From the one book of his I have, a Blue Print, of a life seemingly quickly lived but deeply felt. Yictove became a coordinator of readings at the Knitting Factory and at the East Orange Public Library.

Soft spoken, introverted it would seem, appearing, disappearing, yet leaving his trace, singular, but like all of us, leaving traces, prints of our blues our blues lives. Now the brother follows the 9th Ward of his native Big Easy, deeply appreciated but now part of the legend of what we took for granted some of the things that made us happy, now gone gone gone.—Amiri Baraka 8/1/07

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I will always remember the artistic genius that lived in my brother. The way that he made words have new life from the written to the spoken word was something of an art in and of itself. As he spoke his voice boomed and oozed giving words new meaning. The Knitting Factory and the Library (East Orange Public Library) gave him the opportunity to help others grow and cultivate in the arts he so loved. He was a gentle teacher and had a gift with people of all walks of life. Not long ago he was in New Orleans and performed with Kid Jordan’s band an impromptu jam session where he read When the Dewdrop Drops. Though the performance was not rehearsed it was amazing in every sense, exemplifying the artist he truly was.

—Consuello Battin: Sister

Source: D.J. Soliloquy (Thrown Stone Press, 1988) This "Brother/Man" from New Orleans who has touched spirits on one shore and the next has come touch base with ours. He speaks of the conditions that are within our control, and the necessity for some changes of the urgency in the need to learn to learn how to truly love ourselves in order to be free enough to open up and learn to love each other. Offering no panacea, he speaks of the reality of the hard work intrinsic in the finding of solutions. He is a believer in the wondrous results of honest attempts at communications with our lovers, families and friends--a direct path to broader communications with our people--A.H. Reynolds Yictove has produced/hosted a poetry series on cable in Newark, New Jersey, performed as a poet in the schools courtesy of the Geraldine Dodge Foundation, worked as a creative writing instructor in the Safe Haven Program/YMCA in East Orange, New Jersey, and directed as poetry series in New York City's Knitting Factory.  Cover art: Lorraine Williams