Black Existentialism

About the Author:JULIAN THOMAS is a poet, acting teacher, and youth mentor bornand raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. With deep family history in East Harlem,where he now teaches and resides, Julian's Afro-Caribbean roots traceback to Sierra Leone, Grenada, and Honduras.Gravitating toward acting from an early age, Julian Thomas is a graduateof the renown theatre program at Northwestern University and hasperformed his original poetry on outlets coast to coast, including onthe St. Louis NBC news, as well as Al Sharpton's National Action Network.Along with a lengthy Shakespeare career playing roles such as Othello,King Lear, and Theseus in Midsummer Night's Dream, Julian hasnarrated over 20 audiobooks in fiction and non-fiction.Among these include "Of Blood and Sweat; Black Lives and the Makingof White Power and Wealth" by Clyde W. Ford; "Hack Your Bureaucracy:Get Things Done No Matter What Your Role on Any Team" by ObamaAdministration White House staff Marina Nitze and Nick Sinai, andEtan Thomas's "We Matter; Athletes and Activism," a collection ofessays and interviews exploring the social justice landscape of today.About the Book : The poems in this book present a mosaic of modern life that reachesback to the past to capture the pulse of the future. Tapping into topicssuch as social justice, economic disparity, spiritual philosophy, andmost of all love, this book provides a compelling tribute to nonconformity and a celebration of those who defy social norms.Often set against the backdrop of East Harlem, 'El Barrio', New York,the poetry strides through complex intricacies of life and society withvivid imagery and introspective musings.The pieces come alive with the rhythms of jazz and blues music, andimmerse the reader in an artistic journey of creativity. To read thesepoems is to experience the culture. Engaging for ages young and oldalike, Black Existentialism is a collection of writings that bridgeslandmark poetic influences such as Amiri Baraka, Sonia Sanchez,Gil Scott Heron, Allen Ginsberg, and many more, with the culturalvibrancy of the 21st century.