www.marloncole.me
Contents Vol. 01 / Issue 03 05. Contributors 08. Editor’s Letter
FIRE 73 - 86. Visionary: Geoffrey Holder
WATER 29 - 36. Jitu Weusi
EARTH 13 - 22. Father Figure | Zun Lee
MINERAL 48. Story Time | Letters To A Black Boy, Bob Teague
25 - 26. Surfer Dad: Andrew Norton 37 - 42. Lunch Box Doodles: Jonathan Palmiano 49 - 56. Illustration | Furqan’s First Flat Top 57 - 58. Journal Entry No. 03 61 - 62. Places to Go | The Beehive Atlanta 63 - 64. Education | GAS ART Gifts 65 - 66. Film | Rockers 67 - 68. Music | Mtume Umoja Ensemble: Alkebu-Lan 69 - 70. Podcast | The One In a Million Show 87 - 92. Our Fathers
Passion, Dreams, See Present & Future Flow, The Greater Good, Reconciliation Sense of Identity, Nurturing, Abundance Storytelling, Building, Communication
www.pixod.com
“Each man has to fight for what he believes in, for what he wants, on his own terms.” - Bob Teague Former news anchor, reporter, producer and one of New York City’s first black television journalists
Vol. 01 / Issue 03 EDITORIAL Editor In Chief / Creative Director Marlon Cole Copy Editor Sydia Bell Sales Natalie Cole Assistant Aleshia Mclean
4FATHERS Photo Journal Brooklyn, New York Photo Journal: Bi-Annual info@4fathersjournal.com www.4fathersjournal.com Sponsorship / Advertising info@4fathersjournal.com © 2013-2015 4FATHERS Photo Journal All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication without prior consent is prohibited.
Front Cover: Photo geoffreyandcarmen.dusablemuseum.org Back Cover: Photo by M. Anthony Hopkins
Contributors Zun Lee PHOTOGRAPHER - www.zunlee.com Joy Liu PHOTOGRAPHER - www.thejoyliu.com M. Anthony Hopkins PHOTOGRAPHER - Instagram: @CA2NY
www.sydiabell.com
This was me, eyes all bright and ready to play.
Editor’s Letter
oving forward in one’s life represents progression, but it’s always good to look deeply into the past, to acknowledge the works done before us. There is family only because there is history. Marlon Cole
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The first train I ever rode was the No. 7. Last stop Main Street, Flushing, Queens.
My visual aid to return to the core.
BALANCE+CONTRAST
www.balanceandcontrast.com
www.thestuyvesants.com
Father Figure: Exploring Alternate Notions of Black Fatherhood Photographer / Zun Lee
lack father absence is a contentiously-debated social issue in the US and other countries. Too many Black men, so the argument goes, are missing, irresponsible, selfish, not stepping up to the plate. Visuals of deadbeat, absentee Black fathers abound in mainstream media, often intended to sensationalize and ridicule rather than to raise awareness. Stereotypes like this did not emerge out of thin air. Married couples with children constitute less than one-fifth of African American households. Over 60 percent of African American children are raised by single mothers.
The realities are not that simple. Studies show that individual circumstances are highly complex for many fathers, making the context of father “absence” and “presence” rather fluid: While many men may deserve the “deadbeat” label, many others simply do not fit traditional notions of fatherhood. Often forced to define parenting in their own specific ways, these men strive to be present despite adverse circumstances: They may not live at home with their partner or kids, they may not be legally married to their kids’ mothers and they may struggle to provide on a consistent basis, but this does not automatically mean that they are irresponsible.
As Americans are struggling to cope with the social and economic consequences of the worst recession since the Great Depression, it appears this will likely become more of a reality for not just Black children, but many kids of all racial groups.
I wonder why these examples of fatherhood remain so invisible when it comes to Black men. In fact, judging purely by popular media coverage, one could easily consider the term “Black fatherhood” an oxymoron.
Several complex factors play a part in this phenomenon, yet the numbers lead to the convenient assumption that many Black fathers are simply absent. Pundits across the political spectrum root this issue in a decline of morals and personal responsibility. If we encouraged a return to “traditional family values” and if only Black men would “stop acting like boys” and “pull themselves up by their bootstraps”, so the recommendations claim, we could reverse these trends and make our communities vibrant again.
www.zunlee.com / 13
Zun Lee
“Father Figure,� is an exploration into the lives of black fathers through photography. Zun Lee has been working in New York, Chicago and Toronto. His goal is to show an everyday, ordinary love between children and fathers.
Zun Lee
Zun Lee
Carlos Richardson / Harlem, NY Married to Cindy Godoy-Richardson. Father of Selah and Zaida.
Zun Lee
Zun Lee
Zun Lee
Billy Garcia / Wash. Heights, NY Separated. Father of Jeremy and Esmeralda.
Zun Lee
Zun Lee
Guy Miller / Bronx, NY Married to Lanik Conley-Miller. Father of Nijeyah, Nijel, Guy Jr., and Lanae.
Zun Lee
Jerrell Willis / LES, NYC, NY Single. Father of Fidel.
