Collected Visions of a Skylark Dressed in Black

by Aberjhani

It’s All About the Sharing


The forthcoming publication of Collected Visions of a Skylark Dressed in Black was announced more than a year ago. You can tell from the title that the book is something of a compendium of my works in poetry, basically combining three previously published books: I Made My Boy Out of Poetry, Visions of a Skylark Dressed in Black, and The Bridge of Silver Wings. Taken as a whole, they make up the bulk of my poems written, performed, and published over the past two decades.


So why the long wait for publication? Partly because I have yet to settle on a potential publisher for the title, and, because a potential publisher has yet to settle on it. The other reason is because much of my literary energy over the past year has in fact been dedicated to editing and promoting the works of others. Some might find such a statement odd and wonder why I would take time and effort away from own work to apply to someone else’s. The answer involves something I have always considered a major motivating principle behind America’s celebration of Thanksgiving: it’s all about the sharing.


Individual aesthetic sensibility combined with collective creative vision is what makes moments of literary significance possible. The singular names of authors such as Agatha Christie, Richard Wright, or Salman Rushdie might stand out with personalized intensity for many readers but it doesn’t take much digging around to discover that all at some point required major support to elevate them to the iconic status eventually achieved. For me, the goal has never been so much about attaining such status as it has been about tending to the culture of meaningful literature in all its forms, helping to safeguard its priceless the legacy, and living the brilliant heat of its passionate inspiration. One of the very best way to do all of that is precisely by contributing what one can to the endeavors of others.


That, however, does not leave Collected Visions of a Skylark Dressed in Black in a state of limbo. It means only that the title continues to develop and mature in its own way. And it is in honor of that time-tested process and in the spirit of literary Thanksgiving sharing that I am posting the book with sections from it at this time. Please enjoy it, share the pages, and have a great holiday season,

Aberjhani

First published July 17, 2012

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.”