SHOW: Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul

EP20-Feeling is Healing

GUEST: Steve Ryals

DATE AIRED: Wednesday 3 June 2009

Every now and then, you meet a person whose every thought, word and way of looking at things just seems to shine back to you like a mirror. My guest on my last episode of “Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul” was one of those rare mirrors, whose clarity of heart was so evident that we were able to connect within seconds of first speaking together. That person was Mr Steve Ryals, a licensed spiritual coach and “Feelings Coach,” and author of the transformative book Drunk with Wonder.

Steve’s book kicks off with a bang. The opening words of the first sentence hurtle us directly into a graphic scene in which he describes one of his many experiences shooting speed in Haight Ashbury in the 1960s. From that scene, we travel along with Steve down the rabbit hole of bereavement, depression, alcoholism and dissociation. But Steve shows us this descent only for the sake of contrast, for his book is far from a nostalgic ode to the Summer of Love. It is, rather, a collection of spiritual dialogues between Steve and his Higher Self.

Which brings us to explore the reasons why this book is described as ’Where What the Bleep Do we Know? meets ‘Conversations with God’.

First, let’s talk about 'Conversations'. Dialogue as a literary vehicle is as old as philosophical thought itself. While so many of our modern philosophical works are presented in the form of scholarly theses, the Greeks, the ancient Indian Vedas and countless other oral traditions of the past utilised dialogues (and metaphoric stories) to present and explain complex spiritual concepts. Following in the tradition of these ancient texts, Steve Ryals, in Drunk with Wonder, allows his Higher Self to engage in an ongoing debate with his 'lower self', who asks many of the same kinds of questions we might also ask during the process of our own spiritual evolution. Such a dialogue enables Steve to speak eye-to-eye to the reader, rather than positioning himself above the reader as some kind of expert. In this way, the reader travels along with Steve as his two selves hash out finer details of the meaning of life. In travelling along with Steve on the journey, he becomes our ally in our own transformation.

If any of you have read my book, The Garden of the Soul, you will no doubt remember that I also use dialogue in my discourses with the Four Flowers, the Very Good King, and also in my escapades with Crow in the story 'Learning to Breathe.' I did this because I strongly feel that carefully constructed dialogue is possibly one of the most effective means of presenting a deep, spiritual message. Steve’s use of dialogue is slightly different, although the impact is similar. When I read Drunk with Wonder, the dialogue reminded me a bit of how Boethius wrote the classic work The Consolation of Philosophy way back in the 6^th or 7^th century. In that work, Boethius is visited by the personification of Philosophy, who brings him to a state of Divine Wisdom through the vehicle of dialogue. Steve does much the same in Drunk with Wonder except that his teachings come from our 21^st century perspective, where quantum physics, field theory and holistic thinking have informed our way of explaining the nature of Truth.

Which brings us nicely to the whole 'What the Bleep Do We Know?' thing. Back in the days when I was studying Vedic (ancient Indian) spirituality, I used to chant a lot of Sanskrit mantras. The Sanskrit word Sat appeared in many of them. Most books translated the word Sat  as 'eternity', but I always felt that this did not give the true purport of the word, so I made up the word 'is-ness' to explain what I felt the word Sat to mean. I remember my daughter, when she was little, always used to comment on how much she liked that word, because it was easy to understand the complex meaning of the wordSat  by thinking of it in that way. Well, as I was reading Drunk with Wonder, to my great surprise and delight Steve also uses the word 'is-ness'  to describe our intrinsic and unchanging state of being. This made-up word speaks to us at a direct and intuitive level that bypasses the intellect and eradicates the need for logic... which I sort of think is at the backbone of Steve’s Truth. When we start to trust and release the need to understand the Infinite by means of our own finite thought, we start to step into the Divine.

Ok, so I’ve tried to explain a little bit about the style in which Steve’s book in written, but in this blog post I am not going to give away what the profound, yet easy to understand, teachings of the book contain. For that, you will just have to pick up your own copy of Drunk with Wonder and travel with Steve through his journeys with his Higher Self. But first, if you want to get a feeling for how, well, feelingly Steve presents his pathway to the Truth, check out his beautiful reading of one of the poems from the book near the end of the podcast. To my delight, he said that there is indeed an audio version of the book available via iTunes (see link below).

