LIRM Interview with Darian Murray

KESHAWN DODDS ~ ARTISTIC TRENDSETTER

MARCH 2011 INTERVIEW

Imagine a young elementary pupil sitting at his desk gazing out the window thinking of what he could be. The dreams are endless and provide him with a place to be all he can be. This blogger can certainly relate to the daydreaming scenario being a daily task.

We are living in a time where many individual have dreams that simply need an outlet to be seen and heard. Beyond the profanity laced lyrics of the latest rap hit and past the ever present bullying of our children, their is a need in our community to empower our youth to dream.

Thankfully there is a young gentleman who is embracing the call and not running from the challenge of being a mentor to our future leaders. Keshawn Dodds is a force to be reckoned with as he fearfully empowers those around him one publication at a time.

We recently had the opportunity of interviewing this amazingly talented young man and we must admit, we are impressed. Check out the interview and see for yourself how dedicated this young man is.

Keshawn, you are a successful young man who seems poised to make major moves. Share with our readers where you hail from and what is your background.

I’m from Springfield, Massachusetts, the home of basketball. I was born and raised in Springfield and still live here with my beautiful wife, Tami and our six year old daughter, Sydney. Also, we have the best guard dog, our Shi Tzu, Barkley.

I grew up in the center of the city, with my mother who had to raise me by herself when my father passed away at the age of seven. I have three older brothers who have helped guide me through life and have helped me find direction. Even though I grew up in a single family home, because of the neighborhood that I lived in, I never really felt at a loss. That motto of “It takes a village to raise a child,” truly exemplified the Dunmoreland Street families.

Perusing your site, one can tell that you have many irons in the fire. Share with us some of the things that you are involved in?

I tend to fill my plate with many things but I believe that I can do it all. Just to name a few, I am currently the Director of Greek Life at American International College. Working in Higher Education is a dream come true and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I am also trying to become a well established author and this is where my true passion is. I write to inspire our youth to regain their love for education. I have a book series that is in the science fiction/fantasy genre, the Menzuo ~ Solar Warrior’s series.

I created this superhero a while back due to the loss of my best friend, Marcus McDowell in 1996. We lost him to prostate cancer at the age of eighteen. While in the hospital, we both created characters for our mini comic book. Unfortunately, Marcus never got to see a finished product as he passed away eleven months after his diagnosis, but as he left this world, he left me with the greatest gift, a starting point for a story. I ended up expanding the comic into a full-fledged novel and series. I now use it to inspire our youth to enjoy the love of reading.

I am also a motivational speaker. I have traveled throughout Massachusetts and now I’m on the verge of expanding my reach into Connecticut. My goal as a motivational speaker is to help build the confidence of the people that I speak to so that they can reach their goals and find success in their lives. I believe that I can create superheroes in this world with my words. We need people to believe in their abilities to reach greatness. There is so much more that I am doing, volunteer wise and educationally but if I go into that, I’d be writing another book!

Please give our readers more insight into your comic book premise and plot?

As people read my first book, they quickly understand that the superhero that I created is more than just some kid trying to save planet earth. Here is the true breakdown of my first book, Menzuo in the Calling of the Sun Prince. Jammal Hall a.k.a. Menzuo, is the lead character. That lead character is me, Keshawn Dodds.

Solar, Menzuo’s protector lives within the crystal that is on his necklace. Solar will be with Menzuo throughout the rest of his life and will help him to become a great warrior. Solar’s character is my best friend, Marcus McDowell. In this book, Menzuo and Solar must save planet Earth from the evil Pirate Warrior, known as Morbid. Of course you know what Morbid means, it means Death. Morbid represents the cancer that Marcus had while he was in his last eleven months of his life. I want my readers to understand that Marcus may have lost his battle to cancer but in my book, we both defeat Morbid, the cancer, together.

Amazing!! I notice that you have a unique gift of writing and drawing. When did you realize that you had a special gift?

Thanks for the credit with the drawing but I must concede that to my friend, Carl Harrison. He is the master behind the art of my Menzuo ~ Solar Warrior’s series. Carl is a student at the Art Institute of Boston and has taken Marcus’ artwork to new heights. I am truly blessed to have the opportunity to work with him.

As for me, my gift is in writing the stories. I realized that I had this gift at a very young age. I was a closet comic book geek and loved creating my own stories. The first story that I wrote was at the age of seven. It was about all of the kids in my neighborhood going on daily adventures. I still remember the stories and maybe one day, I’ll turn that into a children’s book.

