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Author-Poet Aberjhani
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Savannah
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Author-Poet Aberjhani's Discussions
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My Reviews on Amazon
Author-Poet Aberjhani gave 5 stars to: Dream Reachers
Author-Poet Aberjhani reviewed:
Dream Reachers
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
 Blessed by the Company of Dream Reachers, In the end, however, the error would have been mine because Dream Reachers, the surprising new book by Betty Dravis and Chase Von, does indeed serve as literary host to this author and certified legends like Eastwood and Kennedy. What makes Dravis and Von's book work so well is the wide spectrum of personalities and eras presented in their very entertaining book, with Dravis drawing on early-career encounters to showcase a number of bonafide stars and political heavyweights-- while also employing along with Von more recent interviews with "legends in the making." Among the latter are actress/singer Kiara Hunter, entertainment reporter Crystal Myrick, nujazz singer Nhojj, country music star Tanya Tucker, and several dozen more dream chasers who managed to transform hope and determination into measures of achievement and fulfillment. Hopefully, the greater part of my measure is still ahead of me and not behind. The different voices, diverse perspectives, and varied nature of individuals' journeys presented in Dream Reachers make the book as fun as it is inspiring. Here, in closing, is an excerpt from my chat with Chase Von: Chase: How did your time spent in the military [U.S. Air Force] enhance your writing? Aberjhani: Thank you for that question! My time in the military marked my beginnings as a professional writer. I was very fortunate in that I was able to serve as a military journalist/editor with the base public affairs office. And the thing about being a journalist with a weekly deadline in the military is that you learn how to write whether inspired by a particular muse or not. You know there's a job to be done and an entire base population counting on you to get it done because they need the information you're providing--so you do it, period. Chase Von: Your list of awards is astounding! Your name is listed in a byline besides the great W.E.B. Du Bois himself! You have also won the Best Poet and Spoken Word Artist in the 2006 Connect Savannah Readers' Poll. The Poet of The Month January 2007 at THE WRITING FORUM. You're the recipient of the Irene Tromble McAlister Literary Prize! The "Critic's Pick" for "Best Savannah Author" in the CREATIVE LOAFING Entertainment Magazine's "Best of Savannah Year 2000" poll. And you have also been selected for inclusion in CONTEMPORARY AUTHORS (published by Gale), which since 1962 has been the most authoritative reference on World Authors! Did I miss any, and do these things just happen with you putting yourself out there? Or do you have to enter into contests and win to be recognized? Aberjhani: I don't enter literary contests because I tend not to win them [laughs]. The awards that have come my way--including the CHOICE Academic Title and Best History Book awards--have all been bestowed by people and organizations who decided that my work provided something valuable for the reading public and for that reason deserved greater recognition. But I have to tell you that I received my greatest award when I gave a presentation for the Poetry Society of Georgia. It's the oldest literary organization in the state and many of its members at that time were senior poets who used to joke about needing `new blood' to stay alive, so they were happy when I was an active younger member. Anyway, after my presentation, I got a standing ovation which by itself was deeply moving. But then this one poet (the great Patricia Robinson King) who at the time I think was almost 80, sitting in the front row, looked at me and said, "I don't usually stand because these old legs of mine make it difficult, but I'm going to stand for you." I shook my head and said, "Oh please don't," because she used a walker and I knew it was painful for her. She couldn't clap her hands because she was holding onto her walker but that great poet insisted on standing and nodding to acknowledge her approval of my work. I cried over that for a year. Aberjhani author of Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance (Facts on File Library of American History) and The American Poet Who Went Home Again |
Author-Poet Aberjhani gave 4 stars to: You Are A Genius
Author-Poet Aberjhani reviewed:
You Are A Genius
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
