Aberjhani's Blog: Notes of a 21st Century Digital Scribe, page 5

National Poetry Month 2022: Taking Flight on Wings of Early Morning Light

(“Wings & Poems for Ukraine No. 1” artwork from War in Ukraine series by Aberjhani ©2022) The late Luther E. Vann (Dec 2, 1937–April 6, 2016) and I worked as hard as we did to complete ELEMENTAL, The Power of Illuminated Love, because we hoped the end results would help inspire people to employ healing creative vision, rather than destructive violence, to resolve various forms of conflict. I’ve thought about that a lot since the beginning of Russia’s war in Ukraine. I thought about it furt...

2022 Holiday Letter for a Poet Gone to War: Poem with Video

(“Sunflowers for Poet-Soldiers in Love with Life” digital painting by Aberjhani ©2022) News reporters have logged a lot of stories about native Ukrainians returning to their homeland, or home towns, to defend their country against Vladimir Putin’s invasion. One of the most moving to me is that of ballet dancers who packed their leotards away and began learning how to shoot guns and make Molotov cocktails.

​The dancers reminded me of fellow open mic poets following 9/11. With pens and notebo...

Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Angel of Peace 2022

(“Following Where the Angel Goes 2” tribute art dedicated to the people of Ukraine by Aberjhani © 2022) Before Russia’s launch of the 2022 war in Ukraine, it might have been said Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s weapons of choice in times of disagreement were, by nearly all accounts: humility, eloquence, and a natural charm. American filmmaker David Dodson, who worked for a decade with Zelenskyy on various projects, described him in interview for Business Insider magazine as “the To...

Volodymyr Zelensky and the Angel of Peace 2022

(“Following Where the Angel Goes 2” tribute art dedicated to the people of Ukraine by Aberjhani © 2022) Before Russia’s launch of the 2022 war in Ukraine, it might have been said Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky’s weapons of choice in times of disagreement were, by nearly all accounts: humility, eloquence, and a natural charm. American filmmaker David Dodson, who worked for a decade with Zelensky on various projects, described him in interview for Business Insider magazine as “the Tom ...

Angel of War and the Year 2022

(2022 Digital restoration of detail from Luca Giordano’s 1666 painting “The Fall of the Rebel Angels” by Bright Skylark Literary Productions for Aberjhani) People may not be able to say they weren’t warned weeks in advance about Russia’s intent to invade Ukraine, but that does not lessen the shock of seeing it actually take place on this 24th day of February 2022.  We are not yet a quarter of the way through the 21st century and already, despite our celebrated technological wizardry, it i...

African Americans Far from Home (part 1): In Search of Dreams Deferred

(“Black & Golden Notebook for Histories Previously Erased No. 1” art by Aberjhani ©2022)

“These clients taught me that, no matter one’s ethnicity or cultural background, most people around the world share similar traits or concerns such as money, health, family and love.”
​          ––author Darrell Gartrell

​The African-American identity within the international community is much like a global brand which historically has helped enable the career success of Black U.S. citizens outside th...

Weapons of Choice in Black Americans' Ongoing Battle for Justice and Equality

"The Harlem Renaissance and the Art of Correcting Social Injustice" art poster by Aberjhani.As you can see by the date at its bottom, the first edition of the poster included with this blog entry was created just as the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning to flood America’s, and the world’s, collective healthcare system with its deadly presence. It was a joy to design this at the request of Live Oak Library officials in Savannah, Georgia. But that joy, to a large extent, was then eclipsed by a painf...

Marking a Savannah Milestone

("Road to a Rendezvous with Poetry" art by Aberjhani Copyright 2022) Editors at Time Magazine in July 2021 reached the same conclusion as editors of the Literary Savannah travel anthology in 1998. They decided the city of Savannah, Georgia (USA) was one of the “world’s greatest places” and listed it alongside such frequently-visited locales as: Cannes, France; Seattle, Washington; Arouca, Portugal; KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa; Nuuk, Greenland; and North Goa, India.   
 
Among the distinction...

Conversations with the World 109: Reading Myself All Year Long

"Wonders Quietly on the Way" artwork by Aberjhani) ​Between public issues impacting all of our lives and individual events involving my cultural arts labors,  a lot occurred which different media commentators might have quoted me about in 2021. Take, for example, so far as public matters go, the now historically infamous January 6 Insurrection. Or consider the potential fate of Jalal al-Din Rumi/Balkhi’s hometown following the fall of Kabul, Afghanistan. Other opportunities included statem...

Love Letters to a World Weary of Chaos

(“Love Letters to a World Weary of Chaos” art composite by Aberjhani featuring “Swallow” silhouettes courtesy of Culture Declares Emergency) It’s not necessarily the best way to be and can result in the loss of friendships and other human connections. But some creative artists are known for becoming so absorbed in the flow of creative productivity that they lose sight of everything else until the process slowly eases toward completion. They (we) can only hope that once all the lightning of...