Ojenke Introduction (1 results)

Softcover. Condition: Near fine. First Edition. 31 pp. In-text illustrations. Original pictorial wrappers, stapled. Extensively inscribed by the author on endpapers and inside rear wrapper, signed on front free endpaper verso and rear free endpaper recto. Light wear and toning in wrappers, small dampstain at lower-inner corner of rear wrapper, else near fine. The rare first and only published book by Emmery Evans, Jr., a North Carolina-born poet and early member of the Watts Writers Workshop. Founding workshop member Ojenke provides the introduction, where he writes of Evans, "this bard of sadness, this moaner of romance, this blues peddler - reminds me of the ocean." In his introduction to "Black Phoenix," the Autumn 1967 special issue of THE ANTIOCH REVIEW, an anthology of essays and poems from the Watts Writers Workshop, workshop founder Budd Schulberg included Evans as one of the poets whose work he regretted not seeing in the collection: "Another resident of Douglass House, not yet of voting age, Emmery Evans, Jr., known as 'the love poet of Beach Street' . has had some lovely and unexpected things to say." Evans inscribes the front free endpaper, recto and verso, "How to address you / if one addresses you, but this is addressed to you / phantom Jewish lady, who / drops fifty dollar bills at will / your Black children / New York City/ Magic / Budd / Ad / Geraldine / Stewart / Aries / Scorpio / Virgo / a cold / hungry world / thanks is never enough / where will we stop? / Love + Peace / Emmery your / poet orphaned / son / the priest / ambassador." Evans includes an additional note on the title page referring to actor Ernest Mayhand, also a founding member of the workshop, then in Dar Es Salaam with expatriate civil rights and peace activist Bill Sutherland. OCLC locates three copies.…