Hosted By:
220 Communications -Second 2 None

When:
Friday, March 27, 2009

Where:
Ven Sherrod Gallery
1906 South Halsted
Chicago
60608

Description:
For the second year we feature a number of music and spoken word artists performing . A night of cultur, entertainment and fun. Featuring Kalimba master and jazz musician Lennox Mayes Jr., Poets including Mel Rob, Sandria Washington and many more. Prizes, refreshments and a great atmosphere..be there

Click Here To View Event

Man Kills Self Before Shooting Wife and Daughter

I just couldn't help but sending this along. Too funny.  
 
Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says
 
      No, really? Ya think?
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers
 
       Now that's taking things a bit far!
 
  -----------------------------------------------------------
 
Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over 
 
       What a guy!  
 
--------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
Miners Refuse to Work after Death
 
 No-good-for-nothing' lazy so-and-so's!
 
------------------------------------------------------ 
 
Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant 
 
See if that works any better than a fair trial!
 
  --------------- -------------------------------------------
 
War Dims Hope for Peace 
 
 I can see where it might have that effect!
 
 ----------------------------------------------------------------
 
 If Strike Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile
 
   Ya think?!
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------- 
 
Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures 
 
     Who would have thought!
 
----------------------------------------------------------------
 
Enfield (  London  ) Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide  
 
They may be on to something!
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Red Tape Holds Up New Bridges 
 
      You mean there's something stronger than duct tape? Oklahoma's new construction program! 
 
  ----------------------------------------------------------
 
Man Struck By Lightning: Faces Battery Charge 
 
     He probably IS the battery charge!
 
---------------------------------------------- 
 

 
Astronaut Takes Blame for Gas in Spacecraft 
 
That's what he gets for eating those beans!
 
 ------------------------------------------------- 
 
Kids Make Nutritious Snacks 
 
       Do they taste like chicken?****************************************
 
   Local  High School Dropouts Cut in Half 
 
       Chainsaw Massacre all over again!
 
 ***************************************************
 
Hospitals are Sued by 7 Foot Doctors 
 
       Boy, are they tall!
 
 ******************************************* 
 
And the winner is.... 
 
Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead 
 
     Did I read that right?
 
**************************************************

NOTICE:

Who's been sleeping in your bed?

In the beginning...

Extremely tall, muscular and handsome "Sons of God" searched for "Daughters of Men" to make wives of all they chose.

They wanted Semite women of royal blood to prevent the birth of the Son of Man. The "Sons of God" promised riches, supernatural powers and all the 'apples' a woman could eat.

They almost succeeded but then came the Great floods...And for them that was the end---

-- Or was it?  

Find out the rest in the urban fantasy Sleeping With A D-Man by Mel Hopkins.

"You pray Mr. Right is Heaven sent but sometimes you end up ..."Sleeping With A D-Man: An epic supernatural tale of forbidden love, conspiracy and sacrifice. Available at www.melhopkins.com

FILM MAKERS: Directors, Producers, Videographers, Screenwriters, Animators, Playwrights~

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration - I would like to begin a networking series The LeadStory "Meet and Greet". 

Over the next several Mondays I will introduce you to some of The Literati from different fields that I know personally and/or have met here through myspace.  Without further ado, introducing the Filmmakers~

Chickspirit:  "Live Revolutionary"

Not only is the creator of Chickspirit inspirational, she is hella talented behind and in front of the camera lens. Whereas some in Hollywood are called triple threats, she is talented squared!

Check out this awesome Filmmaker's work at The Timer Game  Web series  San Diego, CA

Note: Authors,musicians et al,  if you are looking for another way to visually promote your work and stimulate interest in your novel – consider a short film to introduce your characters and their story..

Stuck in the 80s ,Burbank, CA  "Acta Non Verba"
Writer/Producer   Film – Production- Producer

Marshall Johnson, Jr.  Mitchellville, MD -  "Whatever you do, big or small, do it well or don't do it at all!"
Producer- Director - Editor - Videographer

John,    Alhambra, CA "Don't forget to check out my blog" 
Animator Extraordinaire skilled in  2D and 3D art, sketching and computer 3D modeling and animation.

 

"What Black Men Think",    Washington, DC "It's not just a movie, it's a movement."  
Janks Morton, Director / Producer / Editor

Muse Sick,  Washington., D.C. "He's got infinite possibilities I can see them now. If he chooses well, then nothing can tear him down."
Screenwriter

Ayani (Griot~Playwright),
Georgia,  "Wordz drip like honey from my lips to heal your soul..."
an accomplished poet and playwright, as well as digital storyteller.

Shannon Holmes, North Carolina "When you're an original, prepared to be copied! With that said, I'm often imitated, but never duplicated, didn't know being me could be so complicated.

Film - Production - Producer

Hip Hoppits,   San Diego, CA "Hip Hop, Don't Stop!!!"

Educational Film –Production – Producer

... Remember,  we only get one chance to make a good first impression

Men's Fashion - 6 Important Men's Fashion Rules to Live By

../gc-->

GUIDE...

If you are xml - atom- rss feed challenged as I am but wish to subscribe to your favorite blogs outside of myspace, Mozilla Firefox has a feature that allows you to subscribe to any blog...

It's called "subcribe to this page" option and you can find it in the bookmarks pull-down tab.

If you have a Yahoo page or  have Yahoo!  (ATT & SBC) as your ISP (Internet Service Provider) you will be able to save the blog feed right to your homepage.

If you  have a gmail account, you can even subscribe to google homepage or google reader -- don't forget that blogspot (blogger) is own by gmail now.  

