Omar Tyree on "The Passing of E. Lynn Harris"

"E. Lynn Harris was by far the most generous big brother in the African-American publishing world. He was the one professional most willingto give you, not only publishing advise, but a review quote on your new book, tour assistance and even public appearances to help you out in your aspirationsto become a successful author.

When I first met E. at Book Expo America party in Chicago back in 1996, he already knew who I was, he had already read my work, and he greeted me with support and enthusiasm.

Once, he even hosted an event for me at Chicago's Shark Bar for the release of Single Mom, my third published novel with Simon & Schuster. And I never heard the mad have a sour comment for anyone. He was a hardworking author who understood what being a writer of the people was all about.

E. Lynn Harris and his poise and leadership in the publishing world of African-American books will be sadly missed."

Why Leslie First? - Omar Tyree

I know, I know, I know, many of you guys would just loooove to see Flyy Girl as my first movie. The only problem is, most of the readers who love Flyy Girl so much have never bothered to read many of my other books. So if I gave them Flyy Girl first as a movie, would they even bother to see my otherfilms? Because if I can't trust them to read the other books, then whyshould I trust them to see the other films? And they have all had PLENTY of time toread my other books. And they ALL GOOD READS!

So for the first film, since I want to have a film CAREER and not just one movie deal, we decided very strategically to go with the Leslie franchise first, where we can possible do 3 films with a character that folks willlove and want to see much more of. But if you guys have not read Leslie the book,you have no idea what you're missing.

Therefore, a New Orleans-based suspense vehicle like Leslie would get us "out-of-the-box" of typical African-American films that may immediately destroy new types of ideas if I were to do the obvious Flyy Girl first. Andsince we know everyone is waiting for Flyy Girl anyway, we decided do it when we have more experience and power to do it RIGHT and have plenty of marketing money to push it. But you often have to beg on the first movie, so we'drather do that on an exciting trilogy film like Leslie.

Second, I would love to do Sweet St. Louis as an urban love story or One Crazy Night, as a run-for-your-life thriller. Then we would do Flyy Girl third, followed by Diary of A Groupie, the Leslie sequel, Just Say No!, TheLast Street Novel, Pecking Order. We have plenty of great film vehicles, but I will NOT make the mistake of giving fans the only book they ever read ofmine FIRST and then being nervous about whether they will continue to follow my film career, because they have not done so with the books.

So the idea is to force an audience to enjoy my other great content first, then I can keep a film career going with respect, instead of being one film and out with Flyy Girl. With all that being said, we will also need the power and money to choose and original franchise actress for Flyy Girl,shoot it in Philly, go back to the 80s, get the wardrobe right, keep the locations outside. And those are all ideas that we will have to FIGHT FOR that we may not be able to do on a first film without having that power.

So bear with us. We will get to Flyy Girl, just learn to read something else with my name on it first, starting with Leslie. And if I can't count onyou to do that, then I have to honestly say that you're not an Omar Tyreefan, you're a Flyy Girl fan. But I want an Omar Tyree film career, and not a Flyy Girl film career. Flyy Girl is only one movie. And I want to make 20movies or more. You feel me? So learn to respect the man's other work.

What are your comments on all of that? I'm curious to know?

Sincerely,
Omar Tyree

Penning Poetry

This week’s “Business Question of the Week” takes me back to the days when I wrote and performed poetry. Kimberly Tyler from Maryland asks:

I can see that you are now heading in a business direction with your career and everything, but I was just wondering if you were still able to write and perform poetry. I saw you perform poetry nearly a decade ago at Del State, and I was wondering if you had abandoned your poetry skills for everything else that you’re doing?

Omar Tyree Answers:

Wow! Talk about more perfect timing. I was up in Philadelphia last week, and a group of several friends informed me that this new downtown poetry spot was hot and piping. So they asked me to stop by and enjoy. Well, I dropped on in, became inspired by the energy in the room, and immediately wrote the poem below to perform as a “special guest” that evening. And I do hope that I still have the poetic goods (smile).

Truth Serum, 2009

by Omar Tyree . . .

