Odie Hawkins…Biography / Resume

Odie Hawkins was encouraged by Alex Haley in the 1980’s when he told Norman Lear, “I think Odie Hawkins is a very talented writer, a brilliant story teller. He deserves a wider audience.” Odie Hawkins working with Alex Haley, wrote the teleplay for “Old Sister”. S. Pearl Sharp as Saundra Sharp, wrote the story. “Old Sister” aired on CBS in the “Palmerstown” television drama series. Norman Lear and Alex Haley, based the series on their own childhoods. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0668946/). Invigorated by Dr. Margaret Burroughs, Budd Schulberg, Louise Meriwether, John W. Bloch, Al Jenner, Robert Lewin, Harlan Ellison and Professor Justin Gifford, Odie Hawkins continues to write. We hear his love for stories in his radio plays (https://archive.org/details/OTRR_Sears_Radio_Theater_Singles). We acknowledge his diverse experiences in documentaries – “Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp“ (Director Jorge Hinojosa) and “Burn Motherf*cker Burn” (by Sacha Jenkins). Facebook and YouTube provides more insight on this talented author, musician and actor.

Odie Hawkins has been given the title, “The Underground Master”, by a loyal constituency who have followed his career through his thirty-two novels, short story collections, essays, television scripts, radio and film scripts. He takes pride in being the originator of the Pan-African Occult genre, as exemplified by “The Snake, 20/20”, “Shackles Across Time” and “The Snake Doctor”.

He was one of the original members of the famed Watts Writers Workshop, established by Budd Schulberg, in the wake of the Watts Rebellion, 1965; and the Open Door Program, created by theWriters Guild of America, West, Inc. Louise Meriwether, John W. Bloch, Al Jenner, Robert Lewin, Harlan Ellison and Budd Schulberg, instructors. “Ghetto Sketches”, his first published novel was on the required reading list – May 2010 – Professor Justin Gifford. University of Nevada, Reno. Department of English. Mr. Hawkins has also published books of Socio-science fiction: “Lady Bliss” (with co-author Ralph Vernon), and “Mr. Bonobo Bliss aka Bo”.
He was one of the original members of the famed Watts Writers Workshop, established by Budd Schulberg, in the wake of the Watts Rebellion, 1965; and the Open Door Program, created by theWriters Guild of America, West, Inc. Louise Meriwether, John W. Bloch, Al Jenner, Robert Lewin, Harlan Ellison and Budd Schulberg, instructors. “Ghetto Sketches”, his first published novel — on the required reading list – May 2010 – Professor Justin Gifford. University of Nevada, Reno. Department of English. Mr. Hawkins has recently published books of Socio-sciencefiction: Mr. Bonobo Bliss and Lady Bliss (with co-author Ralph Vernon).

CURRENT PROJECTS:

• • “Senior Citizens Suicide Squad (A Play)
  • “A Two Man Performance of Works by Odie Hawkins With Tim Hutchinson”
  • “An E-mail Fantasy” – 

        An imaginary exchange between Clarence Cain/Herman Thomas

  • “The Six Word Short Story Collection”
  • “Deafness Anyone? – Audio-logical Suicide”
  • “A Brief History of American Pedophilia, Slavery and the Catholic Church”
  • “Pan-African Music for Pre-Teens”
  • “A collection of Pan-African Short Stories for Adults”, based on the seven (7) Kwanzaa principles.
  • “Electronic Slavery”, a novel
  • “The Video Store”, a novelette
  • “A Valentine to Long Beach”, kudos for our acceptance of cultural, religious and racial diversity
  • “Chicago, DuSable High School and The Peps”
  • “Cultural Writing Workshop”
  • “From Another Galaxy”

PARTICIPATION:

• “Burn Motherf*cker Burn” (by Sacha Jenkins)
• Jorge Hinojosa’s Documentary:  “Iceberg Slim’s Portrait of a Pimp”, Toronto International Film Festival
• Prof, Justin Gifford’s Temple Univ., study:  “Pimping Fictions:  African American Crime Literature and the Untold Story of Black Pulp Publishing” –  University of Nevada – Reno
• “Sweet Wine Willie” in “The Likka Sto Ruffus Chronicles” – [Ben Caldwell’s KAOS Network, L.A., CA, Shades of Afrika, Long Beach & Corona, CA;  Glen Cornis’s Painted Light Images, Burbank, CA.]
• Appearances (with actor Tim Hutchinson) on Bozana “Bo” Belokosa’s internet/community television program – “Spending a Little Time with Poetry” – July 21, 2012 and upcoming Jan. 26, 2013. . . .

