Arts.Advocacy+Wellness: "Shadows&Lights"

Coming this DECEMBER

the debut

poetry collection

by Cornelius Jones Jr.

.....only 2 weeks away!!!!

“Jones’ minimalist writing, recalling in some ways E. E. Cummings, carves out finely designed pictographs for the mind to explore. The depictions in his poems of the Momma figure are so endearing and heart-warming, I could almost smell the home cooked meal on the stove as I read the often monosyllabic lines on the page. What Jones can do with one syllable, takes many at least a dozen to get across.”

-Pandora Scooter, CEO Fushicho Entertainment & Spoken Word Artist

"Jones' prose pops and percolates, possessing an immediacy and energy so electric you'd swear you were at a poetry slam. And, as with any riveting performance, you will be on the edge of your seat, captured by the rapture of Jones' "a-to-the-men" testimonies on love and lust, hurt and healing, sadness and celebration. Long before you get to the very last stanza, you will be giving this intensely moving collection--and Jones--a standing ovation."

- James Earl Hardy, author of the bestselling B-Boy Blues series

"Cornelius is simply masterful with the poetic word in Shadows and Lights; he writes with a fire in his soul that burns in the rhythm of his prose. His testimonies are fearless and brilliantly unapologetic. Through his writing, we share the passion of his triumphs and feel the heartache of his pains. He teaches us not only how to live, but how to love - especially ourselves! Kudos to a remarkable man on his extraordinary work!"

- Lee Hayes, author of The Bad Seed and Passion Marks

Shadows and Lights is a moving, intimate portrayal of the life of poet and playwright Cornelius Jones Jr. In this heartbreakingly beautiful book, Cornelius fashions images both brave and delicate to describe growing up black and gay in Washington D.C., the decay of the body and the rage of living with HIV. But it is the writer's honesty that lifts these words off the page. This is experiential poetry at its finest. You must listen to the music of Cornelius Jones Jr.

-Paula Brancato, CEO, The Writers Place --

Professor, University of Southern California