Overcoming coming tragedy is a painful process but let’s take a look at the bright side. Visit The Positive Nation where I talk about turning tragedy into opportunity. This is my most popular post to date on The Positive Nation. Visit link NOW! And don’t forget to share!! Thank you 🙂
Category Archives: Guest Posts
Book Review: The Ascent of Feminist Poetry by Charles Bane, Jr.
If you are interested in learning more about feminist poetry while also discovering some amazing poems by various authors, then The Ascent of Feminist Poetry is the right book for you. It’s short, sweet and to the point. And if you’re anything like me, you will enjoy this book over a cup of tea in the afternoon.
I was not surprised when Charles told me that his book was excerpted by the Huffington Post. The book celebrates the new age of poetry and sheds a light on how the publishing world has change particularly for poets in times when social media influence is one of the most important assets an individual could have.
I recommend you give this book a read. You won’t regret it! Get it on Amazon now!
Bio:
Charles Bane, Jr. is the author of three collections of poetry including the recent ” The Ends Of The Earth: Collected Poems ( Transcendent Zero Press, 2015 ) and “The Ascent Of Feminist Poetry”, as well as “I Meet Geronimo And Other Stories” ( Avignon Press, 2015) and ” Three Seasons: Writing Donald Hall ( Collection of the Houghton Library, Harvard University). He created and contributes to The Meaning Of Poetry Series for The Gutenberg Project.
Get The Ascent of Feminist Poetry on Amazon NOW! http://goo.gl/5mJLEh
This Mental Trick Will Dramatically Change Your Life
Want to know how to unlock the secret to living a happier and more successful life? This Mental Hack Will Dramatically Change Your Life. Read more about it by clicking the link below.
Source: This Mental Trick Will Dramatically Change Your Life
This Time-Management Tip Will Help You Get Things Done
Ever wonder why you can’t finish what’s on your to-do list. This tip will increase your productivity by 100%. Please, visit my other website, read about it, try it, and let me know how it works out for you. Don’t forget to follow The Positive Nation for more motivation, tips on success and productivity, and more.
Source: This Time-Management Tip Will Help You Get Things Done
Interview with Kimberly Michelle Scott
I absolutely love talking to new authors and learning about their journey. Kimberly Michelle Scott is someone I stumbled upon recently and we had a little chat about her new book, The Collection: A Book of Short Stories. Here’s a brief interview with Kimberly.
Q: What is The Collection about?
A: The Collection is a compilation of short stories and flash fiction. The first story, “Ms. Addie’s Place” chronicles the story of Nora, a compelling character with a deep secret, who moves into a boarding house for African American women seeking to better themselves. There she meets Ms. Addie, who runs the house. With a turn of events, her secrets grow, but luckily she has Ms. Addie, who will help her protect her secret at all costs. Below are the premises for some of the other short stories in the book:
Set at a funeral, a young girl struggles to cope with the death of her mother, while contemplating where she will live and how to deal with family members in which she is unfamiliar all while coping with being the black sheep of the family as a striking similarity to her deceased mother.
In the story, “Wide Tooth Comb,” Maggie finds herself in a predicament when she goes to extreme measures to avoid getting her hair combed. The trouble Maggie faces for doing away with her hair comb brings about anxiety that can only be erased by “coming clean” and leaving herself at the mercy of her mother.
Living in the world of underground prostitution and balancing being a high school student is no easy task for the main character in “Kat House.” As she compare her life to her classmates, she draws from only the harsh lifestyle to which she is accustomed. Just when she thinks life could not get any better, she is faced with one last difficulty that just may break her.
Tania resents the fact that her brother basically threw his life away, choosing his girlfriend and a baby over the college and football career that he was destined to have in “Rest in Peace.” More than her brother’s choices, she resents his baby’s mother. While reminiscing about the past, the future of all the characters change one fateful night.
These stories and a host of others will keep you turning pages in The Collection.
Q: What sets it apart from other collections?
A: The Collection is a diverse literary collection in style and content, making it the perfect read for everyone. It has short stories and flash fiction. It has historical fiction, contemporary fiction, horror, and science fiction. However, many of the themes are the same.
Q: How long have you been writing, and what advice would you give other writers?
A: I have been writing since I was about four years old. In Kindergarten, when all the other kids were drawing pictures, I was creating books with words and pictures on my construction paper! I have always loved writing! I would tell other writers to be persistent, follow your heart, and do your research.
About Kimberly Michelle Scott
Kimberly Michelle Scott is an author, poet, and educator from Montgomery, AL. She has written numerous online articles and has several projects in the works. Kimberly has been featured on Chicago’s Poetry Exhale with Pizaaz and was also featured on the Be A Bestseller website. As a previous Yahoo! contributor, she has also done guest blogs. She has received her Bachelor’s degree from Liberty University. Her book, NAKED: A Book of Monologues for African American Women was released Spring 2013. “Moments of HerStory,” a book of memoirs, in which she was featured, was an Amazon bestseller and made # 1 on its Hot New Releases list at #1.
