Editor's Note August 2, 2015

In my latest video I review the topics that we discussed int today’s hangout. We kept it tight. Leaving each topic only 15. Starting with the trending topics, we moved into a discussion about friends and boyfriends, thruways, an article about Kevin Heart’s recent comments, the value of marriage in the gay and black communities, socialization, gay culture and the use of labels.

Editor's Note July 30, 2015

In this editor's not I talk about the four videos that I was able to edit and schedule from the the last hangout as well as my attempts to give the other editors of M3 enough autonomy to allow them to create their own content. 

Editor's Note July 26, 2015

In this video I discuss some of the topics we covered in today's hangout as well as which segments will be made into episodes for the the M3 Bear Essentials show. I'd really like to thank Mark and Jeff for helping me in a conference call the night before the hangout. It's something I've wanted to do for a while, but couldn't find the time. A little bit of planning goes a long way.

Editor's Note July 24, 2015

Tonight, before the entertainment hangout, I recorded a few thoughts about  what's going on with M3. It's been a few months since the last time I recorded an editor's note and I want to continue improving the quality and quantity of content we publish on our platforms. A lot of what does that is soliciting feedback from our audience and from our online communities to get a better understanding of what interests them most. These notes can be a part of that process. Feel free to inbox me on Facebook or to send me an e-mail with your questions or comments.  

Conviction

I rarely, if ever, feel guilty for the scum I put in prison. Maybe having prosecuted three hundred or more criminals has made me cynical, having heard every possible, yet implausible, defense. But I felt sorry for Ronald Williams. He was going to die Friday and I had good reason to believe there was nothing I could do about it. That was until Terri decided to recant her statement.

Two days ago, she arrived like a college girl wandering the dormitory, barefoot, wearing nothing but a very long T-shirt that grabbed her knees when she sat. She was at home in this place, the interview room at the county jail. Her hair, a mass of copper brown, a shinny new penny, loosely pulled behind her ears. Along her arms, her skin was tattooed with flowers and small daggers drawn in deep blue ink. Others, on her legs, right up to her mid-thigh, were harder for a polite person to look at. She pulled a cigarette, lit and dragged it, then began to talk.

The full comment for M3 Bear Essentials: Relationship Status Resposibility

View the video here

After looking at the video from the M3 website, I was a little concerned about the entire conversation. It appeared the commentary attempted to downplay relationships as just a minor, insignificant occurrence that just happens in peoples lives every now then - no big deal, mixed with the ever popular “you’re not missing out on anything”. I found it especially troubling that some of the comments appeared to automatically place men in a category who strive to have a lasting relationship as deficient in self-esteem or are emotionally lacking in some areas. As someone who has never been in a relationship, I happen to find that this is just another example of blaming the victim. Often times those who yearn for a relationship have done nothing wong to hinder their chances - many happen to be a victim of circumstance. Instead of focusing on the individual(s) who are not as lucky in finding love, I wish the conversation would have explored some reasons as to WHY the black gay community finds itself having high numbers of long-term singled men and tips on how to find someone for those who do in fact struggle. I find that these conversations tend to place the burden of responsibility (or blame) on those who are single long term, rather than encouraging characteristics that would ultimately help them find the love the wish to have. Its not always the fault of the individual for the reason(s) they are single. At some point, we as black gay men will need to discuss the root cause of this matter.

15,04 22 Editor's Note

M3 Writer's Workshop Month 2

We're going to make this month a lot simpler. There's only one exercise none to choose from, but we're going to add a twist. We're going to combine this exercise from one of the exercises from last month. We;re reading Paradise by Toni Morrison and the exercise will be the same length 2500 to 5000 words due by the end of the month. 

Editor's Note 15,02-22

Thanks to everyone who has joined us Saturday for the M3 Weekly Hangout. I really appreciate the level of participation we've gotten from our contributors and viewers. It seems that a week passes by so quickly when it gets time to prepare for the hangouts. It can take up a large chunk of one's weekend, so I'm very much appreciative of the people who take time out of their day to help M3 grow as a community. I do it because I see it as a mission to spread unity and produce uplifting content. I'm sure many others do so just for the company, but for whatever reason people support us I'm glad that they are there. I'd especially like to thank Breeze, Ja'Won, Gerald and Mark for joining me this Saturday. We got quite a few segments that will be coming out of this hangout over the next few weeks and I'm glad that they could be a part of it. I talk a little bit more about this in the video, and I hope to see everyone next Sunday as we'll be moving the hangouts from Saturday.

Editor's Note - February 6,2015

Just wanted to give a quick update on what's going on with M3. Just finished editing a video companion to Mark's article about boundaries within friendships. I think the video is one that I'm very proud of and could be relevant to almost anyone dealing with a similar friendship situation, and I'm glad he shared his story with us. I also finished editing the third episode of the M3 Bearcast and will be putting out a the next episode on Tuesday. I'm excited about the direction the podcast is going in, and I'm thinking that subsequent episodes will dig into the topics even more. I haven't had this much satisfaction from a creative endeavor since I started M3. Maybe I should have started a podcast a long time ago.

M3 Writer's Workshop: Month 1

Starting the M3 Writer's Workshop this month. I'm hoping we get full participation from our writing contributors. The idea is one that I've been brewing for a while. I wanted to get some feedback and motivation from other writer's who wanted to work their writing muscles. Each month I'll introduce a series of writing exercises designed to stimulate different aspects of the writing craft. It's basically designed to be modular so that each exercise has a beginner level, intermediate and advanced option. It's very similar to a workout video where the instructor does one for of the exercise and then others in the back demonstrate the easy and hard variations of the same movement. We'll also be reading a book to discuss at the end of the month.

Editor's Note January 30, 2015

Thinking about tomorrow's hangout I discuss some of the things to expect over the next week. We have the second episode of the M3 Bearcast, another article by Mark Estes and my article about the meaning of life. We discussed starting a writer's workshop within the M3 writing contriutor's to M3. I also talk about starting a book club and explain the first title that we'll be reading. I hope to produce a podcast episode deciated to just the book and the writer's workshop.

Editor's Note January 23, 2015

Just finished the conference call with my new contributors and I'm very excited about the content that we'll be producing over the next week. I'm cooking diner now and will review the popular news stories of the past week in order to prepare for the hangout tomorrow.

Making the video in this post was really helpful in preparing for the conference call tonight and I plan on making it a regular practice in running M3. I think we had a productive meeting, even though many of us were busy and had to multitask. I think it went well because I put in a lot of extra time preparing for the meeting and I clear sense of purpose. I'm taking my role as editor seriously as I bring on new contributors.

Editor's Note for Jan 6, 2015

I’m not sure how much effort I want to put into writing this personal blog when I have so many other things I need to be doing for M3. At the heart of Male Media Mind was a commitment to writing and producing stellar content. I’m not writing in this blog as a form of vanity; it is a practice that will help me improve my writing and editing skills. Not to mention the clarity and focus I get from the daily practice of journaling. Publishing a few posts a week will only serve to take my private writing to the next level.