Essence Cafe
Essence Cafe by Dorothy Goins was created to effectively promote literature and inspire community involvement through awareness. Each week there will be an interview with an author and/or one person who is effectively impacting our communities or anyone who is an active and effective role model, entrepreneur, or simply making a difference.
The column will end with a thought that will be written to inspire and lift readers with a sense of essence and empowerment.
A veteran poet, Dorothy Goins embraced her talent as a writer through encouragement from one of her professors while attending Temple University in 1996. Goins penned her first publication in 1998 and self-published, Woman I Know; a book of poetry written to uplift women.
Taking her talent very seriously and by the storm, she began performing with a literary group of writers she helped to collaborate. Goins exposed her spoken word talent through the open mic venues and gained enough confidence to write her very first novel. This path has led her on what she refers to as an inspirational journey that overall has heightened her passion to write.
Born in Darlington, South Carolina, Dorothy Goins has been a native of Philadelphia for 37 years. While pursuing a long term career in banking after a major merger, she relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina in 1998 only to later return back to Philadelphia in 2000 after growing weary of 17 years of corporate politics.
After this experience, Goins moved on her passion to write a novel. She decided to take her chances on self-publishing her material.She refused to let the query rejections from the several agents she had written to about her first book idea in 1993 stop her from fulfilling her dream.Goins attending self-publishing seminars and began learning the literary industry standards. Pooling together her financial resources, she started her own publishing company, Xpressit Publications and released her novel, Married Man in May of 2002. This novel has currently re-released as of October 2007 with a new and invigorating cover.
Married Man is the love saga of Miles Jordan and Kendra Davis whose paths cross after nine long years. Miles, who is totally unhappy in his marriage to April, finds himself looking back and wondering about the woman he let for all the wrong reasons. After an unsettling dispute with his wife, he sets out to find Kendra to win back her love for him. When these two finally reunite, Miles and Kendra face some serious consequences.
Goins’ second released novel, A Woman Scorn’d has made record sales since its release in May of 2005. A Woman Scorn’d ventures into the life of psychotherapist, Dr. Roxane Brissett. Born Jamaican-Creole, Roxane struggles inwardly with her own issues; being raped at thirteen by her own father and being raised by an aunt who was never supportive or loving towards her. She opens her practice right in the heart of Manhattan with the intention of changing these women way of thinking and giving back in her own significant way. But what she finds out is that things are worse off than she could ever imagine for some of her clients. Especially for Bernice McCall; a client who puts her psychology background to work the moment she meets her. After the tragic lost of her sister-in-law to a brutal murder at the hands of Domestic Violence on December 30, 2004, Goins was moved to get involved as an advocate after releasing her novel with a tribute to her sister in law through a character she wrote into the story to give her departed loved one a voice she felt was silenced.
As a means to promote awareness thus began her will to campaign. Goins strives diligently to bring awareness to this deterring epidemic which has taken the lives of many and broken the spirits of so many others. Through the support of Women Against Abuse, Goins reached out to their Transitional Housing Program and solicited others to assist her in a three month clothing drive last year in 2006 whereby she was able to provide clothing and other needed personal items to the women and children in the safe haven program.
Goins also donated proceeds of her December book sales to WAA at the launch of her campaign and has continued to donate autographed copies to the women in the Sojourner’s House Transitional Program at her on-going presentations which she uses to aid the women with a tool for awareness and change in their current life situations.
Featured by Power 99 FM at Sistahs 2003, WDAS 105.3 FM at the 23rd Annual Unity Day event, and WPEG 98.9 FM For Sistahs Only Expo, Goins has interviewed on several radio talk shows throughout the Tri-State areas as well as in the Baltimore-Washington and New York areas. She was aired on WHAT 1340 AM on August 13, 2006 with Kena Sears on her segment, Relationship Roundtable discussing the aftermaths of domestic violence.
On July 10, 2006, she aired in a commentary discussion with Craig Thompson on his talk show, Two Way Talk/The Front Page on Morgan’s State radio station WEAA 88.9FM, whereby Goins spoke about the correlation between rap music and domestic violence and how the two have much in common.
She was also featured on September 18, 2006 on Dr. Maxine Thompson’s segment of ArtistFirst in a live interview at http://www.maxineshow.com discussing further the issues that lead her to advocating for awareness on the silent killer known as Domestic Violence.
