Authors Denise Billings, Charles Floyd Johnson, Denise Nicholas, Otto E. Stallworth, Jr., MD, GW Williams, and Hattie Winston (collectively: The Longwood Writers Workshop) are pleased to announce the debut of their new book, “A Gathering of Voices” (Longwood Publishing LLC; ISBN: 979-8-35097-182-8 [Print]; ISBN: 979-8-35097-183-5 [Kindle]; $24.95 Paperback; $9.99 Kindle).
In this anthology, the six authors share a varied collection of personal, vibrant, introspective and lyrical stories. These stories resonate with memories of struggles they’ve waged, of battles they’ve won and lost, and of their many experiences that illuminate their mature wisdom and hard-won resilience.
In the Spring of 2018, Actress/Author Denise Nicholas gathered a group of interested writers in forming a writing workshop named Longwood Writers Workshop. She brought on board the five writers. Nicholas shared her knowledge of the writing process and shared the skill she had exhibited in her first novel, the award-winning “Freshwater Road,” a book that was born in the Journeyman’s Writing Workshop run by Writer/Teacher Janet Fitch.
The Workshop’s members were interested in both memoir and fiction writing for “A Gathering of Voices;” however, most of the authors settled on memoir, as it gave them a starting point using their own life’s experiences. The group began meeting bi-weekly at Nicholas’ home to write together.
Then in March 2020, the COVID-19 lockdowns required the Workshop to gather less frequently via Zoom. As the pandemic ebbed, the group returned to in-person sessions around Nicholas’ dining room table. They came to realize what writers all over the world have always known: writing is rewriting and rewriting once again. “A Gathering of Voices” is the result of six writers, all with different stories, examining universal truths of their varied lives.
The book speaks to all ages of readers who are looking for confirmation that the challenges and adversity presented by life’s struggles can be overcome with hard work, a never-ending belief in oneself, and the willingness to persevere through every hardship.
“A powerful collection of compelling narratives that are both granular and global, inviting us into an intimate connection with exceptionally well-drawn characters who provide a larger-than-life-take-away – the full rich, multidimensional life of Black America.” – Christopher D’Angelo Benson, Associate Professor, School of Journalism, Northwestern University.
Billings was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri; she earned a B.A. in Psychology at Lincoln University and has been a union representative, a fundraiser for non-profits and a bookstore owner.
She has contributed articles to several publications and Before, During & After the ‘C’ Word an anthology, her recently published book, “Road Trip: A Memoir,” was a finalist in the 2024 Black Authors Matters TV Awards.
Johnson has a long-standing and successful career as a television and film producer in the entertainment industry. His most notable projects include such hits as “NCIS,” “JAG,” “Magnum P. I.” and the 1970s “The Rockford Files.”
Johnson’s extensive career spans more than five decades, encompassing more than 1,000 hours of television programming. Among his many credits is the Award-winning “Red Tails,” the motion picture that portrayed the incredible exploits of the Tuskegee Airmen, the famed African American pilots of World War II. He also executive produced “John Lewis: Get in the Way,” the ground-breaking documentary about the life and career of Congressman John Lewis.
Nicholas’ first novel, “Freshwater Road,” was voted a Best Book of 2005 by the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Detroit Free Press and Newsday.
The novel was included in the October 2005 Book Sense Picks List, was awarded the 2005 First Novelist Award from the American Library Association’s Black Caucus and received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and Booklist. The Washington Post featured the novel on the front page of its Book World.
Before becoming a full-time writer, actress Nicholas starred in three television series: “Room 222,” “Baby, I’m Back,” and “In the Heat of the Night,” the last opposite the late Carroll O’Connor.
Nicholas began her career with the Free Southern Theater in Mississippi and Louisiana during the Civil Rights Movement. She also was an original member of the Negro Ensemble Company in New York. She is a graduate of the University of Southern California and also attended the University of Michigan.
Here’s a short clip of some of the authors’ work when they were in their acting careers:
After 45 years of medical practice as an anesthesiologist in Los Angeles, Dr. Stallworth began his slow retirement in 2015 and pursued his hidden love for writing through a Master of Fine Arts program at UCLA. He completed a screenplay, “Murder at Beauty World,” which will be the title of his murder mystery book, “Sunsets by Otto, Jr.”
In 2018, Nicholas invited the doctor to join her Longwood Writers Workshop, where he conceived his memoir, “Are You a N****r or a Doctor?” and delivered it in February 2023.
Williams is journeying from the stricture of writing for business to learning to master the creative world of story. Along the road, she’s written poetry and prose and developed messaging in the form of narrative columns in quarterly corporate communications.
She has traveled extensively and gathers her memories to develop some of her fictional stories. Two stories in “A Gathering of Voices”were inspired by the year she spent working in Tripoli, Libya, for a Fortune 500 engineering firm.
Winston, acclaimed actor, singer, producer, Broadway veteran and lover of learning, continues to entertain audiences on film, television and stage in a career that has spanned more than five decades, and yet her love of the creative experience is as fresh as it was when she first began. As Stephen Sondheim has noted, “art isn’t easy,” but to Ms. Winston it has brought great joy.
Although best known for co-starring with Ted Danson for six years as Margaret on the hit CBS series “Becker,” Winston has enjoyed many years of television success with commercials and voice-overs.
Featuring a foreword by Tony Award-winner Phylicia Rashad, “A Gathering of Voices” is available now on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Book Baby and at LongwoodWritersWorkshop.com.
Elaine Hegwood Bowen, M.S.J., is the Entertainment Editor for the Chicago Crusader. She is a National Newspaper Publishers Association Entertainment Writing’ award winner, contributor to “Rust Belt Chicago” and the author of “Old School Adventures from Englewood: South Side of Chicago.” For info, Old School Adventures from Englewood-South Side of Chicago (lulu.com)