NOVELS – Release Date 2021/2023   

RE-ISSUE – Books out of Print:

• “Ghetto Sketches”
• “Memoirs of a Black Casanova”
• “Sweet Peter Deeder”

Publish – Unpublished books

• “Some of the Characters I’ve Known” (357 pages)
• “Class of ’56 – DuSable High School Reunion” (234 pages)
• “The Avon Towers Journal” (390 pages)
• “The Chino – San Quentin – Devil Prison Years” (112 pages)
• “Solitary Moments” (200 pages)
• “Bright Moments” (234 pages)

SCREENPLAYS / OPTIONS:

• Craig Ali’s “Daughter’s and Sons of Bilal”
• Pan African Film Festival, Magic Johnson Cinema – “Familiar Strangers” –
  [Produced by Craig A. Walter, Directed by Sy Richardson]
• “Bright Moments”
• “Henry ‘Box’ Brown”
• “Ghetto Blaster”

SCREENPLAYS:

• Universal Studios – “Elis Games”, “Cool Breeze” , and“Sister Woman”
• American International Pictures: “The Ghetto Jet Set”,“Monkey Hustle”

TELEVISION:

• “Sanford and Son” / NAACP Image Award for “Old Sister”
• Haley-Lear’s “Palmerstown” series. [Received NAACP Image Award]

COLUMNIST / MAGAZINES / INTERNET:

• Writers Guild of America, West – Website here
•  Amazon Author’s Page – search:  amazon.com/author/odiehawkins
• Interview by Rhonda Crowder – Call and Post Newspapers in Cleveland, Ohio
• YouTube
• Interview by Rhonda Crowder – Call and Post Newspapers in Cleveland, Ohio
• Amazon.com: Amazon’s Odie Hawkins Page
• Facebook
• Latin Beat Magazine – “Chano Pozo Lives” [rudy@latinbeatmagazine.com]
• Carib Press
• Iconoclast #98 – “Elefant Nation”
• Players’s Magazine – “Mi Ba – I’m Coming” ; “Return to Ghana”
• Presence Africain
• L.A. Weekly
• Outlook Magazine
• L.A. Watts Times
• Columnist – African Times Newspaper – C. Charles Anyiam, Publisher
• Columnist for Three Ghanaian Newspapers, Accra, Ghana, West Africa: The Public Agenda, Horizon, and the Ghanaian Voice
• New Times Magazine: “The House That Blacks Built”
• “The Mask – The Black Mask” (The Douglas House Foundation (Watts Writers Workshop – short story – “Last Chance”
• Presénce Africain (French Literary Journal) – Excepts from “Ghetto Sketches”

WORK / TEACHING:

• Instructor, writing workshop – L.A. County Library, Bilbrew Branch, L.A., California
• Instructor, writing workshops “Shades of Afrika”, “Timbuc II”, Long Beach, California
• Creative writing workshop leader – Watts, CA. & Long Beach, CA.
• Co-Founder/Senior Editor – Kosmic Muffin Publishing House, Inc.
• Watts Writing Workshops – Los Angeles, Long Beach and Pasadena – Executive Director, Talmadge Spratt
• Instructor, Poets in the Schools Program – The 111th Street School, Audubon Middle School, Locke High School and Fremont High School, South Central – Los Angeles, California.
• Director / Instructor, The Frances Williams Writers Workshop, Los Angeles, California
• Instructor, The San Bernardino and Altadena branches of the Watts Writers Workshop – Altadena, California
• Instructor, Developmental Vocational Institute, Deuel, California 14th Street Academy of the Arts, Oakland, California
• Instructor – Artsreach Program, U.C.L.A. / Creative writing classes at Chino Prison, San Quentin Prison – California

SEARS RADIO THEATRE: Purchase on the Internet – Jerry Haendiges Productions –www.OTRSite.com. & other Old Time Radio sites.