Steve and I did quite a lot of talking both before and after the show, and I felt like we had so much more we wanted to share. He is a lovely person, with a lot of passion for his work and for people in general, so he really is (as I said at the top of this article) just so easy to talk to. We both felt there simply wasn’t enough time on the air to cover everything we wanted to discuss. The whole experience has really got me thinking to extend the show to 60 minutes in length. My guests just keep getting better and better and 30 minutes is just not long enough.

Guess I’ll just have to invite Steve back some day.

AND... watch this space, because I’d actually like to collaborate with Steve to create some sort of intercontinental spiritual awakening experience sometime in early 2010. I’ll keep you posted. J

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you want to find out more about Steve and his work, listen to the podcast below. And after you do, be sure to visit Steve’s websites, and check out his book on Amazon.

Listen to the playback or download the MP3 of this show from:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn/2009/06/03/Ep20-Feeling-is-Healing

Steve’s Official Drunk with Wonder Website:

www.drunkwithwonder.com

Audio Book version of Drunk with Wonder on iTunes

http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAudiobook?id=251938760&s=143441 

Browse through other episodes at: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn

NEXT ON
Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul

Wednesday 10 June
SHOW: Lynn Serafinn's Garden of the Soul
Ep21-Integrating Spirit and Human
6.30 PM UK time, 1.30 PM Eastern, 10.30 AM Pacific, 7.30 PM CET
Author and Personal Transformation Coach Lynn Serafinn hosts life empowerment facilitator, transformational life coach and talk radio show host, Joe Rumbolo. Joe will share his story of how he overcame the challenges of his own lack of confidence, and learned how to recognise and step into opportunities he would never have dreamed of in the past. He will tell us about his experiences with creative channelling and his thoughts on conscious evolution, and will draw upon the material from his workshops to offer us tips on how to “dump the junk” that holds us back, so we can move towards the ascension of our own higher consciousness

Listen LIVE or download the broadcast "on demand" at:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn/2009/06/10/Ep21-Integrating-Spirit-and-Human
Listener questions: call at 646-727-3449 during broadcast (US number)

About the show, “Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul”

Weekly broadcast exploring personal empowerment, life purpose, balance of mind, body and spirit, and how to tap into the inner hero that lies within every human being. Hosted by Lynn Serafinn, Personal Transformation Coach and author living in Bedford England dedicated to awakening the authentic voice in all people. She is the author of the Amazon bestselling book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self, and the Founder/Leader of The Global Wellness Circle, a holistic community project that is rapidly spreading throughout the UK.

Lynn’s links

• Garden of the Soul Book Blog: www.give-receive-become-be.com
• Garden of the Soul Social Network: http://gardenofthesoul.ning.com
• Create-a-Life Coaching/Training: www.create-a-life.co.uk
• Global Wellness Circle: www.global-wellness-circle.com

Arielle Ford

Arielle Ford is one of the founding partners of the Spiritual Cinema Circle. Prior to January 2004, Arielle ran her own public relations firm and was integral in launching the careers of Deepak Chopra, Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, and Neale Donald Walsch. She has also handled publicity for Wayne Dyer, Debbie Ford, Marianne Williamson, Gary Zukav, Louise Hay, don Miguel Ruiz, and many other notable authors, eleven of whom had books reach #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. This book originated when she decided to apply the tools she used to launch her successful business to finding the love of her love life, Brian Hilliard.

How To Prepare To Manifest and Meet Your Soul Mate
An Interview with Arielle Ford of
www.SoulmateKit.com

Jewell R. Powell is a marriage coach,
inspirational speaker, and author.
Jewell has made it her mission to
help married couples, especially
those who are having trouble in
their marriages. She believes that,
with effort and God’s grace,
all can have a ‘happily ever after’
marriage when you live by faith.

Lewis and Jewell pledged their love until death before a host of family and friends on May 4, 1996. Immediately, they started having problems, one of which was infertility. Within four years, they found themselves sleeping in separate bedrooms, not liking one another very much, and estranged as a couple. Now, while they are facing new challenges, they have found their way back to one another and are stronger and more committed than ever to having a strong, satisfying, and faithful marriage.

