Bright Skylark Literary Productions
  • Bright Skylark Literary Productions Sitemap
  • Author Statement
    • Blog: Visionary Vibes >
      • Aberjhani - Author Biography
      • Bright Skylark News Notes
      • Blog: Cultural Arts Reviews and Remembrances
      • Blog: Sonic Delight Music Reviews >
        • Summer-Song Rhapsody for Michael Jackson: Editorial with Poem
      • Shifting Points of View and the Massacre in Charleston, South Carolina (USA) >
        • Author-Poet Aberjhani in the News
      • 7 Ways to Help Replace Legislated Fear with Informed Compassion
    • Greeting Flannery O'Connor at the Back Door of My Mind >
      • Tribute to Savannah Author Robert T.S. Mickles Sr.
    • Dreams of the Immortal City Savannah >
      • Podcast Prospects 504
      • More Books by Aberjhani >
        • Readers & Reviewers on the Writings of Aberjhani
        • Checking in at Goodreads
        • Editing Credits
        • ELEMENTAL: The Power of Illuminated Love (Art and Poetry Gift Book)
        • The River of Winged Dreams
        • The Wisdom of W.E.B. Du Bois
        • Songs from the Black Skylark zPed Music Player: A Novel by Aberjhani
        • I Made My Boy Out of Poetry
        • Journey through the Power of the Rainbow: Quotations from a Life Made Out of Poetry
        • Buy Books by Aberjhani on Amazon
        • 10th Anniversary of Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance
  • AI Literary Chat Salon
  • Carousel of Sustainable Compassion
  • Working Scribe Carousel Number 2
    • Awards & Honors
    • My LinkedIn Portfolio Sampler
    • Pop Icon Michael Jackson in Life & Legend
    • Creative Thinkers International
  • Art and Poster Store
    • Blog: Silk-Featherbrush Art and Style
    • Postered Poetics
    • Your Introduction to Original Silk-Featherbrush Art & Style
  • Choose a Cultural Arts Heritage Project to Support
  • Working Scribe Image Carousel 2
  • About Bright Skylark Literary Productions
    • Bright Skylark Values and Motto
  • Famous Quotes of Note
    • Pinterest Page of Quotations
  • Charter for a More Compassionate World
  • As a Poet Thinketh: Poetry by Aberjhani
    • The Bridge of Silver Wings
    • Rainbow-Song for the Angel of Tao by Aberjhani
    • Ode to the Good Black Boots that Served My Soul So Well (poem by Aberjhani)
    • Angel of Remembrance: Candles for September 11, 2001
    • Rainbow-Song for the Angel of Tao: Verse 1
  • Articles and Essays
    • Abbreviated Minds in the News for Wreaking Havoc Worldwide editorial by Aberjhani
    • Iconic Authors Toni Morrison's and Harper Lee's New Works Likely to Influence Dialogues on Race
    • Red Summer: Text and Meaning in Claude McKay’s poem ‘If We Must Die’” part 1 of special 4-part series by Aberjhani
    • A Writer's Journey to Selma, Alabama
    • Justice Remains Elusive in Case of Newly-freed Louis C. Taylor (Part 1 of 2)
    • Sensualized Transcendence: Editorial and Poem on the Art of Jaanika Talts (Part 1)
    • Realms of Emerging Light (Sensualized Transcendence Editorial and Poem on the Art of Jaanika Talts Part 2)
    • Notes on the 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation
    • Why Race Mattered in Barack Obama's Re-Election: Editorial and Poem
    • Posted Perspectives on America's 2012 Presidential Election
    • 47 Percenters and Guerrilla Decontextualization: Dreamers and Nightmares
    • Considering Michael Clarke Duncan: Big Black Man Within A Nonsociopoliticohistorical Context (Editorial with Poem)
  • Video Pen & Ink
  • Links and Connections
    • Aberjhani's Guerrilla Decontextualization
  • Contact the Author
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  • Working Scribe Image Carousel 2
  • Bright Skylark LP Storefront

The Music Words Can Make

Picture
Cover of 1st edition of I MADE MY BOY OUT OF POETRY by Aberjhani, featuring classic art by celebrated New Orleans and New York artist Gustave Blache III.
I Made My Boy Out of Poetry contains six stories and fifty poems reflecting a synthesis of polished academic form and the raw energy of spoken word culture. Reviews have hailed it for its creative daring, spiritual vitality, and intellectual range. It is often described as “a modern-day underground classic.”

 Prior to its publication, work from the title appeared in a number of both well-established and underground  publications. These included: The African-American Literary Review; The Angry Fixx; The Dull Fly; The Georgia Guardian; Out of the Blue; Poets, Artists, and Madmen; The Savannah Literary Journal; and The Savannah Tribune. Later, ESSENCE Magazine featured work from the title. 

