I am proud to present a new Baltimore author to the world – Eric Grandy, whose essay, They cut down the hoop [https://baltimoreblackwoman.com/2024/02/19/they-cut-down-the-hoop/] and short story, Black and White [https://baltimoreblackwoman.wordpress.com/2024/02/19/black-and-white/] are his first published works. Two weeks ago, I was introduced to Eric by our mutual friend (and primary co-founder of braciolejournal.com), Rafael Alvarez. After reading these two essays and meeting with Eric for lunch last week at Zeke’s Café in Lauraville, I knew I wanted to feature him as a “Guest Author” on baltimoreblackwoman.com. Though he has only been a committed writer for a few years, his focus on his life in, and observations of, Baltimore is remarkably similar to mine.
In fact, we are from the same generation of Baltimoreans—born in the early 1950s. In the 1960s, both of our families chose to be block-busters, moving from predominantly or all black neighborhoods to predominantly or all white neighborhoods. If you are not aware, Baltimore City has a singular history of housing discrimination based on race and ethnicity, which Eric also describes in his first essay. For a brief account of this history, see https://internationalmapping.com/blog/a-brief-history-of-housing-segregation-in-baltimore/.
Here is Eric’s biography:
I was born and raised in Baltimore City and graduated from City College, class of 1972. I graduated from Essex Community College and was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 1974 and played six years in their organization. I have held many jobs in my life, from photographer to Lab Manager at LensCrafters, to driver for DHL to warehouse manager for R.E. Michel. I have been married to my wife Rhonda for thirty-four years and I have one daughter, Marti, and one granddaughter, Alex. I live in Original Northwood and after my retirement, three years ago, I decided to devote my time to writing. I had no previous writing experience but plenty of material. I have been mentored by a fellow writer who encouraged me to continue. I have since finished a novel and am working on a second. I also have several complete short stories. This is the first time any of my work has been published and I am thankful to Jackie Oldham for the opportunity.
baltimoreblackwoman 