Benilde Little-Virgin*

At age thirty-four, Benilde Little-Virgin has quit her job as senior arts and entertainment editor at Essence magazine, the first life-style magazine for and about Black women.  Leaving her job there was both a scary and a necessary move for Benilde.  "In many ways it was a great job, but there was really nothing left in it for me."

Benilde has often been accused of being too honest.  Not someone who speaks just to hear herself talk, she isn't afraid to voice her opinions, and she does so when she feels an important point should be made.  Her position at Essence gave her the opportunity to  help educate its readers by forcing them to take note of of contemporary issues.

Benilde is excited about the change she's made in her life.  "I'm basically writing the book that I want to read, about characters who are like me and my friends - regular people who are succeeding and screwed up in the same way we are!  There are some major snobs in it, and they are the most fun to write." She chuckles.  "I'm having so much fun..."

* This is not the complete essay.  The above is excerpted from an essay featured in Our Common Ground by Bruce Caines.

To read the essays in their entirety, order Our Common Ground online or purchase it through your local bookseller.