Tamara Palmer's Blog

• Reading List: The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash by Grandmaster Flash

  June 27, 2008

  • New York DJ Grandmaster Flash is credited as one of the godfathers of hip-hop music and culture. In his new autobiography, The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash: My Life, My Beats, he claims that while he didn't invent DJing, he transformed it into an art form by developing the mixing technique of extending the best grooves of a song. But the book isn't completely self-congratulatory, which is part ...
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• Reading List: Grown & Gangsta by Jacki-O

  April 17, 2008

  • Jacki-O has had a few different occupations, including high-end shoplifter and one-time self-proclaimed contender for rap queen of the South. But she's wearing a new hat that truly suits her: Urban novelist. Author of Grown & Gangsta, she's making a convincing bid to become the hood version of Jackie Collins.Like Collins, she's got a flair for writing nasty scenes down to the last detail. ...
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• Reading List: Poetry as Insurgent Art by Lawrence Ferlinghetti

  February 18, 2008

  • Lawrence Ferlinghetti is the Poet Laureate of San Francisco, and, boy, does he deserve to be. Until a few days ago I had no idea I'd enjoy his work as much as I love this little book, a grand work-in-progress that was first published in 1975 and most recently revised last year, because I never picked up one of his books before. One of a grand series of life mistakes. . . This is an amazing book ...
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• Reading List: Love is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time by Rob Sheffield

  February 18, 2008

  • I picked up this book for a few different reasons. This incredibly poignant love story concerns Rolling Stone contributing editor Rob Sheffield and his late wife Renee Crist, who was also a very talented freelance music writer. I didn't know either of them, but I did speak to Renee once about 13 years ago when I was briefly working as a music publicist. I remember having a friendly conversation ...
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• Reading List: Grace After Midnight by Felicia "Snoop" Pearson

  February 12, 2008

  • I'm fanatical about the HBO television series The Wire, which is quickly drawing to a close. Life without it will be hard for me. Fortunately, I have convinced my roommate Allison (who just came on board this season) to rent the early seasons with me on Netflix, and I will be able to numb the pain a little bit by following the pursuits of those involved in the program.The first book I read this ...
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• The Liar's Diary Blog Day

  January 29, 2008

  • I am proud to join the Red Room community in asking everyone to support Patry Francis' new book, The Liar's Diary.http://patryfrancis.com/http://www.amazon.com/Liars-Diary-Patry-Francis/dp/0525949909/
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• The Greatest Story Ever Told

  January 27, 2008

  • Rapper/producer David Banner, who wrote the foreword to Country Fried Soul, plans to release his highly anticipated third album, The Greatest Story Ever Told, before the summer. I'm hoping that it brings him new levels of success.Just months after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf region, Banner hosted "Heal The Hood" benefit in Atlanta, to date the most successful urban ...
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• Southern Hospitality

  January 10, 2008

  •  It's been almost three years since Country Fried Soul: Adventures in Dirty South Hip-Hop was released, and I'm not nearly done with the topic. If anything, my bond with Southern rap music has only deepened. I'll use this space as an outlet for continuing that interest.But I also hope to be helpful to others in sharing my experiences as a first-time (and un-agented) author who wrote a book in ...
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