Food For Thought

VOTS Authors

We have a diverse and creative group of authors within the VOT family. Their various backgrounds and experiences produce a collection of some of the most interesting works published.

Mrs. Carrie Carter Cowan lives in Greenwood South Carolina. She is a 1975 graduate of Greenwood High School. She is also a 1991 graduate of Piedmont Technical College’s Nursing Program. Mrs. Cowan has worked with the elderly for more than thirty-five years in both public and private sectors. She says, “I must admit, I have experienced many trying days. God would in some way through small sweet eyes or sad faces remind me of my purpose. I truly appreciate God using me as one of His instruments to lead a few to Him. Most reached Him just shortly before their crossover.” Oftentimes, my pastor has said, “Whatever your post in life is–man it!”

I am very excited about this book. Precious In His Sight is the first book in a series of short stories about God and His love for children. Even now, there are many angels among us. It is up to us as Christian parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and anyone else to teach the Word of God.

Mrs. Childs reveals her life to the world so everyone can see her struggles and how she overcame them. Read about her life’s triumphs as well as her failures. Her book tells the story of how A Southern Black Woman Beats the Odds and has a successful life.

The odds of success were already set against being black. Of course being black was one obstacle, however, Edith is a black female that lives in the south. For her, life was not easy—she was determined to win life over. There were countless that spoke words over her that she would never amount to anything. Despite all that was said and done against Mrs. Childs, her grandmother, Miss Mary Scurry displayed a solid faith in her by telling her daily, “One day Edith, you will be somebody uptown with those big folks.” Even in her youth, Mrs. Childs’ grandmother saw something that Edith was unaware of herself.

Jerral Bonnita (Williams) Goudy

Jerral Bonnita (Williams) Goudy was born in 1952. She is a native of Greenwood, South Carolina where she and her family continues to reside. Jerral is the fourth child from the union of Reverend Rogers & Mrs. Mae Etta Williams (deceased).

Neet (as she is affectionately called) says, “The Spirit Within Me tells how God took an everyday person, like me, and imputed His spirit into my heart and mind. His spirit has enabled me to write. However, writing this book was not an initial dream of mine. I knew, nonetheless, that God had placed His Word in my heart. For a long time, I pushed aside recording my inspirations. Yet I still concluded that one day I will write down what God had inspired in me.”

April K. Oliver
April K. Oliver was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico on September 11, 1977. She is an ambitious, determined, hard-working, tender-hearted and strong-willed woman. She made the honor roll throughout her junior and high school years. She earned the Presidential Award in high school in Albuquerque, which made her family proud. She won a scholarship and attended The University of The District of Columbia for two years.

Some of her poems were i...

Bryant K. Smith
Bryant K. Smith is a Director of Multicultural Affairs at Millikin University in Decatur, Il. He is a past visiting instructor of Speech and Communication Studies at Clemson University, in South Carolina. Bryant is the founder and CEO of Smith C.A.N., Smith Consulting and Networking. Smith C.A.N. is a consulting firm dedicated to empowering people of color in predominately white employment and educational environments. Bryant has produced several...

Dr. Kenneth Mufuka
Dr. Mufuka was educated at St. Andrews University in Scotland and Queens University in Canada... earning his PH.D. He has won the Reuters International Award for best foreign correspondent for African newspapers twice. As such, he writes clearly and more concise than most academic scholars, and he knows how to keep his readers enthralled. His work is the result of twenty-five years of teaching and research.

E. H. Lewis
This is a true-life story, as told by EH Lewis about her life, her many struggles and her undying will to live. She explains that just living life is a teaching tool and how you learn, is the foundation that you carry with you forever. She believes that we should have compassion for each other and the strong should help and encourage the weak.

EH was born in a little town in South Carolina called Ninety-Six .Yes, she was born in a town wit...

Hannah Clairey
Hannah was born in Philadelphia and was raised in coastal Georgia. She has traveled extensively and has lived high in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, in the deserts of New Mexico and Arizona, on the Oklahoma prairie? and many places in between.