 Poet David Coney's Inspiring Journey through Grace and Genius, Considering his professional background in electronic engineering technology, it would have been understandable--maybe even expected--if Coney had chosen to present his readers with a book filled with the kind of dense imagery and cryptic metaphors that provide some poets' work with its literary flavor and texture. The Savannah-born author, who now makes his home in Atlanta, chose instead to draw on inspiration derived from his days as a youth growing up in public housing; as well as from his experiences as an adult surveying the nature of personal relationships, and the spiritual and social conditions of individual human beings. As poets often do, Coney takes us inside the nuances and lessons of romance in such poems as "Midnight Interlude," Love You Down," and "No Time for Love." However, in poems like "Femininity," "Sacrifice," and "Grace," he goes beyond the romantic to honor the lives and contributions of women. In "Grace" in particular, he explores the deeper consequences of what he sees happening to the souls of women forced to shoulder the full weight of family households when their spouse are either absent, or otherwise disengaged: "...With the absence of man, she becomes what is needed/ Her softness takes a back seat, because she will not be defeated..." A similar and yet different message comes through in "Freedom." Ironically and surprisingly enough, the great prize this poem offers is not a treasure of wealth, sexual acrobatics, or political power and influence. His is a somewhat enigmatic mystical offering in the form of personal liberation: "...For the first time you can enjoy your rhythm/ Enjoy your flow without any criticism/ You are now witnessing my perfect evening/ I'll give you what you want; it's called freedom." Among the most compelling values that Coney champions in his work are expressions of gratitude for positive influences in his life and remembrances of simpler--as in less technology- and fear-dominated times--framed in postcard stanzas. One such acknowledgment may be found in "People of the Soil," a heartfelt homage to Savannah State University (an Historically Black College/University (HBCU) that opened doors to higher learning for America's minorities at a time when many others would not). Likewise, "What I Remember about Fellwood Homes" is Coney's tribute to a childhood that clearly was not impoverished by life in public housing, but enriched by a daily culture that fed the poet's mind, body, and spirit: "...I remember women mixing up starch to put on their doilies/ I remember drinking powdered milk/ I remember the smell of McWillie's boiling crabs/...I remember making lifelong friends." Some of the references in "What I Remember about Fellwood Homes" are so specific that only those who share Coney's memories can appreciate the full significance of the lines (which in fact was demonstrated during Coney's reading at The Book Lady Bookstore in May 2009 when former neighborhood residents attended and joined Coney in a call and response as they added their own memories to the lines of his poem). Yet, at the same time, the flow of his nostalgia at moments is so lyrically sweeping that it transcends the restrictions of geographic or personal boundaries and achieves the welcomed warmth of human universality. Moreover, this particular poem is historically significant because the housing project Coney writes about was once Savannah's oldest but in recent years was demolished. It has now been replaced by "sustainable Fellwood," a modern environmentally-friendly project designed to accommodate both low and moderate income families. The seventy-five poems that comprise YOU ARE A GENIUS accumulated over a period of some twenty years. That means the degrees of intensity and angles of perspective they reflect can sometimes fluctuate and flutter like butterfly wings of unfolding time. Each poem is a quiet marvel unto itself, the lines and syllables illuminated by wisdom and compassion from the heart of one generation and presented with love to the soul of the next. by Aberjhani author of The American Poet Who Went Home Again and Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance (Facts on File Library of American History) |
Author-Poet Aberjhani gave 5 stars to: Moon Charleston and Savannah (Moon Handbooks)
Author-Poet Aberjhani reviewed:
Moon Charleston and Savannah (Moon Handbooks)
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
