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An important composer and musician, Charles Mingus was also part of the civil rights movement. Raised by an aboriginal stepmother he was part Black, Chinese, and White. He claimed to be three people, and spent time in mental hospitals. He was married to one of his wives by Ginsberg, and collaborated with Langston Hughes. 12 of the poems are either directly about a moment in his life, a song, a performance, or are conversations between a fictional version of the author and Mingus. The rest consist of themes from his life: A search for home/identity, music, fighting for social justice/civil rights, protesting, and relationships.
About the author
Dane Swan's second book, A Mingus Lullaby (Guernica Editions, 2016), was a finalist for the 2017 Trillium Book Prize for Poetry. A past Writer in Residence for the Open Book Foundation of Ontario, Dane has been short listed for the Monica Ladell Award (Scarborough Arts). His first book, Bending the Continuum (Guernica Editions, 2011), was a mid-summer recommended read from Open Book Toronto. Dane is the editor of Changing the Face of Canadian Literature: A Diverse Canadian Anthology. Dane is also an accomplished slam poet and touring spoken-word performer, placing second at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word, third at the Rust Belt Regional Slam and touring the US Midwest and West Coast regions. He has graced numerous festival stages, including: IFOA, Hillside, Lab Cab, Parkdale Arts, Junction Arts, and Pitter Patter festivals. For four years Dane and Dan D'Onorio hosted Toronto's $100 Slam series. Mr. Swan's poetry has been taught in schools and has been published in France, the UK, Bahamas, and Canada.
