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Hyde Park’s popular “Love Poet” extends her love to the nation’s most celebrated Hyde Parkers. This October, lawyer and award-winning poet Ginger Mance’s debuts her third book of poetry -- Rebirth in Light: Poems for the First Family, honoring the inauguration of Barack Obama.
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Ginger Mance’s literary talents have been recognized by a veritable “who’s-who” of artists and intellectuals. Michael Bernard Beckwith, founder of Agape International Spiritual Center (celebrated for his work on The Secret), declares her “poetic tribute to Barack Obama… kissed by heaven’s inspiration.” Eminent Harvard law professor Charles Ogletree calls her work powerful, soaring, uplifting and timeless in expressing the excitement of our nation and the world.” Haki Madhubuti, poet, and distinguished professor at Chicago State Univ. says Mance has been able to “gather fragments and wholeness from the cultural memories of our ancestors.”
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Long before Barack Obama became the first Black president of the United States, Ginger Mance began commemorating his role in the historic 2008 election. In 2004 Ginger Mance penned an African praise poem in honor of Barack Obama titled Awakened Sun, Amazing Grace which was published by a local news paper. In the Summer 2008 author and novelist Sandra Jackson-Opoku, along with Chicago’s Ex-Libris Book Club nominated her as a candidate for inaugural poet. When Obama won the election and selected Elizabeth Alexander as inaugural poet, Mance continued to reflect on the inaugural theme, a “New Birth of Freedom.” The project grew into a book-length collection of poems for the President, First Lady, Daughters, Grandmother – even Bo, the First Puppy. Although inspired by President Obama and his family, Mance sees this work as “a call to the American family and world family for unity, peace, reconciliation and forgiveness.” A world, in the words of Margaret Burroughs, poet, artist, founder of DuSable Museum “where freedom no longer waits to be born, but…where freedom births itself.”
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Rebirth in Light is not Mance’s first work in praise poetry, an ancient poetic form that commemorates significant people and great accomplishments. Earlier works by Mance honor the lives of Harold Washington, first Black mayor of Chicago; Nelson Mandela, first Black president of South Africa, and Barack Obama on the occasion his 2004 senate race. Ginger Mance is also the author of two books of poetry: An Ancient Fire Burns and A Prayer for Black Men, as well as a CD of spoken word love poems for which the Hyde Park Herald dubbed her “The Love Poet.”
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The paperback original of Rebirth in Light is priced at $12.00. The author will appear on NBC on Saturday, October 24, at 9:00 a.m. to discuss the book followed by a main book launch at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, October 24, at the DuSable Museum of African History; 740 East 56th Pl. Chicago where Dr. Margaret T. Burroughs, Founder emeritus, will speak to Ginger Mance about her literary works before a live audience. Ginger will read from her book and sign copies at this free event which will be filmed. The very next day, Ginger will be featured at Michael Bernard Beckwith’s Agape International Spiritual Center in Los Angeles for a book signing following all three services. Rev. Beckwith is celebrated for his work on “The Secret”. The author is available for additional speaking engagements and book signings. For further details, email gempublicationsinc@sbcglobal.net or call (773) 931-1700.
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