Music, literary and art lovers gathered Tuesday night for an annual event in honor of three legendary figures who impacted the world with their brilliance and creativity. The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville English Department and the Eugene B. Redmond (EBR) Writers Club of East St. Louis co-sponsored the “Da-Dum-Dun” multi-arts festival at the East St. Louis Higher Education Campus.
Dr. Redmond, namesake of the EBR Writers Club and SIUE English Department emeritus professor, began the celebration to pay homage to musician Miles Davis, author Music, literary and art lovers gathered Tuesday night for an annual event in honor of three legendary figures who impacted the world with their brilliance and creativity. The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville English Department and the Eugene B. Redmond (EBR) Writers Club of East St. Louis co-sponsored the “Da-Dum-Dun” multi-arts festival at the East St. Louis Higher Education Campus.
Dr. Redmond, namesake of the EBR Writers Club and SIUE English Department emeritus professor, began the celebration to pay homage to musician Miles Davis, author Henry Lee Dumas and anthropologist-choreographer-dancer Katherine Dunham.
The commemoration, which included the reading of kwansaba poems and prose, music and dance, also was combined with a book signing for Drumvoices Revue authors.
The program included Sunshine Lee’s East St. Louis Community Dance Ensemble and the world renowned Bosman Twins of East St. Louis. Poets who performed included Michael Castro, Roscoe “Ros” Crenshaw, Susan “Spit-Fire” Lively, Jaye P. Willis, EBR Writers Club President Darlene Roy and East St. Louis poet laureate Redmond.
Drumvoices Revue is a literary-cultural journal founded by Redmond and co-published by the Writers Club and SIUE.
The EBR Writers Club was chartered in 1986 by Sherman L. Fowler, Roy and Redmond. The club meets twice monthly. The Club created the literary device now widely known as the kwansaba. Both the name and the principles of the poetic device come from Kwanzaa, the seven-day African-American cultural holiday created by Dr. Maulana Karenga. A kwansaba is a seven-line poem with seven words on each line and no word containing more than seven letters.
The Club’s trustees are Maya Angelou, Amiri Baraka, Avery Brooks, Haki R. Madhubuti, Walter Mosley, Quincy Troupe, Jerry Ward Jr. and Lena J. Weathers. For more information about the Club and Redmond, visit eugenebredmond.com, email eredmon@siue.edu or call (618) 650-3991.
A sample of poems read on Tuesday night included:
Literary Estate
(Considering Eugene B. Redmond, literary executor of Henry Dumas’ Literary Estate & his widow, Loretta Ponton Dumas)
With Loretta’s demure nod, strands of kefs,
sabas, praise songs and sagas were pulled
from Dumas’ sweet homes in Africa, Arkansas,
East St. Louis or Harlem and keenly
woven by Redmond into Echo Tree, Goodbye
Sweet Water, Knees of a Natural Man;
gave birth to Morrison’s famed title, Beloved.
Darlene Roy © April 24, 2013
The Great Katherine
Élan vital* emerged as genius cracked the
collar of this once common house Kat,
her grand plié spiced with Vodun rhythm,
a reality reborn through desire, support,
incur-rage-meant and God’s endurin’ gift. Earthly
spirit swaying to Carib song, dancing at
Habitation Leclerc**, inhalin’ mystery of the world.
*vital force
**Mrs. Dunham’s home in Haiti
Jaye P. Willis © May 21, 2013
Photo Information:
On program were Dr. Eugene B. Redmond, SIUE English Department emeritus professor; and Darlene Roy, EBR Writers Club president.
Sunshine Lee’s East St. Louis Community Dance Ensemble added the beat and dance to the multi-arts festival.