only for the artists to their peers in the Bay, but for the industry to hear that those people liked these 10 scripts.”

The Bay List is a regionally specific version of entrepreneur Franklin Leonard’s Black List, which was created in Los Angeles to help screenwriters receive industry feedback and visibility. Its site also allows users to submit their work to a variety of projects and programs, from labs that entail intense peer workshopping to grant programs that provide financial support.

Bay List applications are open now through April 8. Submissions must first be posted to the Black List site, which requires a $30 hosting fee plus a $100 evaluation fee. From there, there is no additional cost to submit to the Bay List or any other Black List program or partnership.

In addition to amplifying selected projects, the Bay List plans to offer its screenwriters with a variety of educational benefits from its partner organizations (yet to be announced). To help ensure applications are accessible to all, Dolby Laboratories have donated fee waivers for one month of free hosting and one free evaluation for the first 150 eligible submissions. Selected Bay List projects are expected to be announced next summer.

“We need to start mobilizing the groundswell of writers in the Bay towards this goal of getting their scripts ready to be read,” Casal said. But the Bay List is just one part of a broader mission to make the Bay Area a Northern California hub for Hollywood’s film industry tastemakers and aspiring stars.

In July, the East Bay Film Collective and the city of Oakland partnered to implement a film rebate program, which provides a 10% rebate on qualified local spending for film production, including rented items, contracted services and resident wages. Productions with a budget of at least $250,000 that spend funds in areas with high unemployment or at a worker-owned co-op will receive an additional 2.5% rebate.

“Oakland has a lot of different physical and cultural aspects that the larger public is probably unaware of,” said Gregory Minor, deputy director of Oakland’s economic and workforce development department. “This is an opportunity to share the wider perspective.” But Bell emphasized that while Oakland is the hub, it’s not the only city with filming potential. The next move is to implement the incentive for all of Alameda County.

“The desire is there, this deep desire to bring giant filmmaking projects home,” Casal said, noting that the Bay List and the larger efforts of the collective aim to make this more feasible.

Meanwhile, Casal continues to host his screenwriters salons, where creatives can mingle, workshop their ideas and make industry connections. “I think it’s critical. I feel like there’s a lot of artists, but not a lot of opportunity here, and so being able to have this type of space is really important,” East Bay resident Alexandria Jones said during the July gathering. “A lot of us are in a silo and feeling like we need to compete when actually there’s more than enough for everybody.”

Casal launched the invite-only events just as people began to emerge from the pandemic shutdown in 2021 to help demystify the filmmaking business. Writers simply fill out an application form sharing details about their current projects to gain access to each free salon. So far, he’s hosted three throughout the East Bay.

“It’s really encouraging to connect the dots and meet other filmmakers,” Fego Navarro told the Chronicle during a salon at Ciel Creative Space in Berkeley on July 25. Half an hour before Casal’s July salon began, dozens of screenwriters from all over the Bay Area gathered in Ciel Creative Space’s parking lot buzzing with energy. The nervous chatter quickly turned into excited intrigue and praise as those waiting to begin the salon struck up conversations with one another about their projects.

“It feels like a renaissance happening right now with filmmakers,” Navarro said. “It’s giving (us) a lot of hope.”

[zalrb]

hi zal! i hope you’re doing well!! :) i’ve been slowly trying to get myself back into reading (for fun) again and i’ve gotten to the point where i need something i can sink my teeth into. do you have any recs for books that altered your brain chemistry (could be at any point in your life because i am also revisiting childhood favorites)? like i need a literary realignment if you will lol

Oh cool!

The Island of Forgetting by Jasmine Sealy, Zami: An Autobiography of My Name by Audre Lorde, Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline, The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline, Shut Up, You're Pretty by Tea Mutonji, And The Walls Came Down by Denise DaCosta, Annie John by Jamaica Kincaid, Lord of the Rings Trilogy by JRR Tolkein, Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson, Fledgling by Octavia Butler, Bloodchild by Octavia Butler, Before You Suffocate Your Own Fool Self by Danielle Evans, Drinking Coffee Elsewhere by ZZ Packer, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, Bastard out of Carolina by Dorothy Alison, Corregidora by Gayl Jones, Born to Slow Horses by Kamau Brathwaite, Omeros by Derek Walcott, Bad Cree by Jessica Johns, Tainna by Norma Dunning, Annie Mukuk by Norma Dunning, A Dream of a Woman by Casey Plett, The Naming series by Allison Croggon

[richincolor]

New Releases

Five new books coming out this week to add to your growing list. I'm reading Nigeria Jones for this month's review and I'm excited to get started. Keep an eye out for that upcoming review. What books look interesting to you?

Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian Balzer & Bray

2019. Moud is an out gay teen living in Los Angeles with his distant father, Saeed. When Moud gets the news that his grandfather in Iran is dying, he accompanies his dad to Tehran, where the revelation of family secrets will force Moud into a new understanding of his history, his culture, and himself.

1978. Saeed is an engineering student with a promising future ahead of him in Tehran. But when his parents discover his involvement in the country’s burgeoning revolution, they send him to safety in America, a country Saeed despises. And even worse—he’s forced to live with the American grandmother he never knew existed.

1939. Bobby, the son of a calculating Hollywood stage mother, lands a coveted MGM studio contract. But the fairy-tale world of glamour he’s thrust into has a dark side. Bobby is forced to hide his sexuality for fear of losing everything.

Set against the backdrop of Tehran and Los Angeles, this tale of intergenerational trauma and love is an ode to the fragile bonds of family, the hidden secrets of history, and all the beautiful moments that make us who we are today. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Nigeria Jones by Ibi Zoboi HarperCollins US

Warrior Princess.

That’s what Nigeria’s father calls her. He’s raised her as part of the Movement, a Black separatist group based in Philadelphia. Nigeria is homeschooled and vegan and participates in traditional rituals that connect her and other kids from the group to their ancestors. But when her mother—the perfect matriarch to their Movement—disappears, Nigeria’s world is upended. She finds herself taking care of her baby brother and stepping into a role she doesn’t want.

Nigeria’s mother had secrets. She wished for a different life for her children, which includes sending her daughter to a private Quaker school outside of their strict group. Despite her father’s disapproval, Nigeria attends the school with her cousin, Kamau, and Sage, who used to be a friend. There, she slowly begins to blossom and expand her universe.

As Nigeria searches for her mother, she starts to uncover a shocking truth. One that will lead her to question everything she thought she knew about her life and her family.

You Don’t Have a Shot by Racquel Marie Feiwel & Friends

Valentina “Vale” Castillo-Green’s life revolves around soccer. Her friends, her future, and her father’s intense expectations are all wrapped up in the beautiful game. But after she incites a fight during playoffs with her long-time rival, Leticia Ortiz, everything she’s been working toward seems to disappear.

