Sorry I didn't mention this, but Lady Wesley reminded me to tell you guys I was at the New Yorker Festival this weekend with some people whose brains are about twice the size of my own. Anyway it was fun. I won't lie dunny, I was scared as hell. Like really really really scared. Like shook from the moment I got the invite. Still, it was a lot of fun.
The highlight of the whole thing was Kenyatta getting to meet David Remnick. We've been together for ten years down and in the worse times--I'm talking making like $4,000 in a year--all she said was "Keep writing, baby. Keep writing." Now, less you be touched by my baby's selflessness, since she was like, 12, she's been reading the New Yorker. So half her point in supporting me was the hope that I'd end up at one of those shin-digs. I got a career. She got her party. Not a bad deal.
The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood 
Copyright © 2009 by The Atlantic Monthly Group. All rights reserved.
Nice. This is probably a good time to commend The Atlantic for bringing you on board. I'm really enjoying it.
I was there and I thought you did an excellent job. You didn't look scared - though I imagine it must have been intimidating since it was quite the panel. The blogosphere was lucky to have you as its representative.
1. "The blogosphere was lucky to have you as its representative."
Blogs are the new black?
2. "This is probably a good time to commend The Atlantic for bringing you on board."
Here, here. I can't front, I was eh on the Cosby piece when I saw it in the mag. But once you peep the blog, Coates is a no-brainer: cheers, dunny.
3."Like shook from the moment I got the invite."
True. But now you know whether it's 50-feet or 500, it's mainly about having the balls to jump. And, if you haven't noticed, it's about to be on up in this piece. The dam is breaking! Raise your "O's" to the sky! Let the "quotable" headlines rain on all varieties of domepieces from Alaska to Louisiana. Let it rain like you're a black music artist doing a video for a song that expresses struggle (c.f. New Edition, Mary J, Ja-Rule etc.)! Apocalypse Now, bidges! holla.
(sorry for the screaming in your spot, just exited.peeece.)
I am well pleased.
That's a great story, Ta-Nehisi (though I don't catch the reference in your post title). It's always encouraging to read about someone's persistence paying off. It reminds me a series of posts I happened to read today on Mark Cuban's blog, where he wrote about going from crashing on the floor or the couch to succeeding in business, "Success & Motivation".
Ta-Nehisi, I thought you did an awesome job in the panel.