We often lament the lack of novels by black authors attracting film producer interest – especially in Hollywood. So it's always wonderful to learn about initiatives like this one.

Just how fantabulous is this? Courtesy of an email I just received from Bridgett Davis, professor at New York's Baruch College, and filmmaker as well (see Naked Acts, 1996)… I'll just give you the news for now, and we'll return later for a much more comprehensive look at this:

Professor Ayoka Chenzira Partners with Pearl Cleage to Produce New Film Project

New York Times best-selling author Pearl Cleage… has teamed up with award-winning filmmaker Ayoka Chenzira, Ph.D., founder and director of the Spelman College Digital Moving Image Salon, to bring her novels to the screen, in what has been dubbed The Pearl Cleage Film Project.

The first film adaptations on the slate are two of Cleage’s most popular novels: Babylon Sisters, which was featured on the Essence Book Club list, and What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day, which was an Oprah's Book Club pick and stayed on the New York Times Best Seller list for nine weeks.

Cleage and Chenzira’s collaboration is considered historic as it marks the first time an African-American female novelist and an African-American female filmmaker have joined forces to bring entertaining and thought-provoking, multidimensional characters who are African American to the screen as feature films.

Become a part of The Pearl Cleage Film Project by visiting its site at www.pearlcleagefilmproject.com.

What you can expect: 

A VLOG section of the website that will feature video interviews with Pearl, the producers, industry guests and others associated with the project, as they come on board; and a BLOG section, in which visitors are invited to help us think through ideas, as the crew turns to you for suggestions and comments.

Of course, they are also looking for INVESTORS; so if you are interested in investing in the project, you can let them know by emailing pearlcleagefilmproject@gmail.com. That's always the challenge isn't it – financing.

Let's hope this is able to attract interest and move forward…

And if you've never read a Pearl Cleage novel, now's a good time to catch up!