Here is the link to her books:
Nook Press
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-collection-thomas-edward-scott/1122191664?ean=2940157933579
Amazon Kindle
Visit her website
http://kimberlymscott.wix.com/kmscott
______________
If you have published any books that you want me to review or you want to promote on my website, please contact me via email inquiries@missbenison.com
Creative Collaboration
I may not be big on resolutions, but I am huge on setting goals and plans and achieving them. And, boy, do I have a long list of these for 2016! One of them is something that I think you guys will enjoy and I’m fighting the urge to announce it. But I can tell you this, it will be ready soon, and it’s going to be cool.
For this particular project, I had to collaborate with a photographer– are you starting to get a sense of what the project may be? No? Okay, good. So anyway, I collaborated with Eric Christopher Jackson who is a writer, poet and photographer.
The cool thing about me working with Eric is that him and I have been following one another on social media and blogs for a couple of years or so now. I even posted a review of his poetry book a couple of years back when I still lived in Lebanon. And to my surprise, when I moved to Vegas, I found out that he lived here too! Small world, huh?
Anyway, check out his blog and some of the photos he took of me. The photos he posted are not related to the project I’m working on, those would be revealed in due time. Hope you guys are having a great week and a wonderful start to the year!
Blog Post: Tokoni Uti
Throne
The Silver-laced seat of power sits before the gold-plated crucifix.
The lesser ones sit in duplicates of six.
The stranger scans the room with trained eyes.
And charms the watching audience with precise lies.
His lips quiver in reference to aged symbols.
His fingers circle in adoration of ancient enroll.
He sits steadily in the middle of comfort and torment.
And demands silence in the execution of judgment.
The lesser ones sit in duplicates of six.
The stranger scans the room with trained eyes.
And charms the watching audience with precise lies.
His lips quiver in reference to aged symbols.
His fingers circle in adoration of ancient enroll.
He sits steadily in the middle of comfort and torment.
And demands silence in the execution of judgment.
Blog: Beautiful Insanity
Guest Post by Eric Christopher Jackson
As you know, I always like to help out a new author, especially one who supports me in return 🙂 🙂
Today’s pick goes for Eric Christopher Jackson. He’s a dedicated human and poet who had a new poetry book released. Below is an introduction to his book, as well as a sneak peek at one of his poems. Thank you, Eric, for choosing my blog to promote your work.
Title: The Beginning of Me
Author: Eric Christopher Jackson
ISBN: 978-1490572048
Available on Amazon.
Without the ability to write, my life would become too silent. Without an avenue to express my emotions, my questions, each day would become void. Without an audience to hear me, my words would become prisoners inside of me. This is my poetry.
“The Beginning of Me” is a compilation of all the poems I’d written since New Year’s 2001 until mid-July 2009. At first, my poetry was simply a means to talk about the subjects I avoided including fear, lack of self-esteem, and questions about my faith in God. This eventually led to the subject of loneliness and a sense of depression that can come from that.
The most telling poems are entitled, “Cut” and “Finished.” The first dives into a fictional story that describes my personal struggle. The second poem is one of the few that speak to the reader from Jesus’ perspective. Both are meant to share the Gospel in a unique way.
The book is entitled “The Beginning of Me” because I had stopped writing for years and lost all of my previous works. This book is a rebirth of a gift I could have continued to waste.
“Cut”
It was night
Dark on this road
Hardly any light
But it’s where the Lord wanted me
I kept walking, losing hope
For signs of life
From the corner of my eye
Moonlight
Coming through the trees
Who did I see standing there
A woman, so beautiful
Staring
She called me
Without saying a word
I detoured, to follow
Ignoring His call
She moved slowly
Yet swiftly
I couldn’t reach her
I decided to try all I could
To touch her
Through the trees
Through the leaves
Muddy sand
Like a jungle or swamp
Moonlight, hazy
I came to an opening
There she stood
Calling me
Without saying a word
Who knew where I was now
She moved so swiftly
I hurried to catch her
But then…
The ground gave way
Beneath me
Through dirt, vines
Wood, I fell
And fell
And fell
Hitting my head on metal
Branches
Over
And over
Did I have time to scream
As my back hit a huge branch
I did flips
Landing on my back
To a distinct sound
Glass
I looked around
As I lay there
Broken, shattered
Glass, covered the ground
I screamed
And screamed
And screamed
Staring at from where I fell
Into darkness, miles away
Every movement
Brought more pain
I wanted to be still
But I had to get
Out of there
Then I held my breath
Because I saw
The woman I had followed
Standing there
Over me
Suddenly I was afraid
As I looked into her eyes
So dark, too dark
Black, sinking in flashes
Darkness beneath her skin
A skeleton of…
Him
Not a woman at all
A demon In disguise
Transformed into
Such beauty
Such beauty
I had been tricked
Fooled
By deception
From my eyes
Too late to see
The beauty, only skin deep
I felt even more pain
I started to cry
As the demon smiled at me
I realized where I am
Is not where God is
Where was I
Through groans
Glass sticking into my skin
Bleeding, aching
As pieces fell from my head
I stood up, on my own
No shoes
Barefoot
