When you have those kinds of examples, you have to be either totally self-indulgent, ignorant, or an opportunist not to follow their lead. Third World Press is thirty-one years old. Now, you have been writing and publishing for over three decades, and you have been active throughout the period of which I am a by-product. I am a direct descendent of the Black Arts Movement. It s akin to our great Black music, jazz.
Poetry is essentially our classical language.
There has always been a strong current within the culture. But, for instance, it took Gwendolyn Brooks over sixty years to become a household name, most certainly in Illinois. When I first met Miss Brooks back in 1967, she was not a household name, even though she had won the Pulitzer Prize and published with a mainstream press. It took another ten to fifteen years for her to become a common force in our culture, as well as American culture. Now, I do feel that the Black poetry scene has made significant inroads into the culture.