Aberjhani facts for kids

Aberjhani (born Jeffery J. Lloyd on July 8, 1957, in Savannah, Georgia) is an American historian, writer, poet, and artist. He is known for his blog articles about books and politics. He also helped write the Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance and wrote The River of Winged Dreams. The encyclopedia won an award in 2004 for being an excellent academic book.

Early Life and Learning

Aberjhani grew up in Savannah, Georgia. After finishing Savannah High School in 1975, he went to several colleges. He studied journalism, creative writing, and American community life. He attended Savannah State College (now University), Eckerd College, Macalester College, Temple University, and the New College of California. He also studied journalism at the Fort Benjamin Harrison School of Journalism.

Military Service

Aberjhani served in the U.S. Air Force. He spent two years in Fairbanks, Alaska, four years in Suffolk, England, and two more years in the Air Force Reserves in Charleston, South Carolina. He also studied Equal Opportunity and Human Relations Counseling at Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute in Tyndall AFB, Florida.

Writing Career

Aberjhani chose his new name, Aberjhani, as an adult. He says the name came to him in a dream. He kept writing while he was in the Air Force. Later, from 1994 to 2001, he was a co-editor for the Savannah Literary Journal. During this time, he also reviewed books for the Georgia Council for the Arts. He held different roles with the Poetry Society of Georgia, which is the oldest poetry group in the state. He became well known as a spoken word poet and a published author.

His first national work appeared in 1997. ESSENCE Magazine published his cover story and essay called "This Mother’s Son." At that time, the magazine reached about 7 million readers. From 1999 to 2005, his poems were often featured in ESSENCE. This made him one of the most recognized poets in the United States.

Literary Influences

Aberjhani has shared in interviews that he was influenced more by big literary movements than by single writers. He helped edit an encyclopedia about the Harlem Renaissance, which was a major art and cultural movement in the 20th century. Other movements that influenced him include Modernism, Surrealism, the Beats, the Black Arts Movement, Postmodernism, and Existentialism.

He has also said that he was influenced by many authors at different times. Some of these writers include James Baldwin, Albert Camus, W.E.B. Du Bois, Henry Dumas, Ralph Ellison, William Faulkner, Khalil Gibran, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Federico Garcia Lorca, Dambudzo Marechera, Henry Miller, James Alan McPherson, Toni Morrison, Anais Nin, Jalal al-Din Rumi, Jean-Paul Sartre, Alice Walker, and Margaret Walker.

Works as a Visual Artist

Aberjhani started his journey as a visual artist by taking photos. In 2016, he documented how Hurricane Matthew affected the Historic District of Savannah. One of his black and white photos, "Eugene Talmadge Memorial Bridge the Morning After Hurricane Matthew No. 2," was used to support changing the bridge's name.

In 2018, he created a new art technique called "Silk-Featherbrush Artstyle." His art is shown in the book Dreams of the Immortal City Savannah. It also appears on the cover of Greeting Flannery O'Connor at the Back Door of My Mind.

Accomplishments

• 2006: Aberjhani won a Readers Poll award for Savannah Poet and Spoken Word Artist of the Year from Connect Savannah.
• 2007: He became a member of The Academy of American Poets.
• 2009: He was added to the Red Room Hall of Fame. Red Room is an online community for writers.
• 2011: He received a special portrait called a "Michael Jackson Tribute Portrait" by artist David Ilan.
• 2011: He was listed as one of "The New Black" in the online edition of Best American Poetry.
• 2012: He became a member of PEN American Center, which is part of the global PEN International group.
• 2014: LinkedIn invited him to join their selected members and "influencers" who publish on the website.
• 2019: His Poem “Suzannian Algorithm Finger-Painted on an Abstract Wall” was published. This was for a catalog celebrating the life and career of Suzanne Jackson. It was also part of an exhibition at Telfair Museums Jepson Center for the Arts.

Humanitarian Causes

In September 2007, Aberjhani started an online group called Creative Thinkers International. He created it to support peaceful ways to solve conflicts, especially after the 9/11 events led to more wars and terrorism. This group has over 500 independent artists from around the world. They discuss topics like human rights and how art can help keep international peace.

In March 2013, he announced his support for the Global March for Peace and Unity Event. In January 2014, he signed the international Charter for Compassion. As a member, he wrote articles for the group's Voices Compassion Education Project. These articles covered topics like Boko Haram, understanding guerrilla warfare, and being ethical on social media. In 2016, he joined the Span the Gap Movement. This group wanted to change the name of the Eugene Talmadge Memorial Bridge to something less hurtful. Aberjhani first wrote about this issue in his 2007 book, The American Poet Who Went Home Again.

See Also

• Poetry Life and Times