Tayé Foster Bradshaw's Bookshelf

I have always been intrigued about the culture of New Orleans before the Civil War and Saint-Domingue before the slave revolt.  Perhaps this interest is because it is the story of my family, my people, my history. This part of history is often glossed over or completely missing in history books.  History taught in school that reaches beyond the United States is often more about Europe and the feudal lords and ladies, royalty, and the explorers than it is about any people of color.  Rarely, even, are the native people, customs, or languages taught.   It is with this backdrop of my curious family history - Napoleon sent one of our ancestors to the Caribbean island to "rule" it.   They were the grands blancs and many of our ancestors had to flea for Cuba and New Orleans during the slave revolts and my foremother was born in Santo Domingo - the neighbor to the west - and was kidnapped by one of those trading merchant ships in the times before the revolt.  She was of "ex

In the middle of reading one book, crafting the book review of another, I stopped to ponder womanhood. The stopping is because Tyler Perry has produced For Colored Girls which premiers tonight.  I am going with several of my girlfriends, we decided yesterday on the time.  Last Saturday, at my book club, we selected the book for our December discussion.  I went to Pudd N'Head Books to get my copy. I like reading a book before I see the movie, if it is possible.  This one was more breathed than read. Back in 1985 in my College English class at Lincoln University, I read Sassafras, Cypress, and Indigo .  I had an assignment to then write a piece of poetry after that.  It was then that someone other than my family told me I had the gift to write.  It was also then that for close to two decades, I stopped writing stories and wrote prose and poetry, even performed a few pieces, gave pieces as gifts, just wrote what was inside me. I started For Colored Girls Who Have Considered S