Embarrassed and desperate to be anywhere but home, Vale escapes to her beloved childhood soccer camp for a summer of relaxation and redemption…only to find out that she and the endlessly aggravating Leticia will be co-captaining a team that could play in front of college scouts. But the competition might be stiffer than expected, so unless they can get their rookie team’s act together, this second chance—and any hope of playing college soccer—will slip through Vale’s fingers. When the growing pressure, friendship friction, and her overbearing father push Vale to turn to Leticia for help, what starts off as a shaky alliance of necessity begins to blossom into something more through a shared love of soccer…and maybe each other. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

The Iron Vow: The Iron Fey: Evenfall #3 by Julie Kagawa Inkyard Press

After leaping through the portal to Evenfall, Meghan and her companions find themselves in a terrifying new world where Nightmares roam and glamour is nearly nonexistent. As their magic wanes and the creatures of Evenfall rise against them, the race to find the Nightmare King grows ever more desperate. But what they discover–about Evenfall, about the Nightmare King, about themselves–will shake everything they thought they knew to the core.

The Nightmare King stirs. A world hangs in the balance. And as twilight descends upon all the realms of Faery, Meghan and her allies must make one more impossible choice. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

I’m Not Supposed to Be in the Dark by Riss M. Neilson Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

Seventeen-year-old Aria Cayetano dreams of ghosts. She used to see them too, but thanks to a special tea brewed by her grandfather, Aria’s connection to the spirit world has been severed. Until a decades old rosebush suddenly dies across the street, convincing Aria that something supernatural is happening in her neighborhood.

She aches to investigate it, but the rosebush sits on her ex best friend Derek Johnson’s front lawn, and she can’t question him because he hates her now. Aria doesn’t know what drove them apart years ago, but she does know Derek’s been acting strange for weeks, sneaking out in the dead of night to who knows where.

Then, days after the rosebush dies, Derek begins speaking to her again. At least Aria thinks it’s him. Until she discovers there’s a ghost inside of Derek that will take his life if it doesn’t find what it’s searching for. As Aria and Derek race to uncover the mystery, another kind of magic takes them by surprise: love. But Aria has to decide how far she’s willing to go to save Derek, especially when helping the ghost means tapping into whatever the tea has buried inside of her.

Bone-chilling and spellbinding, I’m Not Supposed to Be in the Dark is an alluring ghost story that’s about exorcising the past to find a future to believe in. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

[curlyhairedbibliophile]

Cover Art | Nigeria Jones by Ibi Zoboi

From Ibi Zoboi, bestselling, award-winning author of American Street and co-author of Punching the Air, comes a bold new YA coming-of-age story, which explores race, feminism, and complicated family dynamics, about a girl whose father is the leader of a Black liberation group. The ideal next read for fans of Roxane Gay, Jacqueline Woodson, and Elizabeth Acevedo. Warrior Princess. That’s what Nigeria Jones’s father calls her. He has raised her as part of the Movement, a Black separatist group based in Philadelphia. Nigeria is homeschooled and vegan and participates in traditional rituals to connect her and other kids from the group to their ancestors. But when her mother—the perfect matriarch of their Movement—disappears, Nigeria’s world is upended. She finds herself taking care of her baby brother and stepping into a role she doesn’t want. Nigeria’s mother had secrets. She wished for a different life for her children, which includes sending her daughter to a private Quaker school outside of their strict group. Despite her father’s disapproval, Nigeria attends the school with her cousin, Kamau, and Sage, who used to be a friend. ­There, she begins to flourish and expand her universe. As Nigeria searches for her mother, she starts to uncover a shocking truth. One that will lead her to question everything she thought she knew about her life and her family.

Artwork by Nettrice Gaskins

Release date | May 9, 2023 Goodreads

[stageyrebecca]

Review: RENT at New Theatre Peterborough ★★★★

Written by guest reviewer Liam. Gifted in exchange for honest review.

Landmark Theatres’ new production of RENT, directed by Paul Jepson, has started its short tour at Peterborough New Theatre. RENT is a rock opera, adapted loosely from Puccini's La Boheme by Jonathan Larson and Billy Aronson, begins at Christmas Eve 1991 and shows us snapshots of a year in the lives of a group of friends in Manhattan's Alphabet City in the early 1990s.

The ensemble piece is led by Jack Reitman (Mark Cohen), Luke Friend (Roger), Evita Khrime (Mimi), Cameron Bernard Jones (Tom Collins), Kyle Richardson (Angel), Alicia Corrales (Maureen), Athena Collins (Joanne) and Myles Hart (Benny), who make up the eclectic mix of friends from filmmakers to drag queens and lawyers. With its anthemic score, RENT shows us the AIDS epidemic and social conflicts go on to impact the lives of this group through New Year and up to Christmas of the next year. The cast is rounded out by a star ensemble consisting of Kelliana Jay, Alex Okoampa, Edward Bullingham, Alexandra Brighouse, Max Mirza, Dylan Andrews and Olivia-Faith Kamau.

The work of the creative team, with direction by Paul Jepson, movement and choreography by Lucie Pankhurst, musical direction by Mark Crossland, set & costume design by award-winning Amanda Stooley, lighting by Andy Purves and sound by Alistair Penman, all combined very effectively into what felt like a fresh and exciting production of the widely loved show.

The standout on the production side was Susan Luciani’s film direction, which at various points throughout was used to accentuate already highly emotional points in the show. In particular, this hit me hard during the reprise of I’ll Cover You, which reduced me to tears, and was led by both Richardson as Angel, and Bernard Jones as Collins.

Speaking more of performances, in what is a very strong cast, additional standouts were Athena Collins (Joanne), Alicia Corrales (Maureen), and Jack Reitman (Mark).

Collins brought a remarkable amount of frustration and caring and humour to her role as Joanne; her voice was so beautiful and rich, which I was impressed by given the rigour of a role like Joanne. A particular highlight of the show was Collins’ work with Alicia Corrales as Maureen in Take Me or Leave Me, which showcased both performers emotionally and vocally. Collins’ chemistry continued to shine throughout the show as her work alongside Reitman in Tango Maureen. Both actors were terrifically funny, and did a great job of conveying the exasperation and irritation they each felt with their relationships with Maureen.

I was a huge fan of Corrales’ performance of Maureen’s Over the Moon, which featured a terrific piece of costuming from Amanda Stooley, combined fantastically with some really precise and comedic movement that had me in stitches laughing.

There were terrific performances across the board from the ensemble, particularly Dylan Andrews’ heartwrenching singing in Will I, where he expresses the fears of his character, a man living with HIV, of the disease robbing him of his dignity before he passes away. Some other particularly good moments for me from the ensemble included Max Mirza’s repeated, deeply “Noo Yawk” accented renditions of “Christmas bells are ringing” across the show and Alexandra Brighouse’s many moments popping up in voicemails.

Though I have highlighted individual moments, the level of quality from every single performance was so high. The moment that best showcased the strength of the ensemble in this show was, probably unsurprisingly, Rent's show-stopping number, Seasons of Love. This beautiful song really drives home the importance of centring the people you love in your life during your time with them, especially as sung by this absolutely stellar cast.

Previously, I’ve overlooked RENT, but I’m thrilled to say that since walking out of the auditorium, I now definitely consider myself a “Rent-Head”! It finally struck me watching it this time that RENT is a truly vital piece of theatre, and that even though certain aspects of its plot may have aged out of relevance (thanks to miraculous advances in the treatments available for people living with HIV and/or AIDS) the underlying message of valuing those close to you and making sure they know how loved they are is as timeless as any message I’ve ever experienced with a show.

