Aberjhani's Blog: Notes of a 21st Century Digital Scribe, page 32

Ben Okri's "Famished Road" Leads to Thrilling Reading Pleasure (Part 1)

Most Americans may remain, for the moment, unfamiliar with the Nigerian-born author Ben Okri, who now makes his home in England, but his reading audience worldwide is one that continues to grow even as he continues to publish commanding works in different genres. It helps as well that his profile has become a familiar one on various social networks. To date, Okri has published some ten books of ...

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Congratulations Winners and Thank You Goodreads

Out of more than 500 entrants, three lucky Goodreads members beat the odds to each win a copy of the newly-released The River of Winged Dreams. It’s my great pleasure and honor to congratulate the following members: Lisa Rodenberry, “Jamie A.” Simpson, and Denise Spinks. I hope you experience as much creative wonder and discovery reading The River of Winged Dreams as I did writing it over the course of the past four years.

I’d like to thank Goodreads for hosting the giveaway and making it so successful. Those who did not win a copy may have learned already via Twitter that another giveaway is already in progress–– this one for a single hardcover gift edition of The River of Winged Dreams. And even if you’re not inclined to enter giveaway competitions, I’m happy to point out that both editions of the book are very affordable.

I appreciate all those who took the time to enter the giveaway competition and hope the book finds its way into your hands soon, either as a gift from a fellow book-lover or possibly through your local library.

Keep reading, sharing, and growing,

Aberjhani

Dear James Baldwin (in lieu of) Dear Barack Obama

Dear Mr. Baldwin- If I were not writing this letter to you as one of my favorite authors, I would probably be writing it to Barack Obama because there is a great deal about him which tends to remind me of a great deal about you. The sentence structures he employs in his memoir, Dreams from My Father , often curve in and out of passages that virtually sing with eloquence and yet, at times, shout ...

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Evolution of a Vision: from Songs of the Angelic Gaze to The River of Winged Dreams

The notion of one powerful dream dying and another rising amidst its ashes was new to me until the life and energy of a dream that for years had empowered my creative endeavors came to an end. I was stunned because while I had accepted the reality of dreamers dying, I had never even considered the possibility that a dream itself could die. After all, it had not collapsed like a physical human ...

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Living Art, Living Poetry: Essay on the Second Anniversary of ELEMENTAL, The Power of Illuminated Love

"Painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen."      --Leonardo da Vinci   There's nothing surprising in the observation that literary artists and visual artists often combine their talents to create works which, when joined together, allow each to transcend possible limitations of the other. The literary artist lends ...

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On Wings of Prose and Poetry

Today's Red Room blog suggestion reminded me that I have been testing theories of individual flight in different literary modes for several years. The first example is from my novel, Christmas When Music Almost Killed the World (which is currently undergoing preparation for the release of a second edition), and the second example is from I Made My Boy Out of Poetry.     RUZAHN GIVES ...

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Black Expo Makes Savannah Debut

Famed actress Nia Long, CNN analyst Roland Martin, and FUBU executive and Crown Holder Jay Alexander Martin shared their interpretations of "The Future of Black America" as part of the first Black Expo held in Savannah, Georgia, April 10, at the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center. In addition to serving as the inaugural Black Expo for Savannah, the event also kicked ...

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Bring on the Poets, Bring on the Jazz

Having nothing at all to do with April Fool's Day, events for both National Poetry and Jazz Appreciation Month got underway across the United States yesterday, April 1, 2010. In Chicago, Nobel Prize winning poet Derek Walcott, whose latest book is White Egrets, helped kick off the poetry side of the month-long celebration with a free reading at the Art Institute of Chicago.  The jazz segment ...

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Pioneer Science Fiction Author Octavia E. Butler

Octavia Estelle Butler achieved the unprecedented feat of winning three major science fiction awards--the Nebula, Hugo, and Locus Awards, all in 1985--before going on in 1995 to also win the MacArthur Foundation Genius Award.  This achievement, in addition to a number of other honors, established Butler as a "grand dame" of science fiction and placed her within the genre on a level ...

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Barack Obama, African-American Legacies, and American Public Policies

While campaigning for the presidency of the United States of America, Barack Obama was often asked why he felt he was qualified for the job and he would answer that, according to supporters and colleagues, he had a gift for building effective coalitions capable of accomplishing difficult tasks. The value of such a talent was proven March 21, 2010, when the House of Representative passed the then ...

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