For almost three decades, from 1995 until 2024, CONNECT SAVANNAH was known as a popular alternative weekly magazine focused on news, the cultural arts, and entertainment with a heavy emphasis on musical happenings in Savannah, Georgia, USA. From 1999 until 2017, author and artist-documentarian Aberjhani appeared in its pages at varying times as a journalist, poet, and subject of various feature articles. Those contributions, examining such issues as war, gender equality, race relations, African American history, and other topics, are particularly significant in light of commemorations of America250. The carousel of news magazine covers and clippings below, and the list of titles beneath it, document those writings, some of which are still accessible online.
As a journalist, he contributed such cover stories as anthropologist Deborah L. Mack’s reinterpretation of African-American life during slavery in the Telfair Museum’s famous Owens-Thomas House, presented readers with a rare portrait of the Pleasants (a family of educators and artist-activists), proposed a solution to the conundrum of modernizing the Confederate Monument in Forsythe Park, and penned other stories spotlighting diverse members of the community.
Below is a year-by-year listing, from the last to the very first, of articles and poems written by him, plus others written about him. It worth noting that the majority of these were written and published while the artist-documentarian was also completing work on the books Visions of a Skylark Dressed in Black, Christmas When Music Almost Killed the World (now titled The Black Skylark zPed Music Player, and The River of Winged Dreams--as well as editing the Civil War Savannah book series.
January 6, 2011: Op-ed with poem by Aberjhani titled A poem for a poet on life and legacy of Clinton D. Powell.
2008
December 15, 2008: Dixie kitchen diva feature article by Aberjhani on Gullah chef and cultural historian Sallie Ann Robinson.
2007
December 26, 2007: “All for the Art”story by Linda Sickler on efforts to publish the artbook ELEMENTAL The Power of Illuminated Love by Luther E. Vann and Aberjhani.
2006
May 17, 2006: Voted Best Poet/ Spoken Word Artist in CONNECT SAVANNAH Best of Savannah 2006: Arts & Entertainment.
May 10, 2006: A legacy less traveled on reinterpretation of the history of the Telfair Museum’s Owens-Thomas House and urban slavery in Savannah, Georgia.
February 8, 2006: Cover story “Not Fading Away” on Black World War II veteran John J. Morrison by Aberjhani.
2005
October 12, 2005: Cover story“Woman to Woman”on the activism of Miriam K. Center and Gail Skye Edeawo by Aberjhani.
January 12, 2005: “VISIONARY”story by Linda Sickler profiling artist Luther E. Vann and documenting Vann’s initial meeting with Aberjhani and beginning of ELEMENTAL The Power of Illuminated Love artbook project.
2004
February 11, 2004: Cover story "All that Jazz: Local Author Aberjhani has Penned a History of the Harlem Renaissance," by Jim Morekis. (While this historic interview is no longer on the CS website, the text of it has been recovered and plans underway to make it available once again, most likely on the 100th Anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance website.)
2002
April 24, 2002: Poem “Gratitudes of a Dozen Roses” by Aberjhani published with story “Coffeehouse Renaissance, Young Poets Spread Spoken Word in Savannah,” Jennifer Prince.
2000
April 14, 2000: Book review “Literary Savannah: From Oglethorpe to Aberjhani” by Rachael Mason.
April 7, 2000: Book review “Local voices resonate in literary journal” by Rachael Mason. Review of 2000 Savannah Literary Journal, which he co-edited and included work by him, Sandra L. West, Anis Mogani, Dufflyn Lammers, Sista V (a.k.a. Vaughnette Goode Walker) Toussaint St. Negritude, and David Hightower among others.
1999
January 29, 1999: “Peace, Love & Blessings… How Aberjhani found worldly consciousness in the heart of his hometown” feature story by Patricia C. Stumb for Connect Savannah.
The editions cited above were all published during Savannahian founder Jim Morekis's tenure as editor of Connect Savannah. Although the news magazine ceased publication August 16, 2024, website administrators continue to list events and host an annual Best of Savannah Readers Poll.