Landmark Theatres’ RENT is a wonderful production of the modern classic musical, and given how fresh of a take it feels on the material, and to allow more people to see this astounding collection of performances, I would love to see this production get some further life following its short tour.

You can catch RENT here at New Theatre Peterborough until Saturday 29 June and at the Queen’s Theatre in Barnstaple, from 3 to 7 July 2024. It will be thrilling to see what show Landmark might consider tackling next.

Photo credit to Louise Waldron.

[rad-review-of-gigs]

Elaine Mitchener, Cafe Oto, London 08/05/24

Elaine Mitchener walks on at Cafe Oto wearing a T-shirt with the statement ‘Grace Jones does it better’. This may be true, but Mitchener does it extraordinarily. The glacial, demur Grace Jones would find her exhausting, multi-layered vocal performance fascinating. Technically she can turn her vocal chords to any style with equal panache: soul, opera, jazz, far Eastern tones. Combined with an incredible range of vocal tics and physical contortions she moves seamlessly between melody and discord. She has been awarded an MBE for services to music.

The poems of Afro Caribbean poets, such as Edward Kamau Braithwaite,  are channelled on her latest album Solo Throat. She is presented with pieces of paper by some of the other musicians who have performed that night, the contents of which are not explained. They could be lines of poetry to improvise messages or only a visual gimmick, a kind of visual punctuation, metronomy, beat. 

The evening began with a striking prose poem on the Windrush arrival from Jay Bernard, his delicate, haunting whistles sampled and harmonised and gradually expanded with the addition of keyboard, bass, flute, piccolo and sax. ‘Someone whistled in 1948, but I’m hearing it now.'

A less interesting piece of poetry from Roy Claire Potter put to sound over the drums of Mark Sanders and violin of Mandihra de Salam followed before Michener appeared with dancer Dam Van Huynh to deliver a startlingly contorted and intense movement performance to a backdrop of piano from Pat Thomas. 

The evening culminated in Mitchener bringing together all the night’s musicians and all of them wheeling into free jazz reaching a crescendo from Mitchener that shook Oto’s golden ceiling filaments and had its audience screaming in delight. Powerful, indelible, of an ilk no stranger to Oto regulars, but utterly mesmerising and original and even disturbing for any crossing its threshold for the first time. 

Words: Adrian Cross; Photos: Dawid Laskowski

[medinainternational]

(Motif-Radio) REGGAE PON TOP # 5 TRACK LISTING BELOW

SINGLES: SISTER MAKI BAND- LOVE AND WAR DUB INEZI- SORRY FAH ZIGGI RECADO- LOVE AFFAIR VIVIAN JONES- RESISTANCE GINJAH- MESSAGE PRSSURE BUSSPIPE- MISSING YOU COCOA TEA & JAHMAN- WE UP TARRUS RILEY- DESPERATE LOVER GLEN WASHINGTON- BEAUTIFUL WOMAN JAH THOMAS- DRUNK AND STAGGA SUPER BLACKS- LIQUOR BOMBER GRANTIE ASHER- RUDE MAJOR POPULAR- IMAGINE

RIDDIMS: INNA DIS YAH RIDDIM GAVEL RIDDIM QUEEN & MINSTREL DUBPLATES BADDER THAN BEFORE RIDDIM

DANCEHALL: SOUL RIDDIM TOP LIFE RIDDIM RELAX RIDDIM IWAATA- GYAL OPERATION DYANI- ALL I WANT VYZADIN & WAI FUZION- DEM WILL KILL YOU SHAGGY & TEEJAY- GYAL DEM TIME STYLO G, SPICE, SEAN PAUL- DUMPLING REMIX BUSY SIGNAL, STYLO G, AJIII- LIVE FOR THE SUMMER BLVK H3RO- BATTLEFIELD BENITON- ICE CREAM CONE

ROOTS REGGAE/ ONE DROP: KHALIA & SKYSCRAPER STEREO- EVERY MAN MYKAL ROSE & BUGLE- I GIVE YOU LOVE YOU SHOW ME HATE INEZI- SAME OWEN KNIBBS & MICHAEL PALMER- GHETTO LIFE ROE SUMMERZ- KEEP BLAZIN MEDISUN- THE REIGN TYDAL KAMAU- GOLDEN LUTAN FYAH- NAH SLEEP MIKEY GENERAL- SLAVE MASTER GREGORY ISAACS- SLAVE MASTER GREGORY ISAACS- LOVING PAUPER BARRINGTON LEVY- PRAISE HIS NAME DENNIS BROWN- CHILDREN OF ISRAEL

[llovelymoonn]

Can you make a compilation for sudden grief? My uncle passed away today and I’m trying to come to terms with it. Thank you.

kamau brathwaite born to slow horses: "kumina" \\ dora sigerson shorter the sad years: "the comforters" \\ saeed jones alive at the end of the world: "alive at the end of the world" \\ lucille clifton mercy: "oh antic god" \\ meghan o'rourke the night where you no longer live \\ yusef komunyakaa pleasure dome: new and collected poems: "facing it" \\ victoria chang, prageeta sharma & khaty xiong grief in three bodies: a conversation \\ victoria chang obit \\ victoria chang, prageeta sharma & khaty xiong grief in three bodies: a conversation \\ arthur j. kremer sonnets of grief \\ joy katz left behind: can poetry comfort the grieving? \\ christina davis an ethic: "furthermore"

kofi

[the-forest-library]

July 2021 Reads

Any Way the Wind Blows - Rainbow Rowell

Playing the Palace - Paul Rudnick

My Contrary Mary - Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

Much Ado About You - Samantha Young

Good Riddance - Elinor Lipman

Gray Hair Don't Care - Karen Booth

Lycanthropy & Other Chronic Illnesses - Kristen O'Neal

Only Mostly Devastated - Sophie Gonzales

Cool for the Summer - Dahlia Adler

We Can't Keep Meeting Like This - Rachel Lynn Solomon

The Girl's I've Been - Tess Sharpe

Good Girl, Bad Blood - Holly Jackson

The Naturals - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Cousins - Karen M. McManus

The Cheerleaders - Kara Thomas

Timeless - Gail Carriger

The Curious Case of the Werewolf that Wasn't - Gail Carriger

Mistborn - Brandon Sanderson

Check, Please! Book 2: Sticks & Scones - Ngozi Ukazu

My Little Golden Book about Ruth Bader Ginsburg - Shana Corey

May B - Caroline Starr Rose

I am Jazz - Jessica Herthel & Jazz Jennings

Brat: An 80s Story - Andrew McCarthy

Girl Walks into a Bar - Rachel Dratch

The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell - W. Kamau Bell

Well-Read Black Girl - Glory Edim

Shrill - Lindy West

Shit, Actually - Lindy West

Grammar Girl's Quick & Dirty Tips for Better Writing - Mignon Fogarty

Bold = Highly Recommend Italics = Worth It Crossed out = Nope

Thoughts: No matter what other books I read this month, it would be dominated by Any Way the Wind Blows. I really loved how it wrapped up the series and was so pleased with how this journey ended for the characters. My Contrary Mary was a lovely trip back into the world of Ethians. And I laughed out loud throughout all of Shit, Actually. It was hilarious and dragged movies relentlessly (even though I can't agree with her on The Fugitive - Ralph Fiennes deserved the Oscar that went to Tommy Lee Jones, and I have never gotten over it).

