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300 words on Aberjhani, award-winning book author, poet
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Book author, poet Aberjhani
Name: Aberjhani
Birthdate: July 8, 1957
Birthplace: Savannah, GA, USA
Current Residence: United States of America
Marital Status: Seasonal
Personal Tag Line: Literary Artist of award-winning works in multiple genres.
Genres: American/African-American History, Creative Nonfiction, General Fiction, Paranormal Fiction, Poetry, Journalism.
First Book: I Made My Boy Out of Poetry (1998)
Reason behind Writing:
I write partly because I was born with a creative nature that demands creative expression through literary form, and partly as a means to construct for myself and fellow human beings linguistic perspectives that help make our lives more comprehensible and by extension, hopefully, more enjoyable. One reason I write about Literary Laureates, whether Nobel winners or otherwise, is because many of them have achieved this goal on one scale or another.
Intriguing Q & A:
How do you define your work as a poet?
I’ve recently been working on an introduction for my forthcoming book, Collected Visions of a Skylark Dressed in Black, Poems from 1990 to 2008 (or maybe 2009), and am just now really discovering the different phases of my work through the publication of four volumes. Each phase incorporated elements from the poetry traditions I enjoyed most, those being: the folk-influenced poetry of the Harlem Renaissance and Black Arts Movement, the poetry of the 1950/60s Beat Movement, and the more ancient spiritual traditions of poetry as ecstatic utterance.
My poetry includes elements of these fused together by my individual voice. Put it all together and I guess you’ve got something like a New Millennium Metaphysical Poet. Or maybe a New Millennium Mystical Poet. And by New Millennium I mean 21st Century.
The three greatest literary influences on his fiction and what appeals to him most about each author:
The three greatest literary influences on my fiction are probably Henry Dumas, Toni Morrison, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I read Dumas’ “Ark of Bones” and other stories when a teenager and through his work experienced a magical spiritual realism combined with social realism that I didn’t know was possible to actually write.
I recently read an interview where Amiri Baraka talks with Kalamu ya Salaam about this quality in Dumas’ work and how it influenced other writers, including Morrison. I would have to say that he freed my literary imagination in a way no other writer had until that point.
Toni Morrison writes from some extremely intense historically- and culturally-informed perspectives with a metaphysical depth that is so brilliant and uncanny that she simultaneously inspires awe and motivates effort. I admire Garcia Marquez for the substance and style that he brings to his work; much of it is like the flip side of literary journalism and could possibly be described as journalistic fiction were it not for the “magical” elements involved.
Greatest challenge he faced in finishing his first novel:
The greatest challenge I faced while completing my first novel was recuperating from serving ten years as a full-time caregiver and paying my bills.
Three of His Book Titles: Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance, The American Poet Who Went Home Again, and ELEMENTAL, The Power of Illuminated Love.
Collaboration: Aberjhani collaborated with others on both Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance and ELEMENTAL, The Power of Illuminated Love. He said, "I learned that creative partnerships can be a tremendous blessing and a tremendous challenge."
Education: Half a dozen colleges, universities, professional training institutions, and a life, he says, that is still in progress
Did you know? He once sang with the successful recording group called The Sounds of Blackness while attending Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. And last year he created and started producing a series of visual art works called Postered Poetics.
Primary Website: African-American Art Examiner
Facebook: N/A
Twitter: Aberjhani
MySpace: Aberjhani
Video: Working on that.
Extra links:
Red Room || Amazon Author Page || Creative Thinkers International || AuthorsDen
Aberjhani, if this is your profile and you or your publicist have anything to add or correct, please contact N.A..
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