[To You, From Me] 3 Reasons Why NOW Is the Perfect Time

When everything seemed to shut down in 2020 many people are just waiting for the time when things are going to be "right" for them to do the things they have been wanting to do. I get it. 2020 was NOT the year many had planned, but as I have said before we can't stop. Now with 2021 here and there still some uncertainty in the air, I want to encourage you to take action. 

Instead of waiting for a time in the future, I'm sharing 3 reasons why NOW is the perfect time to start on the path that can lead you to where you want to go. 

1. IT'S THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED: The main reason why this is the perfect time for you is because there is less competition. Think about it: The majority of those around you are "waiting", right? That is why if you make the decision today to start that project or business you have an opening to fill before things get crowded again. 
   
   
2. THE COST OF ENTRY IS LOW: If this time has shown us anything it is the power of the free tools right at our fingertips, namely social media. With the main cost just being your time and energy, the world is literally in front of you. All you have to do is reach out to them.
   
   
3. TOMORROW IS NOT PROMISED: I have personally lost friends since the pandemic and world upheaval began. Individuals who had no idea that this would be the time their lives ended. With that said, all of us have to be reminded of our mortality. We can't afford to wait for a time that we don't even know we will have. 

In this issue of Conversations Magazine I am excited to present individuals who are making the most of the moment in front of them. They are blazing a trail in their respective industries as well as showing by their perseverance that they are overcomers, not victims. 

My hope is that you are inspired by them and what they have achieved and realize what is possible for you. 

Remember there is no time like the present. The time to act on your goals, dreams and ambitions is NOW. 

Happy reading!

Cyrus Webb, Editor-In-Chief

Conversations Magazine/Mississippi Success Magazine 

[BOOK REVIEW] In JUST AS I AM Cicely Tyson shares her highs, lows and lessons that have made her who she is

 This book has so many amazing layers that allow us to see how Cicely Tyson got to be the powerful force that she is today. JUST AS I AM fills in the blanks of not just her career highs but how even life's low points help to reinforce what she could do and who she could become. 

We get a look at her beginnings, how she learned from her mother the importance of standing up for what matters. She later recounts how dealing with betrayals in her own relationships reminded her of what her parents had taught her and why it was so important to put yourself first. 

When discussing her career she allows us to see how culturally impactful works like ROOTS were bigger than just entertainment. It was a message about the importance of endurance and identity. 

Ms. Tyson also allows us to see the importance of taking care of yourself and realizing that as long as you are here you have work to do, so it's up to us to get about doing it. 

With life lessons and inspiration dripping from each chapter, JUST AS I AM shares Ms. Tyson's highs, lows and lessons that have made her who she is: a force that is impacting individuals around the world.

Get your copy of JUST AS I AM on Amazon.  

Conversations' Top Books of 2020

 Conversations is excited to share its picks for Top Books of 2020. Cyrus Webb, President of Conversations Media Group, reveals the books that stood out to him that he believes you will enjoy as well. 

Enjoy the list and make plans to add some to your reading list. 

Conversations' Top Non-Fiction Books of 2020 (Listed in no particular order)

1. Short Stories by Columbus Short
2. When Time Stopped by Ariana Neumann
3. Demagogue by Larry Tye 
4. Healing Words: Life Lessons to Inspire by Mary Ellen Ciganovich
5. The Answer Is... by Alex Trebek
6. S.T.O.R.I.E.S. by Tracy Carzell
7. From $6 An Hour to a Million Dollar Dream by Cayman Kelly
8. Shifting Shadows by Herman Mendoza
9. We Hardly Knew Them by Pat Morgan
10. 60 Stories About 30 Seconds by Bruce Van Dusen
11. Beyond the Holocaust by Sylvie Heyman 
12. Stepping Stones by Marilea C. Rabasa
13. MS-13 by Steven Dudley
14. The World Looks Different Now by Margaret Thomson 
15. The Drudge Revolution by Matthew Lysiak
16. Shortlisted by Renee Knake Jefferson and Hannah Brenner Johnson
17. The Second Chance Club by Jason Hardy
18. Side-Chick by Jamiah Alexander 
19. She Come By It Natural by Sarah Smarsh
20. Poisoned Water by Candy J. Cooper/ Marc Aronson
21. The Baddest B*tch in the Room by Sophia Chang
22. Educated for Freedom by Anna Mae Duane
23. Say I'm Dead by E. Dolores Johnson
24. A Mother's Grace by Michelle Moore 
25. Abandoned by Anne Kim

Conversations' Top Fiction Books of 2020 (Listed in no particular order)

