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Uploaded "Song for Something Pretty'' poem by James A. Emanuel and music by Earl Rogers Interview with James A. Emanuel by Adele"
The Middle Passage Blues
![Home fax: 55 bis, bd du Montparnasse
+33-1-45493266 75006 Paris
FRANCE
7 February 2000
Noah Howard
Altsax Music
Rozenlaan 7
B-3030 Tervuren
BELGIUM
Dear Noah,
Although the French quit expressing New
Year’s greetings when January ends, I depart
from them in saying HAPPY NEW YEAR--even after
the groundhog has had his chance to say it.
I hope that the enclosed JAZZ from the Haiku
King (which Godelieve Simons of Brussels has auto-
graphed too) will remind you of our pleasant visit
to your place last year. Although Broadside Press
did not--perhaps could not-- follow my plan and
keep the integrity of Godelieve’s engravings in
the book in Section VI, “Jazz Meets the Abstract,”
the publisher things enough of the book, just pub-
lished in November, to submit it for the Pulitzer
Prize. But that big prize requires the influence and
and inside track.
If you can consider making a recording with
me, based on these jazz-and-blues-and-gospel haiku
that are a new literary genre, maybe you can choose
those haiku (and longer poems, perhaps) that would
best fit saxophone music. Having your list, I
could read them onto a cassette for you to let you
know my style, poem by poem. I could compose a
“gig sheet,” as I call them (winding up usually
with ten or more sheets for a whole program [did I
send you a program that I made up for Chansse?];
then, after you suggest changes and educate me con-
cerning your recording-room technology, we could
rehearse doing-the-do jazzily. I know you might be
to busy to consider this, but give
it a thought when you can.
Cordial regards,
J Emanuel
P.S. I enclosed, too, my 1999 “Literary Happenings” sheet (I have 8 earlier
ones, each just as long) to give you an idea of my recent track record.](https://cuny.manifoldapp.org/system/resource/5/2/8/528b27f4-f2a4-41e9-9fcd-78038dea8808/attachment/dab45c6f4498cd92b236b84e2ae31157.jpg)
James Emanuel's letter to Noah Howard
![[*(23.11.89: Wrote "Merci" card/note for "Catwoman drawing)*]
(POST—IT note to Nicole Lamotte with photocopy of
Lotus Press letter from New American Writing, Inc.,
6 October 1989, re selection of Deadly James and
Other Poems to be in the BEST OF THE SMALL PRESSES
book exhibit.)
Paris, le 3.11.89
Chére Nicole,
Je ne vous ai pas écrit depuis longtemps parce
que Monsieur DevoirTravai1FardeauTaloné, ce
tyran implacable, me tenait le bras d'une poigne
d'acier, et je sens le feu de son regard le 3
novembre. Mais je suis content de POUVCIR rester
très occupé.
J'espère que cette lettre ci—jointe vous ap—
porte du plaisir vu que c'est possible que
QUELQ'UN a fait attention enfin à Deadly James
and Other Poems en raison de votre art qui met
en valeur sa couverture; en tout cas QUELQ'UN
e été poussé à l'examiner un peu. Bonnes nou—
velles. J'espère que vous attendiez bien vous
amuser durant la saison des vacances juste
avant 1990.
[handwritten]
Affectueusement,
James
(Mes amitiés à Jean)](https://cuny.manifoldapp.org/system/resource/e/f/0/ef09ad95-a875-44dc-aaec-c2ade790ce6b/attachment/4ff9d7be8fc36aac3a083119324b936b.jpg)
Letter to Nicole Lamotte November 1989
James Emanuel in what might be Sidi-bou-said in Tunisia Photo
![Comments (usable in publicity) on James A.
Emanuel’s poetry:
“In the annals of American poetry it is difficult
to conceive of a more neglected great poet than
James A. Emanuel” (Daniel E. Scheider, “The Not
So Strange Emanuel Case,” Internet essay, March
6, 2001, www. Cosmoetica.com/S1-DES1.htm, else-
where adding “for my money THE most neglected
published poet of the 20th Century.”