Goodreads Goal: 164/100

2017 Reads | 2018 Reads | 2019 Reads | 2020 Reads | 2021 Reads

[ndtcjamaica]

Part 7: In Tribute To Reggae Month

Marjorie Whylie's Tribute to ‘Dennis Brown’ — The Crown Prince left to Jamaica and the world, a catalogue of recordings of original songs, covers and compositions by seminal Jamaican songwriters such as Dwight Pinkney and Boris Gardiner that touches both heart and soul. Known best for expressing emotion in minor modes, the suite — Tribute To Dennis Brown, 2006 — shows that he was equally at ease with the major tonality of “Silhouette”, “Money In My Pocket” and “So Nice To Be With You”, as he was in the modal love anthem — “How Can I Live”.

Performers: Paula Asontuwa, Carole Reid, Faith Livingstone, Dulcie Bogues, Helen Christian, Jhana Williams, Wesley Scott, Howard Cooper, Larry Wright, Heston Boothe, Leighton Jones (Singers)

Marjorie Whylie, Albertina Jefferson, Kamau Khalfani, Wigmoore Francis, Tanagari Manning, Tony Holness Henry Miller, Paul Green, Ewan Simpson, Jesse Golding (Musicians) 

[zalrb]

Favourite black authors from before the 21st century.

So basically, 19th and 20th century:

Kamau Brathwaite

Una Marson

Claude McKay

Miss Lou

Nalo Hopkinson

Edwidge Danticat

Maryse Conde

Toni Morrison

CLR James mostly wrote nonfiction but he wrote the novel Minty Alley so I'm including Minty Alley more than CLR James, that's a different list

Linton Kwesi Johnson (dub poet actually)

Lorna Goodison

Langston Hughes

Jamaica Kincaid

Derek Walcott

Maya Angelou

Zora Neale Hurston

Chinua Achebe

Gayl Jones

Lorraine Hansberry

[richincolor]

Book Review: Nigeria Jones 

Title: Nigeria Jones

Author: Ibi Zoboi

Genres:  Contemporary

Pages: 384 

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Review Copy: ARC by publisher

Availability: Available now

Summary: 

Warrior Princess.

That’s what Nigeria’s father calls her. He’s raised her as part of the Movement, a Black separatist group based in Philadelphia. Nigeria is homeschooled and vegan and participates in traditional rituals that connect her and other kids from the group to their ancestors. But when her mother—the perfect matriarch to their Movement—disappears, Nigeria’s world is upended. She finds herself taking care of her baby brother and stepping into a role she doesn’t want.

Nigeria’s mother had secrets. She wished for a different life for her children, which includes sending her daughter to a private Quaker school outside of their strict group. Despite her father’s disapproval, Nigeria attends the school with her cousin, Kamau, and Sage, who used to be a friend. There, she slowly begins to blossom and expand her universe.

As Nigeria searches for her mother, she starts to uncover a shocking truth. One that will lead her to question everything she thought she knew about her life and her family.

From award-winning author Ibi Zoboi comes a searing, powerful coming-of-age story about discovering who you are in the world—and fighting for that person—by having the courage to remix the founding tenets of your life to be your own revolution.

Review: Ibi Zoboi’s newest is really a telling of revolution - specifically individual revolution. It is a moving story, one experienced by many teens, as they desire to break away from their parents and find their own path. Those moments are crucially developmentally, but are often fraught with tension as parents and teens battle in a conflict for independence. Teens want more, want to express who they truly are and parents only wish for their child to be safe, to accomplish the dreams the parents had for their child. By setting this novel amongst a Black separatist group, Ibi Zoboi really highlights this conflict between child and parent. 

Because of her mother’s disappearance, Nigeria is at an age where she is starting to question everything, including her father who is the leader of their Movement. She’s always believe what her father has taught her, but now she wonders if maybe his beliefs are too extreme and maybe there is a different way to bring about change. Having her mother missing, Nigeria starts to see how patriarchal the Movement is and how some parts of the Movement are toxic. As she searches for the reasons why her mother left, she learns more and more about the world outside of her little bubble. She begins to push back against her father, creating some epic arguments, and sneaks out behind his back. She decides to attend the same school her cousin Kamau goes to and her world is broadened. She meets all sorts of different people, including being around the most White people she has ever been in her life. She experiences micro-agressions and must decide how to react (sometimes she gets it right, sometimes she doesn’t) and eventually begins flirting with White boy named Liam, whom she knows if her father were to find out he would lose his mind. I actually loved Nigeria’s revolution because her story showed that not all revolutions result in a teen acting out. Sometimes they just want to find their own path, create their own destiny. Nigeria was torn between the love of her little brother, her friends in the Movement’s Youth Group, and even the love she had for her father. She knew she was fighting against her father’s expectations of her but she made those decisions anyway. Nigeria’s parents had raised a very smart, head strong young adult, and when Nigeria decided to break away from the Movement it was not just an emotional decision, but one she had truly thought over. Her growth throughout the story was truly inspiring. 

There is a plot twist in the novel that I could see coming, sorta, because I was wrong about what actually happened, but when it was revealed my heart broke for Nigeria. At the same time, though, I realized the twist is what set her on her journey of revolution and she would be stronger once she understood what happened with the twist. I know that my last statement doesn’t make much sense, but you just have to read the book to find out. 

I absolutely love Ibi Zoboi’s novels and Nigeria Jones is no different. This is a moving story that will drag you in with the wonderful characters who fill Nigeria’s world and her fight for independence. 

[randomlyrandoms]

