My name is Michel Baylor. I use the pen name, Writer-M. I am a second generation native Californian, descended from an African, French and American Indian heritage. I have enjoyed writing since childhood as it offered me vivid escapes from challenging realities. I excelled in written and verbal communication from grade school, to high school, to college and into the corporate world wherein I honed my grammatical skills functioning as a high-end executive/personal assistant for more than 25 years. They were golden, educational, and productive.

At 50 plus, though I've lost my pretty face (smile), I have gained a wealth of wisdom and knowledge. I've lived in the worst of circumstance and the best of times. I've traveled the world. I've assisted the rich and famous and I have served the poor. I've been called a genuinely nice guy (and worse things). I love to write. I write out of compassion! I write for love, life and making change. My best essays were generated from my heart and spirit; a soft, sensitive caring place that attempts to express the big picture. I long to make a difference. I hunger to right wrongs and to wrong so-called "rights"! I pen reality, minus the fluff and stuff, and the guise of political correctness.

Written composition is for me similar to putting together a large puzzle as you take piece by piece, word for word, idea and concept, explore meanings, develop questions, compare and contrast, and support factual findings to present a fair, balanced and objective piece about any issue at hand. Words are powerful; words created Heaven and Earth!

Humbling to my compassion, I gladly wear the title Writer/Essayist/Poet. My work has been published in a few local newspapers and I have been awarded for a poem or two. I enjoy writing and composition. Writing is my forte as experience is the best teacher. I've written in many capacities from composing a simple letter to producing a complex and detailed employee handbook/manual. I've assisted many executives over the years, decoding their "chicken scratch" re-writing to make better sense to others.

I fathered a newsletter for a very large manufacturing company. We named it the "Quality Qronicle." This was my first professional writing position. I chaired the newsletter committee, wrote and edited stories about how co-worker job responsibilities were made easier applying quality principles to those jobs. I learned great people skills, a lot about integrity, meeting deadlines, and honest, objective research writing.

During the college years, I wrote with integrity and honesty. I've made it through some of the most difficult English classes, finishing with flying colors, while many of my peers did not, intimidated by challenge. I loved the most difficult professors who made quite an impression on my life. I remember two very distinct, motivating comments about my work. "You write eloquently, but often lose meaning couched in abstraction." One of my favorite subjects was philosophy. I remember a professor told me he was quitting teaching philosophy and logic because "humanities are quickly disappearing." What a profoundly true statement.

I write for life. My crowning glory is 4 children and 11 grandchildren. My goal today is to write for change to make a difference, for my children's colored future and for all man kind by admonishing good and goodness. I have a burning desire to "father humanity" in prose. I have come to believe that writing is my calling as truth verses falsehood. On the bottom of my wish list is to earn from freelancing. On the top of my wish list is the Pulitzer Prize!

Thanks Helium for the opportunity and exposure.

My passion is ...

Fathering Humanity ...

I know too much about ...

Social Challenge; Politics; Sexuality ...

My parents always told me ...

We were all so forgiven, who are we not to forgive another?

My childhood ambition ...

To become a doctor; a pilot, a bus driver; or an elephant trainer

My favorite memory ...

The birth of my first son; classic: I paced the floor and passed out cigars, grinning from ear to ear.

Why I write ...

Compassion, care and concern. I write to admonish good!

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

Lou Dobbs; Robert Colbert; Michael Moore; social/political issues

My first job ...

One hour at a Pup-In-Taco restaurant cleaning. I wanted to cook!

My best moment ...

When son # 3 was delivered in route to the hospital, he popped out right into my awaiting hands.

My inspiration ...

The Written Word

Society & Lifestyle > African-American Issues What happened to the African American leadership in the United States

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More like "Crabs In A Barrel," there are no legitimate Black Leaders! Rather, there are a hand-full of Black people in positions of power, authority and prominence who bicker endlessly, divided to fall! Elitism, competition, harsh over-all self criticism, and an inability to unify are the downfalls of so-called Black leadership.

In regard to recent negative comments from The Reverend Jesse Jackson about Barack Obama, Jesse Jackson should be ashamed of himself. The Black population should be ashamed of itself assuming it has some kind of cohesive, credible leadership. Remaining true t...

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