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@mahopkins_photography
www.wejamjar.tumblr.com
Andrew Norton Trying to master the father / surfer balancing act PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE… has always been a weakness for me. I’ve never planned for anything more than a year in advance. I believe taking care of the present is more important, my future will be largely determined by my actions now. As Master Oogway in Kung Fu Panda says “The past is history, the future is a mystery and today is a gift, that is why it is called the present”. So I work hard at the important things: love, lifestyle, and happiness. I love: my partner, my family, and my friends. I love my lifestyle: surfing, Cornwall, beaches, sunsets, fresh air in my lungs, and good food in my belly. Happiness comes from ensuring the important things in my life are well loved. My approach to parenting is very similar. I try to ignore subliminal questions about my daughter’s future. Will she be happy, clever, surf? It’s impossible to predict so why worry. Instead I put all my energy into learning and laughing together, today. Hopefully my little sponge will soak up my enthusiasm for learning, laughing and surfing. BALANCE & PEACE… is everything for me. I love a lot of things, but you can’t do all the things you love, all the time. Life for me is about respecting and maintaining balance, with balance comes peace. I virtually gave up surfing when my daughter was born, but I became a grumpy shadow of my former self. Fortunately, my wonderful partner appreciates balance and peace as well, and ordered me to surf again. I realized rather than fretting about the things I wasn’t doing, I should commit and enjoy to the things I was doing. Now when I spend time with my daughter, I pay attention to her little mannerisms, get plenty of hugs, play. When I surf, I inhale the sea air, savor the sight of sun saturating the waves, I paddle hard for every ride, I meditate during lulls. I can’t go surfing all day, spend the morning in bed with my partner, or spend every day of the school holidays with my daughter. So I try to find a balance, a special blend. KNOWING MY PURPOSE… My purpose in life is to keep the two women in my life happy and feeling loved, but that also involves making sure I’m happy. I am a father, lover and surfer. Without these elements of my identity I am no one. As a father I must cherish and protect, play and learn. As a lover I must care and compliment, empower and adore. As a surfer I must ride, protect and respect the ocean. An old sage surfer once said, “There is nothing, more sad than a surfer who used to surf”. I could spend more time with my daughter and partner if I didn’t surf. But it is part of who I am, and I know that both my / 25
partner and daughter prefer a surfer, rather than someone who used to surf, as a dad and partner. I realize surfing is alien to many, but the principle applies to all fathers. Don’t let the unique positive parts of your identity fade away with parental responsibility. Recognize their value, embrace them, and share them with your children. PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE… My parents divorced when I was 9, they both remarried. So I grew up with two fathers. Both are good men and I’ve absorbed characteristics from both of them. I don’t see my childhood as broken. I experienced significant changes in my childhood, but they made me a stronger person. I like to think I now have a broad balance of characteristics. I enjoy sharing stories with people from all walks of life. I love the sea. I’m laid back, enjoy a laugh, relish competition, and love to learn. These traits I have inherited from the past, they shape my present and will become an heirloom for my daughter’s future. surferdad.co.uk @surferdaduk
Melanie Hughes
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www.iamthenublack.com / 27
www.spoonsforks.com 28 /
Jitu Weusi Words / Lej Rachell David Powell
he death of Jitu Weusi on May 22, 2013 of liver cancer represents a great loss to the community and to the scholarship on the history, culture and political activism of Black people in New York City. Jitu Weusi’s decades of self sacrifice and work deserve a more in depth look at his life. He represented not just the roots but the best of the Black Power movement here in NYC. He put into practice what Black scholars had only theorized. Weusi literally fought for educational opportunities for Blacks and Latinos that are mostly taken for granted today. Born and bred in Brooklyn, Weusi, originally named Leslie Campbell, came from a lower working class family. He’s not from the streets but he is off the block. His mother, who was involved in the local Parent Teachers Association (PTA), sent him as a kid to work at his cousin’s newsstand. In his words, this was his baptism to the world of jazz and the community. Many of the guys who hung out with his cousins at the newsstand were jazz people and it was his cousins who took him to his first jazz concert. He attended Brooklyn Tech High School, which at the time was almost all White. Despite the fact it was one of the city’s most prestigious high schools, he transferred out to Franklin Lane High School to be in a more integrated student population. A basketball scholarship got him through Long Island University, which as the rest of the colleges in NYC at the time, was as White as Brooklyn Tech. With a B.A. in history he started working as a junior high school (JHS) teacher right out of college. He also joined the Brooklyn chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (Brooklyn CORE), a specifically interracial civil rights group that pioneered the non-violent direct action techniques that came to characterize the civil rights movement. Brooklyn CORE chairman Ollie Leeds, a former member of the Communist Party, had been a friend of his father who was also a Marxist.
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As a social studies teacher at JHS 35, Campbell regularly went to Harlem to hear Malcolm X speak at his weekly street rallies. While there, he went to the world renowned bookstore, Lewis Michaux’s “House of Common Sense and the Home of Proper Propaganda” to pick up materials to use for students in his class. Besides photos and books on Africa, he also brought in jazz records such as Max Roach’s Freedom Now Suite. The positive response he got encouraged his combining education and culture. Although a member of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), then a mostly White organization, he and other teachers, including now city councilman Al Vann, formed the Negro Teachers Association. Initially
it was a reaction to the UFT’s decision not to support the 1964 Citywide School Boycotts protesting the de facto segregation of the city’s public school system. Renamed the African American Teachers Association (AATA), and using the term more than two decades before Jesse Jackson made it popular, its mission extended to fighting the injustices of the school system and the calculated “mis-education of our children”. Much of what he did with the AATA was based on his experience with Brooklyn CORE. As CORE became a Black Power organization, it emphasized the creation of independent Black schools and the gaining of political power by running Black people for office.