Celebrity Deaths 2020

JANUARY Lexii Alijai - Jan. 1 (Rapper) Nick Gordon - Jan. 1 (Reality Star) Carlos De Leon - Jan. 1 (Boxer) Don Larsen - Jan. 1 (Baseball Player) Sam Wyche - Jan. 2 (Football Coach) John Baldessari - Jan. 2 (Conceptual Artist) Derek Acorah - Jan. 3 (TV Show Host) Gene Reynolds - Jan. 3 (Director) Andrea Arruti - Jan. 3 (Voice Actress) Walter Learning - Jan. 5 (Director) Ria Irawan - Jan. 6 (Movie Actress) Neil Peart - Jan. 7 (Drummer) Silvio Horta - Jan. 7 (Screenwriter) Elizabeth Wurtzel - Jan. 7 (Novelist) Harry Hains - Jan. 7 (TV Actor) *Edd Byrnes - Jan. 8 (TV Actor) Buck Henry - Jan. 8 (Screenwriter) Maxie - Jan. 8 (YouTube Star) Alexis Eddy - Jan. 9 (Reality Star) Brian James - Jan. 10 (Rugby Player) Stan Kirsch - Jan. 11 (TV Actor) La Parka - Jan. 12 (Wrestler) Rocky Johnson - Jan. 15 (Wrestler) *Dwayne Johnson's Dad* Christopher Tolkien - Jan. 16 (Novelist) David Olney - Jan. 18 (Folk Singer) Bubby Jones - Jan. 18 (Race Car Driver) Joe Shishido - Jan. 18 (Movie Actor) Jimmy Heath - Jan. 19 (Saxophonist) Terry Jones - Jan. 21 (Comedian) Jim Lehrer - Jan. 2(Journalist) Gudrun Pausewang - Jan. 23 (Young Adult Author) Jim Lehrer - Jan. 23 (Journalist) Clayton Christensen - Jan. 23 (Non-Fiction Author) Sean Reinert - Jan. 24 (Drummer) Rob Rensenbrink - Jan. 24 (Soccer Player) **Kobe Bryant - Jan. 26 (Basketball Player) *Gianna Bryant - Jan. 26 (Family Member) *Kobe's Daughter* Bob Shane - Jan. 26 (Rock Singer) John Altobelli - Jan. 26 (Baseball Manager) Keri Altobelli - Jan. 26 (Family Member) Jack Burns - Jan. 27 (Comedian) Harriet Frank Jr. - Jan. 28 (Screenwriter) Nicholas Parsons - Jan. 28 (TV Show Host) Tofig Gasimov - Jan. 29 (Politician) John Andretti - Jan. 30 (Race Car Driver) Fred Silverman - Jan. 30 (TV Producer) Mary Higgins Clark - Jan. 31 (Novelist) Anne Cox Chambers - Jan. 31 (Entrepreneur) 

FEBRUARY Gene Reynolds - Feb. 3 (Director) Nadia Lutfi - Feb. 4 (Movie Actress) Kamau Brathwaite - Feb. 4 (Poet) Kirk Douglas - Feb. 5 (Movie Actor) Beverly Pepper - Feb. 5 (Sculptor) *Raphael Coleman - Feb. 6 (Movie Actor) Jhon Jairo Velásquez - Feb. 6 (Criminal) Orson Bean - Feb. 7 (Movie Actor) Paula Kelly - Feb. 8 (Stage Actress) Robert Conrad - Feb. 8 (TV Actor) Qing Han - Feb. 8 (Illustrator) Keelin Shanley - Feb. 8 (Journalist) Mirella Freni - Feb. 9 (Opera Singer) Abam Bocey - Feb. 10 (Comedian) Lyle Mays - Feb. 10 (Planist) Louis-Edmond Hamelin - Feb. 11 (Non-Fiction Author) Jamie Gilson - Feb. 11 (Children's Author) Hamish Milne - Feb. 12 (Pianist) Jimmy Thunder - Feb. 13 (Boxer) Lynn Cohen - Feb. 14 (Movie Actress) Esther Scott - Feb. 14 (Voice Actress) John Shrapnel - Feb. 14 (Movie Actor) Caroline Flack - Feb. 15 (TV Show Host) Amie Harwick - Feb. 15 (Doctor) Vatroslav Mimica - Feb. 15 (Director) Jason Davis - Feb. 16 (Voice Actor) Zoe Caldwell - Feb. 16 (Stage Actress) Tony Fernandez - Feb. 16 (Baseball Player) Frances Cuka - Feb. 16 (TV Actress) Harry Gregg - Feb. 16 (Soccer Player) Ja'net Dubois - Feb. 17 (TV Actress) Owen Bieber - Feb. 17 (Activist) Charles Portis - Feb. 17 (Novelist) Lindsey Lagestee - Feb. 18 (Country Singer) Ashraf Sinclair - Feb. 18 (Movie Actor) Pop Smoke - Feb. 19 (Rapper) Jose Mojica Marins - Feb. 19 (Director) Gust Graas - Feb. 19 (Painter) Lisel Mueller - Feb. 21 (Poet) Tao Porchon-Lynch - Feb. 21 (Fitness Instructor) Katherine Johnson - Feb. 24 (Mathematician) Clive Cussler - Feb. 24 (Oceanographer) David Roback - Feb. 24 (Guitarist) Ben Cooper - Feb. 24 (Movie Actor) Mario Bunge - Feb. 24 (Philosopher) Jahn Teigen - Feb. 24 (Pop Singer) Dieter Laser - Feb. 29 (Movie Actor)

MARCH Jack Welch - March 1 (Entrepreneur) James Lipton - March 2 (TV Producer) Roscoe Born - March 3 (Soap Opera Actor) Nicholas Tucci - March 3 (Movie Actor) Roscoe Born - March 3 (Soap Opera Actor) Javier Perez De Cuellar - March 4 (Politician) Marnie the Dog  - March 5 (Dog) Danny Tidwell - March 6 (Dancer) McCoy Tyner - March 6 (Pianist) Henri Richard - March 6 (Hockey Player) Mart Crowley - March 7 (Playwright) Max Von Sydow - March 8 (Movie Actor) **Cookie Pansino - March 8 (Dog) Josie Harris - March 9 (Reality Star) Lorenzo Brino - March 9 (TV Actor) Eric Taylor - March 9 (Country Singer) Beba Selimovic - March 10 (Folk Singer) Josie Harris - March 10 (Reality Star) Michel Roux - March 11 (Chef) Charles Wuorinen - March 11 (Composer) Genesis P-Orridge - March 14 (Rock Singer) Roy Hudd - March 15 (Comedian) Wolf Kahn - March 15 (Painter) Stuart Whitman - March 16 (TV Actor) Roger Mayweather - March 17 (Boxer) Lyle Waggoner - March 17 (TV Actor) Alfred Worden - March 18 (Astronaut) Peter Whittingham - March 19 (Soccer Player) Kenny Rogers - March 20 (Country Singer) Pradip Kumar Banerjee - March 20 (Soccer Player) Mike Longo - March 21 (Pianist) Sol Kerzner - March 21 (Entrepreneur) Carmen De Mairena - March 22 (TV Actress) Serena Liu - March 22 (TV Actress) Stuart Gordon - March 24 (Screenwriter) Terrence McNally - March 24 (Playwright) Manu Dibango - March 24 (Saxophonist) Bill Rieflin - March 24 (Drummer) Floyd Cardoz - March 25 (Chef) Fred "Curly" Neal - March 26 (Basketball Player) Jimmy Wynn - March 26 (Baseball Player) Mark Blum - March 26 (Movie Actor) John Callahan - March 28 (Soap Opera Actor) Jan Howard - March 28 (Country Singer) Tom Coburn - March 28 (Politician) Linda Roper - March 28 (TikTok Star) Alan Merrill - March 29 (Rock Singer) Joe Diffie - March 29 (Country Singer) Krzysztof Penderecki - March 29 (Composer) Bill Withers - March 30 (Soul Singer) Tomie dePaola - March 30 (Children's Author) Andrew Jack - March 31 (Voice Actor) Smokinhottballz - March 31 (TikTok Star) Wallace Roney - March 31 (Trumpet Player)