Jewell Powell was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey. When she was four years old, her mother and father moved to Maryland and shortly thereafter divorced. Jewell met her Prince Charming in July of 1992. Both were aware of the statistics concerning marriage and came from families with divorced parents and siblings. Nevertheless, they were in love and ready. They did seek pre-marital counseling for approximately three months and determined they would be fine. After they got married, Lewis stop going to church, while Jewel remained a faithful, active member.

The author of Marriage 101 found herself separated from her husband after four years of marriage and on a spiritual journey. She quickly found out that marriage was nothing like the fairytale books she read as a child. Her faith had her searching for answers. Why would God create a union in which a man and a woman could not get along? More importantly, why would He want us to stay with that person until death do us part, yet have us be so miserable and at odds? Why were so many, including herself, heading towards divorce? The questions were ongoing, and so were the answers. As she found answers to her questions in the Bible, she decided to write a book to help others.

Marriage 101, which is written as a parable from the fairytale Sleeping Beauty, allows readers to become more familiar with God’s plan for marriage. Jewell discusses His principles for bringing about positive change in your marriage through the use of clear biblical and practical guidance. She also shares intimate details about her personal experience of fighting through an unhappy period in her own marriage and teaches you how to build a healthy, happy, satisfying relationship with your spouse. This book/workbook combination offers an 8-week plan for individual or group study that encourages examining the areas in our lives that need to change. Marriage 101 shows you how to live and love by faith and will transform your life. 

Jewell accepted the Lord Jesus Christ in 1980 at the age of 14. She and Lewis are members of the Way of Life church, located in Waldorf, MD. She graduated from VCMI Ministerial Training School in July 2003 and is a student at Regent University, School of Divinity. Jewell and Lewis started the “Happily Ever After” Marriage Ministry. Lewis, who gave his life to Christ at the tender age of 10, is the CEO of Antiok Holdings, Inc., a small minority 8(a) firm headquartered in Southern, MD. Antiok is an emerging full service management/consulting firm. They have two daughters, Lauren and Diamond. Jewell and Lewis are devoted to having a satisfying and fulfilling marriage and to helping other couples do the same.

I am a hypnotist, NLP practitioner and Law of Attraction coach.  I first became interested in hypnosis when I was in college and I participated in a psychology experiment that involved being hypnotized.  During the experiment, the hypnotist demonstrated some very cool hypnotic phenomena, and I really enjoyed the experience.  And I thought, “I want to learn how to do that someday.” 

At the time I didn’t know that people practiced hypnotism as a profession because like most people, all I knew about it was what I had seen in movies.   So, I promptly forgot all about it and went on with my life.  From time to time during the years I would see an ad for a hypnosis training, and I would say, “I’m going to learn how to do that some day.”

I also used hypnosis in my own life to help me make some changes, and I always had great success with it, and enjoyed the experience very much.

Then one day, in 1999, I saw an ad for a hypnosis training, and instead of saying, “I’m going to learn how to do that one day,” I picked up the phone and called the teacher and said, “I want to register for your class.” 

So, I went to the training, and I had an experience that I had been waiting for my whole adult working life.  I had such an incredible “Aha!” moment where I realized that this is what I’m supposed to be doing with my life.  I still get chills when I think about it.  I absolutely fell in love with hypnosis.  I started taking every training I could find, reading scores of books, and learning tons of stuff about rapid change technologies, and it was fun, fun, fun. 

I still kept my day job, and I started seeing clients part time at a hypnosis clinic.  I had a plan.  I was going to keep my job for 5 years, and gradually build my private practice to the point where it could replace my income.  Then 9/11 happened, and I got downsized from my job.  And despite the fact that I had never had any trouble finding a job in the past, I just couldn’t find one at that time.  So I thought that “the Universe” was letting me know that it was time to get serious about the work that I was meant to do.

Around that time, I found Lynn Grabhorn’s book, Excuse Me, Your Life is Waiting.  I had read the Seth books years before and found them fascinating, I read the Conversations with God books and loved them, but the message hadn’t really penetrated.  I read the words, “you create your own life,” but I really didn’t “get” it on a deep level.  And to be honest, even when I read Excuse Me, Your Life is Waiting, I still didn’t recognize the enormity of what I was learning.  But I did practice some of the techniques in the book because they were interesting and fun.

