A Dynamic Duo of Art and Poetry

Savannah After more than 10 years since the project's beginning, the book of visionary art and poetry entitled ELEMENTAL, by artist Luther E. Vann and author Aberjhani, will be published by Bonaventure Books in February 2005.

Born in Savannah, Georgia, and raised in New York City, Vann is an award-winning artist whose work has drawn praise for the artist's use of different classic and innovative techniques as well as his unique integration of physical and spiritual dimensions. Although his work hangs in public and private collections around the world, ELEMENTAL marks the first published collections of Vann's art, making the book itself an instant collector's item.

Aberjhani, also a native of Savannah, is the author of several books, including: ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE; THE WISDOM OF W. E. B. DU BOIS; I MADE MY BOY OUT OF POETRY; and STRENGTH TO CARRY ON.

ELEMENTAL contains more than 50 reproductions of Vann's art dating from the 1970s to the present. Like a number of other modern artists, Vann's work celebrates such public ventures as New York City neighborhoods and black southern culture. However, Vann moves beyond these realms to capture the vitality and relevance of our inner selves. His powerful mapping of dreamscapes, subconscious intention, and spiritual transcendence has prompted comparison to such masters as El Greco, Michelangelo, and Salvadore Dali. At the same time, critics recognize his vision as solely his own.

"This project has been a dream in the making for about 12 years" said Vann. "I'm grateful to see it at long last coming true."

Accompanying Vann's art in ELEMENTAL are some 40 poems composed by Aberjhani specifically for this volume. Previously, the writer's work has appeared in such publications as ESSENCE Magazine, The African American Review, and Literary Savannah.

An essay profile of the artist and the poet, entitled "The Light and the Way of Luther E. Vann" is slated for publication in the January 2005 anthology, THE PERSISTENCE OF DREAMS, published by Rotimi Ogunjobi, the UK-based editor of the online magazine Redbridge Review.

For pre-ordering information on ELEMENTAL, or for information on purchasing art by Luther E. Vann, please contact Bonaventure Books via email at BonaventureBooks@aol.com . For more information on PERSISTENCE OF DREAMS, please go to http://www.redbridgereview.co.uk/html/anthology.html or email the Redbridge Review at editor@redbridgereview.co.uk .