APRIL Bucky Pizzarelli - April 1 (Guitarist) Ellis Marsalis Jr. - April 1 (Piantist) Adam Schlesinger - April 1 (Bassist) Eddie Large - April 2 (Comedian) Logan Williams - April 2 (TV Actor) Tom Dempsey - April 4 (Football Player) Shirley Douglas - April 5 (TV Actress) Honor Blackman - April 5 (Movie Actress) James Drury - April 6 (Movie Actor) Mac P Dawg - April 6 (Rapper) Earl G. Graves Sr. - April 6 (Entrepreneur) Al Kaline - April 6 (Baseball Player) Ital Samson - April 6 (Rapper) John Prine - April 7 (Country Singer) Hal Willner - April 7 (Music Producer) Allen Garfield - April 7 (Movie Actor) Mort Drucker - April 8 (Cartoonist) Chynna Rogers - April 8 (Rapper) Linda Tripp - April 8 (Politician) Glenn Fredly - April 8 (R&B Singer) Tarvaris Jackson - April 12 (Football Player) Tim Brooke-Taylor - April 12 (Comedian) Stirling Moss - April 12 (Race Car Driver) Luminor - April 12 (Rock Singer) Rick May - April 13 (Voice Actor) Brian Dennehy - April 15 (Stage Actor) Lee Konitz - April 15 (Saxophonist) Adam Alsing - April 15 (TV Show Host) Henry Grimes - April 15 (Bassist) Howard Finkel - April 16 (Sportscaster) Steve Cash - April 16 (YouTube Star) Jane Dee Hull - April 16 (Politician) Norman Hunter - April 17 (Soccer Player) Peter Beard - April 19 (Photographer) Tom Lester - April 20 (TV Actor) Derek Jones - April 21 (Guitarist) Jerry Bishop - April 21 (Radio Host) Laisenia Qarase - April 21 (Politician) Shirley Knight - April 22 (Movie Actress) Fred the Godson - April 23 (Rapper) Jace Prescott - April 23 (Family Member) *Dak Prescott's Brother* Harold Reid - April 24 (Country Singer) Per Olov Enquist - April 25 (Playwright) Aarón Hernán - April 26 (Soap Opera Actor) Ashley Ross - April 27 (Reality Star) Troy Sneed - April 27 (Gospel Singer) Nur Yerlitas - April 27 (Fashion Designer) Eavan Boland - April 27 (Poet) Mark Beech - April 27 (Non-Fiction Author) Jill Gascoine - April 28 (TV Actress) Yahya Hassan - April 29 (Poet) Irrfan Khan - April 29 (Movie Actor) Sam Lloyd - April 30 (TV Actor) Rishi Kapoor - April 30 (Movie Actor) Chuni Goswami - April 30 (Cricket Player)

MAY Matt Keough - May 1 (Baseball Player) Cady Groves - May 2 (Country Singer) Erwin Prasetya - May 2 (Bassist) Dave Greenfield - May 3 (Pianist) Don Shula - May 4 (Football Coach) Michael McClure - May 4 (Poet) Millie Small - May 5 (World Music Singer) Didi Kempot - May 5 (Pop Singer) Brian Howe - May 6 (Rock Singer) Florian Schneider - May 6 (Flute Player) Ben Chijioke - May 7 (Rapper) Andre Harrell - May 7 (Entrepreneur) *Roy Horn - May 8 (Magician) Percy Inglis - May 8 (Facebook Star) **Little Richard - May 9 (Rock Singer) Kristina Lugn - May 9 (Poet) **Corey La Barrie - May 10 (YouTube Star) Nick Blixky - May 10 (Rapper) Betty Wright - May 10 (R&B Singer) Jerry Stiller - May 11 (Movie Actor) Hutton Gibson - May 11 (Family Member) *Mel Gibson's Father* Michel Piccoli - May 12 (Movie Actor) *Gregory Tyree Boyce - May 13 (Movie Actor) Beckett Cypher - May 13 (Family Member) *Melissa Etheridge's Son* Rolf Hochhuth - May 13 (Playwright) Phyllis George - May 14 (Sportscaster) Fred Willard - May 15 (Movie Actor) Jorge Santana - May 15 (Guitarist) Lynn Shelton - May 15 (Screenwriter) El Chino Antrax - May 16 (Criminal) Shad Gaspard - May 17 (Wrestler) Ken Osmond - May 18 (TV Actor) Ravi Zacharias - May 19 (Religious Leader) Hagen Mills - May 19 (TV Actor) Jerry Sloan - May 22 (Basketball Coach) Mory Kante - May 22 (World Music Singer) Zara Abid - May 22 (Model) Eddie Sutton - May 23 (Basketball Coach) Hana Kimura - May 23 (Wrestler) Mota Jr - May 23 (Rapper) Jimmy Cobb - May 24 (Drummer) Anthony James - May 26 (TV Actor) Richard Herd - May 26 (TV Actor) Stanley Ho - May 26 (Entrepreneur) Larry Kramer - May 27 (Screenwriter) Houdini - May 27 (Rapper) Sam Johnson - May 27 (Politician) Bob Kulick - May 29 (Guitarist) Hassan Hosny - May 30 (Movie Actor) Blake Fly - May 30 (Instagram Star) Christo - May 31 (Painter)

JUNE Joey Image - June 1 (Drummer) Kailum O'Connor - June 1 (Snapchat Star) Chris Trousdale - June 2 (Pop Singer) Wes Unseld - June 2 (Basketball Player) Héctor Suárez - June 2 (Movie Actor) Mary Pat Gleason - June 2 (TV Actress) Bruce Jay Friedman - June 3 (Novelist) Steve Priest - June 4 (Bassist) Ybc Bam - June 4 (TikTok Star) Basu Chatterjee - June 4 (Director) Reche Caldwell - June 6 (Football Player) Chirru Sarja - June 7 (Movie Actor) Bonnie Pointer - June 8 (Rock Singer) Pierre Nkurunziza - June 8 (Politician) Ain Kaalep - June 9 (Poet) Paul Chapman - June 9 (Guitarist) Pau Donés - June 9 (Pop Singer) Jas Waters - June 9 (Screenwriter) George Canseco - June 12 (TikTok Star) Grandma Daisy - June 13 (Instagram Star) Sabiha Khanum - June 13 (Movie Actress) Sushant Singh Rajput - June 14 (Movie Actor) Yohan - June 16 (Pop Singer) Charles Webb - June 16 (Novelist) Eden Pastora - June 16 (Politician) Vera Lynn - June 18 (Pop Singer) John Bredenkamp - June 18 (Entrepreneur) Ian Holm - June 19 (Movie Actor) Tray Savage - June 19 (Rapper) Carlos Ruiz Zafon - June 19 (Young Adult Author) Pedro Lima - June 20 (Soap Opera Actor) Jim Kiick - June 20 (Football Player) Nastya Tropicelle - June 21 (YouTube Star) Steve Bing - June 22 (Film Producer) Joel Schumacher - June 22 (Director) Siya Kakkar - June 24 (TikTok Star) Huey - June 25 (Rapper) Kelly Asbury - June 26 (Director) Ramon Revilla Sr. - June 26 (Movie Actor) Linda Cristal - June 27 (Movie Actress) Pete Carr - June 27 (Guitarist) Rudolfo Anaya - June 28 (Novelist) Carl Reiner - June 29 (TV Actor) Johnny Mandel - June 29 (Composer) Benny Nardones - June 29 (Pop Singer) Young Curt - June 29 (Rapper) Willie Wright - June 29 (Soul Singer) Ida Haendel - June 30 (Violinist)

