"Real writers learn you got to get your work done, hook or crook, no matter what--
feel good feel bad, don't matter, you sit down and you struggle to write -- everyday."
So says Arthur Flowers and I say right on. How do I even describe Arthur Flowers? A mystic, writer, hoodoo man, carrier of traditions. I met him during my sojourn at Marie Brown Associates. He would come rolling in, his skin glowing with magic to drop off the load of manuscripts he had recently completed and pick up the new. See, Marie get's all these manuscripts to read, solicited and not, and it was our job to sift through them. It didn't matter what shape they were in, Marie rarely ever sent a manuscript back without some sort of evaluation, short or in-depth. There were first-time novelists, novelists who had been in the game for years, all sorts of folks and manuscripts. And many of them VERY good but alas--never made it past an editorial board...
But anyway, Arthur Flowers was one of our faithful readers and he would come by every couple of weeks or so and pack up his bag full of manuscripts to read read & read. He gave me a john the conqueror root once to help me stop smoking. I still have it and it's sitting right on my Daddy's alter-in-progress...
Speaking of which, it's the 5th Year anniversary of his death today. I read a poem tonight at an open mike that I wrote for him. It's funny cuz I started this poem YEARS ago, and finally, it's where it has to be. The poem is out in that issue of Dialogue that I wrote about in the previous entry. If you click on Ankhara's link on the side of the blog...you could order a copy.
But anyway, I just got home & wanted some inspiration--you know, something to settle my soul before I close my eyes to this day and so I went on Arthur's blog and lo & behold I read his latest entry and it was the dose of medicine I really needed, so thanks again Arthur.
Arthur Flowers, author & educator. Ain't I lucky I know so many fine, beautiful people?
I know I am...
peace & love,
lab
feel good feel bad, don't matter, you sit down and you struggle to write -- everyday."
So says Arthur Flowers and I say right on. How do I even describe Arthur Flowers? A mystic, writer, hoodoo man, carrier of traditions. I met him during my sojourn at Marie Brown Associates. He would come rolling in, his skin glowing with magic to drop off the load of manuscripts he had recently completed and pick up the new. See, Marie get's all these manuscripts to read, solicited and not, and it was our job to sift through them. It didn't matter what shape they were in, Marie rarely ever sent a manuscript back without some sort of evaluation, short or in-depth. There were first-time novelists, novelists who had been in the game for years, all sorts of folks and manuscripts. And many of them VERY good but alas--never made it past an editorial board...
But anyway, Arthur Flowers was one of our faithful readers and he would come by every couple of weeks or so and pack up his bag full of manuscripts to read read & read. He gave me a john the conqueror root once to help me stop smoking. I still have it and it's sitting right on my Daddy's alter-in-progress...
Speaking of which, it's the 5th Year anniversary of his death today. I read a poem tonight at an open mike that I wrote for him. It's funny cuz I started this poem YEARS ago, and finally, it's where it has to be. The poem is out in that issue of Dialogue that I wrote about in the previous entry. If you click on Ankhara's link on the side of the blog...you could order a copy.
But anyway, I just got home & wanted some inspiration--you know, something to settle my soul before I close my eyes to this day and so I went on Arthur's blog and lo & behold I read his latest entry and it was the dose of medicine I really needed, so thanks again Arthur.
Arthur Flowers, author & educator. Ain't I lucky I know so many fine, beautiful people?
I know I am...
peace & love,
lab