Malcolm X addresses a crowd of about 1,000 at an outdoor rally in upper Manhattan on Aug. 10, 1963. (AP)
Campbell was transferred from JHS 35 for taking students to a memorial for Malcolm X at another junior high school, I.S. 201. That Harlem school and the one he was transferred to in BedfordStuyvesant, JHS 271, were two schools that were part “of an experiment approved by the Board of Education (BOE) and supported by the Ford Foundation to test community control of local schools.” Control of these schools had been given to a governing board of local parents and residents. An assistant principal named Herman Ferguson who worked as a consultant to the project was the one who suggested Campbell for JHS 271, considered a “flagship school of the project”. Ferguson, who was one of the speakers at the memorial, had been charged with conspiracy to assassinate the heads of both the Urban League and the NAACP, a plot later revealed to be part of the FBI’s counter intelligence program, COINTELPRO. When the governing board for JHS 271 decided to dismiss several teachers for low performance, the BOE and the UFT attempted to usurp the board’s authority. The teachers had also participated in an earlier illegal strike by the UFT which was said to have crippled the city’s public school system. When the police forcibly brought them back into the school, Campbell was part of the demonstration group that sought to enforce the board’s decision. Made up of parents, school employees, local residents and members of Brooklyn CORE (including then chairman Sonny Carson), the demonstrators stood on the front steps of JHS 271 and physically blocked the teachers from entering, resulting in an all out brawl between them
and police. Over the next few months, Campbell and other school staff were indicted by a grand jury and suspended by the BOE for the continual harassment and intimidation of the returning teachers. Just before his suspension, Campbell was also the program director for the adult education classes held at night in JHS 271. One of those classes taught by Sonny Carson was a course on “how to stage community demonstrations and how past revolutions had been planned and carried out”. During Campbell’s suspension he served as the adviser for a group of high school student activists, the Student Citywide Strike Committee, by helping them to organize NYC students. The group’s name was a reference to the 1964 Citywide School Boycotts. According to the New York Times, Campbell “played a leading and public role in inciting high school students to an illegal strike against the schools. He specifically urged them to march on Ocean Hill-Brownsville, setting off a dangerous clash with the police and much violence”. One of the groups that made up the committee was the African American Students Association (AASA) whose name referenced the teacher’s organization Campbell founded. These were the events that led Campbell with members of the AASA and other supporters to start the Uhuru Sasa Shule which means Freedom Now School in Kiswahili. “Freedom Now” was a slogan used by CORE at many
photo of Brooklyn CORE chairman Sonny Carson
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of its demonstrations. An outgrowth of the Freedom Schools of the 1960’s, Uhuru Sasa became one of the first and arguably most influential of the independent Black schools of the 1970’s. Along with its emphasis on Pan-Africanism, it taught core subjects such as math, science, language arts and history, as well as martial arts and Kiswahili as a second language. Campbell changed his name to Jitu Weusi, Kiswahili for Big Black. As the school’s headmaster, he was often referred to as Baba Jitu, Baba being Kiswahili for father. Uhuru Sasa was just one part of a larger cultural and educational center known as the EAST which was dedicated to “self determination, nation building and Black nationalist consciousness”. Operating out of 10 Claver Place, the East had multiple operations, among them a bookstore, restaurant, catering business, food co-op, a newspaper called Black News, a recording label and its legendary jazz venue. Its list of performers included the Last Poets, Freddie Hubbard, Betty Carter, McCoy Tyner, Max Roach, Sun Ra, Lee Morgan, and Roy Ayers among others. Pharoah Sanders named his album, “Live from the East” for the venue and Mtume recorded his album, Alkebulan, there. The song, www.corenyc.org/omeka/items/show/297” ‘Jitu’, from Sanders’ abum, Shunkuru, was also named after Weusi, himself an avid collecter and historian of jazz.
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The EAST was also a branch of Amiri Baraka’s Congress of African People (CAP), another Black cultural nationalist organization that played a major role in efforts to create a “unified Black political party”. As a branch of CAP, Weusi and the EAST were responsible for the promotion of Kwanzaa in NYC. Its work became a precursor to the Afrocentric movement of the 1980’s and 1990’s. The EAST’s legacy can also be seen in its African Street Festival now known as the International African Arts Festival. What started off as just a block party for the school has grown into an annual celebration attended by thousands from all over the country and the world. Over the years, it has hosted such notable performers as Stevie Wonder, KRS One, and Fela. Besides raising his own children, Weusi also wrote a regular column for The Amsterdam News, was an instructor at New York City Community College and directed a cultural program at Pratt University. Along with Sonny Carson and Al Vann he initiated the proposal for what eventually became Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn. Then there was the period of time he spent helping build the EAST’s cooperative farm in Guyana with other members of the EAST family as part of their continuing efforts to put ideas of self reliance and nation building into practice. He could never stay away from Brooklyn, though. As the 1970’s turned into the 1980’s, Weusi along with others like Rev. Herbert Daughtry, created the National Black United Front (NBUF).
Uhuru Sasa James Spaulding From the Album A Collection of Progressive & Independent Spiritual Jazz 45s, 1968-75
A coalition of local grass roots organizations, it addressed cases of police brutality and the questionable killings of young Blacks by the New York Police Department. It also sought to “evaluate and analyze” the effect of government surveillance and programs like COINTELPRO on the movements of the 1960’s and 1970’s. During one of its demonstrations at the United Nations, Weusi was arrested. Despite the arrest, one of the few in his time as an activist, the Brooklyn borough president designated October 25, 1981 as Jitu Weusi Day. When Uhuru Sasa finally folded due to lack of finances, Weusi went back to the public school system in 1986. He was made an assistant principal at JHS 258 in Bedford-Stuyvesant. During the Ocean Hill-Brownsville demonstrations in 1967, only four out of 865 principals and 12 out of 1,500 assistant principals in NYC were Black. The numbers have increased significantly since then, thanks in part to his work. Despite enormous support from the local community, however, Weusi was never allowed to be a principal.
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Over the years, he ran unsuccessfully for state senator, city councilman, and for governor, usually in independent political parties which he helped form such as the Unity Party --and later the Freedom Party. His experience with third party politics led to him organizing for Reverend Al Sharpton’s Senatorial campaign in 1992 and for Jesse Jackson’s two presidential elections bids. Such grassroots efforts while unsuccessful in the short term helped “transform the sphere of politics” and paved the way for others like President Barack Obama. Scholars like Peniel Joseph argue that it was “Black Power militants who really precipitate(d) the utilization of racial solidarity to bring Black elected officials (to) prominence”. The campaign Weusi is most well known for, however, was that of David Dinkins in his successful bid to become the first Black mayor of NYC. Weusi and Sonny Carson had been hired by the Dinkins campaign to do voter registration in Brooklyn, work Brooklyn CORE had been doing since the 1960’s. Cleveland CORE’s voter registration efforts had played a crucial role in the election of the country’s first Black mayor, Carl Stokes. Weusi, however, quit the campaign over a controversy created by the opponent, Rudy Guiliani, involving a poem Weusi read over the air on WBAI in 1968 that was crudely critical of Jews. He was labeled as anti-semitic and even though he apologized, the charges stuck with Weusi over the years. In the many articles on the issue, which often implied it was Weusi who wrote the poem, his side was rarely discussed. The poem, which the show’s host asked Weusi to read, had actually been written by a 15 year old student. It was only one of several written by his students and read on the show. Weusi used the poem to illustrate the type of enmity created by the mostly Jewish UFT and of how the students were pointing to the fact that these historical victims of racism were just as guilty of being racist.