It’s been a long time
since I’ve tried to entertain the minds of like kinds
and for the past 10 years I’ve been in a state of decline
from poetry
Nah, that’s cool. I’m cool. Poetry don’t make no money.
Then I walk into an excited, loud, proud crowd
like this one, and decide to press rewind, and fall back into the time
when I used to do this (stuff), and do it well
at the North Star Bar in North Philly
Incognito in DC
Back Words in Baltimore
and the Neuyorican Cafe in the big city, I meant Apple.
So take a bite of this with sticky candy on top
and get your teeth stuck
hundreds of thousands of Americans are out of luck now
downsized, out-sourced, defaulted, kicked out, left out, walked out
talked out, and stalked out on the streets like the Walking Dead
and talking heads won’t fix it.
We need a prescription of economic penicillin to eradicate
the disease of addiction, but addiction is the American way
where we’ll pay for ANYTHING that makes us feel good.
(Shucks), that’s why I’m off to Hollywood now to become a dealer
of American entertainment.
Lights, camera, action, money, and poetry don’t make none
unless
you’re with the networks that pimp the poets for $50 a pop and a chance
to make the next poetry inspired Mc Donald’s commercial
where you push a sexy box of Chicken McNuggets
during the NBA Championship
and brag to your family and friends about it.
Nah, (forget) that!
I wanna write the whole show and the jingle and keep getting paid
Finger-lickin chicken with McNuggets, McNuggets
Finger-lickin chicken with McNuggets
Get some
Finger-lickin chicken with McNuggets, McNuggets
Finger-lickin chicken with McNuggets
Get some . . . morrre
Ching ching! Pay check please. And excuse my urgency
but something needs to happen that pays the bills
something needs to happen that accumulates greenbacks and gold.
Can poetry be sold yet?
(Shucks), looks like I dun crossed over to the other side
the scorned capitalist, the bean counter, Mr. Bottom-Line
who don’t talk loud no more, I just ask the question softly,
“Where’s the money?”
Show it to me, so I can swim in it, like an Indecent Proposal
naked, dirty and sexy money
so I propose this to the poets, create poetry that makes some.
I guess you can see where my head is at, I’m on some executive (stuff)!
But at the end of the day, poetry still exists
because human thoughts and emotions are still priceless
and with simple pen and paper
even a broke (joker) can become GENIUS
and shine
like the sun.
That’s why we do it.
That’s why we do it.
That’s why . . .
we do it.

Cotton Candy or Spinach… Here’s hoping I can avoid both pitfalls

This week’s Business Question of the Week was sent in by Mike who hails from my hometown of Philadelphia, PA:

I'm nearly finished writing my first novel, First Floor on Fire, which is fiction but strongly inspired by my experience teaching in a tough public high school in Philadelphia. My book is an attempt at being both strongly intellectual, viscerally emotional and thematically complex. Most books make readers choose between cotton candy or spinach, and here's hoping I can avoid both pitfalls.

Omar Tyree Answers:

Mike, you can basically decide to write whatever book you want in whatever style you choose to write it in, but your success rate will ultimately depend on the book's acceptance from an audience. And if the audience wants cotton candy, they will toss your spinach out the window and disappoint you. However, writing spinach is still in the eyes of the reader. You may think you're being complicated, but who is to say that your complication will automatically be understood?

Artistically speaking, when viewing The Equation of life, many artistic individuals may begin to view their specific genius as universal, where it may not be. And I know this situation personally. I have always had a higher goal for my work that many readers have not shared. So you end up creating Art for a particular Purpose, and with a genuine method of your own madness. However, that does not mean that everyone will get it. This happens with poets all of the time. They believe that their individual poems are the greatest thing since sliced bread, but the audience is sometimes unmoved by it, landing you back at the drawing board of wanting to make a connection.

There is a reason why artistic professionals sometimes make a conscious decision to "dumb down" their material. They want to make sure that they reach a wider audience, and you cannot always assume that every customer is on the same literate level to understand your material. Nevertheless, if it is your goal to market to a higher group of intellectuals with your particular craft, then that is your prerogative to do so. But you must understand that you will need to accept how the audience responds either way.

That is the reality of a "free market." We all have the opportunity to choose what we want. Every artistic person must understand that they are not the only "genius" in the marketplace with a particular creation. And whether you call another person's Art "cotton candy" or "spinach," they are ALL creations that will compete in an open marketplace, and that will all serve a Purpose for a buying society whether we like it, agree with it or not.

