Released on: September 19, 2008, 12:10 am

Press Release Author: Reta Baker

Industry: Entertainment

Press Release Summary: Women at Homeless Shelter Form Special Bond with "Daughter
Denied" Author Alretha Thomas.

Press Release Body:
Los Angeles, CA, September 19, 2008 -- At first glance you could easily imagine
“Daughter Denied” author Alretha Thomas being cast in a Hollywood movie as an
attractive, bright and well put together attorney or perhaps a stand-in for Michelle
Obama. However, the women who reside at A Brighter Future, a YMCA shelter that
houses women and children in Hollywood, California, soon learned the true meaning of
the adage looks can be deceiving. Never would they have guessed that Thomas, a
successful playwright and author, had once been homeless herself. Thomas revealed
this information and more as she shared her troubled past wherein she battled
anorexia, bulimia and addiction.

“I want the women of A Brighter Future to not give up five minutes before the
miracle,” she said when asked why she was so forthcoming during a presentation she
made at the shelter on September 15, 2008 to more than a dozen women who had
recently formed a book club after being donated copies of “Daughter Denied” by
gospel singer Anna Moore. You could hear a pen drop as Thomas talked about growing
up poor and abused in a San Francisco housing project, the death of her mother at
the age of 14 and her drive to overcome obstacles.

Thomas shared with the women how she graduated salutatorian of her high school and
received a scholarship to attend USC where she graduated with a degree in
Journalism. However, it was her subsequent descent into eating disorders and
addiction that drew rapt attention and tears from the women. Following her
presentation she was bombarded with questions ranging from “How do you get over the
death of a love one?” to “How do you help someone get out of an abusive
relationship?”

The women expressed how they were able to relate to Earnestine, the mother in
“Daughter Denied” who’s caught in a cycle of drug addiction and co-dependency. One
resident shared how she could understand how the fictional character Earnestine
found herself stuck repeating the same actions expecting different results. She went
on to express how people misconstrue her stoic exterior for strength. “I have been
abused all my life and oftentimes I’m hurting inside and then when I express this
I’m told I’m a strong black woman and to get over it,” she went on to say through a
cascade of tears.

In spite of their frustrations many of the women stated that they were grateful to
be a part of A Brighter Future Program and that Thomas’ visit and presentation was
enlightening and encouraging. “It’s good to see and hear from someone who has gone
though a lot and has come out successful,” said a young woman who participated in
the session with her baby in tow. A Brighter Future Director of Social Services,
Cynthia Arreola, echoed this sentiment as she expressed her gratitude to Thomas for
being so open with the women. “Your visit and discussion has really inspired the
women of A Brighter Future,” she said as Thomas signed copies of “Daughter Denied.”

“The women at A Brighter Future and their children deserve all that life has to
offer and I am living proof that with help, hope and perseverance, these women can
realize their dreams,” Thomas added.

Thomas knows a little something about dreams being realized. She says it was shortly
after graduating from college that she began to act out as a result of underlying
pain and anger that had been simmering since childhood. In 1993, after hitting
bottom, Thomas says she joined a 12-step program and never looked back. She returned
to church and began writing plays for her church’s Liturgical Fine Arts Department.
The plays were so well received that her plays were produced outside the church as
well.

Prior to her foray into playwriting, Thomas says she was inspired to write “Daughter
Denied,” a family saga centering around a precocious 7-year-old girl named Tina
who’s trapped in her mother’s world of co-dependency and addiction. However, it took
10 years of putting ”Daughter Denied” on the shelf and taking it off the shelf
before Thomas ignored her over 100 rejection letters and self published in May of
this year.

“Daughter Denied” has received praise from book clubs across America and has
inspired Thomas to encourage others who have a dream to write to do so.
Thomas concluded her visit at A Brighter Future with hugs, kisses and whispers of
encouragement as she passed out her business cards and urged the women to call her
at anytime.

“I plan to stay in touch with them all,” she said as she wiped tears from her eyes.
“I got more out of this than they did,” she added as she waved what she said would
not be a final goodbye to the women of A Brighter Future.
Pressrelease Submission By PressReleasePoint(www.pressreleasepoint.com)



Web Site: http://www.Daughterdenied.com

Contact Details: Reta Baker
Diverse Arts Collective
Los Angeles, CA
626-858-1907
Alrethat@aol.com
http://www.Daughterdenied.com