I am currently looking to be at the Harlem Book Fair of July 23, 2011. It is my goal to have a booth out there and I am in the process of working it out as we speak. Keep your fingers crossed. I hope that New York is ready for this bright smile.

To this day, when I write a story, it is as if I have a running movie in my head. The words turn into action and it allows me to create these very interesting books. People wonder if I ever have writer’s block and I say no because my imagination is so vivid, it will not allow any blockage. It’s an open faucet.

Being a blogger who has faced those who deem me too young to be successful. Share with our readers how you handle those who may doubt your brand.

I deal with those people the best way that I know how, I show them the true me. Success doesn’t have an age criteria. It is up to the individual to be ready and able to accept the responsibilities of what success brings. My brand as an author/motivational speaker is only validated by my presence and how I present myself and my product on a daily basis. The people who doubt my brand (and there are many) are always blown away when I get the opportunity to shine. They can’t believe how well prepared and focused that I am.

I love the doubters. As an athlete, I loved the underdog because when that underdog rose to the front and was now in first place, the shock and awe on people’s faces was priceless. I look at my brand in that underdog model. People are hesitant to give me a chance but when they open that door, I leave them saying that they should have met me earlier. I live to prove people wrong. I believe that’s the competitive spirit within me.

There are many young African American entrepreneurs who are striving to make a difference. What are five tips that you have found to be useful.

I have many tips that have helped me throughout my continued growth so I will try to do my best to break it down to my top five:

1. Always be prepared. You never know when an opportunity to represent yourself or your business will come. (I keep books in my trunk at ALL TIMES).

2. Stay humble. No one likes an over confident, or ‘hard to work with’ type of person. Doors will close quicker than they are open.

3. Believe in yourself. Don’t allow others to put barriers around you. If you believe in yourself, then nothing will stop your growth.

4. Keep your eyes and ears open. You never know what knowledge you will receive from others who may be on the same path that you are on. They may be able to help you miss those stumbling blocks and they can also help you reach a goal quicker because they already dealt with that rough road ahead.

5. Know your limits. Do not spread yourself too thin. It is very easy to lose focus on your goals if you are not organized. Make sure that all of your goals are in line with each other. It makes your journey much smoother.

Are you giving back to the community? If so, share with our readers how you give back?

This is the number one reason why I write. I give back to my community more than people realize. I volunteer time at after-school programs, I read to students at schools, I give reluctant readers copies of my books for free just to challenge them to not like it (I always win, they love it).

I mentor several youth on a one-on-one basis, and there is so much, more. I love doing these things because it helps to build the minds of our youth. I also love doing it because it’s who I am. I do not need the accolades, the awards for doing something that is so natural for me. Also, if you are wondering where my time with my family is, my wife and daughter are right alongside me, doing the same thing. My wife is highly involved in the education of the youth in our community and our daughter is helping as well. From birth, she knows the importance of giving back and that will help her to become a well rounded adult.

Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

I see myself holding the first ever book signing on the moon! Just kidding but that’s where my mind is. I think outside of the box. I actually see myself speaking around the country, continuing to build our youth’s respect for education through my books. My goal is to gain the needed recognition to continue to inspire others. I want people to understand that I do what I do, not to become super famous or rich. I do this because there is a need for true educational leadership. If and when I do make those big dollars, it will go right back into our communities with programs to help strengthen our educational systems. I am a true believer that education is the key to a successful life, and if I can have a positive impact in a person’s educational development, then my life is worthwhile.

Having a mentor/role model is always amazing. Do you have any and if so share with us who they are and how they influence you.

Yes I do, I have several but I will name just two. From the age of eight, my godfather, Milton Berry, has helped to keep me on the right path. He has helped me to see my full potential in sports, school and in life. He was the first person to expose me to my speaking ability, while as a member of the Keystone Club, at the Boy’s and Girl’s Club, Family Center. Milton ‘Diddy Bop’ Berry was great at understanding the minds of the kids that he worked with. I think that because of him, I work hard to change our youth’s lives because he did that for me.

As an author, I believe that you need to have a literary mentor and I am blessed to have the great, Joe Young as a mentor. Joe Young owns Young’s Studios in Hartford, Connecticut, and is also an avid artist and now best selling fiction writer. His book, ‘Diamond Rough,’ hit the Amazon.com bestsellers list last year. He is also currently working on turning that book into the movie and he’s lucky to have Michael Jai White, starring as the leading role. Joe and I talk often and he has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the steps that I need to take as I move forward with my writing career.