JULY Hugh Downs - July 1 (TV Show Host) Reckful - July 2 (Twitch Star) Earl Cameron - July 3 (Movie Actor) Saroj Khan - July 3 (Dancer) Sebastián Athié - July 4 (TV Actor) Bhakti Charu Swami - July 4 (Religious Leader) Nick Cordero - July 5 (Stage Actor) Charlie Daniels - July 6 (Country Singer) Ennio Morricone - July 6 (Composer) **Naya Rivera - July 8 (TV Actress) Flossie Wong-Staal - July 8 (Biologist) Jack Charlton - July 10 (Socccer Player) Morris Cerullo - July 10 (Religious Leader) Marlo - July 11 (Rapper) Nicole Thea - July 11 (Dancer) **Kelly Preston - July 12 (Movie Actress) Joanna Cole - July 12 (Children's Author) Benjamin Keough - July 12 (Family Member) *Elvis Presley's Grandson* Grant Imahara - July 13 (Reality Star) Zindzi Mandela - July 13 (Politician) Galyn Gorg - July 14 (TV Actress) John Lewis - July 17 (Politician) Zizi Jeanmaire - July 17 (Dancer) Miura Haruma - July 18 (TV Actor) El Dany - July 18 (Rapper) Kansai Yamamoto - July 21 (Fashion Designer) Demitra Roche - July 22 (Reality Star) *Regis Philbin - July 24 (TV Show Host) John Saxon - July 25 (Movie Actor) Peter Green - 25 (Guitarist) Olivia De Havilland - July 26 (Movie Actress) Malik B - July 29 (Rapper) Herman Cain - July 30 (Politician) Karen Berg - July 30 (Self-Help Author) Alan Parker - July 31 (Director)

AUGUST Wilford Brimley - Aug. 1 (TV Actor) Ryan Breaux - Aug. 2 (Family Member) *Frank Ocean's Brother* Leon Fleisher - Aug. 2 (Pianist) John Hume - Aug. 3 (Politician) Dick Goddard - Aug. 4 (TV Show Host) FBG Duck - Aug. 4 (Rapper) Horace Clarke Aug. 5 (Baseball Player) Isidora Bjelica - Aug. 5 (Playwright) James Drury - Aug. 6 (Movie Actor) Kurt Luedtke - Aug. 9 (Screenwriter) Tetsuya Watari - Aug. 10 (Movie Actor) Trini Lopez - Aug. 11 (World Music Singer) Ash Christian - Aug. 13 (TV Actor) Linda Manz - Aug. 14 (Movie Actress) Julian Bream - Aug. 14 (Guitarist) Shwikar - Aug. 14 (Movie Actress) Robert Trump - Aug. 15 (Family Memeber) *Donald Trump's Brother Emman Nimedez - Aug. 16 (Director) Kobe Nunez - Aug. 17 (YouTube Star) Gary Cowling - Aug. 17 (Stage Actor) Dale Hawerchuk - Aug. 18 (Hockey Player) Ben Cross - Aug. 18 (Movie Actor) Jack Sherman - Aug. 18 (Guitarist) Landon Clifford - Aug. 19 (YouTube Star) Chi Chi DeVayne - Aug. 20 (Reality Star) Frankie Banali - Aug. 20 (Drummer) Allan Rich - Aug. 22 (Movie Actor) Lori Nelson - Aug. 23 (Movie Actress) Benny Chan - Aug. 23 (TV Actor) Riley Gale - Aug. 24 (Rock Singer) Gail Sheehy - Aug. 24 (Non-Fiction Author) Lute Olson - Aug. 27 (Basketball Coach) **Chadwick Boseman - Aug. 28 (Movie Actor) El Loco Valdés - Aug. 28 (Comedian) Cliff Robinson - Aug. 29 (Basketball Player) John Thompson - Aug. 30 (Basketball Coach) Tom Seaver - Aug. 31 (Baseball Player) Pranab Mukherjee - Aug. 31 (Politician)

SEPTEMBER Erick Morillo - Sept. 1 (DJ) Ian Mitchell - Sept. 2 (Guitarist) Annie Cordy - Sept. 4 (Movie Actress) Lloyd Cadena - Sept. 4 (YouTube Star) Lucille Starr - Sept. 4 (Country Singer) Ethan Peters - Sept. 5 (Instagram Star) Kevin Dobson - Sept. 6 (Soap Opera Actor) Lou Brock - Sept. 6 (Baseball Player) Xavier Ortiz - Sept. 7 (TV Actor) Stevie Lee - Sept. 9 (Movie Actor) Diana Rigg - Sept. 10 (Movie Actress) Barbara Jefford - Sept. 12 (Stage Actress) Anthony Woodle - Sept. 13 (Director) Alien Huang - Sept. 16 (TV Show Host) Winston Groom - Sept. 17 (Novelist) Ruth Bader Ginsburg - Sept. 18 (Supreme Court Justice) Destiny Riekeberg - Sept. 19 (TikTok Star) Jackie Stallone - Sept. 21 (Family Member) *Sylvester Stallone's Mother* Michael Lonsdale - Sept. 21 (Movie Actor) Tommy DeVito - Sept. 21 (Guitarist) Zaywoah - Sept. 22 (Instagram Star) Joe Laurinaitis - Sept. 22 (Wrestler) Archie Lyndhurst - Sept. 22 (TV Actor) Juliette Greco - Sept. 23 (Movie Actress) Gale Sayers - Sept. 23 (Football Player) Dean Jones - Sept. 24 (Cricket Player) Yuko Takeuchi - Sept. 27 (TV Actress) Mac Davis - Sept. 29 (Country Singer) Helen Reddy - Sept. 29 (Pop Singer) Archie Lyndhurst - Sept. 30 (TV Actor) Quino - Sept. 30 (Cartoonist)

OCTOBER Derek Mahon - Oct. 1 (Poet) Murray Schisgal - Oct. 1 (Screenwriter) Bob Gibson - Oct. 2 (Baseball Player) Thomas Jefferson Byrd - Oct. 3 (Movie Actor) Kenzo Takada - Oct. 4 (Fashion Designer) Armelia McQueen - Oct. 4 (Stage Actress) Johhny Nash - Oct. 6 (Pop Singer) Eddie Van Halen - Oct. 6 (Guitarist) Tommy Rall - Oct. 6 (Dancer) Mario Molina - Oct. 7 (Chemist) Whitey Ford - Oct. 8 (Baseball Player) María García Galisteo - Oct. 9 (TV Actress) Joe Morgan - Oct. 11 (Baseball Player) Conchata Ferrell - Oct. 12 (TV Actress) Saint Dog - Oct. 13 (Rapper) Rhonda Fleming - Oct. 14 (Movie Actress) Fred Dean - Oct. 14 (Football Player) Johnny Bush - Oct. 16 (Country Singer) Doreen Montalvo - Oct. 17 (Stage Actress) Pinky Curvy - Oct. 17 (Instagram Star) James Redford - Oct. 17 (Director) Sid Hartman - Oct. 18 (Journalist) Spencer Davis - Oct. 19 (Guitarist) Marge Champion - Oct. 21 (Dancer) Frank Bough Oct. 21 (TV Show Host) Matt Blair - Oct. 22 (Football Player) Kastiop - Oct. 23 (YouTube Star) Jerry Jeff Walker - Oct. 23 (Country Singer) Diane DiPrima - Oct. 25 (Poet) Lee Kun-hee - Oct. 25 (Entrepreneur) DeOndra Dixon - Oct. 26 (Family Member) *Jamie Foxx's Sister* Billy Joe Shaver - Oct. 28 (Country Singer) Tracy Smothers - Oct. 28 (Wrestler) Bobby Ball - Oct. 28 (Comedian) Leanza Cornett - Oct. 28 (Pageant Contestant) Travis Roy - Oct. 29 (Memoirist) Nobby Stiles - Oct. 30 (Soccer Player) Herb Adderley - Oct. 30 (Football Player) *Sean Connery - Oct. 31 (Movie Actor) Rance Allen - Oct. 31 (Religious Leader) Betty Dodson - Oct. 31 (Novelist) MF Doom - Oct. 31 (Rapper)

