Dera's Writing and Tea Parlor

Dera's Page- About Me

A southern girl by birth and from the heart (born in Little Rock, Arkansas), I was raised in California and am a resident of Oakland. I am employed by a local community college where I work with curriculum and edit reports. I am a connoisseur of books and tea; for me they go hand-in-hand. I also study genealogy, history and culture and such have written academic articles and contributed encyclopedia entries.

What I Write

I have reviewed books, conducted author interviews and written articles for Affaire de Coeur Magazine since 1997. I am writing a novel with a working title of "How Long Blues",a coming-of-age story set in the early 1960s in the south. I also write short stories, essays and online articles.
I am a contributor to several anthologies and journals, most recently Life's Spices From Seasoned Sistahs and the upcoming November 2005 release, Help! I've Turned into My Mother. I won first prize in an anthology contest about racism. The name of that piece is "Coming of Age in 1963".
I also write a literary column, Dera's Den for A Place of Our Own at www.apooo.org.

Other Interests

I love researching African American history and culture and such have written encyclopedia entries on literature and African American topics. I love browsing in bookstores, both physical and virtual and conversing with other book lovers and critiquing books we have read; collecting exotic teas, tea accessories and giving and going to tea parties(including a party for one).
I also enjoy going to the symphony and the ballet.
I always have several projects going including genealogy research and writing my family history.

My Favorite Places

Affaire de Coeur
Dera's Den
Help! I've Turned Into My Mother

My Favorite Products

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