Then I started reading more and more on the subject, and finally, I saw an email announcing a Law of Attraction coaching certification program and I signed up for the course. That was when I started really immersing myself in the law of attraction principles, and living them in my own life.

The more I studied law of attraction, the more I saw the parallels with what I already knew.  The teachings of the law of attraction are amazingly similar to what I’d been doing with my clients for years.  I had been explaining the deliberate creation process in terms of how our minds work: activating neural networks in our brains, the nature of sustained motivation, and so on.  As I studied the Law of Attraction, I learned the underlying spiritual principles that drive creation.

So I decided to combine these incredibly powerful technologies to help my clients experience even greater levels of success.  And the results have been amazing.

It’s a perfect partnership.  As students of the Law of Attraction and the science of deliberate creation we know that the creation process is straightforward:

1. As you are living your daily life, you experience contrast.  The contrast produces a desire within you for things to be different (this is often called the asking step in the Law of Attraction literature).  This part of the process is easy, it is happening automatically all the time.  Of course there are some ways of asking for what you want that will accelerate your results. I’ve been doing those things with my hypnosis clients for years, things like visualizing; acting as if, speaking as though what you want is already true for you and so on. 

2. Next, the universe expands as a result of your desire, your inner being expands. This step is often called, it is given, or the answer step; and the answer is always, “Yes.”  If you have the desire to manifest something, you can have it.  (It is said that you are incapable of having a desire that cannot be fulfilled.)

The final step is allowing, and this is where it gets interesting.  Allowing is theoretically simple; just get yourself into alignment with what you want and it will flow to you.  You’re going to feel joyful when you get what you want, so right now dwell in joy.  Believe that you can have what you want and that you deserve it.  Take inspired action in the direction of your dreams. That’s it, that’s the whole formula.

Simple.

Simple, but, most of us find this step less than easy. 

The question that Abraham asks here is “Are you letting yourself experience the benefit of your precious focus and your vast experience in the here and now?”

Unfortunately, many times, the answer to that question is, “No.” Because we all have at least some resistance to what we want.

Of course, it doesn’t make logical sense to resist what we most want, but it doesn’t have to, because logic is a function of the conscious mind. For the most part the things that hold us back are unconscious. For example, many of us have limiting beliefs about what is possible for us, what we deserve, how much it is safe for us to have and so on. We may also have habitual ways of feeling based on past experience that keep us from resonating with the joy that accelerates our ability to manifest the things that would make us even more joyful.  And many of us have behavioral patterns that are self-sabotaging rather than self-empowering.

So why don’t we just eliminate all of these negatives and embrace the abundance that is our birthright? 

Because, they have become a part of our unconscious programming.

You know, our brains, our unconscious minds, are magnificent.  Anything that we practice sufficiently, becomes automatic for us so that we don’t have to think about it any more.  All of this happens without any critical judgment at all.  The assumption is that if you do something regularly, it must be important, so it becomes automatic – we call that learning, and that’s a good thing.  Just like tying your shoes or driving a car, when you first learned to do those things they were very complex, now you do them without thinking.  The challenge for most of us is that we have automated as many counter-productive thought, feeling, and behavioral habits as useful ones.

So, what’s the solution?

That’s where hypnosis, NLP, and other remarkable mind technologies come in. With these potent tools you can go to the source and create transformations on a fundamental level.  You can release old limiting emotions, transform limiting beliefs into the empowering knowledge that you can be, do and have whatever you want, replace dysfunctional habits that don’t serve you with ones that propel you forward, and imprint success programs deep in your inner mind.

By combining law of attraction principles with powerful clearing and reprogramming methodologies, you can turbo-charge your results and manifest faster and more easily than you ever thought possible.

I have been using the strategies and techniques of rapid change in my own life, as well as with my clients, so I know first hand how transformational they are.

I love what I do and I am grateful for the opportunity to live my mission and purpose and passion, by helping you to get everything that you want from life.

Peter Drucker said, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” I’d be honored to help you create yours.

Looking forward to magnificent co-creation,

Cindy

P.S.  If you’re interested in more details about my credentials, you can scroll down to see a list of them.

