Greenwood, the African-American section of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was nicknamed Black Wall Street because it was one of the richest African American communities in the United States. Being separated from the rest of Tulsa by segregation, and not having any opportunities to advance elsewhere, the residents of Greenwood owned the land that they built on, and they created their own businesses and only patronized their own businesses. This was the source of their wealth; since no one else would do for them, they did for themselves. This vibrant and affluent community met its demise and destruction in less than a day's time by angry White supremacists who were envious of the wealth of Greenwood and desperate to protect their belief that African Americans were inferior. As tragic as the events that occurred were, they educated the world how far hate can go and what anyone can accomplish through hard work, sacrifice, and cohesiveness.

Poetry is the world's oldest universal form of literature. Every nation and every culture has some form of poetry. Poems are usually the first stepping stone in songs and even fiction. In fact, before there was ink and papyrus to write the first books of the Bible, Passages where made into poems that fathers sang regularly to their sons, word for word, for dozens of generations. There are those who have dared to create strict guidelines to determine what is poetry and what is not. Such individuals would denigrate the beautiful art of poets like William Carlos Williams, Vladimir Mayakovsky, and myself. As long as a work has meaning and comes from the heart, the mind, or even the stomach, it is poetry. Even if it is four lines with blunt language or 10 pages with flowery language, it is poetry--something to appreciate, to share, and to write.

A collection of hymns written within 15 years for the Lutheran Church.

How would you feel if you were told that you could not be friends with someone for reasons you could not understand? What if most of the people you knew did not like your friend and said mean things about him or her? For Lincoln Reilly and Tobar Nany, friendship comes at high costs: bullying, mistrust, and secrecy--all because Tobar belongs to an ethnic group that is disliked and misunderstood. Can they remain friends even when their classmates and families seem to be against them?

In the public eye, the Laurent family looks like a formal, solid family bound by faith, tradition, and unchallenged hierarchy. Within the house of Grand'Mere, the matriarch, there is resentment, dissension, and many elephants roaming freely. David Kleindienst, a concerned son, grandson, and nephew, believes in the possibilities of his inwardly wayward family, and he struggles desperately to make his family more cohesive and forgiving. Hence, he wants them to notice and pursue their potential. Will his efforts succeed--in spite of everyone's hurt feelings and pride? Will they succeed in spite of Grand'Mere's thirst for control?