A firm foundation is key in the area of business. Share with our readers how you handle stressful situations and circumstances.

I take deep breaths!!! Honestly, back in 2005, I was honored to work as a Mayoral Aide under our past Mayor of the city of Springfield, Charles V. Ryan. During this time, I got the opportunity to work under some of the most stressful situations that any person could ever work under. Our city was going through a state takeover, corruption flooded the city, teachers, police and firefighters didn’t have contracts and on top of that, our communities were neglected.

As a Mayoral Aide, you represent the Mayor as if you were the Mayor himself so you are on the front lines, dealing with these issues on a daily basis. Having to deal with this type of stress taught me that there is a solution to every problem and every problem cannot be fixed over night.

As I have moved into the area of higher education and life as an author/motivational speaker, I have learned to accept who I am as a person and I truly can see my way through any stressful situation that I may be confronted with. I tend to go back in my mind to my time in that Mayor’s Office just to remind myself that no obstacle that I will face now will EVER be as stressful as my time in there. That usually lightens the load for me. Being able to compare the stress of today with the life challenges that I have had tends to keep my blood pressure low.
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It is always refreshing to see a young education gentleman determined to make a difference in the literary world. There are so many who have endless amounts of dreams but no outlet to express them. Keshawn has managed to express him talents in a artistic manner that was simply birthed from his grieving process.

We are sure that his beloved friend Marcus is smiling down with complete joy and here at LIRM we hail him a up and coming artistic trendsetter.

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Who's On My Side? The Story of Kalen Brown

As Kalen and Jesse sat in the back seat of the Beamer, Kam sat in the passenger seat, playing with the radio as Psycho continued to drive.

“Now this is my jam,” Kam shouted as a song from Kanye came on the air. “What you boys know about this?”

Kalen and Jesse nodded their heads, indicating that they liked the song, but kept silent. Fear was building in the both of them as they were about to face the unknown. It was as if they could hear their hearts beating over the music.

Jesse looked Kalen in the eyes, trying his best to calm his own nerves. He hoped that Kalen wasn’t feeling the same way, but could tell that the decision to get in the back of the Beamer, to do this job, wasn’t the smartest decision that they had ever made.

As the song ended, Kam turned the radio off and faced Kalen and Jesse. “Okay fellas, here is how it’s going to go down tonight. We are going to meet with some very high powered men tonight. They are from Hartford, Connecticut and want to expand Big Boss’s operation down there. We will be negotiating prices and they will be observing the product. All of the merchandise is in the trunk. I need you boys to be smart and keep an eye out for any nonsense.”

“So, you want us to be spotters?” Kalen asked.

A smirk fell upon Kam’s face. “Spotters? You’ve been watching too much TV,” he said with a chuckle, “But, yeah. I need you boys to keep a look out for anything funny out there. We can’t afford to be exposed to any nonsense.”

“So, this can potentially get dangerous?” Jesse questioned.

“Oh, no doubt,” Kam answered as he looked over to Psycho, then back to them. “But my boy, Psycho, is no joke. I doubt if they really want to test him. He’s too legit with his piece. This should be a smooth meeting.”

“Should be, huh?” Jesse said in a curious tone. He looked over to Kalen. “Just great.”

Kalen took a deep breath and looked out of the window. He noticed that they were still in Springfield, Massachusetts, but somewhere downtown, near the waterfront, close to the Basketball Hall of Fame. He could see a couple of cars in the distance, sitting in a park, just past the bridge to the highway that connected Springfield to Hartford. Kalen could feel that the moment had come for them to be on point. He didn’t want to mess up and he knew that this wasn’t a test like Big Boss gave them on their first night out.

As the car pulled into the dimly lit park, Pyscho pulled the car in front of the two Mercedes Benz’s. “Okay, fellas,” Kam said as Psycho turned the car off. “This is it. Are you ready?”

Kalen and Jesse both did their best to control their breathing. “Yeah, we’re ready,” Kalen responded with confidence.”

Kam nodded. “Remember, keep your eyes open. We cannot fall asleep on the job.”

“We got it,” Kalen responded.

Kam turned around and did a quick head count of every man who was standing outside of their cars, in front of the lights. Four men in cream colored suits stood, ready for their meeting. “Let’s go,” Kam said as he opened the door.

Psycho opened his door as well and quickly exited the car.

Jesse shook his head, letting Kalen know that this was way too much for him to handle.