A Fun and Informative Guide to the Coastal Southeast, It is doubtful there's another writer around who could have done this timely and precise guide to Savannah quite as much justice as Jim Morekis has. From his work as a former editor for the now defunct Savannah Creative Loafing, to a notable stint at the Savannah News Press, and now as editor-in-chief of Connect Savannah, he has come to know the ins and outs of his native Southeast to a degree that few people do. That extensive knowledge and intimate familiarity with the area serve him and readers extremely well in Moon Charleston and Savannah. Take, for example, the simple fact that he provides would-be visitors to Savannah with a wealth of insights both on how to reach it as well as how to get around and thoroughly enjoy its food, entertainment, special events, and rich cultural diversity once they arrive. Included in the sports' department is a true insider's guide to a "Kayaker's Paradise." Moreover, Morekis' writing is a pleasurable experience in itself. Note the excited and informative manner with which he describes the impact of Charleston upon one's contemporary senses: "What may surprise you the most about this incredibly historic city is how alive it is, how young in spirit despite the length of its chronology." This 350-page guide is one which natives of Georgia's and South Carolina's great coastal cities, and tourists to it alike, can learn from, utilize, and generally treasure for a very long time to come. by Aberjhani author of The American Poet Who Went Home Again and ELEMENTAL: The Power of Illuminated Love |
Author-Poet Aberjhani gave 5 stars to: The Shadow of the Wind
Author-Poet Aberjhani reviewed:
The Shadow of the Wind
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
The Shadow of the Wind and the Power of Carlos Ruiz Zafon's Literary Magic, It would be easy to say that THE SHADOW OF THE WIND, at its core, is a compelling historical drama that explores the mystery of why someone is making it his business to seek out and destroy the final remaining copies of books by a writer who never achieved much success with them in the first place. But that would be too much of an understatement and far too inaccurate. The story begins when an antiquarian bookseller introduces his ten-year-old son, Daniel Sempere, to "The Cemetery of Forgotten Books," a gargantuan warehouse of seemingly endless shelves of books no longer read and in danger of eternal obscurity. Daniel is allowed to wander through the corridors and choose a book that he must "adopt," and promise "that it will never disappear, that it will always stay alive." He chooses The Shadow of the Wind, written by Julián Carax, and with that one choice his life changes forever. In addition to falling in love with the novel, Daniel also falls in love with the mystery behind the life of the man who wrote it. Far from being the celebrated author that he presumes Carax is, Daniel learns that despite the brilliance of his work and the fact that he published as least three novels, Carax is about as uncelebrated and obscure as a writer can get. Even Daniel's father, who owns the bookshop where Daniel works with him, knows nothing about the author, despite the fact that he apparently was born in their very own hometown. Daniel's fascination with Carax seems peculiar because he is only ten when he reads The Shadow of the Wind, described as "a ghostly odyssey in which the protagonist struggled to recover his lost youth, and in which the shadow of a cursed love slowly surfaced to haunt him until his last breath." But whether the boy's fascination is weird or not, it develops over the next decade into a full-blown obsession that impacts every aspect of his life, and evolves even beyond that into something more like divine destiny. The Shadow of the Wind (Zafón's novel, not Carax's) is set in mid-1900s Barcelona, Spain, with flashbacks to earlier days and visits to Paris as well. With its sometimes brooding dark skies, rich cultural landscape, and classic architecture, the setting includes elements of the Gothic that serve Zafón's story well. In fact, from the moment readers walk with Daniel into the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, we enter a labyrinth, which following pages reveal as a major motif and literary technique applied throughout this absorbing masterwork. Daniel's description of Carax's novel turns out to be an accurate one of Zafón's as well: "Step by step the narrative split into a thousand stories, as if it had entered a gallery of mirrors, its identity fragmented into endless reflections." With each year that passes as Daniel grows from boyhood into adolescence and young adulthood, he collects an assortment of clues about Carax and meets a number of characters worthy of supporting roles in a novel by Charles Dickens or Ralph Ellison. A beautiful blind woman who breaks his heart, a homeless man who becomes his best friend, a corrupt policeman who becomes his worst enemy, and a reclusive author who takes on the identity of one of his own most terrifying characters: these are just a few of the people who come to play definitive roles in his quest to