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Watching a good poet is like watching E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial. You can see through the chest to the rosy glow of the heart thumping. A good poet’s heart will beat against the odds. Poet trapped on the wrong planet.

As recently as 1995, poetry used to be a bad word … at least in these parts.

Poetry was for sissies. It had the rather corny, outdated image of "roses are red and violets are blue ... ." As president of the International Black Writers & Artists in Oakland, Local #5, I vowed to change that image, even if I had to be a Black Elvis Presley and do it all by myself!

By Marcus Osborne, shades Magazine

One of the reasons Oakland has been named one of “America’s 5 Coolest Cities” by Forbes Magazine is its thriving arts scene. Oakland’s music, cinema and comedy pedigree is impressive and well documented.