“I know,” Kalen said, sensing what Jesse was thinking. “Let’s go and get this over with.”

They both exited the car and stood behind Kam and Psycho.

As the four men walked over to them, Kam whispered to Kalen and Jesse. “I need you boys to keep an eye out on the bushes and the bridge in the distance. If you see anything move, you got to speak. Pyscho and I will make the decision on what to do. Understand?”

Kalen and Jesse worked up enough strength to whisper back clearly. “Uh huh.”

“Hello, gentlemen,” one of the men said with a Russian accent. “Kam, it nice to see you again, and pleasure finalizing business with you tonight.”

“What’s up, Sergey,” Kam responded, “It’s always a pleasure working with a decent, honest man like you.”

Kalen could hear the sarcasm in Kam’s voice. He could tell that they both were positioning themselves to finalize the deal.

As the two continued to discuss their past week of events, Kalen and Jesse did what they were told and scoped the area out. They looked at every bush and every inch of the bridge that was in the distance. Their eyes combed the Connecticut River for any boats that might be riding by. As of that moment, everything was cool, but they were still very uneasy.

“So, let’s cut the bull crap, Sergey, and get to business.”

“Da (Yes), Kam,” Sergey responded. “Let’s get to business. Let us see the product.”

“Now, Sergey, are you crazy?” Kam answered. “I need to see the money first, baby. Show me the monay!”

Sergey stroked his chin. “What a smart man you are, Kam. Even though we’ve been working on this deal for over two years, you are still on your toes. That’s why I like you,” he said then turned to his men. “Kam does not slip up. No mistakes, you see. I love it.”

Kam’s smile quickly left his face as he could tell that Sergey was stalling. He cracked his neck. As he did, Psycho put his left hand on his hip. Kalen and Jesse both noticed this and started to breathe a little faster as they expected things to really heat up.

The fear was building as Sergey turned to face Kam again. He noticed Psycho in position and was easily ready to take out his three henchmen. “I love it. You boys are great and even brought back-up. Puny back-up, but just enough to keep me at bay,” Sergey said as he looked at Kalen and Jesse. Sergey quickly snapped his fingers and the door to one of the Mercedes opened up.

A beautiful Asian woman stepped out of the car and walked over with two black briefcases. Jesse noticed the lady and gasped at her beauty.

Kalen hissed at him, quickly grabbing his attention. As Jesse looked at him, he pointed to his eyes, indicating that it was more important for them to be on the lookout, than to be looking out for that lady. Jesse nodded and refocused on the scenery around them.

“Nice,” Kam said as the lady walked forward.

“You like the briefcases, Kam?” Sergey asked.

“Not just the briefcases, but what’s bringing them to me,” Kam said quickly.

Sergey turned as his lady walked passed him, and over to the hood of Kam’s car. “She is beautiful, Kam. You have great taste, but that is mine; you can keep the packages.”

The lady put the briefcases on the hood of the car without a word. She walked back over to the Mercedes and got back in. “I sure will keep these packages, but it would have been a great gesture to leave her as well.”

Sergey chuckled as he spoke. “Maybe when I’m done, you might get a crack at it.”

“Maybe,” Kam responded.

“So, where is my product? I’d like to get this party started.” Sergey said as the exchange was continuing on.

As Kam walked to the back of the car with Sergey, Kalen noticed something moving behind a bush near the water. At first, he thought that it was the light from the moon, shining off of the water and hitting the bush, but a green light started to flash. He snapped his fingers, once to grab Jesse’s attention.

Jesse’s head quickly turned around. Kalen pointed to the bush. As he did, the green light flickered again.

“I see it,” Jesse whispered.

“What should we do?” Kalen asked.

“We need to let Psycho know. Kam said that if we saw anything, we have to let them know,” Jesse responded.

“Okay, no doubt,” Kalen quickly walked over to Psycho and whispered in his ear. “I see something.”

Without hesitation and for the first time, Psycho spoke. “Yo’ Kam, it’s getting cold.”

Before Kam was about to open the trunk, he stopped and looked Sergey in the eyes. “Are you serious, Sergey?”

Sergey’s eyes quickly widened. “What are you talking about, Kam?”

“You’re trying to set us up,” Kam responded.

“Me? I have no idea what you’re talking about, honestly,” Sergey responded as if he didn’t know what was going on.

“Who saw something, Psycho?” Kam asked.

“Our boys, they spotted something in the bushes,” Psycho responded.

