Press Release

Black Bird Press 1222 Dwight Way Berkeley CA 94702 510-200-4164 Press Release Bay Area people of radical consciousness will be able to attend a reading/book signing by revolutionary poet, playwright, essayist, educator, social activist, Marvin X, one of the founders of the Black Arts Movement, the most radical literary movement in American history. Along with playwright Ed Bullins, Amiri Baraka, Sonia Sanchez, Nikki Giovanni, Marvin X was/is a key mover and shaker. He co-founded San Francisco's Black Arts West Theatre with Ed Bullins, 1966, where his first play Flowers for the Trashman was produced. In 1965 the San Francisco State Drama Dept. premiered Flowers while Marvin was an undergraduate in the English /Creative writing, dept. He was a student of novelist John Gardner who took Flowers to the drama department. Beat poet Kenneth Rexroth called Marvin the best playwright to hit SF State! More recently, Marvin X's drama of addiction and recovery, One Day in the Life,  became the longest running African American drama in northern California. Mythology of Love was produced at the Joyce Gordon gallery earlier this year.  His latest book is The Wisdom of Plato Negro, parables/fables, Black Bird Press, 2012, $19.95. Chickenbones.com's Editor, Rudolph Lewis, notes, "I am deep into your Wisdom, in your thought, thinking and construction  of a literary work that is quite post-modern, an interactive text that would  not have been possible before the invention of the web, as indicated by your dialogues." At the Joyce Gordon, Marvin will read and sign books, accompanied by poet Aries Jordan,  trumpet master Earl Davis (associated with MX at Black Arts West Theatre, 1966, San Francisco),  percussion master Tacuma King.  Donation $19.95, includes signed copy of The Wisdom of Plato Negro.  For more information, 510-200-4164.