The poem, usually referred to by the beginning of its opening line, “Hey Jew boy”, had been dedicated to Al Shanker, head of the UFT. Even though he had participated in many civil rights demonstrations, specifically with CORE, Shankar went well out of his way to portray the Blacks and Latinos opposed to him and the UFT as Hitleresque monsters who wanted to “kill Whitey”. He also warned parents that volunteers who kept the schools open while the UFT was on strike may have “transmissible diseases”, stereotyping Blacks and Latinos as unwashed and dirty. As professor Clarence Taylor wrote, “Al Shanker’s attempt to play on the fears of teachers by falsely painting a picture of the whole community control movement as anti-Jewish and out to remove Jewish teachers from their position further heightened the tension and distrust between the Black and Jewish communities.’ Many former members of CORE who were Jewish had also been against Shanker’s actions. In my interview with Alan Gartner of national CORE, who had worked with Shanker over the years, he famously described Shanker’s actions as not just racist, but “fucking racist”. On the other hand, Arnie Goldwag, whose name had once been synonymous with Brooklyn CORE, www.corenyc.org/omeka/items/show/298 risked his job as an investigator for the Administration for Children’s Services by insisting a young girl who had to be taken out of an abusive home be placed in the care of Weusi rather than the foster care/group home system, believing Weusi could do the job through the EAST. This was after Goldwag, the brother of an Orthodox Rabbi, had been pushed out of Brooklyn CORE as it went Black Power, a move for which he blamed Sonny Carson, a man who he had no kind words for.
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Photo courtesy of Basir Mchawi
But for Weusi, his legacy according to the Daily News is little more than that of anti-Semitism. He’s not remembered in the Daily News for influencing the many grassroots candidates who decided to run for political office in ways Black and Latinos had not done before, such as his own nephew, Jelani Mashariki. Nor is he remembered as the co-founder of the Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium and its annual Jazz Festival. He’s certainly not celebrated for the thousands of students he’s helped over the years, including a whole new generation of movement scholars such as Dr. Brian Purnell and his recent book, Fighting Jim Crow in the County of Kings. Jitu Weusi, who was at the center of Black politics and culture in Brooklyn, was the epitome of “the grassroots”. He was the original Occupy Wall Street, a true O.G in this thing of ours. His passing is a reminder of the scholarship that still needs to be done. For example, whatever happened to the students of the EAST Was the experiment a success? What was the extent of the police and intelligence agencies surveillance and of Weusi and other political activists? How did it affect them? What are the correlations between them and today’s activists fighting against the Stop-and-Frisk laws? What ever happened to peace? Peace… blackstarnews.com
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jonathan palmisano
Lunch box Doodles A collection of napkin doodles Jonathan Palmisano has done for his son Jacob’s lunch box. Jonathan’s a father, artist and designer with an affection for tentacles, metal bands, hand-drawn typography and monsters. @lunchboxdoodles lunchboxdoodles.tumblr.com jonathanpalmisano.tumblr.com
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@lunchboxdoodles
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www.sawubonaboo.com
Founder James Bailey creative roots come from the industrial city of Chicago. Born and raised in this beautiful city James has fond memories of riding in the back seat of his grand fathers Buick Oldsmobile peering at the scenery of the city. One can only feel the historic presence from the many old industrial plants throughout the city to know that the core of Chicago is home to the blue collar worker. Each design is made with the highest precision of quality & care, along with great attention to detail. The aesthetic of The Good Union product line is committed to preserving the old American industrial way of life. With so many jobs being outsourced overseas & with the rapid decline of American made goods, The Good Union believes they embody what America was built on, both ingenuity and strong work ethic. Designs are inspired by the American blue collar worker and display the quality of American made goods but also the work ethic of the American blue collar worker. The Good Union / www.thegoodunion.com
The Supply Co. Tee, screen printed with black water based ink.
Custom Hand Letterpress HERITAGE Tee.
Jesse Black Utility Bag, selvage denim.
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www.morethanxy.com / 47
STORY TIME
Letters to a Black Boy
Author / Bob Teague
ob Teague, brilliant journalist and a wise man who understood himself that his book, Letters to a Black Boy is really a message to all white men. Teague has performed transplant surgery in which the reader takes on the heart and mind of a black man. “TV newsman Teague (Live and Off-Color; Letters to a Black Boy) uses the device of letters to his son to express positive and provocative thoughts on the “imperatives that come with being black.” Blaming white society for all the ills in black society is, in Teague’s view, counterproductive, even self-defeating. In support of that argument, he cites the example of immigrants and refugees who become readily assimilated in the mainstream of competitive America despite a variety of handicaps. Interspersing anecdotes of his personal experience with accounts of bias and hostility he has encountered in his professional life, he underscores the verities of stable family life, describing them as essential for release from the welfare syndrome. As he addresses his son, who is on the brink of his own media career, Teague speaks also to today’s young black Americans, offering them challenges he believes they are ready to accept.” Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Letters to a Black Boy, LP
Publisher: New York City : Bell Records, [1968] (46 min.) analog, 33 1/3 rpm, stereo; 12 in Principally readings by the author, Bob Teague; but includes 4 of the letters set to music, and sung ; arranged and conducted by Chris Dedrick.
