The journey through life and art continues.
As a landscape coffee table gift book, ELEMENTAL The Power of Illuminated Love makes a formidable display by itself for a literary festival event. But given the fact that my co-creator for the title, Luther E. Vann, and I were sharing space with a number of outstanding exhibitors like representatives from The Book Lady Bookstore and Cherokee Publishing, it was clear that we would need some reinforcements to beef up our presentation and help us stand out from the crowd. We achieved this by utilizing two collages of images and clippings that both entertained book lovers and informed them about our work.
One of the collages primarily illustrated the story of ELEMENTAL and sat on the display table between stacks of the book. The other collage told the story of my Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance (Facts On File) and sat on an easel beside the table. When people stopped to look at them, I explained that both Vann and I have connections to the Harlem Renaissance. His comes from the fact that as a child he actually studied art with Harlem Renaissance Charles Alston. Mine comes as co-author of Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance. That we had combined our creative efforts to produce ELEMENTAL The Power of Illuminated Love was something customers found unique. Nor is it a stretch to recognize the book itself––with its boldly painted pages and celebrated poetry––as a modern extension of the era’s rich legacy.
I was something more than grateful when a high school teacher immediately recognized ELEMENTAL’s significance and got a copy for her school’s library. Moreover, my thrill must have then multiplied by ten when a few minutes later another supporter of the arts picked up one copy for herself and a second copy for a local Historical Society.
To witness the title making its way into the collections of institutions of learning and historical preservation was not just an ego booster. It represented the ongoing manifestation of an artistic and literary vision that had its genesis almost a full two decades ago and that finally made its way into the physical published world in May 2008. ELEMENTAL’s 2009 debut at the Savannah Book Festival was one beautiful way to celebrate a miraculous journey that grows more extraordinary by the day.
Aberjhani
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