Contributors
Introduction by Lyah Beth LeFlore
LYAH BETH LEFLORE is a television and film executive producer and music supervisor. She has worked at Nickelodeon, Uptown Records/Entertainment, Wolf Films/Universal, and Alan Haymon Development and is currently a producing partner with Anthony Hemingway, where she has brokered lucrative deals on vari-ous high-profile television and film projects. LeFlore is also the author of eight critically-acclaimed books, two of which are National Bestsellers. She is the co-founder and executive director of the literary arts-based nonprofit, The Shirley Bradley LeFlore Foundation/Creative Arts and Expression Laboratory, which honors LeFlore’s late mother, St. Louis Poet Laureate Emeritus and 2Leaf Press poet Shirley Bradley Price LeFlore. http://lyahbethleflore.com.
Here's What People Are Saying
“Founding member of the seminal spoken-word initiative The Last Poets, thought by many critics to be the fi rst hip hop group, Oyewole is a sublime force of scholarship and creativity. A born storyteller, he has infused his newest collection with a powerful sense of humanity. With an exuberant and informative introduction by Lyah Beth LeFlore, NAKED is a solid and universal volume by a masterful poet.” ~Raúl Niño, Booklist (2020)
“In NAKED, Abiodun Oyewole bares the soul of an older, wiser, somewhat vulnerable, yet ever eloquent warrior-poet. Still standing strong, in this collection of poems he artfully calls upon nature, our history and our inner strength to remind us of our resilience, our purpose and our beauty. Once again he shows us the way. If I were still an English teacher this would be required reading!” ~Marcia Lyles, Retired Superintendent, Jersey City Public Schools, Former Deputy Chancellor for Teaching and Learning, NYCDOE
“Abiodun Oyewole has no comparison because he is the source material: your favorite old school rapper’s favorite old school rapper. Without The Last Poets, there may have been no Hip- Hop, and without Oyewole, there may have been no Last Poets. When a living legend gives us a gift, we have only one answer—thank you.” ~Aaron Samuels, Co-Founder of Blavity Inc., author of Yarmulkes & Fitted Caps (2013)
“Beyond the craft and musicality of NAKED, the book itself gives me great joy. To once again sit in my deep and abundant gratitude for the work and legacy of Abiodun Oyewole, who has shown so many of us the ways that language can stretch. The way images can breathe on the page. All of that is still here, in this work. An honor to be in praise of this brilliant poet, who lit a path for so many, and who continues to do so in this book.” ~Hanif Abdurraqib, poet, essayist, cultural critic, and the author of Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest (2019) and A Fortune For Your Disaster (2019)
“Abiodun Oyewole embarks on a walk through time and space in NAKED, revealing the ponderings of a man looking back at time—refusing to yield. These poems lie bare like leaves in a park taking the rain of life, its heat, and the cold, but remain fresh as if only just falling to the grass.” ~Jason N. Vasser-Elong, poet, professor and the author of shrimp (2018)
“Abiodun Oyewole’s NAKED explores being exposed as Black endurance and survival. The Last Poets statesman looks at his own vulnerabilities, but also praises and loves those who avoid flinching. NAKED reminds us that we are like trees with cycles of flourishing and gathering strength in bare branches.” ~Tara Betts, poet, professor and the author of Break the Habit: Poems (2016)
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