Tracklist To a black boy; Letter one Letter Two Letter Three Do I like being black? Give me a chance Letter Four Letter Five Letter Six Letter Seven Epilogue; There’s got to be a better way
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Illustration
Furqan’s First Flat Top Illustrator / Robert Catalino Trujillo
What’s the story? Furqan Moreno wakes up and decides that today he wants his haircut for the first time. His dad has just the style: a flat top fade! He wants his new haircut to be cool but when they get to the barbershop, he’s a bit nervous about his decision. He begins to worry that his hair will look funny, imagining all the flat objects in his day-to-day life. Before he knows it, his haircut is done and he realizes that his dad was right -- Furqan’s first flat top is the freshest! Where did it come from? Several years ago Robert Trujillo started working on a series of short stories using creative writing and illustration. While exploring many themes, ideas, and characters, he came up with this story, Furqan’s First Flat Top. work.robdontstop.com
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Robert Catalino Trujillo
Planning for the future... Right now, I’m planning to do a few things. One is to take care of my self, my son, my fiancée, and my family anyway I can. I’m trying to live creatively and pace myself in this realm because although I’ve had some successes I know I have a long road ahead of me. I’m also trying to work harder/smarter so I can be financially stable.
Joy Liu
Balance and Peace are what... For me this means trying to cut back on the meat, eat more veggies, drink more water. I stopped smoking and drinking (never really drank that much) and I only partake on special occasions. I’m trying to understand myself and have compassion for others. And I’m trying to teach my son to see many sides while making his own decision.
Joy Liu
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Knowing my purpose... I think this is constantly evolving. Some days I want to just work on Stop Motion animated films of the Laika caliber. Some days I just want to paint musicians and abstract color patters. Some days I want to respond to all the injustice. I think my purpose is to speak from the heart and to do it with creativity and love.
Joy Liu
Pasts, Present and Future... Smoker, procrastinator, dreamer, serious thinker, laziness in the past. Today I’m in love, challenged, strong, and not giving up. Future, I want to build the dream I want to see. Robert Trujillo is a visual artist with over 9 years experience working as an illustrator and muralist. He is a big fan of powerful and compelling stories and has been studying storytelling for many years now. As a freelance illustrator, Robert has worked for various organizations, small businesses, individuals, magazines, newspapers, and other publications. work.robdontstop.com
Joy Liu
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JOURNALENTRY 03
I used to want to see the penitentiary way after elementary / Thought it was cool to look the judge in the face when he sentenced me / Since my uncles was institutionalized / My intuition has said I was suited for family ties / My momma is stressing, my daddy tired / I need me a weapon, these niggas ride / Every minute, hour and second, ministers tried to save me / How I’m gonna listen when I don’t even hear God? / Heaven or Hell, base it all on my instincts / My hands dirty, you worried ‘bout mud in your sink / You like to mistake a street nigga for real nigga / The same nigga that killed with ya, a squeal with ya / I deal with ya like my son, stare at the sun / And you’ll be looking in my eyes, homie Stand for something, or fall for anything / And you working with two left feet at the skating rink / But anyway, this for my niggas / Uncles, 23 hours sending me pictures / I want you to know that I’m so determined to blow / That you hear the music I wrote, hope it get you off Death Row / You came home to a pocket full of stones / A Metro PC phone, then you went back in / So when I touch the pen, the pen is in my view / I’mma get it right, just so you...
You like to mistake a street nigga for real nigga / That same nigga that kill with ya, will squeal with ya / I’d like to start it out from the bottom and build with ya / Be on my last dollar and split the bill with ya / I’m 23 with morals and plans of living cordial / Not rich, but wealthy, there’s nothing you can tell me / My killings are not remorseful / The city got my back, and for that, I give them my torso / You think about it, and don’t call me lyrical / Cause really I’m just a nigga that’s evil and spiritual / I know some rappers using big words to make their similes curve / My simplest shit be more pivotal / I penetrate the hearts of good kids and criminals / Worrisome individuals that live life critical / So won’t you bear witness while I bare feet / So you can walk in my shoes and get to know me / But anyway, this for my pops / On his lunch break, eating in the parking lot / On “Wanna Be Heard,” probably thought he worked my nerves / But really he was stressing me, getting what I deserved / Somebody said my name on the radio / He ain’t know I was ready for, the world that minute / So the next time he roll up and drop grams in it / He’ll probably be out of work, laid back, while he... Artist: Kendrick Lamar Song: Poe Man’s Dreams (His Vice) Lyrics Album: Section.80
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www.hcz.org / 59
www.academy.jazz.org 60 /
PLACES TO GO
The BEEHIVE ATLanta Words / Sydia bell
Atlanta boutique collective, The Beehive, features the work of independent designers’ whether at the beginning stages or have already established their brand recognition. The unique retail concept has provided local entrepreneurs with a platform to further increase their brand visibility through sales, community outreach and, the most vital, engagement with a network of like-minded creatives and direct contact with supporters.
Since 2010, owner Malene Davis, has attracted designers who are innovative, stylish, modern and often sustainable to showcase their products in the 2600 square foot space that feels more like a creative home to those looking for more than a retail space, but a community which fosters support and growth. Located in the heart of the Edgewood Retail District community members have come to rely on the chic modern boutique to learn about and from the artists who make some of their favorite items in apparel, houseware, baby goods, accessories, jewelry and grooming. The Beehive ATL 1250 Caroline Street, Suite C120 Atlanta, GA 30307 www.thebeehiveatl.com
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Photo Credit: @sydiab
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EDUCATION
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R. Gregory Christie’s GAS-ART GIFTS, The letters “G A S” stand for Gregarious Art Statements. This name reflects Mr. Christie’s vision to create a space where art appreciation and creation intersect. GAS-ART GIFTS is designed to be a space where people can come not only to appreciate art, but also to create it themselves. GAS-ART is an autographed children’s bookstore and art gallery located in Decatur, Georgia (North DeKalb Mall), with a collection of signed children’s books, prints and space available for art classes for adults and children.