Weighing in from the University of North Caroline in Greensboro, playwright and poet Mark Smith Soto noted the following of the author: “He has a powerful understanding of the music words can make, not only with their sound but with their meanings… he has intelligence, emotional range, imagination, and is alive to the very tips of his fingers.” 


REVIEWS FOR I MADE BY BOY OUT OF POETRY

ReviewMakes All Readers Want to be Writers 
In strong, yet accessible imagery, Aberjhani captures moments and events in life that are instantly recognizable by all of us. He is the kind of writer that makes all readers want to be writers. --Savannah Literary Journal --Awards Editor for the Savannah Literary Journal

Imbued with a Powerful Spirituality 
This little volume, Aberjhani's first, is brash, bold and daring. The structure is, for me, unusual as it offers a mixture of genres. There are several clusters of poems, each dealing with certain themes and images. These are interspersed with short stories which are strange and mystical, tending toward the bizarre and sometimes even displaying a sort of--how shall I put this?--black humour. 
The first poetry cluster deals with the body and with rivers, as well as the flow of language. The second cluster looks at the poet as a black man, rooted in a geographical location (Savannah, Georgia) and in the often turbulent history of his family. The third looks at the poet as connected to his nation, but also at his ties to both Europe and Africa. The fourth cluster seems dominated by light and the fifth looks at the poet as poet. 


This is not to suggest that themes and motifs are limited to one particular section. The whole book (not just the poetry) is imbued with a powerful spirituality. This is expressed through nature, through light, through the body and through human sexuality. The short stories seem to feature solitary people who are sometimes attached to one place (the narrator of "Company for Melissa") but more often wanderers (the protagonist of "Elijah's Skin"; Thorndeaux in "Shadows and Prayers and Light") . They have odd powers, and even when their intentions are good (which is not always the case), they can be dangerous. Though some are likeable and sympathetic, others are more abrasive in their dealings with those around them. Sometimes this effect is fully intended; other times it is not. 


Finally, Aberjhani is a writer who takes his inspiration from various religions, cultures and writers. For example, one can sense the influence of American poets such as Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes. There is Christian imagery, but also a taste of Persian and Arab culture. And there are probably more influences which I haven't detected. Aberjhani's vivid style makes a powerful impression. But more importantly, he writes as one who is aware of where he comes from and of his function as a writer.
--by Richard Van Holst --Goodreads Book Review

Magically Moving Wordsongs 

Aberjhani is a splendid poet and storyteller of magical moving wordsongs. His words speak directly to the reader's consciousness. His fiction pulls you in and you live inside the stories. He knows people and hearts and pain and struggle. He knows streets and neighborhoods and families. He is the unlauded poet laureate of a whole new poetry, steeped in tradition and as free as an eagle in the open sky. --Amazon Reviews --Amazon Customer Starred Review

As Reviewed on Goodreads: 

L. Farmer's review 
Jul 31, 2018
really liked it
Local author I worked with for awhile at Media Play, a division of Musicland Corporation, which sadly went out of business. They used to own all the Suncoast video stores in malls across America, and all the Sam Goody music stores in malls across America... you remember the good old days when we had plenty of retail stores in malls, and retail workers in America. I blame Jeff Bezos, Target & Walmart Corp. Terrible what they're doing. Don't be surprised when all the Walmarts start disappearing.

I like Aberjhani.


Richard's review 
Nov 06, 2012
really liked it
bookshelves: by-gr-friends, american-literature, poetry, reviewed,southern-literature, 2011-2018 

Autographed review copy kindly provided by author and GR friend, Aberjhani. 

This little volume, Aberjhani's first, is brash, bold and daring. The structure is, for me, unusual as it offers a mixture of genres. There are several clusters of poems, each dealing with certain themes and images. These are interspersed with short stories which are strange and mystical, tending toward the bizarre and sometimes even displaying a sort of--how shall I put this?--black humour. 

The first poetry cluster deals with the body and with rivers, as well as the flow of language. The second cluster looks at the poet as a black man, rooted in a geographical location (Savannah, Georgia) and in the often turbulent history of his family. The third looks at the poet as connected to his nation, but also at his ties to both Europe and Africa. The fourth cluster seems dominated by light and the fifth looks at the poet as poet. 

This is not to suggest that themes and motifs are limited to one particular section. The whole book (not just the poetry) is imbued with a powerful spirituality. This is expressed through nature, through light, through the body and through human sexuality.

