The Muntu Poets - Anthology Volume 2: 47 Years Later with Russell Atkins (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781681210292)

Russell Atkins is a poet, composer, theorist, editor, and leading literary innovator. He was born on February 25, 1926 in Cleveland, Ohio. From childhood, he exhibited talent in painting, drawing, music, and writing. By age thirteen, he had won several poetry contests. Atkins published his poetry in journals and newspapers, including Experiment (1947-1951) and the New York Times (1951). In 1950, Atkins cofounded what is probably the oldest black-owned literary magazine, Free Lance. He created a style of concrete poetry, utilizing an abstract technique he called "phenomenalism," which juxtaposed unfamiliar and familiar elements. He did not try to make his work comprehensible to casual readers. In 1960 Atkins published his first collection of poetry, A Podium Presentation. Subsequent volumes include Phenomena (1961), Objects (1963), Objects 2 (1964), Heretofore (1968), The Nail, to Be Set to Music (1970), Maleficium (1971), Here in The (1976), and Whichever (1978). Atkins is the lead contributor in two anthologies dedicated to him, Imaginary Crimes In Real Gardens and The Muntu Poets 47 Years Later. Norman Jordan was born in Ansted, West Virginia in 1938. He subsequently earning a bachelor's degree from West Virginia University in theater, and then later a master's degree in African American studies from Ohio State University. Norman Jordan was a poet and a playwright, with his works anthologized in at least 42 books of poetry, making him one of the most published Appalachian poets. His poems have appeared in The Poetry of the Negro, Black Fire, Make a Joyful Sound: Poems for Children by A.A. Poets, In Search of Color Everywhere: A Collection of A.A. Poetry, and Wild Sweet Notes: Fifty years of West Virginia Poetry 1950-1999. A voice and leading force in the Black Arts Movement, Jordan's work also appeared in journals dedicated to the movement such as Journal of Black Poetry and Black World. Jordan had also written five books of poetry: Destination: Ashes (1967), Above Maya (1971), Where Do People In Dreams Come From And Other Poems, Two Books, and Sing Me Different. In 2008, Jordan was inducted into an exclusive group of poets named the Affrilachian Poets. Jordan taught at West Virginia University, among other schools. While living in Ohio, Norman Jordan became a leading force in the Cleveland Poetry Movement, working closely with the Karamu House, the oldest African American theater in the United States.