My Father's Son: Katherine and Jonathan's story (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780692172322)

Renee "Kooki" Chatman's path to expression through the written word and poetry began at a young age. At the age of 4, her family moved from New York to Los Angeles on the heels of the Watts rebellion in 1965. A natural storyteller, Kooki wrote short stories and poetry since 2nd grade. Never sharing her gift with others, she collected her thoughts on anything she could get her hands on amassing a collection of index cards, napkins, notebooks and even the margins of books. The characters whose lives unfolded in her head fought for their stories to come out and be told. Some voices were more insistent than others to be heard. Many years and notebooks later while sitting in the historic 5th Street Dick's Coffeehouse, in Leimert a chance encounter with a local poet, D Black, led to an invitation to a writer's workshop at the iconic "World Stage". It was there she was introduced to the world of spoken word. The rest...well you know how it goes. Kooki began sharing her poetry and short stories on stages across the country. From Los Angeles to Washington D.C. Where ever she can find an open mic, she gives voice to the stories that scream to be told.