“Emanuel is a GREAT POET-period.” (Schneider,
same essay, p. 4)
“Un poète de premier order ....Indubitablement,
Emanuel a dèja plus d’un pied sur la terre -pro-
Mise.” (Michel Fabre, rev. of The Force and the
Reckoning in AFRAM Review, June 2001)
“I love [italics his] your work, and look forward
to reading more.” (Ltr from Henry Louis Gates, 1995)
With “a grand irony,” Emanual writes “direct-
experience poetry,” beautiful poems, but also
poems “short and violent like sort of a rifle
shot.” (“Panorama” program, France Culture Ra-
dio, 3 Sept. 1992)
“Dr. Emanuel, a pioneer in the study of black li-
terature and a critically acclaimed poet, is a
living link to past expatriates, says Princeton
University literary scholar Arnold Rampersad ....
There were no courses in African American liter-
ature when Emanuel started out .... He researched
everything from the original texts. Dr. Emanuel
managed to publish an error-free volume on [Lang-
ston] Hughes. My book had mistakes .... His didn’t.”
(Toni Y. Joseph, One Voice, 1994, pp. 144-45)
“It is high time for James A. Emanuel, one of our
finest and most adventurous poets, to receive his
due acclaim. ... to be heard round the world.”
(X.J. Kennedy, cover of The Force and the Reckoning.)
The Force and the Reckoning “is splendid and
original achievement. I know of know similar book.”
(Michel Fabre, cover of this book)
Naomi on JAZZ (ltr 19.04.2000), herein.](https://cuny.manifoldapp.org/system/resource/4/4/5/445e8d3e-1f19-48f9-9797-249dbc7d1dff/attachment/accf4d36017c7f74427f5cc6a1625b02.jpg)
Comments (usuable in publicity) on James A. Emanuel's poetry
Letter from Paule Marshall
![vacances, à la maison ou if a "bricole"
et améliore notre cadre de vie.
Je suis assez prise, avec ma nouvelle
occupation de "charme d'hôtes" et jai,
durant l'été, reçu beaucoup d'Anglais et de
Danois. le Prochain week-end j'aurai des
Américains qui viendront avec leurs amis
Parisiens.
le jardin pleure aujourd'hui sous la
pleure que nous a raies default durant
l'etc; et je sens que ce temps mausade
va me reconduire, comme chaque automne
et hiver, a mon travail de peintre en mon
atelier.
Merci a vous cher James de m'avoi
lue et je vous [undecipherable] souvenir
de Jean et moi je vous embrasse.
Nicole.
P.S. Une photo de [undecipherable] de mes derniers tableaux.](https://cuny.manifoldapp.org/system/resource/4/b/1/4b17e91c-c83e-4de5-a4d7-e4fc06fe6f2c/attachment/7175138279d856ccf4089bfe44700064.jpg)
Letter from Nicole Lamotte October 1990 (page 2 of 2)
![[*Replied 2 Nov. 90 in a letter, in French, on "Merci beaucoup" card.*]
[*Said that after publication of Whole Grain in Jan., I'd be able to think of finding best means of publishing a book of poems using her drawings.*]
Nicole LAMOTTE
Atelier
"Le Buisson"
M E S L A Y
4220 THURY-HARCOURT
Tel. 13(31)79.40.53
le 3 Oct 1990
[*recd 6.10*]
Bien Cher James.
Je suis mécontent après moi car je
n'ai pas encore mis le temps de senir vous
remercier très sincèrement pour l'envoi que
vous avez fait faire a mon adresse de 8 volu.
mes de Deadly James and other poems.
Je crois que nous allons faire un petite
échange avec Jean Mignenne pour avoir
chacun vos œuvres au complet.
Merci done encore a vous. Et si vous
avez besoin de ae volume n'oubliez pas
que j'en suis la détentrice.
J'avois espérer vous revoir et vous
recevoir chez moi en ce dernier été, mais
je pense que toutes vos obligations ainsi
que votre travail intense vous ont pris
tout votre temps.
Nous parlons souirent de vous
avec Jean Mignenne et lui me donne de
vos nouvelles et me tient informée de vos a
ctivités.
Peut être qu'un jour nous pourrons
faire paraitre les œuvres que je vous ai
illustrées et que j'aime tant.
Jean, mon mari a passé ses](https://cuny.manifoldapp.org/system/resource/5/c/7/5c796170-049c-48d7-bc5a-e78dad585e9f/attachment/f67aa2804c84f1a9464520a97d70e86c.jpg)
Letter from Nicole Lamotte October 1990 (page 1 of 2)