Credentials

Degrees

M.A. in Clinical Psychology

M.S. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology

B.S. in Biology and Psychology

Certifications

Hypnosis

Certified Master Hypnotist

Certified Hypnosis Trainer

Certified Sports Hypnotist

Certified Hypno-Fertility Specialist

Certified Hypnotic Modeler

Certified 5-PATH Hypnotist and 7th Path Self-Hypnosis Instructor

Certificate in Metaphysical Hypnosis

 NLP

Certified Master Practitioner of Humanistic Neuro-Linguistic Psychology (HNLP)

Certified Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)

Certified Master Practitioner of Time-Based Techniques

Coaching

Certified Coach – HNLP Coaching

Law of Attraction Certified Coach

Reiki

Reiki Master

Agnes B. Levine

Coolingwater

Recently Ella Curry, CEO of EDC Creations (www.edc-creations.com) and founder of the Sankofa Literary Society (www.sankofaliterarysociety.org)  had the opportunity to talk with the author of  the book Cooling Well Water, Agnes B. Levine.

SLS Intimate Conversations Interview Questions

Tell us your latest news? 
My highly anticipated book, "Cooling Well Water:  A Collection of Work By An African-American Bi-Polar Woman" ("Cooling Water or Collection") is in the final stages of publishing.  I am truly excited and over-whelmed with joy that this Collection will be released this year.  Of course, I am staying busy with seeing this Collection to the final stages of publishing by tending to fine details and praying to stay under God's guidance.

When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I have always considered myself a writer and writing has always considered me.  However, it was not until the aftermath of my father's death when I vigorously sought God's presence in my life, then writing for me became a full-time priority.  In learning to manage my mental illness, writing became a therapeutic means for me to cope.  Cooling Well Water reflects my conversations with God during a difficult period in my life when only God could have delivered me.   Of course, my writing had to undergo development both spiritually and technically and to be honest, some of those conversations I had with God that re reflected in the book left me scared, embarassed, and ashamed.  For instance, I literally laid my heart before God and asked Him to examine it and fill those dark corners with His light of healing power.  What God found surprised even me!  The first writing of mine ever published was in 2004 and titled:  "I Write Because..." by Do-It-Yourself E-zine founder Judine Slaughter.

I write for many, many reasons when I do actually write—lol.

I write because I’m bored.  Because it is fun.  Because I’m hurting.  Because I’m happy.  Because the paper is blank. Because the screen is blank. Because ideas are racing in my head.  Because the Lord is speaking to me and I need to capture His words.  Because I’m sad.  Because I need to remember what I need to do.  Because I want to forget what I have done or said or thought of doing or saying, or forget what others have done or said to me.  I write because my pen has fantastic, majestic powers and I can change the world while I am waiting for the doctor to see me and there is one more blank page in my two-year planner. 

I write because my daughter still doesn’t know I love her and my sons have the prettiest eyes, and sometimes I write because I think God doesn’t believe I appreciate where He has delivered me from or just knows I’m still waiting to be delivered.  I write because that bestseller is still in my heart waiting to be born or at my fingertips waiting to be released or in my mind waiting for the perfect song to unchain it.  I write because I am stupid and words make me smart. I write because I’m fat and words make me small.  I write because I’m small and words make me huge.  When I’m a “n—,” I can write and be white, and when I’m white, I can be black.  I’m superwoman when I write and my pen is my golden lasso.  I’m the lion king when I write.  I’m silly when I write.  I’m serious when I write.  I cry when I write.  I laugh when I write.  I pray when I write.  I die when I write.  I live when I write.  I have so much love to give when I write.  Every single thing around me in my environment I write on and every single thing in my environment has a word on it that I have written on it that tells my story.  That’s why I write and will always write.  So that my story will always be told. 

What inspired you to pen your first novel?
The Holy Spirit.  I had to unleash the words, the story, or I was going to burst.  Seriously, I have always loved to read and I have always loved to write.  By the time I received the Holy Spirit, I felt like if I did not begin seriously writing, I was going to literally burst wide open.  That is primarily because there is always one person who will be touched by your words.  When you withhold those words as a writer, you deny or block that one person from freedom from their pain, destruction, courage, self-determination, self-motivation, staying power, etc., because by telling your story, you give permission to at least one person to say, "I can do it too!"  That is what happened to me through reading.  I constantly told myself, "You can do this!"