SATURDAY ART Saturdays are hands-on art days at GAS-ART GIFTS. Drop in art classes in either bookmaking or monoprinting are offered from 1pm to 5pm each Saturday. Classes are only $5 bucks. ADULT CLASSES GAS-ART GIFTS offers classes in both Acrylic Painting and Illustration for adults. *All classes taught by Illustrator, R. Gregory Christie
R. Gregory Christie currently works as an illustrator. He has illustrated over fifty books for young readers, as well as collaborated with clients such as The United States Post Office, New York City’s Subway System, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Vibe, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Kennedy Center, Pete Seeger, Queen Latifah, and Karyn Parsons on a variety of projects. GAS-ART GIFTS 2050 Lawrenceville Hyw. #C – 25 Decatur, GA 30033 404.801.4926 www.gas-art.com
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FILM
Rockers
Filmmaker / Theodoros Bafaloukos A righteous man from Kingston, Jamaica, Leroy “Horsemouth” Wallace; unemployed drummer, although talented, he earns precious little for his music and is obliged to try hustling vinyl records on the side. While on this quest to rise above and beyond his status to make I and I self, his family and community stronger, “Horsemouth” is tested by unrighteous elite forces. But he rises above with togetherness of the community. This film gives an authentic visual of real life in Jamaica, outside of the tourist resorts you would see, back in the late 70’s. The musical performances are top-notch, especially a stunning a cappella rendition of “Jah No Dead” by Burning Spear. This film is empowering and displays the determination and will power to overcome any obstacle.
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MUSIC
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Mtume Umoja Ensemble: Alkebu-Lan Mtume Umoja Ensemble: Alkebu-Lan - Land of the Blacks, Recorded live at The East in Brooklyn on August 29, 1971. Alkebu-Lan begins with an “Invocation” to the teachings of panAfrican activist Maulana Karenga, “What you are about to hear is not jazz or some other irrelevant term we allow others to use in defining our creation. But the sounds which are about to saturate your being and sensitize your soul is the continuing process of nationalist consciousness.” and then the journey begins with a mix of African rooted improvisation and spiritual modality. Alkebu-Lan is an extremely rare album and should not be overlooked just because of it’s limited print and lack of exposure; this double album is 90 minutes of some of the best Avant-Garde Jazz ever recorded. Perhaps this is the Holy Grail for vinyl diggers of Strata-East Records.
TRACKS A1 Invocation Voice [Speech] – Mtume, Written by – Mtume – 4:00 A2 Baba Hengates Written by – Mtume 17:39 B1 Utamu Written by – Mtume – 9:28 B2 Saud Written by – Mtume – 10:38 C1 Alkebu-Lan Written by – Mtume – 16:22 C2 No Words Written by – Mtume – 8:29 D1 Seperate Not Equal Written by – Ndugu – 7:16 D2 Sifa (The Prayer) Arranged by – Mtume Other [Swahili] – Je Jordan, Written by – Imamu Baraka – 14:40
CREDITS Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Gary Bartz Artwork – Wabembe Bass – Buster Williams Congas, Horns [Tonette], Producer – Mtume Drums – Billy Hart, Ndugu Engineer – Endesha O’Brien Piano – Stanley Cowell Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Carlos Garnett Violin – Leroy Jenkins Vocals – Andy Bey, Eddie Micheaux, Joe Lee Wilson Voice [Poetry] – Weusi Kuumba, Yusef Iman
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PODCAST
THE ONE IN A MILLION SHOW Hosted by / Murphy II And Jamal Press
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The hosts, Jamal Press and Murphy are two soon-to-be dads who don’t know anything about being dads or being pregnant, but talk like they do. Listen in as they discover with each podcast what it truly means to be an expectant dad. www.theoneinamillionshow.com
EP 1 – I’M PREGNANT Those two words “I’m Pregnant” to a man can rattle him to his core. Join Murphy and Jamal Press as they share the wide range of reactions they felt when their wives first told them the news.
EP 2 – THE MICHAEL JORDAN OF BABY CATCHING Press and Murph speculate on how to count pregnancy weeks, the use of music therapy during the different stages of labor and how to catch a newborn baby without gloves.
EP 3 – HOUSE ARREST Listen as Murph and Press plot to escape house arrest, answer some tough email questions, and reveal the gender of Burrito Flash.
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Bel-Air
SERIES: Family Values
A support system is key for any family member to ascend to levels never thought one could reach. Here’s a visual representation from one of our favorite families. Poster (11x17) Available at marzkingcole.bigcartel.com
www.soulofbrooklyn.com
visionary
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Artist, Actor, Dancer, Choreographer, Two-Time Tony Award-winning Director and Costume Designer for The Wiz, Dies at 84; Son Pens Intimate Account of Last Days
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Father’s last days Words / Lia Chang
The world lost a true renaissance man when Geoffrey Holder, the Tony Award-winning Trinidadian director, actor, costume designer, painter, dancer, author, graphic designer, photographer and choreographer, died from complications of pneumonia at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Hospital in New York at the age of 84 on Sunday, October 5, 2014. Geoffrey Lamont Holder was born in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tabago, on August 1, 1930, one of four children of Louise de Frense and Arthur Holder, who had immigrated from Barbados. He attended Queen’s Royal College, an elite secondary school in Trinidad. Under the tutelage of his older brother, Boscoe, Holder learned painting and began dancing as a member of the Holder Dance Company when he was seven years old.
In 1954, Holder made his Broadway debut in House of Flowers, a musical by Harold Arlen (music and lyrics) and Truman Capote (lyrics and book), where he met and fell in love with dancer Carmen De Lavallade. They married in 1955 and for the next two years, performed as principal dancers for the Metropolitan Opera Ballet. In 1956, he formed his own troupe, Geoffrey Holder and Company. He is featured in an Afro-Cuban dance sequence from the movie Carib Gold (1956), filmed in Key West, Florida. He also starred in an all-black production of Waiting for Godot in 1957. As a choreographer, Geoffrey Holder has created dances and done staging for many companies, including the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, The Dance Theatre of Harlem, and The Boys’ Choir of Harlem and Friends.