I walked across the glass
To the wall of branches
Vines, dirt
I had to climb
Passed the metal boards
I hit before
Passed the huge trees
Crying
No one else to blame
But me
But me
At last
To the top
Back to the road
Oh no…
To His Throne
I held my head low
Walking through the great hall
Hiding my face from His light
Ashamed to say a word
Embarrassed, no place else to go
Tears fell from His eyes
I felt Him come close to me
Looking at me
Head to toe
Saddened by the look of me
What happened to you
My child, My son
You were doing so well
A new season has begun
I…I…
I failed You again
I took my eyes off of You
I followed this woman
This demon still comes
I thought he was a she
I was wrong
I fell in a ditch
My progress undone
My progress undone
Now I’m cut
Bruised and broken
I decided to come home
I’m ready for my punishment
No matter what it is
He put His arm around me
Led me to this huge crowd
Standing there in white gowns
Finally looking familiar to me
This is your family
These are your friends
You are in the Body of Christ
Never walk alone again
They will help you
They will comfort you
But I can’t face them Lord
Not like this
It’s okay
Everyone makes mistakes
Everyone falls
But they get up again
Never to fall in
The same ditch again
I don’t know
I don’t think I can win
My mind too far gone
My heart too cold
My soul too dark
My soul too dark
My child
It’s been predestined
I have spoken
This is not the end for you
Jesus, unlike before
Please help me
To trust You
I don’t want to fight
Anymore…
January 1, 2008
Ronnie Custer: I Cannot Think of Failures: The Way to Success
Enjoy this guest post from Ronnie.
I Cannot Think of Failures: The Way to Success
The key to attaining success is to first understand what the word actually means. Success does not mean making an obscene amount of money. Nor does it mean becoming famous. There are several aspect of a person’s life. These include the self, family, friends, work, community, mankind, environment, material things, and spirituality. For some individuals it may be less than those that are mentioned above and for some it may be more. True success lies in a balance of all these aspect. When an individual concentrates only on one area then he will lose control of the others. For instance those who are workaholics will lose their family. It is clearly a very difficult task because if it were easy then everybody would have been successful.
Positive thinking has helped me tremendously. Over the course of the past few years I have been able to slowly change my line of work to one that is much closer to my heart. The job that I had earlier was one that I had taken up in my quest for more money. Even though I earned a lot of money, my life seemed empty. I realized that this was not the life that I wanted. I did a lot of thinking and decided to take the plunge. I must admit that for a few months there were many negative thoughts in my mind and I nearly decided to scrap my plan of a career change. My family and my circle of friends encouraged me greatly; they were able to infuse a certain level of positivity in my thought process. This really made a great of difference.
My advice to you is to think positive. It is easier said than done. But think about it this way: most of the greatest things that have happened in this world have begun as a small thought in an individual`s mind; it is only after that thought was supplemented by action that it became a reality. The idea in your mind might well be the next big thing for humanity. So if you develop any negative thoughts just refuse to let such thoughts into your mind. Trust me such thoughts will only lead you to lethargy. Replace the negative ideas in you head it with positive ones. You cannot afford to do otherwise. Focus on the final outcome and work towards it. Most of the obstacles that you face will not be from outside but from within. So think positive!
You must also try to infuse positivity in your life. Read inspiring books, watch movies that make you happy, engage in physical activity, and most importantly surround you with people who have a positive attitude to life. Humans are social beings. Surround yourself with people who encourage you and infuse your mind with positivity; they will be able to give you the support you need. I was lucky in that aspect. I had good friends and a supportive family. To sum up, success is not about money or fame. It is about looking back at your memories and being able to smile at them. Nothing leads to success like positive thought. So think positive and you will succeed.
Author bio:
Ronnie Custer is concentrated on writing both academic and non-academic cases for the past several years which in actual fact assisted him to gain knowledge a great deal in writing grading assignments for all sorts of students. So far, as a result of his vast experience in writing industry, he worked with different services that assist in dissertation writing as well.
What does success mean to you?
Promoting a Guest
Do you guys remember Will Moorfoot? He wrote a guest post for me a while ago. Well, now he has a collection of poetry on Amazon. Check out his guest post again: https://margo187.wordpress.com/2014/02/28/guest-post-by-will-moorfoot/
If you like his poem, you should go to this link on Amazon and check out his collection: www.amazon.co.uk/collection-Romantic-poetry-W-A-Moorfoot-ebook/dp/B00K40LA7I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399191262&sr=8-1&keywords=W.A+Moorfoot
It’s “A collection of poetry inspired by the Romantic era of literature concerning itself with all manners of oddities from demons to cats,” says Will.
Visit Will’s blog for more http://constantinewrathings.wordpress.com/
Words of Margaux 