 If you use Mozilla Firefox Browser here's some  information to help you subscribe to your favorite blogs

hint:

BEHIND THE HEADLINES
http://melhopkins.info/rss2.aspx

MEL'S AMAZON CONNECT
http://www.amazon.com/gp/blog/A38ANI9D8I7YH/rss.xml

KITCHENTALKNEWS
http://kitchentalknews.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss
http://www.feedblitz.com/f/f.fbz?rss=135614

Subscribe to the feed using:


Feeds Options Preferences

Feeds are specially formatted documents which summarize the content of web sites.  For example, a feed might summarize the latest news headlines from a news site or the latest posts on a blog.  You can view the content of feeds in  Firefox, create Live Bookmarks for them, or add them to a feed reader on your computer or on the Web.  The options  preferences in this pane determine what  Firefox does when you view a feed.

Show me a preview and ask me which Feed Reader to use

When you view a feed within Firefox, you will be shown a preview of its contents. With this option preference selected, you are always given a choice of what you would like to use to subscribe to the feed at the top of the preview page.

How to write a tip sheet
By Sandra Beckwith

A tip sheet is a news release that offers advice or tips in a bulleted or numbered format. It's one of the hardest working and most useful tactics available for generating publicity. Use a tip sheet to generate short column notes in a newspaper or magazine or to interest a reporter, editor or producer in a feature article or talk show interview on the tip sheet topic.

Here's how to create an effective tip sheet:

1. Use a press release format. The biggest difference between a tip sheet and a traditional press release is that the body of the tip sheet will include your tips or advice in a numbered or bulleted format.
    
2. Start with a headline that mimics those on magazine covers – "5 ways to lose weight before June" or "Top 7 mistakes shoppers make." Here's an example from a tip sheet promoting a women's health and nutrition book to newspaper living sections:
   Expert offers 10 nutrition tips for New Year's resolutions
    
3. Write your first paragraph so it explains why the tips are necessary. The first paragraph and introductory text for the nutrition tip sheet was:
   
   As any health club owner knows, "taking better care of myself" tops New Year's resolution lists each year. Yet, many people – particularly women – don't know exactly what it means to take better care of themselves.
    
4. Present a quotation in the second paragraph. This should provide more detail about why the tip sheet is necessary and establish the subject's credentials. Here's the second paragraph in the New Year's resolution tip sheet:
   
   "Traditionally, women have been caretakers of others in their lives – friends, family, neighbors, coworkers," explains Susan Calvert Finn, PhD, RD, FADA, the architect of the American Dietetic Association's Nutrition & Healthy Campaign for Women. "More and more busy women are realizing, however, that before they can adequately care for others, they must first care for themselves. It is clear that they must take charge of their own health. Nobody is going to do it for them."
    
5. Set up your tips with a sentence – "Here are Smith's tips for saving money at the supermarket" – or a short paragraph, as we have here:
   
   Dr. Finn's new book, The American Dietetic Association Guide to Women's Nutrition for Healthy Living, provides women of all ages with nutrition information they can use immediately to eat right, maintain their health and prevent disease. Here are her top 10 suggestions from the book for women who need a healthier lifestyle this year:
    
6. Then list your tips with bullets or numbers. When tips are listed this way, rather than in traditional paragraphs, editors can quickly scan them to see if they would be useful to readers – or not. Make sure you write your tips in an active voice with strong verbs. And make sure they provide advice, not reasons to do something or product features. Here are a few of the tips in Finn's release so you can get a sense of how this works:
   
   • Make an appointment with a registered dietitian (RD) for a nutritional checkup. Call the American Dietetic Association at 800-366-1655 to locate an RD near you.
   
   • Switch your thinking from "ideal" weight to "healthy" weight. Remember, you are unique. Your healthy weight may differ from your neighbor's – even if she is your height and age – because of other variables such as genetics, fitness level and overall health.
   
   • Look for "aerobic opportunities" every day. Park farther out in the lot at the mall. Take a brief walk at lunch or dinner. Think of the stairs as your friend.
    
7. Finally, add the concluding boilerplate paragraph that you put on most press releases. Here's the paragraph for the nutrition book:
   
   The American Dietetic Association Guide to Women's Nutrition for Healthy Living, published by Perigee Books, is available in bookstores nationwide for $14. Book proceeds benefit nutrition research by the ADA, a national organization of 70,000 nutrition professionals, 98 percent of whom are women.
   
   Look for ways to include tip sheets in your publicity plan; you'll soon see how easily they generate results.

Sandra Beckwith, the author of Streetwise Complete Publicity Plans: How to Create Publicity That Will Spark Media Exposure and Excitement, teaches the online "Book Buzz" class for Freelance Success. Learn more at www.sandrabeckwith.com. 

An innovative  promotional  tool for selling especially  for inspirational and educational books such as  "Gumbo for the Soul Anthology" would be a


A book lover, corporate sponsor and/or philanthropist can order your book(s) and donate it to a public library (especially a public library with limited funds), a neighborhood youth center or even your church library ...

Whenever anyone asks me what I do, the first thing I have to determine is what does this person want from me?   

Of course, before  I let anyone ask me that question,  I find out as much as I can about them...I focus on other people.

As a salesperson, you  learn its NOT about you and what you have for sale...

A saleperson knows that he or she is business to make a client's/customer's life
 
Easier
Enjoyable,
Affordable,
Fill in the blank

You are selling emotional benefits...your product or service will make your client/customer smarter, popular, appealing, safer and the best one richer...

So with that in mind,  let's treat this blog as a cyber networking social  - 

I picked you all to network with because I already know you are THE LITERATI!!!

You either/or/and:

If you are a literary consulting business  or service;  if you are a publisher, share with us the benefit of doing business with you... I'll go first.

Hi, My name is Mel Hopkins. 

I help writers, authors and publishers get national, regional and local exposure while building a buzz about their publications using every media outlet available.