Bright Skylark News Notes

News Release: Aberjhani Explores Mysteries of Creative Metaphysics in Latest Title

7/31/2025

"Reflections of the Shadow of Rose" original concept mixed media art by Aberjhani available for purchase on Fine Art America, Pixels.com, and Bright Skylark Literary Productions.

Savannah, Georgia (July 31, 2025) -- In Songbirds and Roses, his third Kindle eBook release in less than a year, Savannah author, poet, and artist Aberjhani shares a remarkable story about how an invasion of birds eventually served as a catalyst for a chain of uncommon celebrated events. Released on July 21, 2025, the eBook is currently scheduled to be offered as a free download in the Amazon Kindle Store from August 1-4, 2025.

In addition, artwork corresponding with the release the new book is now available for purchase on his Fine Art America and Pixels.com Websites. The book is currently number 1 in the category of Vision/Metaphysical Books on AuthorsDen.

“What I personally like about this story is that it actually happened and the real-life narrative is continuing to unfold on its own terms," said Aberjhani. “There’s no way I could have known that something I first thought of as private poetic inspiration would evolve over a period of years into a lot more involving music and museum proposals.”

The book’s subtitle, “The Unusual Life Story of an Unusual Poem,” provides something of a clue about what readers can expect from its contents. It would make sense to think the word “Poem” is a typo and should be “Poet,” except it is not.

Songbirds and Roses hit number 1 in the category of Vision/Metaphysical Books on AuthorsDens in the first week of its release.

Mysteries of the creative mind have long intrigued scientists, supporters of the arts, and creative artists themselves. With Songbirds and Roses, Aberjhani provides a blended-genre narrative that serves all at once as a case study, a metaphysical mystery, and an important testimony on why the work of creative-minded individuals matters during the more disparaging periods of our shared history.

Earlier in 2025, the author-poet-artist demonstrated his strategic approach of addressing the impact of public issues upon private lives with the release of two Kindle eBook titles: Greeting Flannery O’Connor at the Back Door of My Mind, and Democratic Dilemmas and Divine Inspiration. The latter in particular showcased his preference for combining provocative art with compelling prose. It also highlighted his style of literary activism as applied to address authoritarian policies of the second Trump administration and promote humanitarian values and practices.

Bright Skylark News Notes
Covering all creative cultural arts happenings at Bright Skylark Literary Productions

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‘Chronicling Legacies’ Commemorates 8th Anniversary of ELEMENTAL and Life of Artist Vann

5/17/2016

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Postered Poetics graphic for "The Jazz Factor: Chronicling legacies of black artists in Savannah (part 3 of 3)" essay celebrating life of Luther E. Vann and ekphrasis art & poetry book: Elemental the Power of Illuminated Love.

May 29, 2016, marks the 8th anniversary of the publication of Elemental, the Power of Illuminated Love, which made its public debut at the Telfair Museum Jepson Center for the Arts in Savannah, Georgia (USA). In honor of that event and as a tribute to the one-of-a-kind ekphrasis book’s co-creator, the late Luther E. Vann, a 3-part essay series has been posted in author Aberjhani’s national cultural arts column hosted on the Anschutz Company’s Digital Clarity Group Examiner platform.

The first installment of the essay features a video on the collection of African-American art housed at the Telfair Museum and Jepson Center for the Arts in Savannah. The second part includes a video of contemporary African-American artists discussing the different racial and professional barriers they had to overcome while developing their craftsmanship. The third presents footage on the life and music of jazz pianist Thelonious Monk, whose creative aesthetics inspired Vann in his pursuits.

Lastly, posted with each installment is an original Postered Poetics art title graphic by Aberjhani. Each art graphic is representative of different aspects of Vann’s creative strategies and practices. Readers can enjoy the separate installments, such the third featured at the top of this post, or the first or second below, by clicking on the corresponding image:

Postered Poetics art graphic for "History and Erasure: Chronicling Legacies of Black Artists in Savannah (1/3)" essay by Aberjhani on histories of erasure and African-American Artists.

Postered Poetics art graphic for "Laureates and Visionaries: Chronicling Legacies of Black Artists in Savannah (part 2/3)" essay by Aberjhani commemorating 8th anniversary of publication of Elemental the Power of Illuminated Love.

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'Elemental' Artist Vann Wins Telfair Museum 2015 Juneteenth Artist of the Year Award

12/14/2015

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Artist Luther E. Vann, co-creator of the ekphrasis book of art and poetry ELEMENTAL The Power of Illuminated Love. (photo by Richard Burkhart)

One of the top stories of 2015 was when when the internationally-acclaimed artist Luther E. Vann won the Telfair Museum Juneteenth Artist of the Year Award on June 13 at the Jepson Center for the Arts in Savannah, Georgia.