solve the enigma known as Julián Carax. Each has a story that guides the reader into one branch of the novel's labyrinth even as it leads you into the next. We also begin to see the "endless reflections" hinted at in the above quote as Daniel discovers scenes and developments within his life beginning to mirror those in Carax's. Just as characters in a New Millennium novel might do, those in The Shadows of the Wind sometimes debate the prophesized demise of literature due to the development of technology. In contemporary times, educators and parents debate the popular tendency to access information via the Internet rather than acquire knowledge via the study of books; in the era of Daniel Sempere and Julián Carax, those who took their daily instructions for living from the printed word questioned the impact of such innovations as the radio, movies, and television. When Daniel asks his friend Fermn whether he likes the cinema, he describes it as, "...a way of feeding the mindless and making them even more stupid. ...The cinema began as an invention for entertaining the illiterate masses. Fifty years on, it's much the same." Then he experiences a silver-screen epiphany in the form of Hollywood bombshell Carole Lombard and gains a deeper, albeit mostly erotic, appreciation for what he calls "the seventh art." It makes you wonder what Fermn might have to say in this day and age when so many classics of literature, in addition to the ultra-modern graphic novel, have been successfully adapted to film. If this novel truly is a triumph of the storyteller's art as many have described it, then it is also one of the literary translator's art. The original Spanish edition, titled La Sombra del Viento, came out in 2001, and translator Lucia Grave's English version was published in 2004. Since then, Zafón's work in general has been translated into more than forty languages and The Shadow of the Wind in particular has sold 12 million copies plus around the globe. One has to give props to the translators because, experts or not, it had to prove considerably challenging to capture the finer nuances of the author's style, the subtleties of his humor, and the quiet brilliance of his universality. by Aberjhani author of The American Poet Who Went Home Again and ELEMENTAL: The Power of Illuminated Love |
Author-Poet Aberjhani gave 5 stars to: The Immoralist (Penguin Classics)
Author-Poet Aberjhani reviewed:
The Immoralist (Penguin Classics)
| Love and Evil Collide in Andre Gide's THE IMMORALIST, One of great surprises when reading French author Andre Gide's classic novel, THE IMMORALIST, is discovering the light it shines on the study of balanced and imbalanced demands sometimes made on women within the context of marriage. The novel is largely the story of Michel, a man who emerges from a long bout with tuberculosis only to realize that he is a social clone who now yearns for a more individual identity and complete life. Illness generally provides the framework for transformation and the study of loyalty in The Immoralist. The first part of the book finds Michel suffering gravely from tuberculosis and his wife, Marceline, battling triumphantly to save him. However, once Marceline contracts the same disease, Michel becomes too enchanted with his own evolving consciousness to save his wife's life as she did his. With this single brilliant stroke of irony, Gide poses a number questions still challenging for men and women to contemplate. Namely, are the qualities inherent in a woman's love necessarily more capable of sustaining life than those inherent in a man's? And if so, why? Moreover, what personal sacrifices or changes must men make in order to generate a more life-affirming sensibility? What are the likely consequences--social, individual, political, spiritual--if men fail? And mostly, to what degree, and why, do women so often participate in their own oppression? The element of mysticism in The Immoralist is subtle but significant, with Oscar Wilde, in the form of the character named "Menalque," providing encouragement to live beyond established social restraints. The Immoralist abounds with the kind of literary, historical, and philosophical allusions that by 1917 had convinced numerous admirers that Gide was a prophet for the 20th century. It also demonstrates why his Nobel Prize-winning voice still commands attention all over the world in the 21st century. by Author-Poet Aberjhani author of Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance (Facts on File Library of American History) and ELEMENTAL: The Power of Illuminated Love |
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A Place Called Hitch Village and the Federal Economic Stimulus Package
Artist drawing of Hitch Village, courtesy of Savannah Morning News, circa 1957.