Who or what has influenced your writing, and in what way? 
There are a few African-American authors who have strong influence on me as a person and a writer.  First, I do not want to just write.  I want to leave a legacy of African-American literature.    There is a difference and to me that difference is what will help the next generation over-come the struggle?  What will help my little sistah keep the African-American community moving forward positively?  What will my grandchildren need to know about God and His omnipotence that will keep the world successful so that the ills of racism, prejudice, violence, etc. will not destroy them?    I find those teachings strong in the works of Zora Neale Hurston, Alice Walker, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Phyllis Wheatley, Toni Morrison, Langston Hughes, and many newer authors, too, such as Maya Angelou and countless others.  Also, African-American history has been a tremendous influence because our story must always be told in order that it never repeats itself.  Therefore, my biggest influences rest in the slave writings.

How has your environment/upbringing colored your writing? 
My environment has colored me yellow--the color of divine intelligence.  That is not to say I am the most intelligent human being, but I am wiser because of my environment and upbringing.  I am wiser because I now that God must be first in my life and then I will be able to see His purpose for me.  I then understand that I must be a beacon of light, hope, for the woman or man suffering from a mental illness who has the internal strength to live a productive life.  I must reach back to my African-American community and help them defeat illiteracy because if we or our children do not understand how to defeat illiteracy or even that illiteracy must be defeated, we cannot possibly be a part of the global world and living on handouts is no assurance for the future.  In order to counter racism and stand for whose we really are, we must be able to understand the power of words and knowledge.  

Lastly, I often share with friends that when you have a mental illness and understand the active darkness of living with one, you better appreciate living on the other side of the mental illness.  Therefore, the mental illness must not be allowed to take over your life.  Cooling Well Water allows the reader to see that freedom from oppression comes in many ways with many blessings.  Faith.  Being imprisoned by the mental illness forces you to be a victim to darkness, pain, abuse, etc.  The mere fact that this book was written in testimonial form, is inspiration in and of itself to persons with or without a mental illness.  The book frees readers from the stigma that to me is like the cement vault a casket is laid in.

What are your current projects? 
Currently, I am working on a project about my life, a short film script,  continuing to write articles, and I continue to publish the writings of Swaggie Coleman.  Swaggie Coleman has written her first novel and so I will be very busy between the two.  I also have big dreams for my publishing company going to the next level in 2008.  I am very excited and I have been blessed to have absolutely wonderful people placed in my life to help me grow and realize my dream.  I look especially forward to helping a special friend of mine bring forth his writing talents.

What is a favorite book from your childhood? 
Mary Todd Lincoln, A Tree Grows In Brooklyn.

What do you hope readers will learn/discover from reading your book?
 That God is real.  That only through God can anything and everything be accomplished.  That trusting God will help you to be what He purposed for you to be and only then can true peace and happiness be accomplished.  That each of us has the innate ability to over-come trials and tribulations despite what obstacles are in front of us.  That we are not meant to be blessed for a day or a minute, we are blessed for a lifetime.  I also hope readers will discover that the mind is capable of surpassing the limits that a broken society gives us. 

What distinguishes your book from others on the subject?
It is not simply a tell-all book, it is a show-all book.  Cooling Water walks the reader through my deliverance without the fluff.  The average person will be able to relate to it as well as the above-average and the below-average.  Because the book speaks of prophecy and was written a few years ago, it will also leave the reader in awe.  It is transcending of time, race, sex, ethnicity, and religion because God is universal.

Do you feel more African-Americans are reading?
If not, how can we help increase this.  I believe more African-Americans are reading today, but not merely as much as we need to.  I am especially disturbed that not many African-American children are reading.  What I see is more folks reading stories and not literature.  The difference to me is that while stories are certainly a good thing, the mind must be challenged through literature in order to move our community forward.  When an individual reads a good piece of literature they become enlightened about the world and his or her mind is seeking ways to make a better difference and do it better.  When individuals are restricted to stories about gangs, violence, sex, etc., that is all they will see in their world. 

A child should know about all the great things our people are doing all over the world and not be limited to where a racist society says we should stay.  The more a child reads about success and the more literature takes the mind higher, the more the child will be committed to achieve greatness beyond the bling, bling.  Thus, we need to be reading more good, quality literature and use the mind the way it was intended to be used.  There will be plenty of time for fun reading, but we have a lot of work to do with our children and ourselves in order to fully appreciate the fun, peace, and happiness that we deserve.

