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Art for Life: My Story, My Song

By Kalamu ya Salaam

 
 

 

Books by Kalamu ya Salaam

 

The Magic of JuJu: An Appreciation of the Black Arts Movement  /   360: A Revolution of Black Poets

Everywhere Is Someplace Else: A Literary Anthology  /  From A Bend in the River: 100 New Orleans Poets

Our Music Is No Accident   /  What Is Life: Reclaiming the Black Blues Self

My Story My Song (CD)

 

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Introduction

I was born Vallery Ferdinand III on 24 march 1947 in New Orleans, Louisiana. My early publishing is done under the name of Val Ferdinand. In 1970, I changed my name to Kalamu ya Salaam (Pen of Peace).

Because I do a great deal of writing as a journalist, music producer (radio programs, album liner notes and artist bios), dramatist, cultural critic, propagandist for various issues, fiction writer, and advertising executive, I usually shy away from identifying myself with any one genre of writing. Poetry is, however, my most developed, and my most comfortable, voice.

I consider poetry the song of literature and consider myself a griot, an African American praise-singer through whom sounds the voice and vision of my people. prelude contd

 

Table of Contents

One: In the Beginning

          Prelude 

Two: What Langston Did

          Captivated by Langston

          Baldwin Technically Awesome

          Baraka Innovative Stylings

Three: I Chose to be a Writer

          At Carleton College

          Killens, Fort Bliss, & Korea

Four BLKARTSOUTH

          Freshman at SUNO

          Tom Dent & Nkombo

          When I Do That Thing

Five A Decade of Development

          Hofu ni Kwenu

          (my fear is for you)

           Pamoja Tutashinda

          (together we will win)

          Ibura

          (something special)

          Iron Flower & Our Women Keep Our Skies        

Six: Reconstruction of a Poet

          The Call: Ideology or Poetry?

          My Life Is the Blues

          Producing & Recording Poetry

          A Black Poetics

          African-American Language

           (Two interviews)

          Africa: History & Future of Poetry

          (Black Modernity)

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Related files

Back to New Orleans

Bare Your Soul

Conversation with Myself

The Cruelty of Age  in Lorenzo Thomas

The Dance of Love

Elemental Sounds 

Etheridge Knight Speaks

Forced Entry

He Sees Through Stone 

Homespun Images

Instructions for Your New Osiris  

Jazz Musicians

Julian Dimock's South

Kalamu Table 

Kiini Ibura Salaam Tells All from Mexico 

Lorenzo Thomas  Panel

Once on a Night in the Delta 

Pack Up Virginia 

Pieces of a Dream

Permanent Rain

The Plane Crash

Poem for A Man WhoKnows 

Poetry and National Security 

Reflections on Fiji

remembering professor lorenzo thomas 

Reunion 

Suddenly I Need    

There's No Racism Here?     

Note: The subsection titles in "Art for Life" were added by the editor to facilitate online reading. RL

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updated 9 April 2008

 

 

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