The award was presented as part of the museum’s observation of the 150th anniversary of Juneteenth. The annual event is celebrated in communities throughout the United States in recognition of both the official end of slavery in America upon the announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, and the date of June 19, 1865, when slaves in Galveston, Texas, learned for the first time that they had been freed two and a half years earlier.

Cultural historian and tour guide Vaughnette Good-Walker, who has been organizing Juneteenth Jubilee celebrations in Savannah for nearly a decade, noted that it is particularly appropriate for residents of the city to participate in the celebrations. Savannah, she pointed out, is where Civil War General William T. Sherman issued Special Field Order No. 15 to offer newly-freed African Americans a form of reparation commonly referred to as “40 Acres and a Mule.” Goode-Walker might well have added that just a few blocks east of where she spoke was Wright Square, where sales of slaves used to take place every month in Savannah

A Portrait of the Artist

In her comments on why Vann was chosen as the Telfair Museum’s Juneteenth Artist of Year, Goode-Walker noted his innovative use of unconventional tools (such as chopsticks) to create some of his most striking paintings. “How many of you know artists who could pull that off?” she asked. Goode-Walker also pointed that Vann, who grew up in both Savannah and New York City, is among only a handful of living artists who studied his craft with such renowned Harlem Renaissance talents as Charles Alston and others of the famous period (now approaching its 100th anniversary).

Following her own remarks, Goode-Walker turned the microphone over to members of the audience who wished to share personal stories about the impact of the artist’s work on their lives. Noted radio personality Ike Carter (of Savannah State University’s WHCJ radio station) told how Vann had expressed to him that one of the reasons he felt he could remain in Savannah, after moving back to the city in the early 1990s, was that he had heard Carter play music by the famed jazz pianist Thelonious Monk. Retired educator Julie Rittmeyer spoke of working with Vann on a quilting project for which the artist’s work was chosen for a special exhibition.

Screenshot showing "ELEMENTAL The Power of Illuminated Love" among to top-selling gift books of ekphrasis art & poetry.

While commenters shared stories about Vann, a power-point presentation of his work showed on the screen behind them. Most were from the artist’s book of visual works with ekphrastic poetry titled ELEMENTAL the Power of Illuminated Love. Among these were several canvases currently owned by the Telfair Museum of Art.

In addition to those who spoke about Vann, distinguished audience members included fellow artist Amiri Geuka Farris (who was also on hand for a demonstration of his own notable genius) the celebrated percussionist David Pleasant, artist Suzanne Jackson, artist Jerome Meadows, cultural arts advocate Gwen Glover Starks, and numerous others.

Vann himself, then 77, had been battling a persistent illness for the past two years and was unable to attend the award presentation. Jepson Center officials announced that for this reason they would deliver it after the program to his home in West Savannah. However, they did display the engraved crystal plaque long enough for the audience to view and take photos of it.

Program Participants

The complete Juneteenth celebration at the Jepson Center for the Arts lasted for a solid entertainment-filled three hours. Among the headliners was Mitchell G. Capel, also known as “Gran’Daddy Junebug,” celebrated for his powerful interpretations of poems by Paul Laurence Dunbar and for his original tribute poetry commemorating Barack Obama’s presidency.

Luther E. Vann Telfair Museum Juneteenth Artist of the Year 2015. (image copyright Bright Skylark Literary Productions)

Cultural preservationist Queen Quet, acknowledged as the “Chieftess of the Gullah Geechee Nation,” performed a story of Juneteenth liberation in her native Gullah dialect. The director of Geechee Kunda, Jim Bacote, gave a presentation on the Geechee culture in the state of Georgia. And Dr. Amir Jamal Toure, known on stage as “The African Spirit” shared little-known historical facts about African Americans from Savannah who have made substantial contributions to local and national history.

2015 Bright Skylark Literary Productions

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News Release: Aberjhani Explores Mysteries of Creative Metaphysics in Latest Title

Bright Skylark News Notes
Covering all creative cultural arts happenings at Bright Skylark Literary Productions

Contact Bright Skylark Literary Productions

‘Chronicling Legacies’ Commemorates 8th Anniversary of ELEMENTAL and Life of Artist Vann

'Elemental' Artist Vann Wins Telfair Museum 2015 Juneteenth Artist of the Year Award

A Portrait of the Artist

Program Participants

Archives

Categories

News Release: Aberjhani Explores Mysteries of Creative Metaphysics in Latest Title

Bright Skylark News NotesCovering all creative cultural arts happenings at Bright Skylark Literary Productions

Contact Bright Skylark Literary Productions

‘Chronicling Legacies’ Commemorates 8th Anniversary of ELEMENTAL and Life of Artist Vann

'Elemental' Artist Vann Wins Telfair Museum 2015 Juneteenth Artist of the Year Award

A Portrait of the Artist

Program Participants

Archives

Categories

Bright Skylark News Notes
Covering all creative cultural arts happenings at Bright Skylark Literary Productions