During a career that spanned seven decades, Holder is best known for leading the groundbreaking show The Wiz, the allAfrican American retelling of The Wizard of Oz to Broadway, and garnering Tony Awards for Best Costume Design and Best Director in 1975, presented to him by Ray Bolger, the original Scarecrow in the 1939 MGM musical The Wizard of Oz. Holder made history as the first African American man to be nominated in either category. He also received the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design.
He is featured in the film documentaries, Geoffrey Holder: The Unknown Side by Andrzej Krakowski in 2002, Carmen and Geoffrey by Linda Atkinson and Nick Doob, The History Makers by Nancy Oey, Prentice Sinclair Smith in 2005; Joséphine Baker: Black Diva in a White Man’s World by Annette von Wangenheim in 2006 and Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age by Rick McKay (2015). A massive coffee-table book with 250 illustrations, Geoffrey Holder: A Life in Theater, Dance and Art, by Jennifer Dunning, was published by Abrams in 2002.
At a towering 6’6” and with his Trinidadian basso and hearty laugh, Holder was a popular presence on TV as a spokesman on the 1970s and -80s 7-Up “Uncola” advertising campaigns.
Holder co-authored (with Tom Harshman) and illustrated a collection of Caribbean folklore, Black Gods, Green Islands, in 1959, and followed it several years later with a book of recipes titled Geoffrey Holder’s Caribbean Cookbook (1973). A book of his photography, Adam, was published by Viking in 1986.
Holder is remembered for his performances as Baron Samedi in the James Bond thriller Live and Let Die (1973), as Punjab in Annie (1982), and as the Genie in Cole Porter and S.J. Perelman’s television musical Aladdin (1954). In 1952, the choreographer Agnes de Mille saw Holder dance in St. Thomas. She invited him to New York; he would teach at the Katherine Dunham School of Dance for two years.
Holder won a Guggenheim Fellowship in fine arts in 1956 and is a 1972 recipient of the Trinidad & Tobago Humming Bird Gold Medal for Dance. Geoffrey Holder is survived by his wife, dancer Carmen De Lavallade, whom he met while working on House of Flowers on Broadway in 1954 and married in 1955, and their son, Léo, who penned this intimate account of his father’s last days. liachang.wordpress.com
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Geoffrey Holder 1930-2014
October 5, 2014 A little more than a week after developing pneumonia, Geoffrey Holder made a decision. He was calling the shots as always. He was done. 2 attempts at removing the breathing tube didn’t show promising results. In his truest moment of clarity since being rolled into I.C.U. he said he was good. Mouthing the words “No, I am not afraid” without a trace of negativity, sadness or bitterness, he sincerely was good with it. He had lived the fullest life he could possibly live, a 70 + year career in multiple art forms, and was still creating. Still painting, a bag of gold (of course) fabric and embellishments in his room for a new dress for my mother, sculptures made out of rope, baseball caps and wire hangers. New ideas every second, always restlessly chasing his too fertile mind. A week of breathing tubes and restrained hands had forced him to communicate with only cryptic clues which I was fortunate enough to be able to decipher at best 40% of the time. The fact that we all struggled to understand him enraged him to the point that he could sometimes pull tantrums taking up to 4 people to restrain him from pulling out the wires. He was head strong (understatement), but he was also physically strong. Iron hand grip that no illness could weaken. 9 days of mouthing words that, because of the tubes, produced no sound forcing him to use his eyes to try to accentuate the point he was trying to make. But this didn’t mean he wasn’t still Geoffrey Holder. This didn’t mean an end to taking over. Holding court as he always did. Directing and ordering people around. Choreographing. Getting his way. We still understood that part, and the sight of his closest friends and
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extended family brought out the best in him. Broad smiles in spite of the tubes, nodding approval of anything that met his standard (which was very high), and exuding pride and joy in all those in whom he saw a spark of magic and encouraged to blossom. The week saw a parade for friends from all over the world checking in to see him, hold is hand, rub his head, and give him the latest gossip. But he was still trying to tell me something, and although I was still the best at deciphering what he was saying, I still wasn’t getting it. Saturday night I had a breakthrough. After a good day for him, including a visit by Rev. Dr. Forbes, Senior Minister Emeritus of Riverside Church who offered prayer and described Geoffrey’s choreography as prayer itself, which made him beam, I brought in some music. “Bill Evans with Symphony Orchestra”, one of his all time favorites. He had once choreographed a piece to one of the cuts on the album… a throwaway ballet to fill out the program, but the music inspired him. From his bed, he started to, at first sway with the music, then the arms went up, and Geoffrey started to dance again. In his bed. Purest of spirits. Still Geoffrey Holder. Then he summoned me to take his hands, and this most unique dancer / choreographer pulled himself up from his bed as if to reach the sky. It was then I broke the code: he was telling me he was going to dance his way out. Still a Geoffrey Holder production. If it had been up to him, this evening’s solo would have been it. The higher he pulled himself up, the higher he wanted to fly. I had to let him down. Not yet. There are friends and family coming in from out of town. He resignedly shrugged his shoulders, closed his eyes and went to sleep. I got it. Really. I got it. I walked out of the hospital elated. Ate a full meal for the first time in days, slept like a baby after. The next day would be his last. I was not sad. It wasn’t stressful for me to deal with him in this state. It was an honor and a privilege to tend to anything he needed. This impromptu dance was his dress rehearsal.
