I Made My Boy Out of Poetry

by Aberjhani

With some 50 poems, 5 stories, and 1 creative nonfiction story, I MADE MY BOY OUT OF POETRY is a powerful literary vision of rare scope, beauty and emotional intensity. Stories and poems flow in and out of each other like the most lucid and articulate of dreams.

These are portraits and studies of individual souls attempting to make peace with an awareness of themselves as beings more spiritual than material in a world given largely to the latter. This book offers an amazing journey through the heart and soul of a modern seeker of visions.

Genres: Poetry, Fiction

116 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Long-time advocate of principles and programs associated with PEN American Center and the Academy of American Poets. My newest books are: These Black and Blue Red Zone Days, Greeting Flannery O'Connor at the Back Door of My Mind, and Dreams of the Immortal City Savannah. Other titles include: Songs from the Black Skylark zPed Music Player, Journey through the Power of the Rainbow Quotations from a Life Made Out of Poetry, Visions of a Skylark Dressed in Black; and THE RIVER OF WINGED DREAMS. In addition,the year 2018 marks the 10th anniversary of ELEMENTAL The Power of Illuminated Love with the artist Luther E. Vann.

My work as a visual artist can be found at: https://pixels.com/profiles/posteredc...

I'm currently working on several important projects, including a second edition of The American Poet Who Went Home Again. In addition, I have had the honor of serving as an editor for the Civil War Savannah Book Series published in commemoration of the 150th Anniversary of the American Civil War. The first title in the series is Savannah Immortal City published February 1, 2011; and the second is Brokers Bankers and Bay Lane Inside the Savannah Slave Trade.

I don't recall a time since adolescence when I have not been involved in a deep relationship with writing, reading, and other forms of creative expression, which is why I remained so deeply involved with Creative Thinkers International for many years.

In addition to the honor of being a Goodreads author, I'm an advocate of initiatives sponsored by PEN America, the American Academy of Poets, Authors on Google +, and other verb-oriented communities.

Prior to joining any of the above, I was born in Savannah, Georgia, eventually left to attend colleges around the country, and served in the U.S. Air Force for 8 years total.

I lucked out and got so furiously inspired in the course of producing some of my work that folks were kind enough to give me awards for it. These include the CONNECT SAVANNAH 2006 Readers Poll for Best Poet and Spoken Word Artist; the Choice Academic Title Award for "Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance," (co-authored by Sandra L. West); the Thomas Jefferson Journalism Award; and the Freedom Foundation essay competition bronze medal.

The year 2007 marked my 10th publishing works in ESSENCE Magazine. I'm particularly happy about the fact that my "Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance" was listed by Black Issues Book Review as one of its “essential reference books for the home library.”

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Autographed review copy kindly provided by author and GR friend, Aberjhani.

This little volume, Aberjhani's first, is brash, bold and daring. The structure is, for me, unusual as it offers a mixture of genres. There are several clusters of poems, each dealing with certain themes and images. These are interspersed with short stories which are strange and mystical, tending toward the bizarre and sometimes even displaying a sort of--how shall I put this?--black humour.

The first poetry cluster deals with the body and with rivers, as well as the flow of language. The second cluster looks at the poet as a black man, rooted in a geographical location (Savannah, Georgia) and in the often turbulent history of his family. The third looks at the poet as connected to his nation, but also at his ties to both Europe and Africa. The fourth cluster seems dominated by light and the fifth looks at the poet as poet.

This is not to suggest that themes and motifs are limited to one particular section. The whole book (not just the poetry) is imbued with a powerful spirituality. This is expressed through nature, through light, through the body and through human sexuality.

The short stories seem to feature solitary people who are sometimes attached to one place (the narrator of "Company for Melissa") but more often wanderers (the protagonist of "Elijah's Skin"; Thorndeaux in "Shadows and Prayers and Light") . They have odd powers, and even when their intentions are good (which is not always the case), they can be dangerous. Though some are likeable and sympathetic, others are more abrasive in their dealings with those around them. Sometimes this effect is fully intended; other times it is not.

Finally, Aberjhani is a writer who takes his inspiration from various religions, cultures and writers. For example, one can sense the influence of American poets such as Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes. There is Christian imagery, but also a taste of Persian and Arab culture. And there are probably more influences which I haven't detected. Aberjhani's vivid style makes a powerful impression. But more importantly, he writes as one who is aware of where he comes from and of his function as a writer.

[L. Farmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Local author I worked with for awhile at Media Play, a division of Musicland Corporation, which sadly went out of business. They used to own all the Suncoast video stores in malls across America, and all the Sam Goody music stores in malls across America... you remember the good old days when we had plenty of retail stores in malls, and retail workers in America. I blame Jeff Bezos, Target & Walmart Corp. Terrible what they're doing. Don't be surprised when all the Walmarts start disappearing.

I like Aberjhani.

[Aberjhani · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://www.amazon.com/made-my-boy-out...

[rana milano]

hello how are you?