Oh What a Night! Oh What a time

To paraphrase the Dells::

Oh, what a night
(to read for you)
Oh, what a night
(to enlighten you)
Oh, what a night
(to groove with you)
That's why we love you so...

Oh what a night and oh what a time we had on November 16th, 2005 in Miami. The local Asili writers, Akwasi Agyeman, Joann Brown McNair, Eunice Tate, Max Pierre, Adrian Castro, Preston Allen, Geofffrey Philp, Rebecca "Butterfly" Vaughns, and yours truly were graced with the presence of Eugene B. Redmond, Al Young and Kalamu Ya Salaam in a snazzy venue that was an Art Center on Lincoln road on Miami Beach. And of course the locals showed out, as did Redmond, Young and Salaam. We did an Asili "round robin" where each poet read one piece, then the last poet of the first "round" was the first to read on the second. The second round was dubbed the "the after hours" section. It brought to mind the late Redd Foxx and his smoking jacket because all of the poets smoked! A shot was fired across the bow in Miami that night, announcing much, much more to come.See Pictures (1)

Our literary "Wall of Respect," created to acknowledge the contributions of writers of African descent all over the world, has grown to almost 800 authors and is still growing. Take a minute and check this out. A special thanks to the African American Library and Cultural Center, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Pearl Woolridge and Wayne Draper of the special collections section, Celia Suarez and Deborah Keeler of the Miami Dade College North Campus Library and Pilar Ogbu-McNair for helping me maintain these tables.

Michael Hettich's new book is entitled FLOCK AND SHADOW: NEW AND SELECTED POEMS, and it's just that. The poems are collected from his previous dozen books and chapbooks and there are some new ones in there too. It goes back to 1982—"when I was just a little bitty baby." And it's published by New Rivers Press, Minnesota State University.

Akwasi Agyeman's new book is entitled "A Sister's Face." According to the author: The poetic expressions in this book grew out of the heartaches and pain, self-examination and joy. Once the were written and published, I believed it was time to move on from those experiences, and I did..."

Geoffrey Philp also has a new book out Twelve Poems and a Story for Christmas which "... explores the meaning of the holy days through the lives of characters who are as near to us as our breath, and whose struggles with faith, doubt, and redemption, are as real as our own."

From California Poet Laureate Al Young this issue are three wonderful pieces enitled, Love Poem, Plum Sofa and Seeing Red. Peabody Award winner Quincy Troupe submits for our consideration, The Point Lomas Series of Haikus and Tankas, and the prophetic America's Business: A Simple Prayer. East St. Louis Poet Laureate Eugene Redmond offers three golden oldies, Ballad of Black/Essence, Spring in the Jungle and Love as Upbringing.

Let me introduce to the Asili readership, thanks to our new Bay Area (California) contributing editor, Reginald Lockett, three new women poets/writers/playwrights (its time to inject some yin into our yangish playbill of writers) and a new male writer. The first is Ayisha Knight. is an accomplished Deaf poet, actress, photographer, speaker and Reiki practitioner. She offers for our enjoyment three poems Pass It On, Perspectives and Royalty Revisited. Glenda Ewing, poet, model, singer makes her debut with three erotic pieces, I Am Love In Motion, My Life Is On Purpose, and My Body is a Journal. Finally, the award winning Indigo Moor brings us three tantalizing pieces, Splinter on the Path, Mojo and Metal. Well done, Indigo.

Also new to Asili is Omotayo Jolaosha and Rebecca "Butterfly" Vaughns.. Ms Jolaosho gives us Home In Pieces and the first two scenes of her play Wellspring of My Soul (which will be completed next issue). Rebecca "Butterfly Vaughns, a former spoken word artist of the year (2003) submits The Darkest Shadow of Racism, Human Musician and Dance with Me as her first Asili offerings. I know you will enjoy them.

Eunice Tate is back with poignant "Three Years After." Geoffrey Philp submits for our reading pleasure two poems from his new book, The Angel's Message and Mary. Preston Allen contitues to titilate those of us with the gambling jones with "Its a Gun, Its a Gun." CM Clark gives us two wonderfully dark pieces, Homeopathic Medicine or The Hair of the Dog and Confessions of a Gutter Snipe. Florida Arts Literay Fellow Michael Hettich gives us One Place and That Day. Reginald Lockett, gives us "The Movement.", Max Pierre gives us three provocative pieces, Fire and Water in Love, Packing the Mind and Fighting. Adrian Castro is flush with three new pieces, Itutu Sankofa 2003, Song of Chameleon, and When Hearing Bata Drums... Your editor completes the first part of his serial novel with the eighth and ninth installments in the saga of the boy avatar, Shango, in , The Gathering, parts 1 and 2. He also commemorates the visit to Miami Dade College by Al Young and Eugene B. Redmond with the poem The Laurel Wreath and Kora Chordaphone. Finally, he remembers Hurricane Katrina in Strike Up the Second Line .   One Mo' Time!