The short stories seem to feature solitary people who are sometimes attached to one place (the narrator of "Company for Melissa") but more often wanderers (the protagonist of "Elijah's Skin"; Thorndeaux in "Shadows and Prayers and Light") . They have odd powers, and even when their intentions are good (which is not always the case), they can be dangerous. Though some are likeable and sympathetic, others are more abrasive in their dealings with those around them. Sometimes this effect is fully intended; other times it is not. 

Finally, Aberjhani is a writer who takes his inspiration from various religions, cultures and writers. For example, one can sense the influence of American poets such as Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes. There is Christian imagery, but also a taste of Persian and Arab culture. And there are probably more influences which I haven't detected. Aberjhani's vivid style makes a powerful impression. But more importantly, he writes as one who is aware of where he comes from and of his function as a writer.
16 likes · Like ∙ flag
​
  • Bright Skylark Literary Productions Sitemap
  • Author Statement
    • Blog: Visionary Vibes >
      • Aberjhani - Author Biography
      • Bright Skylark News Notes
      • Blog: Cultural Arts Reviews and Remembrances
      • Blog: Sonic Delight Music Reviews >
        • Summer-Song Rhapsody for Michael Jackson: Editorial with Poem
      • Shifting Points of View and the Massacre in Charleston, South Carolina (USA) >
        • Author-Poet Aberjhani in the News
      • 7 Ways to Help Replace Legislated Fear with Informed Compassion
    • Greeting Flannery O'Connor at the Back Door of My Mind >
      • Tribute to Savannah Author Robert T.S. Mickles Sr.
    • Dreams of the Immortal City Savannah >
      • Podcast Prospects 504
      • More Books by Aberjhani >
        • Readers & Reviewers on the Writings of Aberjhani
        • Checking in at Goodreads
        • Editing Credits
        • ELEMENTAL: The Power of Illuminated Love (Art and Poetry Gift Book)
        • The River of Winged Dreams
        • The Wisdom of W.E.B. Du Bois
        • Songs from the Black Skylark zPed Music Player: A Novel by Aberjhani
        • I Made My Boy Out of Poetry
        • Journey through the Power of the Rainbow: Quotations from a Life Made Out of Poetry
        • Buy Books by Aberjhani on Amazon
        • 10th Anniversary of Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance
  • AI Literary Chat Salon
  • Carousel of Sustainable Compassion
  • Working Scribe Carousel Number 2
    • Awards & Honors
    • My LinkedIn Portfolio Sampler
    • Pop Icon Michael Jackson in Life & Legend
    • Creative Thinkers International
  • Art and Poster Store
    • Blog: Silk-Featherbrush Art and Style
    • Postered Poetics
    • Your Introduction to Original Silk-Featherbrush Art & Style
  • Choose a Cultural Arts Heritage Project to Support
  • Working Scribe Image Carousel 2
  • About Bright Skylark Literary Productions
    • Bright Skylark Values and Motto
  • Famous Quotes of Note
    • Pinterest Page of Quotations
  • Charter for a More Compassionate World
  • As a Poet Thinketh: Poetry by Aberjhani
    • The Bridge of Silver Wings
    • Rainbow-Song for the Angel of Tao by Aberjhani
    • Ode to the Good Black Boots that Served My Soul So Well (poem by Aberjhani)
    • Angel of Remembrance: Candles for September 11, 2001
    • Rainbow-Song for the Angel of Tao: Verse 1
  • Articles and Essays
    • Abbreviated Minds in the News for Wreaking Havoc Worldwide editorial by Aberjhani
    • Iconic Authors Toni Morrison's and Harper Lee's New Works Likely to Influence Dialogues on Race
    • Red Summer: Text and Meaning in Claude McKay’s poem ‘If We Must Die’” part 1 of special 4-part series by Aberjhani
    • A Writer's Journey to Selma, Alabama
    • Justice Remains Elusive in Case of Newly-freed Louis C. Taylor (Part 1 of 2)
    • Sensualized Transcendence: Editorial and Poem on the Art of Jaanika Talts (Part 1)
    • Realms of Emerging Light (Sensualized Transcendence Editorial and Poem on the Art of Jaanika Talts Part 2)
    • Notes on the 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation
    • Why Race Mattered in Barack Obama's Re-Election: Editorial and Poem
    • Posted Perspectives on America's 2012 Presidential Election
    • 47 Percenters and Guerrilla Decontextualization: Dreamers and Nightmares
    • Considering Michael Clarke Duncan: Big Black Man Within A Nonsociopoliticohistorical Context (Editorial with Poem)
  • Video Pen & Ink
  • Links and Connections
    • Aberjhani's Guerrilla Decontextualization
  • Contact the Author
  • Working Scribe Image Carousel 2
  • Working Scribe Image Carousel 2
  • Bright Skylark LP Storefront