Who has been your mentor or most inspiring supporter? 
I am my Father's legacy.

What should a new writer know about the publishing business? 
Study it.  Decide what your uniqueness is and how you can compete with yourself.

What have you learned about the  process of writing, marketing, and now promoting your book? 
After you study the publishing industry for yourself, map out a strategy.  No matter what, stick to your own strategy and trust in God.  As far as writing, not all of us are meant to be writers.  Not all of us are meant to be lawyers, doctors, etc.  You can take courses and work hard at it, but if it is not what God has ordained for you to do, it won't happen successfully.  Recognize if it is not what God has ordained for you to do and move on to your true calling.

What aspect of writing do you love the best, and which do you hate the most? 
I love to write and read other works and apply the 'then' to the 'now' through writing.  I hate to wait for the muse and I hate waiting for an opportunity to share my work, but I have gotten a lot better with patience because I stay involved helping others with their works.

How do you feel about critique groups? 
Absolutely necessary!  I highly recommend the DeGriotSpace Online Writers Workshop.  Just like we all need a "best" friend or a special friend who keeps it real for us, a writer needs a best "critique" friend to keep it real for him or her.  I have one and I cannot imagine my writing life without that person.  A writer must trust the critique group or person.  The writer must not be afraid to share anything and everything and then trust the critique. 

Many times I have cried and went to bed angry because my work was not as great as I thought in somebody else's opinion.  However, I can honestly say that after I got over the emotional injury to my ego (I am human) I could then say---"What the heck was I thinking when I wrote that!"  Also, when I write, I ask myself what do I want the reader to walk away with that will help them and before the day is over, I ask myself, "Would God be proud of how I used His gift?"  Amen?  Amen!

Do you feel that the explosion  in African-American writers is a fad or another renaissance?
Uh-hm.  I hope a fad.  After this Black History Month Event, I hope a renaissance.

Do you feel more African-American youths  are reading?
If not, how can we help increase this.  Yes, but trash and not enough of them read.  Parents and caretakers are responsible for the lack of young readers.  In addition, so are teachers.  Collectively, we must encourage children to read by giving them material to read.  Reading has and should be introduced to children early and the word "fun," "enjoyable," "educational," "relaxing," and "helpful" must be associated with making children read.  Notice I said "making" children read.  I am bothered by a parent who spends so much money on gadgets and designer clothes for their child and tells me, "He just don't like to read."  To me, that is like saying, "he calls his own shots."   

If we are gong to let children wrongly prioritize their role as a child, then we cannot be surprised when they make the wrong choices.  If we read to our children and engage them in the storytelling, they will pick up on reading is fun, etc.  When I first read my first book, there were no real stories for black children to read about ourselves.  However, I wanted to go to the White House. 

I became curious about the life of a girl living in the White House.  I paid more attention to how I did my homework trying to spell better because that's what little white girls did in the White House...y'all feel me. 

Lord, the day I read a book about an African Queen I was an adult.  I felt irritated that I never knew that information as a child.  When I am in the presence of children as a part-time teacher (did I forget to mention that?) I always, always tell them about our ancestors being Queens and Kings and how we must carry on the legacy of valuing education.  Their eyes always pop open with amazement because they did not know of the great inheritance of our people.  That blame falls right smack on the shoulders of parents and caretakers who are neglecting to do their job.

Having said that, I have to add that when parents and caretakers read stories about gangs, sex, bling-bling, that is what children are exposed to and what they expect their world to be.  So they do not aspire better and settle for just wanting the bling-bling.  When a child sees his or her mother or big sister curled up with a book with voluptuous breasts, thongs, etc., a visual impression is being made.  "Never judge a book by its cover!" does not, not apply to children.  They do and will judge and be influenced by what they SEE!!!

Name one entity that you feel supported you outside of family members.
Church.

Do you see writing as a long- or short-term career?
Lifelong.

If you had to do it all over again, would you change anything? 
Yes.  I would have kept every book I ever purchased, smile.  It is so expensive trying to replace them now that I have decided I want them ALL back. 

 Copyright 20004 Agnes B. Levine

Contact the author:

Agnes B. Levine
Levine-Oliver Publisher
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1st Floor
Gwynn Oak, MD  21207

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