1. Triumph by Jodi Lea Stewart
2. Final Judgment by Marcia Clark
3. On Ocean Boulevard by Mary Alice Monroe
4. Confessions on the 7:45 by Lisa Unger
5. Lies We Tell Ourselves by Steena Holmes
6. Departure by Joseph Reid
7. Daylight by David Baldacci
8. The Moon Always Rising by Alice C. Early
9. A Good Family by A. H. Kim
10. My Daddy's Baby Too by Charmaine Marie
11. This Won't End Well by Camille Pagan
12. What It Seems by Emily Bleeker
13. The Silent Wife by Karin Slaughter
14. World of Rage by A. Shane Etter
15. Snapshots by Eliot Parker
16. You Can Go Home Now by Michael Elias
17. When I was You by Amber Garza
18. The Unspoken by Ian K. Smith
19. Enduring Times by Betty Godfrey
20. Hide Away by Jason Pinter
21. The Menu by Steven Manchester
22. In the Deep by Loreth Anne White
23. Contempt by Michael Cordell
24. The Wrong Family by Tarryn Fisher
25. Chaos by Andrew Hess

Conversations' Top Reads for Younger Readers and Audiences (Listed in no particular order)

1. The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan
2. Becoming Muhammad Ali by James Patterson and Kwame Alexander
3. Sing Like No One's Listening by Vanessa Jones
4. Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes
5. Girls Can! by Marissa Sebastian, Tora Shae Pruden and Paige Towler
6. Skyhunter by Marie Lu
7. We're All Not the Same, But We're Still Family by Theresa Fraser and Eric E. W. Fraser
8. Prince and His Mother's Crown by Shellice Beharie
9. Dancing Monkeys In My Soup! by S. F. Hardy
10. Agnes at the End of the World by Kelly McWilliams
11. Desiree Davenport: Welcome to Treeless Park by Chental Song Bembry
12. Show Me History: Walt Disney by Mark Shulman and Otis Frampton 

One-On-One with Recording Artist Robert Eberle

by Cyrus Webb

During 2020 I discovered recording artists Robert Eberle, Don Da Menace and Ethan from Versa the Band. They had come together to bring to life the single ENOUGH. 

It tackles the times we are living in, not just with the pandemic but what we see when it comes to racial profiling and the shooting of unarmed people of color. 

In this One-On-One I talked with Robert about his journey and the music. 

Robert,  thanks for the time, and congratulations on the single ENOUGH. Who would you say are some of your musical influences? 

Thanks for the opportunity, Cyrus. My musical influences are definitely Ruel & Finneas.

Have you always known that you were interested in creating music?

Yes I started singing when I was two years old. My grandparents got me my first acoustic guitar, and everything kinda played out from there! 

What inspired you to be apart of Enough?

What really inspired me to write this song was anger to be honest. I saw everything that had been going on with the Black Lives Matter movement, and it really opened my eyes. I wrote this song and then brought it to my two friends, Ethan & Don. They helped finalize everything, and I think we made a pretty cool song. 

With everything going on do you think music is an outlet for you?

Definitely. Music has been an outlet for me my whole life. 

How has social media helped you reach people all around the world?

Social media has definitely influenced my career, especially with the app, TikTok. I am able to share my music on there, and it has a chance to reach people all around the world!

Speaking of music, who are you currently listening to?

On my playlist right now I have Ruel, Finneas, Rex Orange County & Bazzi. 

What’s some advice to give to people just starting out with music?

Some advice I would give is to just go for it. You never know what’s gonna happen! Don’t give up, and always believe in yourself.

IG: @roberteberle1

FB: @roberteberlemusic

YT: @roberteberle 

Tik tok: @roberteberle 

TW: @eberlemusic 

website: roberteberlemusic.com

BAHA MEN: Over 20 Years of Music and Memories (with More to Come)

by Cyrus Webb

 For over two decades the members of the group Baha Men* have been able to give us music that has gotten us to dance and helped to create memories that will last a lifetime. Though most of us know the group for their infectious single WHO LET THE DOGS OUT, there is definitely more to the ensemble than that as we discussed in this conversation.

I had a chance to interview Dyson Knight of the group some 5 years ago on Conversations LIVE the radio show. This year he returned with fellow member Rik Carey to discuss their journey, the memories and why they are excited about what’s to come.  

Rik, I’ll start this conversation with you. Over the years Baha Men has definitely stayed on the minds of so many music lovers around the world. What has it been like for you to be able to see the way the fans have stayed with you all over the years?

It's been awesome. I try to stay grounded. Going back to 2000, I would consider that era of career like a whirlwind. So much was happening so fast. I was new in this game. I was learning as much as I possibly could. I had a lot of great influences surrounding me.

