March 6, 2020 “generations”
2015 marked the 50th anniversary of Broadside Press. Those 50 years represent several generations of poets who have shared Dudley Randall’s vision of the written word as a living art form intimately connected to community and to self-determination.
One poet from this up-and-coming generation, Deonte Osayande. is a graduate of Detroit Mercy. Detroit Mercy’s library, in honor of Dudley Randall’s several decades of work there, has been designated as one of the rare “National Literary Landmarks,” along with other literary giants including William Faulkner, Mark Twain, Emily Dickenson and Ernest Hemingway. Deonte Osayande is a graduate of Detroit Mercy. He won awards in Dudley Randall Poetry Competitions and has read his work at numerous Broadside Press-sponsored events.
Osayande’s poetry has appeared in over a dozen publications. He is a powerful performance poet who teaches creative writing to inner city youth with the InsideOut Detroit Literary Arts Project. I am indebted to Professor Rosemary Weatherston, Director, Dudley Randall Center for Print Culture, for introducing me to Mr. Osayande. You can see Osayande perform “Masks” by clicking on the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieTwvPEtlqs
Daylight saving time on Sunday.
Have a blest weekend,
john sj