Online Tribute & Celebration of E. Lynn Harris Day

NOTE:  The audio playing is at the bottom, so scroll down to turn off/on or pause.

We’re holding a special online tribute today to celebrate the life & work of E. Lynn Harris and the release of his final book, Mama Dearest.  Please feel free to share your thoughts and memories and also discuss the characters who made his work come to life!

If you haven’t picked up your copy of the book, visit one of the bookstores across the country TONIGHT which will be where his friends, colleagues & fans will celebrate his memory. Or BUY A COPY ONLINE.

The family will also hold a special memorial today from 6-9 p.m., at the Georgia International Convention Center.

AUTHOR BIO

E. Lynn Harris was born in Flint, Michigan and raised, along with three sisters, in Little Rock, Arkansas. He attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville where he was the school’s first black yearbook editor, the first black male Razorbacks cheerleader, and the president of his fraternity. He graduated with honors with a degree in journalism.

Harris sold computers for IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and AT&T for thirteen years while living in Dallas, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. In 1991, he quit his sales job to write his first novel, Invisible Life, which,  failing to find a publisher, he self-published and sold mostly at black-owned bookstores, beauty salons, and book clubs before he was “discovered” by Anchor Books. Anchor published Invisible Life as a trade paperback in 1994, and E. Lynn Harris’s career as an author officially began.

Harris went on to become a ten-time New York Times bestselling author. His work included the memoir What Becomes of the Brokenhearted and the novels, A Love of My Own, Just as I Am, Any Way the Wind Blows (all three of which were named Novel of the Year by the Blackboard African American Bestsellers), I Say a Little Prayer, If This World Were Mine (which won the James Baldwin Award for Literary Excellence), the classic Invisible Life, Just Too Good to Be True, and Basketball Jones.

Harris was a member of the Board of Directors of the Hurston/Wright Foundation and the Evidence Dance Company. He was also the founder of the E. Lynn Harris Better Days Foundation, a nonprofit company that provides support to aspiring writers and artists.

E. Lynn Harris passed away at the age of 54 in 2009, just months before the publication of his final novel, Mama Dearest.  Visit his website at http://www.elynnharris.com.

MEMORIES & REFLECTIONS
Nothing could have prepared me for this. I guess so many folks are leaving here so fast that you never know what’s going to happen next. But I was surprised when my favorite author died. E. Lynn Harris was a great writer and a very nice and informative person.

I started reading his work when my past supervisor, Johnnie Penelton brought Invisible Life to the office. She said this book was really good. It was the catalyst to starting our first book club, Circle of Friends. Since that day, I have read all his books except, Basketball Jones, which I just recently purchased.

I met E. Lynn on August 13, 1997. Wow that was a long time ago. Some of the members of our book club went to meet him at a book store in St. Louis. It was the first signing I had ever attended. I was like a smiling kid meeting a superstar. I aspired to write a book and he encouraged me to do so. He even answered questions and told me to email him if I needed more help. I never did. I just thought he was a kind author with this magnetic smile.

As I sit here and think about him dying, I wonder how we are going to make it without his bold and brazen characters. To me, he was the trailblazer that inspired many of the authors out here to self publish and sell books from our trunks. I’m glad that I had an opportunity to meet such an inspiring writer and person. Rest in Peace my favorite author.

Rose Jackson-Beavers
http://www.prioritybooks.com

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“I was shocked and saddened to hear of his death. I never got a chance to meet him in person. As a fan of his work, it excited me that with his busy schedule, he took the time to respond to my emails.  He will be missed in the literary community and by his fans.” ~ Shelia M Goss, author of His Invisible Wife and My Invisible Husband

Shelia M Goss
http://www.sheliagoss.com

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Never before had I thought to read a novel that included same sex relationships, until I read the awesome and talented E. Lynn Harris.  His awesome characters, particularly that Basil Henderson, came alive.  I fell in love with his alpha male strength that swoon many, including me.  He seemed to leap from the pages to my “real life”.  Not to mention, the character Yancy.  What a tremendous character she was.  I’ve read his books and felt each character’s intimate struggles.  In fact,  he along with Maya Angelou and Danielle Steele set the tone to my literary muse.  I will forever be a  dear E. Lynn Harris fan.

VeeVeca Lavoira
http://www.Verbalconquest.net

RAWSISTAZ BOOK REVIEWS

We have reviewed quite a few of E. Lynn Harris’ titles, so stop through for our E LYNN HARRIS BOOKS – IN REVIEW feature.

INTERVIEW W/E. LYNN HARRIS & 3 CHICKS ON LIT (March 2009)
*Special Guest Host Tee C. Royal

Now, it’s your time!  Share your favorite E. Lynn Harris book, your favorite character and more!