[Editor’s Note: Bernadene Coleman of Culver City has been nominated by Charles Deen as the first poet laureate when the City Council ultimately votes.]
Bernadene Coleman, who lives in Fox Hills, is a woman of 84 years, with wisdom and colorful stories to speak for her life’s journey. The author and poet has written and published three novels and two books of poetry. Her passion for writing has not dissipated with age. It has mellowed and grown as she continues her prolific discourses in her latest novel, “Beyond Color.”
Since retirement, she has continued to chronicle the events she heard about in her youth.
Ms. Coleman’s first book, “Mama Rose,” is a resplendent, awe-inspiring love story that details how love, endurance, strength and hard work triumph over hate and repression.
It is a story of forbidden love between a Negro woman and a white ex-Union soldier. It depicts the human condition against the backdrop of the Reconstruction and economic depression following the Civil War.
Taking us again into history, a second novel, “I Leave You My Dreams,” is a poignant story of one family’s quest to find a better life by journeying West from the poverty and disenfranchisement of the South in the decade of the forties, during World War II.
The third publication is poetry, “Listen My Children,” where Ms. Coleman paints word pictures for all the people of the world — about life — about cultures — about beauty and about people living with life’s circumstances.
Well on her way to amassing a great body of work, Bernadene High Coleman’s newest novel, “Beyond Color,” is set in her native New Orleans.
This is a story about three generations of women who had to endure incredible struggles to know and understand their ethnicity as well as their self-identity. A single Creole mother raises biracial twin daughters who lead separate lives in two different racial/ethnic worlds. The women eventually learn to deal with society’s expectations and realize their freedom of choice.
The fifth and newest collection is another poetic venture, “Saffron and Sage.” It is fascinating to find inside these pages poems that are inspiring. Some poems tell stories, some are long, some short, funny, sad, thoughtful. We feel we are near a mind that is intelligent, sensitive, compassionate and wise.
In this work, we find a blueprint for living with fine taste and wisdom. The span of the poetry is comprehensive.
These poems celebrate life, love, people, spirit, peace. The selections are as varied as the human experience. As you read them, you may think, laugh, cry–question and see yourself and people you know.
Read the poetry aloud to feel and see the heart and soul of the writer. Each poem was chosen for its beauty, timelessness and relation to the human experience. The ultimate goal of “Saffron and Sage” is to stimulate the imagination and senses of the reader. These selections can be enjoyed by all.
The Saffron Companion DVD is a collection of featured selections from the author’s book of poetry. The Saffron Companion DVD presents the author’s narratives and recitations from a fresh perspective, done in a quasi-documentary style.
Those already familiar with Bernadene High Coleman’s body of written work will find an exciting, brand-new take on the author’s newly digitized literary vision.
New readers and new viewers will find The Saffron Companion DVD offers a fresh perspective in discovery of rich oral traditions. It is a robust presentation of spoken-word, complete and full, in the continuing exploration of our shared human heritage.
I do believe that anyone who wants to be Poet Laureate will need to apply once the protocol is established.
It will be interesting to see how many people apply. Hopefully we’ll get a healthy bit of friendly competition.
Wonderful! Culver City has many gifted writers and the more who identify themselves by applying for the position of poet laureate will ease the task of the Cultural Affairs Commission as they add the literary arts to their mission.