Sunday, November 25, 2007

Latest news on "BlAsian Exchanges, a novel"

Last weekend City Lights Books in S.F.'s North Beach section contacted me to let me know they had sold out copies on myinitial consignment with them and wantedto take out a second consignment which Ijumped on right away. In case you've neverheard of City Lights (261 Columbus Avenue,near Broadway, 415-362-8193) is the placewhere the Beat Writers first congregatedand also where the first paperback booksin America were sold) BlAsian Exchanges,a novel is also selling well at EastWindBooks of Berkeley.
Also last week, Annabelle Udo contacted me to request a review copy. She writes for Asian Week and also wants to inter-view me.
I have also been working on an articleabout interracial dating focusing onBlAsian Relationships which I plan tosubmit to Amerasia Journal soon. . .More on this later.
Take Care,
sAm

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Rept. on Love Without Boundary Nov 3 '07 NYC: BW dating outside the box

I am now pretty much unwound from my flight back from myEast Coast trip which ended with a two-night stay in NYCto participate as a panelist at "Love without boundary:Black women & dating outside the box". So here is my initial report on the event.
First of all, I wanted to thank my fellow co-ModeratorRedchild and Evergreen for attending then taking me outto dinner, showing me their home in Flushing (right inthe middle of the Chinatown in that city which is justoutside of NYC) and buying a copy of my book! Many hugs andkisses to both of you! I feel I really owe you
As I noted in my introductory address to the crowd of about 40 or more attendees, "I feel liberated and exhilaratedby this opportunity to talk about an issue that has beenso near & dear to my heart most of my life." At least thatis how I had it scripted but I may have deviated a littlein what I actually said; I think I left the word exhilaratedout. I then went into my background: a co-moderator of the Yahoo! discussion group PowerCouples_AMBW (Asian MenBlack Women); the author of "BlAsian Exchanges, a novel"and two articles on BlAsian relationships published in Today's Black Woman and Interrace;and an Asian man who has been attracted to and intimatelyinvolved with Black woman most of my life (33 years is whatI said near the end of the event). I also noted that I waspoliticized as well as socialized by Black culture and Blackstudents during undergrad at the University of Maryland - College during the mid 1970s as well as the D.C. area; I was a member of the campus Black Student Union and evenwrote articles for their newspaper, the Black Explosionand I also participated in many protests that involvedBlack issues such as the retention of the Black Studiesprogram, Free the Wilmington 10, the Bakke court decision,etc. I noted at the end of my introduction that such politi-cization and socialization with Blacks set the basis formy being attracted to Black women throughout my life but that the type of Black women I've usually been attracted to were woman whom I could have a good conversation with, particularly a good political conversation.
More about what was said during the event's major topicdiscussions will be covered in a later post.
Some afterthoughts that have entered my mind since thisevent: I feel I should have mentioned that in additionto my involvement with Black issues, I was also involvedwith Asian American issues including being the founderof the campus Univ. of Md. Asian American Coalitionwhich pushed issues such as the Asians in America classoffered by the American Studies Department in 1975 andwhich also worked in coalition with other Third Worldgroups such as the BSU and other people of color organi-zations on campus. Off campus, I wrote for a newsletterin D.C.'s Chinatown which covered Asian American issuesin the D.C. area and was a founding member of the AsianPacific American Federal Employee Council and the D.C. chapter of the Union of Democratic Filipinos. Yes,I was a busy dude. Another key afterthought concernswhy I've been attracted to BW most of my life: it hadto do with a mix of personal [including my mindset thatBlack women are beautiful as influenced by my admirationfor entertainers such as Roberta Flack and Freday Payne) and political considerations [i.e., Black feminism whichI was moved by in my readings of authors such as Zora Neale Hurston and Sojourner Truth) -not just political as I had said in my introductory speech.Reflecting on this issue during the discussion and think-ing about it afterward, I think that is a more accurate perspective I've taken for my attraction to Black women.And I should also have added that as a regular guy who has strayed periodically from my politically progressiveleanings had his own personal needs to fulfill, I often went forBlack women at least two times in my life who wanted nothingmore than a sexual relationship which is what I wanted aswell - and got.
What do you think of all this? Please, I'd like to hear your comments.
More to be reported in the next few days.
Very Warm Regards,
Sam Cacas