Other press interviews include a live interview on the E. Steven Collins show on 100.3 The Beat on December 2, 2005 after a featured story about her was printed in The Philadelphia Tribune on December 1, 2005 announcing the campaign she has launched speaking out against domestic violence.Future events include her involvement in an upcoming Domestic Violence conference hosted and featured by Talk Show Host, Tonya Blount in NewYork City in 2008.
Added to her forum is also an upcoming presentation in December 2007 in New York where Goins will be a featured speaker on the issues surrounding Domestic Violence.
SLS Paradigm Shift: Moving Literature to New Dimensions 
I’m so estactic. I just found out that my novel, MARRIED MAN has been nominated for BEST FICTION. If you don’t mind, I would love your support and as well your vote. To cast your vote for MARRIED MAN, simply click on this link or copy it into your browser: http://www.infinipromoters.com and click on Poll#1, scroll down to the category: Best Fiction and cast your vote.
Thanks for your continued support. Last year when I won Best Fiction and Best New Author for “A Woman Scorn’d” at the INFINI AWARDS it was truly an honor. To see my novel nominated this year is even more of a honor. Your vote determines whether I make it to the TOP 5. Thanks again. ~~Dorothy Goins
Where is Essence Cafe located? I am an upcoming author an am interested in visiting your shop.
Essence Cafe is online only and you can submit for an interview at any given time.
Dear Ms. Goins,
Good day. I was eminently inspired by your vision and the steps in which you have taken to achieve it. I am writing on behalf of my client, T. Dweylan Wilson, who has recently self-published a nonfiction work titled, Four Stars: Conversations on Life, Success, Leadership, Mentorship, Culture, and Diversity.
This poignant anthology centers on the lives of 13 of the military’s highest-ranking culturally diverse Four-Star Generals. It gives the reader a peek into the minds of these distinguished officers and the roles they have played, which have undoubtedly impacted the morale, welfare, and safety of every man, woman, and child in America and abroad. Four Stars is a first-of-its-kind anthology.
Historical firsts include:
First Hispanic American in modern times to reach the rank of four-star General Officer in the Navy;
First Puerto Rican to reach the rank of four-star General Officer in the Armed Forces;
First African-American four-star General Officers in the Army, Air Force, and Navy;
First African American and only ethnically-diverse leader to serve as Secretary of State following military service; and
First Polish and only foreign immigrant to achieve the rank of four-star General Officer and serve as Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Conversations with Generals Benjamin O. Davis, Jr, Larry R. Ellis, Daniel “Chappie” James, Jr, T. Joseph Lopez, Lester L. Lyles, Lloyd W. “Fig” Newton, Colin L. Powell, Bernard P. Randolph, J. Paul Reason, Horacio Rivero, Jr, Roscoe Robinson, Jr, John Malchase David Shalikashvili, and Johnnie E. Wilson are included in this rich and captivating anthology. Their translated interviews will reveal candid accounts of how they overcame racial, ethnic, and social barriers to reach the distinguished rank of four star. A summative thought about this fine book gives rise to the notion of whether leaders are born or whether they are made. Four Stars informative and thought provoking and is truly a must read.
I would like to submit this literary work for review, as well as to submit a request for Mr. Wilson to be considered for an upcoming interview. For more information about the project or the author, please visit the Through the Eyes of Eagles Literary Series website at http://www.throughtheeyesofeagles.com. My contact information is: D’edra Y. Armstrong, Speakwritepub@aol.com (also listed above).
Thank you for this wonderful opportunity to share literature. I eagerly look forward to hearing from you.
Respectfully,
D’edra Y. Armstrong
A year of great possibilities
This being a new year filled with history manifested through the sweat and tears of those who paved the way before us through an adage and a vision of greatness, evokes in me every waking moment the motivation to achieve the limitless and endless wealth of greatness that exists. I am thankful to have witnessed the journey traveled by our new President, Barack Obama in my era and my children’s era. Change has come, and much is before us in this country as we support and grow with President Obama.
Just as change of this magnitude took years of hard labor to reach, such is the task before our President. We have a commitment as well; to work towards making changes in our communities, schools, our youths as well as ourselves. Our duty is to involve ourselves in making a difference, not complaining or looking at the next person to do what we ourselves have the ability and capability of doing. President Barack Obama has proven the impossible can happen. It is our own consciousness that must believe we can create change in the same defined way.
Dr. Martin Luther King said, ““Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.”
Let us begin our lives anew and no longer walk, ride, or drive by the things we wish were different in silence.
We are destined for greatness!