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Next morning, I show up early. Possible second thoughts? Should we wait? What if he changes his mind? Did he understand what we were talking about here? Thoroughly. Mind as clear as crystal. “You still game for our dance tonight?” A nod, a smile, and a wink, with tubes still down his throat. We’re still on. But he still wants to do it NOW. NOT later. He’s cranky. Sulks a while. Sleeps a while. Eventually snaps out of it. From noon on, a caravan of friends and family from all over the globe comes through the ICU wing. Ages 1 to 80. Young designers and artists he nurtured and who inspired him. Younger dancers he encouraged to always play to the rear balcony with majesty. The now “elder statesmen” dancers on whom he built some of his signature ballets. His rat pack of buddies. Wayward saints he would offer food, drink, a shoulder to cry on, a couch to sleep it off, and lifetime’s worth of deep conversation and thought. Closest and oldest friends. Family. They know they are here to say goodbye. He knows they are here to say goodbye. He greets them beaming with joy to see them. By this time I’m reading his lips better and am able to translate for him as much as I can. The last of them leave. It’s time for his one true love to have her time with him. His muse. Her champion. This is their time. 59 years distilled into 5 minutes of the gentlest looks and words as she caresses his noble brow one last time. She puts a note she wrote to him in is hand. She leaves. Everyone is gone except me. My moment. I will be with him as he goes. One more time:
“you good?” Nod & faint smile. ‘you ready?” He is. I have asked the doctors to not start the morphine drip right away, because I want him to have his solo on his own time. Knowing him, he might stop breathing right after his finale. For dramatic effect. He’s still Geoffrey Holder. They remove the tube that has imprisoned him for the past 9 days and robbed this great communicator of the ability to speak. I remove the mittens that prevent his hands from moving freely. I start the music, take his hands and start leading him, swaying them back and forth. And he lets go of me. He’s gonna wing it as he was prone to do when he was younger. Breathing on his own for the last time, Geoffrey Holder, eyes closed, performs his last solo to Bill Evans playing Faure’s Pavane. From his deathbed. The arms take flight, his beautiful hands articulate through the air, with grace. I whisper “shoulders” and they go into an undulating shimmy, rolling like waves. His Geoffrey Holder head gently rocks back and forth as he stretches out his right arm to deliver his trademark finger gesture, which once meant “you can’t afford this” and now is a subtle manifestation of pure human spirit and infinite wisdom. His musical timing still impeccable, bouncing off the notes, as if playing his own duet with Evan’s piano. Come the finale, he doesn’t lift himself of the bed as he planned; instead, one last gentle rock of the torso, crosses his arms and turns his head to the side in a pose worthy of Pavlova. All with a faint, gentile smile.
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The orchestra finishes when he does. I loose it. They administer the morphine drip and put an oxygen mask over his face. and I watch him begin taking his last breaths. I put on some different music. I sit and watch him sleep, and breathe… 20 minutes later, he’s still breathing albeit with this gurgling sound you can hear though the mask. Another several minutes go by, he’s still breathing. Weakly, but still breathing… then his right hand starts to move. It looks like he’s using my mother’s note like a pencil, scratching the surface of the bed as if he’s drawing. This stops a few minutes later, then the left hand begins tapping. Through the oxygen mask the gurgling starts creating it’s own rhythm. Not sure of what I’m hearing, I look up to see his mouth moving. I get closer to listen: “2, 3, 4….2, 3, 4… He’s counting! It gets stronger, and at it’s loudest sounds like the deep purr of a lion, then he says “Arms, 2, 3, 4, Turn, 2, 3, 4, Swing, 2, 3, 4, Down, 2, 3, 4….” I called my mother at home, where she was having a reception in his honor. She picks up. There are friends and family telling Geoffrey stories simultaneously laughing and crying in the background. “Hi, honey, Are you alright?” “Yes actually… he hasn’t stopped breathing yet.” I tell her about his solo, which brings her to a smile and a lightening of mood. I continue: “Can I ask you a question?” “Sure Honey. What? “Who the hell did you marry?” “What do you mean?” “You’re not gonna believe this. He’s got a morphine drip, going on over half an hour, an oxygen mask on, his eyes closed, AND HE’S CHOREOGRAPHING!” This brings her to her first laugh of the day. She now knows we will be alright. He continues on like this for quite a while, and a doctor comes in to take some meter readings of the machines. I ask the doctor if this is normal. As she begins to explain to me about the process, his closed eyes burst open focused straight on us like lasers and he roars with all his might: ”SHUT UUUUUUUUUUUUUP!!! YOU’RE BREAKING MY CONCENTRATION!!!!!!!” We freeze with our mouths open. He stares us down. long and hard. Then he closes his eyes again, “Arms, 2, 3, 4, Turn, 2, 3, 4, Swing, 2, 3, 4, Down, 2, 3, 4…” He continued counting ’til it faded out, leaving only the sound of faint breathing, slowing down to his very last breath at 9:25pm Still Geoffrey Holder. The most incredible night of my life. Thank you for indulging me. facebook.com/CarmenDeLavallade Photos: geoffreyandcarmen.dusablemuseum.org
Love & best, Léo
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OUR FATHERS
4FATHERS Photo Journal uses a traditional approach with its usage of photographs and words. Each Issue covers a selection of fathers with amazing stories. www.4fathersjournal.com
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Photography Credit: M. Anthony Hopkins, 88-91 M. Anthony Hopkins is a Northern California native who studied the dynamics between race, education, and identity at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a life-long artist who uses paint, canvas, film, and camera to study the intersections of race relations in the United States. He has showcased his work throughout California. He has operated his friendly photography business for over seven years, shooting weddings, families, concerts, fashion shows and political events. His projects range from social criticism to nature, and from food and restaurant culture to street art. He now resides in Brooklyn, New York and works in Harlem as an educator to raise the critical literacy skills of our youth. hopkins.m.anthony@gmail.com Instagram: @CA2NY
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www.hardworkingmovies.com
CONTRIBUTE / SHARE
What we are looking for? Do you have a unique perspective as a father? If you are interested in providing your perspective as a father, we welcome submissions of photography, poetry, and articles that relates to fatherhood. Book reviews are also desired — short descriptions of particular book. How to submit material? Simply e-mail us the piece you would like published. In addition, please provide us with some background information about yourself. Submit written articles in MS Word format. Copyright Please do not resend materials published elsewhere. However, if you do have an article on a blog that you think is of particular interest to our audience, please do send us a link. Lastly keep in mind that if you do send us material and we publish it, you are granting us a non-exclusive right to maintain your piece. info@4fathersjournal.com www.4fathersjournal.com