So indeed, write the book that you want to write. But at the end of the day, you will need to make certain sacrifices to publish successfully for an audience who is ultimately outside of your personal computer. You feel me? When other people can relate and just "get it" it is indeed a great feeling. But sometimes, we can actually outdo ourselves by trying to do too much. So we must all make personal assessments regarding what we are willing to live with once we place our creative items out on the marketplace for sale. Because at that point, the creation is no longer yours. It's now theirs. That's what becoming "published" is all about.

What About the Children Pt. 2

This week we continue with Rochelle Frazier’s question regarding the Urban Literacy Project. Rochelle asked:

Recently you began the Urban Literacy Project. What is the purpose of this project and how will it uplift youth?

Omar Tyree Responds:

Continuing with the business question of last week, I pick back up with the 5 Key Components of Literacy by discussing the 3rd Component of Thinking. The human ability to Think becomes the engine of everything we Read, Write, Visualize and Apply. But we have far too many students and citizens who have talked themselves into believing their thoughts are unimportant. And far too many common people answer, “Nothing,” whenever they are asked the elementary question of what they’re Thinking about. However, no one is EVER Thinking Nothing! Even while humans sleep, they Think in the form of dreams. The human mind never shuts down. Nevertheless, we shut our own minds down by repeating to ourselves that there’s nothing going on upstairs in our brains, which is a lie. Therefore, I teach students, teachers and parents alike to always value the genius of their thoughts, or forever follow the world in a dark cloud that adds no source of creative light. You are as you THINK! So if you Think Nothing . . . But if you Think Everything . . .

Then I deal with the 4th Component of Visualization, or being able to comprehend and Visualize what you Read, Write, Think and Apply. Can you actually see the meaning of the words? As I explain in lectures, successful people are those who can see the victory before they even begin the battle. As the Bible says, “Without vision the people will perish.” Well, we can all have Vision through literacy. The words we all Read, Write, Think and Apply have meanings beyond the page, beyond the microphone, beyond the backboard, beyond the tape recorder, and beyond our own minds. But if we cannot Visualize the images of the words when we Read them, Write them, Think them, or Apply them, then we are not really literate. Comprehension is all about developing the image of ideas through our mind’s eye! That is the visual power of literacy!

I wrap up with the 5th Component of Literacy being Application, or the ability to Apply what we Read, Write, Think or Visualize. When a person can Apply their learning, they can then Read directions on how to put together a bike, Write about who bought the bike for them and why, Think about where they want to ride it, and Visualize a faster or bigger bike. That, my friends, is the Application of literacy. And if we intend for American students to become valuable to our society, then every student must be able to Apply literacy. That’s our goal for the Urban Literacy Project, to teach everyone the importance of these 5 Key Components all around the country, and maybe next, THE WORLD!

Again, for more information, visit my web site @ www.OmarTyree.com / Urban Literacy Project links, and inquire about how we can work to bring the Urban Literacy Project to your local school district.

Sincerely,
The Chairman - - Omar Rashad Tyree

What About the Children

This week’s “Business Question of the Week” focuses on our next generation. Rochelle Frazier from Memphis, TN asks:

Recently you began the Urban Literacy Project. What is the purpose of this project and how will it uplift youth?

Omar Tyree Responds:

A decade ago, in the limelight of my writing and publishing career, I was so bothered by a refusal of African-American males to read books of fiction, that my then agent barked at me, “Omar, look, men don’t read fiction! They just don’t. They won’t even read it if you give them the books for free! But if you are so concerned about them reading, then join a literacy foundation or something.” My agent was really pissed off at me, because I kept trying to write books that included the perspectives of men, even though the reading audience was nearly 90% women, and it was screwing up much bigger paychecks for both of us. So years later, instead of joining a literacy foundation, I decided to create my own, the Urban Literacy Project, to address the terrible reading habits of African-American and urban men at the youngest stages.

