A big part of the fun of entering a New Year is making a list of noble resolutions, some of which we work hard to keep and some of which become lost causes shortly after midnight on New Year’s Eve. Another part of the fun is making lists of people and events likely to stand out as the New Year unfolds. This blog introduces my list of Books and Authors to Watch in 2008 . Rest assured that the list, maintained on my Amazon author profile page, is an evolving one. One of the first things some of you will notice when reviewing my 2008 canon is that neither of my own two new releases, The Bridge of Silver Wings and Christmas When Music Almost Killed the World , are on it. Does this mean I don’t expect my own humble offerings to make any kind of impact in some corner of our beautiful world at some point in 2008? It certainly does not; only that these titles have not yet made it into Amazon’s book catalogue (yes I am working on it). Please rest assured that upon their inclusion, th

(Academy Award Winners Forest Whitaker and Denzel Washington) When reading about what may be described as the lesser celebrated heroic figures of the Harlem Renaissance, we rarely get a definitive look at just how complicated and sometimes dangerous their everyday lives were. In fact, until the past ten years, many defined the period primarily by its well-known literary, musical, and artistic elements while overlooking the fact there was any political component to it at all. THE GREAT DEBATERS corrects both oversights by giving us an extraordinary portrait of poet and educator Melvin B. Tolson (1898-1966) portrayed with convincing restraint by Denzel Washington, who also directed the movie. At the same time, it delivers an exciting story filled with the creative intellectual genius that characterized the Harlem Renaissance, the thrill of youthful romance, and the painful loss of innocence. Tolson, historically, is known largely as the celebrated author-poet of “Rendezvous with America

CTI News Room, Dec 2007--Within weeks of the release of his first novel, the controversial “Christmas When Music Almost Killed the World,” American author Aberjhani made a surprise move with the early-December release of a powerful collection of poetry titled “The Bridge of Silver Wings.” Both titles have been included in the Google Book Search Program. “These titles came out relatively late for the holiday shopping season because the original plans for their publication were changed at the last minute,” said Aberjhani. “So their inclusion in the Google Book Search Program in such a short period of time is kind of miraculous and very necessary because it gives readers worldwide an opportunity to preview the books before buying them.” In a recent interview posted on The Student Operated Press, poet Chase Von (author of YOUR CHANCE TO HEAR THE LAST PANTHER SPEAK) discussed with Aberjhani the sometimes controversial nature of his work. They also spoke about his prolific output, which incl

Original cover art by Luther E. Vann With excerpts and snippets from the book Christmas When Music Almost Killed the World having been posted around the Internet for several years, award-winning U.S. author and poet Aberjhani announced the novel’s publication November 12, 2007 , Veteran’s Day. The author, whose previous books include Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance, cautioned that despite the use of the word “Christmas” in the title, readers should not expect a typical Christmas story novel. “This is actually the very novel I’ve always said I was writing but it wasn’t until we were preparing to go to publication that I realized how big a role the holiday, especially Christmas Eve, plays in it,” said Aberjhani. “That made the new title very appropriate and even more accurate in some ways.” Early on the book stirred controversy because of a plot scenario that links mass suicides to music by a fictional character. The author has declined to state whe