Hi. Welcome to our Premiere Edition of "In Our Own Words," the Ezine from BBBooks. We publish and distribute books, list "Calls for Submissions" Readings, Open Mics and Writing Classes here on our web site.

We are a grass roots organization, not a corporate entity, so we don't dance to the dollar sign. You can expect to find thought- provoking, creative, alternative writing, information and politics right here. We offer the "People Before Profits Poetry Prize" each year and offer all kinds of other stuff for writers, poets, students, educators, spiritual types, feminists, humanists, and activists. We're people who follow their conscience, but like to have fun too!

The writers in this edition of "In Our Own Words" range in age from their 20s to their 80s. Much of the writing came from a creative writing class held in Oakland, California and from writers across the country who respond to our poetry contests.

Our editorial philosophy is simple: Writers respond to life; they chronicle our times and remind us what it is like to be human.
Extraordinary writing strikes a truth and reflects how events in our nutty world affect us. While vulgarity is often a part of our daily lives, vulgarity for the sake of shock value doesn't benefit anyone. We accept all styles and forms of poetry and prose. While the writing we've chosen reminds us that life isn't always pretty, we will always dream of it being extraordinary!

Modern Dialogue
©2001 E.A Uddin-Khan

Were are you from?				Accept me, tolerate me.
The United Fates of A-Merry Land		
No! I Mean					My accent, my ethnicity,
Where are you really from?			My language, my spices,
						My ideas, my idiosyncrasies,
This question I dread				My differences, my uniqueness.
Because I can not tell				
From where I really am				My odd shaped face
Because it really matters not.			My peculiar ways
						My questionable colour
						My silent valour.
You see...					
						Accept me, tolerate me,
						This is all I ask.
I was born there
Until five there was my host			For in the end
And then I lived there				Our humanity
Until twelve there was my host.			- yours and mine ­
						is the same.
And then I lived there				You are dust
Until seventeen there was my host			And so am I
And now I live here				And when we are dust again
And you are my host.				 -  you and I ­
						From where I really am
So where am I really from?			Does not really matter!
What do I say to you?
How can I answer you?
Which place do I choose?
But why do you ask?
Do you really care?
And is it really important to you?
To give me a place of my own?

 How You Can Be Published:

There are several ways. You can also send in poetry or short prose of your own to be considered for IN OUR OWN WORDS, THE EZINE FROM BBBOOKS. We also recommend looking at the Classifieds in Poets and Writers Magazine, visiting our Calls for Submission Page, or entering one of the contests like our "People Before Profits Poetry Prize". Only entires that include a SASE (self addressed stamped envelope) will be returned, so be sure to include this with your work. See our editorial philosphy above.