Kam nodded as he looked at Kalen and Jesse. “Got it!” he shouted then quickly pulled out his gun. Kam did not hesitate as he placed the barrel of the gun on Sergey’s temple.

At that same moment, Psycho pulled out two guns and pointed them at the henchmen that stood on the left and right of Sergey.

Psycho spoke to the one in the middle. “If you think about moving, you all will be laying in the river. Don’t even think about breathing.”

Kalen and Jesse backed up towards the back door of the Beamer. “What the hell, man!” Jesse shouted.

“Chill, youngin’, we got this,” Kam said in a calm tone. “Now, what did you see?”

“A…a…green light flickering in the bushes by the water,” Kalen said with a stutter. “It was probably nothing. I…”

Kam looked at Sergey as he pressed the gun harder onto his temple, not letting Kalen finish what he was about to say. “Call them out, right now!”

“Okay, okay, but this was not my idea. I had nothing to do with this, Kam,” Sergey said with his hands over his head. “It was my boss’ idea.”

“I don’t care whose idea it was,” Kam said quickly. “You have two options right now. You can find your final resting place in that river, or call them out.”

“You got it, Kam,” Sergey said loudly. “C’mon out! It’s over! You have been spotted.”

As Sergey shouted, two more men crawled out from the bushes with sniper rifles. The green light that was spotted, was the light of the moon hitting the lens of the scope. “So, you were going to take us all out?”

“Kam…it…it was…just business, my man,” Sergey said as he feared for his life.

“Drop the guns, and walk behind your boys so that I can have you in my line of sight,” Psycho shouted. The men dropped their guns and followed his direction. “Good. Now boys, go get the guns and put them in the car. Get in and sit there while we handle this mess out here.”

Kalen and Jesse quickly picked up the two rifles and got back into the car and sat down. “Oh, man! They’re going to kill them, Kalen!” Jesse said in complete fear. “What the hell are we doing?”

“Bro’, I’m sorry. Seriously, I’m really, really sorry for getting us in this mess,” Kalen said as he shook in the back seat.

“Oh, man, this is just nuts,” Jesse said back to him.

They both sat in the car and listened to Kam continue to threaten Sergey, forcing more and more information out of him as he got closer to pulling the trigger. Kalen closed his eyes and prayed that Kam and Psycho wouldn’t take it that far. He wanted this mess to end and didn’t want to be a part of any murder.

Kalen slowly opened his eyes and noticed Jesse, hunched over, covering his ears in case he was to hear gun shots. Kalen continued to listen to Kam shout at Sergey and hoped for the best.

After a few minutes, Kalen and Jesse heard Kam shout out. “Now, get the hell out of here. Tell your Boss that all deals are off and that he better watch his back. Something good will be coming down the pipeline for him real soon.”

“As you wish, Kam. Thank you for sparing me and my boys. I’m done with this business. Do svidaniya (Goodbye),” Sergey said then slowly walked back to the Mercedes Benz with his henchmen. They got in and quickly pulled off.

After a few minutes, Kam and Psycho got back into the car, with the two briefcases, laughing about how everything went down. “Whoa! Now that was a rush!” Kam said as he let out a deep breath.

Psycho turned around to face Kalen and Jesse. He finally removed his sunglasses. “Great job, ma’ boys! Ja pulled a great job for us. Now weh no you are fo’ real.”

Kalen nodded. “You let them go?”

“Of course,” Kam responded. “Sergey is not the threat. Plus, he’s soft. He’s a ‘yes’ man.”

“So, what’s going to happen from here on out,” Jesse asked.

“Well, Sergey will tell his Boss what happened and how he lost the money. What happens to him from that point is his business, but they just lost a lot of money tonight,” Kam said with a chuckle.

“I’m happy that you got a kick out of that,” Jesse said as he was still shaking.

“Of course I did,” Kam responded. “So, you boys want to go out for a drink with us, to celebrate?”

“Ya’ mon, c’mon out with us, ya’ hear. It will be fun to chill with you. You’ve earned me respect,” Psycho said with a half smile.

“I…I think we’re good,” Kalen said as his hands were still shaking.

“Can you just drop us off at my house?” Jesse added.

Kam nodded as he could tell that the night’s event was a bit much for the boys. “Okay, boys, I’ll bring you home. Thanks for the eyes though. You saved me and Psycho, and that goes a long way in my book.”

“Thanks,” Jesse responded still in shock on how things went down.

Psycho turned the car on and drove off, heading to Jesse’s house to drop the boys off for the night.