She has worked at many jobs through the years. She has worked in various health care fields and has professionally trained horses and dogs. She has worked in construction and has been an over -the ...

Julie Murray
Ms. Julie Murray is 39 years-old. After graduating high school, she attended Oxnard College, in California. She furthered her education by attending Bermuda College.

Presently, Ms. Murray is employed in Bermuda's largest industry (tourism) in the accounting field. She has worked in this lucrative field for more than twenty-two years. Ms. Murray has one child. She attests that her writing career began in 1998, although she communicates bes...

Linda Handy Tull
Linda Handy Tull is a native of the Eastern Shore of Maryland. She was born in the town of Princess Anne, in Somerset County, and became a "Born Again Christian" in 1977. She serves as an Evangelist in her church, the Church of God in Christ, where she spiritually witnesses with her gifts of discernment, prophecy, and healing. Mrs. Tull received her training and license through the Church of God in Christ, which is headquartered in Memphis, Tenne...

Margaret C. Peoples
Mrs. Margaret C. Peoples was born October 10, 1953 in Abbeville, South Carolina. She is the fifth child of six children born to the union of Mr. Willie B. and Mrs. Daisy C. Cunningham. Margaret entered Benedict College in 1971 where she pursued a degree in mathematics. Benedict College is located in Columbia, South Carolina. Until her junior year in college, Mrs. Peoples wanted to become a teacher just as her mother and sister.&...

Mazulian De'Kori London
Mazuilan De'Kori London is the son of Mr. Eugene Wright and Mrs. Barbara A. Smith. Mazuilan was born and raised in Abbeville South Carolina. He has one older sister and two younger brothers. After completing his education at Abbeville High School in 1994, Kori began fulfilling his service duties, enlisting in the United States Army Reserves during his junior year. Kori graduated in the top "ten percent" of his class after completing basic and adv...

Osiris Akkebala
Osiris Akkebala (F/K/A Jack Mitchell) is an ordained minister. He is also a social and political activist. Akkebala was a sociology major earning a Bachelors of Arts Degree. He is an Ancient Afrikan historian, lecturer, and freelance writer. He is a Garveyvite and has traveled extensively, including to Africa and Europe.

Osiris knows that knowledge is the doorway to understanding the mysteries of the universe and self. With such knowledge...

Robert L. Miller
Robert L. Miller, South Carolina's emerging black poet, deserves a place in the hearts of all that love poetry. In this short work, which is part of a larger collection, the author bears his African inner soul to the readers. There is no doubt that this poet is a nonconformist; he sees where others see only darkness, hears where others hear nothing, and harvests a bumper crop in the desert. He lacks only in restraint as he bears all in writing. R...

Ruth Merritt

Ruth Merritt was born on March 27, 1949 in (Greene County) Greensboro, Georgia. She was raised in her Grandmother’s home while growing up. As a little girl, she worked as a farm laborer where she picked cotton, peaches and peas. She states, “I had several setbacks while growing up. One particular setback I suffered was a fall that left me with...

Sheree A. Reed
Sheree A. Reed was born in Dallas, TX twenty-nine years ago. She has one son. Ms. Reed is a single parent that loves family. She graduated from Business and Management Center. She has obtained certification from Remington College as a Medical Asst. Ms. Reed states, "My motivation for writing is I simply enjoy writing. It comes from a deep passionate love." Sheree enjoys fashions, kids, watching movies and drawing. She consider herself an entertai...

Steven C. Thedford
Steven C. Thedford presently teaches Advanced Placement Computer Science, Physics, Physical Science, and Advanced Placement Physics. The four classes Iteach describes me as a teacher and aprofessional, able to do many things. For example, my philosophy of teaching encompasses the belief that students experience the world of physics, chemistry, and biology in their dailylives. Thus, he incorporates co-operative learning, lecture, reading, multimed...