And just to be able to see the decades past…it happened so quickly. I've been able to see the highs of the highs and the lows and the lows of the group. In spite of it all, we just still stick together. And when you see the catalog of music that we've been putting out, it's a certain consistency that a lot of artists haven’t been able to have throughout their career. I feel very fortunate and I'm thankful, and I can speak on behalf of the rest of the guys. They feel the same way. To be able to wake up in the morning and go to practice and to be able to perform the songs that the fans love and make music and be on stage and travel is a blessing.

 Dyson, I want to talk with you about something that Rik mentioned: the success you all have had as a group. Do you think that family atmosphere is what has kept you all together?

Absolutely. It's the type of family that wants everyone to win. The type of family where we respect each other's company. We are all allowed to speak our minds and give our input. We all believe in one another.  It's just a beautiful opportunity as everybody keeps learning from one another.

 

Rik, I think it goes without saying that when people think of Baha Men the song that everyone talks about is WHO LET THE DOGS OUT. Here we are now 20 years later. How does that feel to think that it's 20 years and this song is still talked about?

It’s bittersweet. I've had my reservations in the past. I still feel like I would like the world to receive the band for what we really truly are: a bunch of awesome musicians and artists. We are so much more than WHO LET THE DOGS OUT. It’s a blessing and a curse at the same time. During my travels I hear the song still playing in stadiums. It's still playing on certain stations. I'm getting more and more feedback online, more than ever before.

Totally understand that, and I think new music like the single TAKE A CHANCE will be able to show listeners a different side of you. Dyson, I'm going to follow up on Rik’s point, about the blessing and the curse.  The flip side is that many artists haven’t had nearly the success that you all have or created music that has made such an impact as WHO LET THE DOGS OUT. Is that part of the blessing for you, that at least you all have had that experience?

Without a doubt. I'm very thankful, I understand where Rik is coming from. As the newest member of the group I wasn't with the band in 2000 when they released it, but I've been able to travel the world and see the impact of it. I value the fact that the song is such a big hit. It gives us now the opportunity to introduce and to keep introducing new music to our audiences off of the love of WHO LET THE DOGS OUT. That is something I love to see on the faces of our live audiences, the response to the new and the old music.

 Dyson, what was it like for you to see how the new single TAKE A CHANCE has been received?

It's a magical experience. I mean, to go from hopping on a plane to Miami to meet up with the producers in a studio, to just brainstorm and then to say ‘Hey, what are we going to sing about?’, to hearing the music and ending up writing a song and then recording it. Then we shot the video and released it.

Now we’re having these tens of thousands of streams on Spotify. This is something that we just humbly created together. That's the powerful part about music and creators and the creative. So shout out to all the creators right now who continue to create new music for people to enjoy, because at a time like this it shows just how important entertainment is.

Stay connected with Baha Men at www.bahamen.com and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/bahamenmusic. 

* Photos by Jesi Cason www.instagram.com/jesicasonphotography 

 

 

[BOOK REVIEW] THE ANSWER IS... by Alex Trebek

 

by Cyrus Webb

Alex Trebek has shown us what it means to fight and the key to moving forward, even when dealing with challenges. For those who question what it takes to not give up THE ANSWER IS delivers. I love the reflection of his life, how he has overcome challenges growing up and become such a beloved public figure. He also allows us to realize that even though we are dealing with life's challenges we can't be defined by them.

Another takeaway is that Alex Trebek does not live for himself. It's very obvious he is concerned about others and want to see them shine. His professional life highlights that, as does his own personal fight. He's a team player and the kind of person who will be rooting for you along the way.

As we reflect on his life may we also remember what is possible for us. That fight that has gotten Alex Trebek here can get us through whatever we go through.

A story of fight and a man who realizes the blessing that is life, The Answer Is . . .: Reflections on My Life is a must read for fans of Alex Trebek and anyone who wants to be reminded of the gift that life is for us all.

Get THE ANSWER IS on Amazon. 

[MUSIC REVIEW] With MINE Madelyn Mandry shares the feelings and fears of many when they find love

 

You can listen to MIDNIGHT TO MORNING by Madelyn Mandry on repeat throughout the day, being swept into the stories she shares from song to song---and the emotions in each one. MINE, however, is the song that seems to get me the most.

The message is one that I have felt, and I know others have as well. It's all about being with someone that you want and wondering if they are all with you or still thinking about the one they had before. It's about appreciating what you bring to the table, but wondering if they see it.

"Do you wish you could go back in time to when she called you mine," is the line you'll find lingers with you.

And to be honest maybe we have been the one who finds ourselves trying to enjoy what we have now and the one we loved before.

Either way it's a song that is relatable and shares the feelings and fears of many when they find love.