(I am sending out this newsletter because of those who have asked me why my newest project is entitled METAMORPHOSIS. It is my hope that this explanation will suffice.)


"It's hard to believe that just five years ago no one really knew about me and my affair with the arts. My love for art and writing was more of a personal relationship, one that I guarded because it was one of the few things in my life that I could control. I knew I had a gift--- but I had no idea where it would take me or the struggles that I would endure because of it. One thing was certain: I wanted to share it with the world.

"I can still remember the first article that was written about me in the Rankin County Newspaper in February 1999. It was a review of my first art show and poetry reading in Richland, MS and became the marker that I measured everything else that I did. That reading was so intimate, with about 30 people allowing me to share my world with them--- and I doing so with such candor. In that first reading I discussed the work ethic that made that day possible for me. I guess because they were strangers I felt no shame getting personal with them, exposing bits and pieces of myself that my own family hadn't known all my life. I told them about my bouts of depression, my struggle with laxitives, and even about my attempt at suicide. I also shared with them my need to succeed, not to satisfy others but to prove to myself that I could.
At the time of that reading I was just 23.

"The story that news article told would find itself being the basis of my first poetry chapbook 'MY VOICE: To You From Me.' That volume was probably the hardest for me to write, because it told a tale that had remained inside me for so long. Yes, I was emotionally troubled and full of hate that I didn't even realize until I read MY VOICE aloud to myself. In order to keep peace in the family I had kept silent. But with its release in March 2000 I began the search of peace within myself.
My soul had found its voice.

“Each volume after that continued to tell the unabridged story of my life. JUBILATION and NAKED DREAMS focused on the love and support of my grandmother and the few people that I had allowed to share my world with me one on one. It also revealed a side of me that few knew: a sensual side that I had discovered at such a young age, but felt comfortable enough to share with my readers. My visual artwork even took on a more personal feel, raising questions in the minds of some viewers that I have left unanswered in words. I let my work speak for me.

"Yes, I have heard the speculations about the life I live when the door shuts between me and the outside world, and I have not felt a need to respond to it--- until now. Do I live a double life? I would have to say, yes.

"The public me --- C. A. Webb --- is growing into an individual that has accepted the success that is coming with his hard work and persistence. C. A. Webb is a sensual being who has found confidence in himself and isn't ashamed of his ability to please. His youthful features are a commodity, one that hides the Dark Angel that exists under the veneer he portrays. He gives freely, leaving nothing to the imagination, knowing that only One can truly judge him.

"The private me is totally different.

"The private me --- Cyrus Webb --- lives daily looking over his shoulder, afraid to lower his guard and be hurt again by a false comforter. Cyrus is succeeding in the world of business, compensating his 5'6" stature with a presence that looms larger than he ever would. He longs for stability in his personal life, but his past casts an ugly shadow on everything that he desires so work continues to be the mistress that occupies his time.

"So it seemed impossible that the two of us would fully agree on anything that was released by Dark Angel Productions, but in Sept. 2001 the unthinkable did occur. We told our story in the novella “MASQUERADE”, a "fictionalized" version of our lives. Through the main character, Jeremias Turner, we could narrate the tale that would bring the world closer to us than anything else could. To date this self-published work has sold almost 250 copies and landed me both radio and television interviews.

"Has the mask come completely off? No, not yet. In 2002, I released TO LOVE YOU MORE, and it managed to repair a lot of the bridges that were exposed in MY VOICE. As each year passes, I understand more the importance of being true to myself. If I do that, the rest will happen naturally. As of this writing, TO LOVE YOU MORE has sold almost 400 copies, being my most successful volume to date next to “MASQUERADE”. In 2003, I released MY VOICE: The Compilation, which is now the only place you can find my first three poetry chapbooks. It’s a deeply personal accomplishment for me, since it combines my entire voice in a way I have never been able to present it before.

"At age 28, the Dark Angel is coming of age in the world that fifteen years ago he thought would destroy him. I am now promoting my METAMORPHOSIS series that will be unvealed fully in April 2004, and it is by far my most ambitious project to date. It consists of my debut spoken word cd as well as my fifth poetry chapbook both of the same name. I have planned a five state tour (including Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Tennessee) to promote it, and I am eager to share with others what I see as the full circle of my life up to this point.

"Can I see my growth? According to my records over 20, 000 have now viewed my artwork or attended my poetry readings since that first show in 1999. But can I really measure my growth by only numbers? Not really. To this day, I still find myself fighting with my insecurities and my fear of failure. But I think the biggest growth has been within myself, finding some comfort in my own skin and loving the person that I have become. That alone has made all the pain and heartache worthwhile. If I can encourage someone else along by journey to first love themselves, then my masquerade has served its purpose."