Modern-Day Griot Arthur Flowers Shares His Graphic Novel on Dr. MLK Jr. 2/12

Feb ’11
12
7:00 pm

In celebration of , celebrates I See the Promised Land: A Life of Martin Luther King, Jr., a singular take on the genre, an extraordinary jam session between two very distinct storytelling traditions. Flowers tells a masterful story in musical prose. Artist Manu Chitrakar, a scroll-painter from Bengal, India, carries the tale confidently into the vivid idiom of Patua art, turning King’s journey into a truly universal legacy. replete with destiny, fate and the human condition, I See the Promised Land traverses the milestones of King’s short life, his ministry and journey, in a dramatic collaboration.

“Both evocative and factually rich…a standout both as a distinctive graphic narrative that combines two world storytelling traditions and as an examination of King’s life and its enduring legacy across the globe.” – Booklist Starred Review

Arthur Flowers, a remarkable performance artist and oral historian, originally hails from Memphis. He is an associate professor of English at Syracuse University. Arthur is a captivating presence, memorizing his text, singing from the story in a free-form jive style and accompanying himself with a small African drum. He performs with select pieces of the original Patua scroll artwork. Arthur is also the author of Another Good Loving Blues and De Mojo Blues.

Saturday, February 12, 7pm