The Bookshelf (1602)

Inital Air Date:
Tuesday, September 16, 2001

This program introduces the official premiere of ANOTHER VIEW's "The Bookshelf." Initially conceived as a recurring segment, it encompasses the entire half-hour for its first time out.

This edition features Tavis Smiley. Host of The Tavis Smiley Show from NPR, he is the first African American to host his own signature talk show in the history of National Public Radio. Smiley has authored six books. His most recent, which will be featured on this show is called, Keeping the Faith: Stories of Love, Courage, Healing and Hope from Black America. It is an inspiring collection of personal narratives about love, loss and faith by African Americans from all walks of life.

Also joining this program will be Nicole Bailey Williams, a freelance writer and high school English teacher at Ewing High in Trenton, NJ. She has received numerous awards including New Jersey’s Governor’s Award for Teaching Excellence (Spring 2002) and Teacher of the Season from the Renaissance Committee of Ewing High School (Fall 2001). We’ll feature her debut as an author with her book, A Little Piece of Sky. In a series of tiny vignettes, it’s a powerful story that weaves together the pieces of a woman's life to form a seamless portrait of survival and healing.

And meet the husband and wife team of Wade and Cheryl Willis Hudson. This couple went on a search about 14 years ago to find children's books with African American themes. That search led them to writing, and later publishing, their own book. Today, they are the publishing giants of Just Us Books, Inc. and that first book, the Afro Bets A-B-C Book, has become a classic. The Hudsons share their story and offer advice to parents, authors and illustrators.