NOVEMBER Eddie Hassell - Nov. 1 (TV Actor) Nikki McKibbin - Nov. 1 (Pop Singer) Magda Rodríguez - Nov. 1 (TV Producer) John Sessions - Nov. 2 (Comedian) Max Ward - Nov. 2 (Entrepreneur) Elsa Raven - Nov. 3 (Movie Actress) Ken Hensley - Nov. 4 (Rock Singer) Geoffrey Palmer - Nov. 5 (Movie Actor) BraxAttacks - Nov. 5 (Rapper) King Von - Nov. 6 (Rapper) SauxePaxk TB - Nov. 6 (Rapper) **Alex Trebek - Nov. 8 (Game Show Host) Bert Belasco - Nov. 8 (TV Actor) Tom Heinsohn - Nov. 10 (Basketball Player) Phyllis McGuire - Nov. 11 (Football Player) Mo3 - Nov. 11 (Rapper) Asif Basra - Nov. 12 (Movie Actor) Doug Supernaw - Nov. 13 (Country Singer) Paul Hornung - Nov. 13 (Football Player) Des O'Connor - Nov. 14 (TV Show Host) Soumitra Chatterjee - Nov. 15 (Movie Actor) Ray Clemence - Nov. 15 (Soccer Player) Kirby Morrow Nov. 18 (Voice Actor) Bobby Brown Jr - Nov. 18 (Family Member) *Bobby Brown's Son* Jake Scott - Nov. 19 (Football Player) Jan Morris - Nov. 20 (Non-Fiction Author) Mustafa Nadarevic - Nov. 22 (TV Actor) Hal Ketchum - Nov. 23 (Country Singer) David Dinkins - Nov. 23 (Politician) Abby Dalton - Nov. 23 (TV Actress) i_o - Nov. 23 (DJ) Joe Luna - Nov. 23 (Comedian) Bob Ryder - Nov. 24 (Journalist) Aaron Melzer - Nov. 24 (Rock Singer) Flor Silvestre - Nov. 25 (World Music Singer) Ahmad Mukhtar - Nov. 25 (Politician) Heavy D - Nov. 25 (Reality Star) Diego Maradona - Nov. 25 (Soccer Player) Markus Paul - Nov. 25 (Football Coach) Sadiq Al-Mahdi - Nov. 26 (Politician) Tony Hsieh - Nov. 27 (Entrepreneur) David Prowse - Nov. 28 (Bodybuilder) Lil Yase Nov. 28 (Rapper) Ben Bova - Nov. 29 (Non-Fiction Author) Papa Bouba Diop - Nov. 29 (Soccer Player) Jerry Demara - Nov. 30 (World Music Singer) Paid Will - Nov. 30 (Rapper) Nobby Stiles - Nov. 30 (Soccer Player)

DECEMBER Hugh Keays-Byrne - Dec. 1 (Movie Actor) Alexis Sharkey - Dec. 1 (Instagram Star) Michael Marion - Dec. 1 (Family Member) *Bobbie Thomas's Husband* Pamela Tiffin - Dec. 2 (Movie Actress) DC Fontana - Dec. 2 (Screenwriter) Pat Patterson - Dec. 2 (Wrestler) Alison Lurie - Dec. 3 (Novelist) Whitney Collings - Dec. 3 (Reality Star) David Lander - Dec. 4 (TV Actor) Sara Carreira - Dec. 5 (Instagram Star) Tabaré Vázquez - Dec. 6 (Politician) Natalie Desselle-Reid - Dec. 7 (TV Actress) Dick Allen - Dec. 7 (Baseball Player) Joselyn Cano - Dec. 7 (Instagram Star) Alejandro Sabella - Dec. 8 (Soccer Coach) Paolo Rossi - Dec. 9 (Soccer Player) V.J. Chitra - Dec. 9 (TV Actress) Phil Linz - Dec. 9 (Baseball Player) Barbara Windsor - Dec. 10 (Soap Opera Actress) Tommy Lister - Dec. 10 (Movie Actor) Carol Sutton - Dec. 10 (Movie Actress) Kim Ki-duk - Dec. 11 (Director) John Le Carre - Dec. 12 (Novelist) Ann Reinking - Dec. 12 (Stage Actress) Terry Kay - Dec. 12 (Novelist) Charley Pride - Dec. 12 (Country Singer) Gérard Houllier - Dec. 14 (Soccer Coach) *Jeremy Bulloch - Dec. 17 (Movie Actor) Rosalind Knight - Dec. 19 (TV Actress) K.T. Oslin - Dec. 21 (Country Singer) PlasmaMasterDon - Dec. 21 (YouTube Star) Stella Tennant - Dec. 22 (Model) Rika Zarai - Dec. 23 (World Music Singer) Rebecca Luker - Dec. 23 (Stage Actress) Leslie West - Dec. 23 (Guitarist) Kay Purcell - Dec. 23 (TV Actress) Danny Hodge - Dec. 24 (Wrestler) Genevieve Musci - Dec. 25 (YouTube Star) KC Jones - Dec. 25 (Basketball Player) Tony Rice - Dec. 25 (Guitarist) Lin Qi - Dec. 25 (Entrepreneur) Brodie Lee - Dec. 26 (Wrestler) Phil Niekro - Dec. 26 (Baseball Player) Tito Rojas - Dec. 26 (Folk Singer) Ty Jordan - Dec. 26 (Football Player) Nick McGlashan - Dec. 27 (Reality Star) William Link - Dec. 27 (Screenwriter) Fou Ts'ong - Dec. 28 (Pianist) Armando Manzanero - Dec. 28 (Composer) Jessica Campbell - Dec. 29 (Movie Actress) Pierre Cardin - Dec. 29 (Entrepreneur) Luke Letlow - Dec. 29 (Politician) Shabba Doo - Dec. 30 (Movie Actor) Frank Kimbrough - Dec. 30 (Pianist) Phyllis McGuire - Dec. 31 (Pop Singer) Alexi Laiho - Dec. ?? (Guitarist)