As a home to more than 200 families, Robert M. Hitch Village is the largest government housing project in Savannah, Georgia, and just happens to be the place where this particular author… Continue
Posted on April 13, 2009 at 3:47pm —
My Weekend with Two Poets
Those of us––whether writers, editors, or production personnel––who long ago cast our professional lot with the publishing industry, know that it can be as volatile and unpredictable as any other. Unless you are sitting on a stack of raving reviews for a bestseller (or at least a moderate seller) on its way to a tenth printing and adaptation to a major film, the crucial motivation to stick to one’s literary guns can sometimes simply vanish and leave you floundering for reasons and means to carry… Continue
Posted on January 27, 2009 at 2:17pm —
Profile Information
- Hometown:
- Savannah, Georgia, USA
- About Me and My Book:
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View my profile on Creative Thinkers International
Of the seven books I have had published to date, my most influential is the ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE and the title rapidly catching up with it is ELEMENTAL, The Power of Illuminated Love. September 2008 marked the fifth anniversary of the publication of "Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance" (with Sandra L. West, Facts On File Publishing) and the strength of its impact is evident both from the number of works that cite it as a reference source and from ongoing reviews.
RECENT PUBLISHED WORKS
--"There upon a Bough of Hope and Audacity" poem in Savannah Tribune in honor of Inauguration Day 2009.
--The American Poet Who Went Home Again, book of creative nonfiction and literary journalism.
--May 2008, ELEMENTAL, The Power of Illuminated Love (with Luther E. Vann) a gift book of art and poet.
--March 2008, poem “Angel of Hope’s Persistent Flight,” in Poets’ Picturebook Ezine.
--Dec 2007, book of poetry titled THE BRIDGE OF SILVER WINGS.
--November 2007, novel CHRISTMAS WHEN MUSIC ALMOST KILLED THE WORLD (Black Skylark Singing Press)
--September 2007, Launched Creative Thinkers International web site.
--September 2007, Featured Poet in SMOKING POET Ezine.
--July 2007, poem "In Regard to A Poet's Birthday" published in MISSISSIPPI CROW Magazine Summer edition.
--July 2007, foreword for the novel "Blood Kin, A Savannah Story" by Robert T.S. Mickles Sr.
--July 2007, the poems "Angel of War," "Angel of Peace," and "Holiday Letter for a Poet Gone to War" all published in POETRY LIFE AND TIMES online edition.
--June 2007, poem "My One Favorite City," published in ESSENCE Magazine.
--May 2007, extended article THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE WAY DOWN SOUTH, published as an Amazon Short on Amazon.com.
--March 2007, poem "Sunrise Elegy" published in MISSISSIPPI CROW Spring 2007 edition.
--February 2007, three poems published in POETRY LIFE AND TIMES: "American Widow: Song for Coretta Scott King"; "Angel of Hope's Persistent Flight"; and "Jigged and Jagged and Sanity Be Damned."
--December 2006, essay "The Bridge and the Monument: A Tale of Two Legacies" published on Writing Junkie.net.
MEDIA COVERAGE
--March 2008, novel “Blood Kin, A Savannah Story,” featuring a foreword by Aberjhani, hit number four on ESSENCE Magazine Best Sellers List.
--7 March, 2008, featured in news article “A Taxi Writer” in Savannah Morning News.
--12 January, 2008, subject of feature article “Words and Paint” in Savannah Morning News.
--2 December, 2007, “Chase Von Interviews Aberjhani” for the online Student Operated Press.
--Spring 2007, interview with Randall Barfield featured in online ezine POETRY LIFE AND TIMES.
--February 2007, photo featured in "Preview Magazine" feature commemorating exhibit of art by Sam Gilliam at the Telfair Museum in Savannah, Georgia.
PRESENTATIONS, HONORS, & PERFORMANCES
--February 2008, presented with membership in the Telfair Museum’s Friends of African-American Arts Committee in Savannah, Georgia.
---Fall 2007, Featured Poet in the Smoking Poet Ezine.
--April 2007, joined the Academy of American Poets.
--January 2007, named The Writing Forum Poet of the Month.
--January 2007, presented anonymous sponsorship for Black Skylark Z-Ped Music Player web site on Authors Den.
