03-02-08
Southern black author attends Terrie Williams' Black
Pain book signing session at Mt. Vernon's Doles
Center
Tawanna Savage is a soft spoken popular black author
from Atlanta, Georgia, author of the best-selling,
three-part novel "Hannibal!" and numerous other books.
Savage recently joined the staff of The Inquirer as an associate
editor, and will also be writing and reporting for
the publication. On Saturday, March 1, while on a
short visit to New York, Savage crossed paths with
Terrie Williams, when she attended Williams' book
signing session of Black Pain with Joe Parisi,
publisher and editor of The Inquirer.
Savage is known as a creative and prolific writer, who
found success as a storyteller of great depth premiering
HANNIBAL! at the 1996 National Black Arts Festival in
Atlanta, Georgia. Attaining Best Selling Author status
word of mouth, she has penned dozens of books. Savage's
popularity as an author stems from her ability to bring
her characters to life via in-depth descriptions that
leap out to enliven the chapters, making you feel as if
you have know them (or someone like them).
"Meeting Terrie Williams was a great personal and
rewarding experience for me, since I am familiar with
Terrie's many accomplishments, especially as an author
and publicist," said Savage. Both authors exchanged
niceties and business cards prior to the actual session
commencing.
The well publicized book signing session of Williams'
latest book, Black Pain, was a huge success -
attended by nearly thirty participants at the popular
Doles Center. As they entered the building, attendees
were directed to the building's cafeteria, where
Williams awaited them so they could be part of a
roundtable discussion about her book.
Prior to the discussion commencing, those in attendance
were pleasantly surprised when they saw the new mayor of
Mount Vernon, Clinton I. Young, enter the room to join
the discussion.
Williams opened the discussion with a little background
information about herself. "For about thirty years, I
kept a game face of my many successes, exhausting myself
daily to satisfy my clients' needs while neglecting my
own," see said. "I finally collapsed, staying in bed for
nearly a year, not knowing what was wrong or if there
was a way out. I had hit rock bottom and I needed to get
help.
Williams went on to say that she eventually learned her
problem had a name - depression - and that many suffer
from it, limping through their days, hiding their hurt.
As she healed, her mission became clear: break the
silence of this crippling taboo and help those who
suffer.
After her introductory comments, Williams asked each
and every person to explain their interpretation of
Black Pain. Surprisingly, each person was very open
and sincere about their individual experiences with pain
and depression - some referring to experiences involving
family members and friends. There were also tears shed
during the discussion period.
Near the end of the session, Williams looked at Parisi
and said, "Joe, now it's your turn. Please tell us about
your experiences concerning white pain." Parisi looked a
little surprised, but did not hesitate to speak about
the ways he has dealt with occasional episodes of
depression throughout his life.
The nearly two-hour discussion ended on a positive
note, many leaving with a new outlook on life and
anxious to read Williams' new book, Black Pain.
The Mount Vernon Recreation Department made the
event possible through the use of the Rev. Sheldon E.
Doles Community Center.
A
partial view of the many who attended book signing
session at the Doles Center
