Welcome to Aberjhani's Bright Skylark Literary Productions

A BIT ABOUT ABERJHANI

A winner of the Thomas Jefferson Award for his journalism, the Best Poet/Spoken Word Artist of 2006 for his poetry, the Choice Academic Title Award for his nonfiction, and increasing critical acclaim for his fiction, the Savannah, Georgia-born author Aberjhani stands among a handful of authors who continuously garner recognition for expanding and reshaping the boundaries of literary expression.

Writing in Connect Savannah, the weekly entertainment news magazine, editor Jim Morekis noted that, “From Conrad Aiken to Flannery O’Connor to Midnight [in the Garden of Good and Evil], Savannah has always been a literary town. But certainly one of her most consistently excellent--and consistently underrated--writers is the man known as Aberjhani.”

The above noted tendency of some to “underrate” this writer’s work underwent a major reversal in 2005. In a single year, he not only picked up the coveted Choice Academic Title and Best History Book Awards for the ground-breaking Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance (with Sandra L. West), but won acclaim throughout the year as the famed ESSENCE Magazine published a series of his poems from the book ELEMENTAL (featuring the art of Luther E. Vann).

Born July 8, 1957, in Savannah, Georgia, Aberjhani studied journalism and creative writing at: Savannah State College (now University); Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fla.; Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn.; Temple University in Philadelphia; and the New College of California in San Francisco. He served his writing apprenticeship as a U.S. Air Force military journalist in Alaska for two years and Great Britain for four years.

At the same time that he wrote a popular column on spiritual development called VISIONARY VIBRATIONS, during the mid 1990s, Aberjhani was also among those in Savannah who pioneered the city’s modern spoken word movement. He first came to national attention with the publication of his essay, “This Mother’s Son,” in the November 1997 ESSENCE Magazine. A few months later, Washington Press published his first book, the fiction and poetry underground classic, I Made My Boy Out of Poetry (now available through iUniverse.com).

In 2003, Kensington Books published the author’s Wisdom of W.E.B. Du Bois. Part of Kensington’s Philosophical Library Series, the title was also part of the worldwide centennial celebration of the publication of Du Bois’ Souls of Black Folks. Also in 2003, Aberjhani and co-author Sandra L. West completed the first Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance, published by Facts On File.

Aberjhani created the very successful web site, The Black Skylark Z-Ped Music Player, in January 2005. In addition to generous samplings of the author’s fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, the site also features engaging interviews in his acclaimed “Creative Conversatin’” series. The attractive variety of works at The Black Skylark Z-Ped Music Player have proven a major draw for returning visitors. However, Aberjhani’s audience expanded significantly throughout 2005 as he frequently posted poetry that addressed major issues. These included such works as: “The Color of Things Unknown,” in honor of civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks; “An Angel for New Orleans,” for the victims of hurricane Katrina; “The One Heart” and “Things We Do For Love,” presented as tributes to R&B legend Luther Vandross; “Page from a Red Scream Burned in Translation,” a portrait of the courage and perseverance displayed by humanity under adverse circumstances, and many other compositions.

While Aberjhani’s literary focus was often on the phenomenal events and developments shaping our lives and times, other writers often trained their literary focus upon him and produced memorable works inspired by his. Among some of the more notable creations penned in acknowledgement of the author’s achievements were the poems “Archetype of a Soulsinger,” by Mari D’India, and “The Onyx of Savannah,” by Andre Emmanuel Bendavi ben-YEHU.

Taking note of the ongoing cultural and financial revitalization taking place in Harlem, New York City, Aberjhani launched the CREATIVE SPIRIT OF THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE BLOG in September, 2005. The blog has since evolved into an important source of insights on the events and trends of the current New Millennium Harlem Renaissance. In addition to his own web sites, substantial bodies of work by the writer can be found the EXPOSE’D web site and at Redbridge Review.

Aberjhani is currently completing his first novel, which shares the same name as his web site: The Black Skylark Z-Ped Music Player. Excerpts from the novel, with comments from various readers, are available on the site.