• Fifty radio scripts for the Sears Radio Theatre, Elliot Lewis, Executive Producer
  Shows include:

• A Sense Of Pride
• Vodoo Lady
• The Afro Westerner
• Mr. Chan
• Billy D. Burton
• Henry “Box” Brown
• (Additional Titles Upon Request)

BOOKS:

BOOK – GENRES/GROUPINGS

Urban Landscape:

• “Ghetto Sketches”
• “The Busting Out of an Ordinary Man”
• “Amazing Grace”
• “Black Chicago”
• “Secret Music”
• “Menfriends”
• “Lost Angeles”
• “Midnight”
• “Chicago Hustle”
• “The Great Lawd Buddha”
• “Memoirs of a Black Casanova”
• “Sweet Peter Deeder”
• “Scars and Memories”
• “Lil’ Sweets”

Southern Exposure

• “Amazing Grace”

Global Intrigue

• “The Snake, 20/20”
• “The Snake Doctor”
• “Matador Negro ‘Azucar’”
• “The Life and Times of Chester L. Simmons”
• “Conspiracy”
• “Shackles Across Time”
• “Brazilian Nights”
• “The Snake”

Socio-Science Fiction / Outer Space Missions

• “Lady Bliss”
• “Mr. Bonobo Bliss aka Bo”

PUBLIC SPEAKING:

• Los Angeles County Public Library – Black Resource Center, Los Angeles, CA.
• Civic Virtue:  Watts Here & Now Festival – Poet Laureate Program. [The festival was organized by the Getty Research Institute and LA><ART, support provided by the Getty Foundation]
• Black Ace Books Annual Los Angeles Vintage Paperback Collector’s Show, Mission Hills, CA.
• Long Beach Library Black Authors Festival, Main Library/Mark Twain Library, Long Beach, CA.
• Lucy Florence Coffee House , Leimert Park Village, L.A., CA
• Cafe Culture , Pasadena, CA.
• Shades of Afrika II, Long Beach, CA. & Corona, CA.
• Café con Libros, Pomona’s Art Colony, Pomona, CA.
• Southern California Drug Task Force, Los Angeles, CA.
• Village Treasures, Long Beach, CA.
• Hosted KPFK / Berkeley, CA. – Radio Show, “Melanin Magic”.

AWARDS:

• Long Beach Library Black Authors Festival – Long Beach Honors Black Authors of Long Beach, Long Beach, CA.
• The Watts Writers Workshop Award, awarded by “Still Waters”, Inglewood, CA.
• Award for Outstanding Volunteerism, from Membership Director & Health & Wellness Director, YMCA Long Beach, CA (2008/2009)
• Capoeira Award From Thy Nguyen, Program Director, YMCA, Long Beach, CA
• SEAP ACADEMICIAN (1998)
• YOUNG HORIZONS (2002)
• SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA DRUG TASK FORCE (2/26/02)
• The International P.E.N. Writers’ Award, Accra, Ghana

GHANA, WEST AFRICA:

• Originator-Director-Writer – Ghanaian Television:“Inspector Bediako”, detective series, Kojo Yankah, Executive Producer
• Instructor: Creative writing: Accra Girls Secondary School
• Instructor: Ghana Institute of Journalism
• Instructor: Ghana International School
• Columnist: “The Public Agenda”
• Drama Critic:“Horizon and Ghanaiian Voice” newspapers
• Freelance contributor to – “Uhuru” and “African Agenda”,bi-monthly magazines
• Instructor: Capoeira Regional at the Fitness Centre in Accra

EDUCATION:

• Wilson Junior College, Chicago, Illinois
• University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
• Army, Fort Gordon, Georgia
• Paine College, Augusta, Georgia
• Graduate/DuSable High School, Chicago, Illinois

MARTIAL ARTS EXPERIENCE:

• Certified Tai Chi Instructor, School of Healing Martial Arts (SOHMA), Long Beach, California – Dr. Daniel Hoover.
• Tai Chi Fan, Instructors Master Tam, Zola Salena-Hawkins and Daniel Hoover (T’ai chi ch’uan-style)
• Tai Chi 24 Yang Style, Instructors Master Tam, Zola Salena-Hawkins and Daniel Hoover
• Shaolin Cane, Instructor, Zola Salena-Hawkins
• Study of Hapkido, a Korean Martial-art
  – Masters: Jun Bai Lee and Won Chan Lee
• Black Belt – Tae Kwon Do, a Korean Martial-art
  – Masters: Yong Kil Kim and Raymond Da Silva
• Capoeira Regional – African-Brazilian dance-martial art Instructor: Henrique Do Nascimento
• Capoeira Angola – African-Brazilian dance-martial art
• Contre-Mestre: Themba Mashama and Mestre Moraes

ODIE HAWKINS
P. O. BOX 2896
LONG BEACH, CA. 90801-2896
(562) 491-1903
undergroundmaster_90222@yahoo.com