Kevin Benoit learned the power of voice early. Since age 12, he has helped others find and use their own. This Black History month, SBC highlights and explores the contributions of the 39-year-old self-starter who founded Parlé Magazine over two-decades ago, and, more recently, its arm nonprofit organization, Parlé Endeavors.
Benoit was born and raised in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Originally named Kerven, his parents legally changed … Read the rest
Music fans, especially in the R&B space, have been celebrating Usher since his viral Tiny Desk performance. He performed a few of his countless hits including “You Make Me Wanna” (1997); “U don’t Have to Call” (2002); and “Confessions” (2004). He even sang the fan-favorite, non-single, “Superstar” (although, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say every song on the Confessions album is a fan-favorite). As Usher continues to bring the … Read the rest
Here are 7 shows that premiered on this day over the years. Check out the list below to see the variety of series that are celebrating anniversaries today, thanks to Famous Birthdays. Have you watched any of these shows?
1. The Indian Tales of Rudyard Kipling
The BBC series is about Noble prize winning poet, writer, journalist, and author Rudyard Kipling who wrote The Jungle Book. It premiered … Read the rest
If you’re a Whitney Houston fan who is not a Robyn Crawford fan, this film is not for you. In all seriousness, if you follow Lena Waithe’s work, you know that she is a big fan of the late great Houston. The Emmy and MTV award-winning multi-hyphenate bravely and boldly created Beauty, the new film that is undoubtedly inspired by the woman many of us know as “The Voice.” … Read the rest
It took award-winning journalist, writer, and book collaborator Jeannine Amber twenty years to figure out too many details in writing can hurt a project. Journalism writing is no exception. The former Essence senior editor spontaneously sets the scene to provide an example: She’s interviewing someone in their home and upon entering, she sees there are a million things going on. There are books. The color of the sofa stands out. … Read the rest
When asked for advice about what authors should look for in agents, editors, and publishers, award-winning and Charming As A Verb (Balzer + Bray, October 13, 2020) author Ben Philippe, encourages finding industry professionals whose emails they are unafraid to receive. “I have friends who are also writers, they have that fear of their own editors and publishers,” he tells So Booking Cool. “They’re like ‘Oh, I made too … Read the rest
It’s no secret that publishing is full of collaboration, from the authors, agents, editors, and illustrators to the marketers, publicists, salespeople, reviewers, and influencers, etc. Then there are the professionals who help authors tell their stories by way of memoir: book collaborators. Multi-award-winning journalist, writer, and co-author, Jeannine Amber, who recently collaborated on I Tried to Change So You Don’t Have To: True Life Lessons (Hachette Go, June 23, … Read the rest
Imagine being a child who loved writing so much that you wrote books recreationally. You consider the written word to be your only talent. Unsurprisingly, you gravitate towards journalism and decide to make it your major in college. You submit your first assignment for your introduction class; when you get it back, you a see a F written in red along with a note to speak with your professor after … Read the rest
If someone offered you a job, one of your first questions would be: “How much does it pay?”. It is a legitimate question. Our society and economy are based on the fundamental principle that if you are going to perform work for someone you deserve to be compensated. Many students learn this rule early on in life. They get an allowance for doing basic household chores. Then, as teenagers, they … Read the rest
He’s written hits for the likes of Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, the Pointer Sisters, Reba McEntire, and Billy “Crash” Craddock (whose “Rub it In” song inspired the “Plug it In” jingle) to name a few. He wrote an essay about his marriage of 54 years for the New York Times Modern Love column that moved the world. Now, he has written his debut bestseller, Permission to Fly: A Memoir … Read the rest