With the Urban Literacy Project, our goal is now to muscle our way into the public school systems nationally, and help the mostly female school teachers to utilize my 5 Key Components of Literacy - Reading, Writing, Thinking, Visualization, and Application, for not only the boys, but for ALL of the young readers. I want to help teachers battle against students who say they don’t like to Read by allowing them to understand that they actually Read with their Eyes, Ears, Nose, Tastes, and Feelings every day of their lives without ever touching a book. So imagine how much more they could Read with their minds when they finally do grab a book?

For those who say they don’t like to Write, I instruct the teachers to tell students that they Write every time they Speak, Move, or make any Facial Expression. Yes indeed, verbal expression, body movement, and facial expressions, as the term goes, “It’s written all over your face” are indeed methods of writing without touching a pen, a pad, a typewriter or a computer. So imagine how much more students can Write when they finally learn to utilize a pen, a typewriter, a computer, or even a cell phone to express themselves, because they actually write everyday of their young lives anyway.

Then I deal with Thinking, which we also do every day of our lives. But since my team wants me to keep my answers short, we will need to pick back up on the goals of the Urban Literacy Project next week. But if you want to learn more information on your own about the ULP, simply go to my web site @ www.OmarTyree.com and look up the Urban Literacy Project on my links page until I have a chance to finish this loaded question next week.

The First 100

This week’s Business Question was sent in by Kyle Bleacher from Chi-town. His question reads:

President Obama has been given grades of A to D for his first 100 days in office. What are your thoughts on his progress so far with issues such as the economy, health care, the war, etc.?

Omar Tyree Responds:

First of all, I want to share a belated HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to all of the mothers out there, and to the soon-to-be mothers. Now we get back to the question. Barack Obama and his ascension to the presidency of the United States of America was one of our first blog questions of the year. We broke down in business terms how he became successful in his endeavor. So it only makes sense for us to come back and evaluate him after his first 100 days. And we will address each of your 3 sub questions.

#1) The Economy – Whoever thought that Barack Obama, John McCain, Hillary Clinton, or whoever else would be able to step into office on January 20, 2009, and immediately correct a slumping economy is delusional. It was not an overnight process that got us all into trouble, and it will not be an overnight process that gets us out. However, President Obama understood that he had to do SOMETHING and do it FAST! And he’s been able to do so. So I give him an A for his immediate efforts. We have plenty of folks (mostly Republicans) who are sitting on the fence complaining about the moves that he is making, but again, no one’s economic plan would have corrected our situation immediately, so we all must wait until the year is out to effectively grade Obama.

#2) Healthcare – Same deal. I give Obama an A for effort. I mean, this man jumped right into office and went to WORK! He is trying to create a healthcare plan for ALL AMERICANS. How can that be a bad thing? As long as we all live in America and pay taxes, then let’s have a government that looks out for its citizens in every way possible. So I’m in agreement with this major move. Those who may not be in agreement (more Republicans) are most likely already covered with healthcare. So they look at it as more wasted money on those who cannot afford to pay.

#3) The War – If you’re referring to Iraq, we should have never been there in the first place. So, President Obama is now setting goals to correct that mistake. However, since we are already there and created the mess, it would be ridiculous to pull out overnight. A comprehensive withdraw plan makes sense. In reference to Afghanistan, Obama’s move to establish more troops in that volatile region makes sense as well. The continued insurgence of terrorist’s practices in the Middle East does no good to anyone. So he gets another A from me in assessing that more security has to be committed against nations and leaders who continue to fight against the establishment of PEACE!

The overall Equation of Barack Obama remains a good one. He has now proven to be a Passionate man who creates more RED ACTION than just words. Remember his presidential opponents used to make those comments about him only being a man of words. I don’t think that’s the case now. Obama has also shown a lot of GOLD Artistic SKILL in governing the most powerful nation in the world. Remember folks felt he would be too young and inexperienced for the position of president? He continues to have the GREEN Support of the common people, with many Republicans now leaning in his Democratic direction to get things done, while other Republicans now seem to do nothing but talk. And the increased Business of our nation is still to come. However, with President Obama’s various stimulus plans, whether you like it or not, his intentions are obviously to create more business than stand still and watch the nation’s commercial viability die.

Need I say more? Until any negative results come in, President Barack Obama gets an A from me. And even if everything is not perfect a year from now... Well, who is perfect anyway? You catch my point. Let the man do his job and judge him by his intentions. And right now, the president’s intentions all look like GRAVY!