--May 2006, named "Savannah Poet and Spoken Word Artist of the Year 2006" in CONNECT SAVANNAH Readers' Poll.
--October 19, 2005, joined The Authors Guild, Inc., and The Authors League of America, Inc.
--December 5, 2004, “Let The Arts Speak” Literary Cafe at Savannah State University, sponsored by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Awarded Certificate of Appreciation.
--August 28, 2004, “Significance of the Harlem Renaissance in Savannah” at Carnegie Library, Savannah, Georgia.
--September 25, 2003, “Celebration of the Book Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance” at Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey.
--November 1998, performance poet for Black Heritage Festival at Johnny Mercer Theater in Savannah, Georgia.
--April 11-13, 1997, performance poet at Valdosta State University Writers’ Conference, Valdosta, Georgia.
--April 25, 1996, literary performance for National Poetry Month Festival at Books on Bay Bookstore, Savannah, Georgia.
--1996 executive board member and critics committee chairperson for the Poetry Society of Georgia.
--October 18, 1995, “Portrait of a Poet” lecture and performance for the Poetry Society of Georgia in Savannah.
--May 17, 1995, "An Evening With Aberjhani," performance and lecture sponsored by Savannah State University Writers' Club.
- Website:
- http://www.authorsden.com/Aberjhani
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Great sharing the joy of knowing there are people like you around.
It takes a man of creative genius to do poem, for if your mind is not
clear; then your ability to receive a message is distorted.
It was good joining you on the Creative Thinkers International.
Good Stuff... Colin.
You Were Created to Succeed!
Bert Martinez
www.bertmartinez.com
Scribblers’ Retreat Writers’ Conference 2009
Literacy is our purpose.
Fulfilling dreams is our goal.
www.scribblersretreatwritersconference.com
@ Sea Palms Resort, St. Simons Island, Georgia
February 12-15, 2009 – Elizabeth Blahnik, Ernest Gilbert, Pam Mueller, Kathy Kerr, Maggie Toussaint, Dr. Jim Outlaw, Lee Carter, Millie Wilcox, Monica Simmons, Roger Pinckney
May 14-17, 2009 –Dickie Anderson (F), Ed Ginn, Ervin Williams, Holly McClure, Cappy Rearick, Harlan Hambright, Constance Daley, Bud Hearn, Mary Wagner, William Rawlings
August 13-16, 2009 – “SciFi, Fantasy, Mystery, Inspirational”
November 12-15, 2009 – “Novels, Short Stories, etc”
Scribblers’ Retreat is a non-profit organization established with the goal of reaching writers of all ages; to inspire and promote their hidden gifts and talents.
By involving the local community, authors, publishers, editors, journalists and all forms of the literary world, we are opening their minds and bringing hope where there was doubt.
Scribblers’ Retreat is not the typical classroom setting. It was designed to bring world-class authors, literature professors, editors, journalists, illustrators, photo journalists, proofreaders, publishers, publicists, screenplay writers, and website/graphic designers, etc. one-on-one with young and old alike. It is the opportunity of a lifetime for someone who has had a manuscript in a desk drawer for 40 years or who has an outstanding poem that simply must be read.
Scribblers’ Retreat Writers’ Conference
Where “can’t” is not in our vocabulary.
For more information:
Jeanie Pantelakis
Co-director
Scribblers' Retreat Writers' Conference
1-800-996-2904
912-230-2207
cpantelakis@gmail.com
Check out my latest blog post to read about my newest cover design, read the latest book review and find out how to attend my first book signing for the JGDS (Junior Geography Detective Squad) children's mystery state book series (signing as illustrator of course).
Here is the cover for the second book in the series just to tempt you further...
Isn't my job cool?
Aidana WillowRaven
www.WillowRavenIllustration.com
IM: willowraven.illustration
Visit Black Author Showcase
It's another great literary site with an active spec fiction/horror group, check it out.
Also, don't forget to ask about our affordable payment plans- beginning with as little as $99 down!
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Info@DeNovoPub.com
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