Spirits of the Ancestors

About the Book

In Spirits of The Ancestors, Jeanean Gibbs has folded together the past, present and future. Like a parent teaching an expectant child, she has reached up to gather the stars and constellations of our universal history and brought them close to be felt, explored and wondered at by us.

With each poem in this collection she takes us through moments that we have all experienced, but never stopped long enough to clarify and ponder. So it is with a laugh of recognition, a twinge or regret, and a throb of pain once long forgotten that we read many of these poems.

She covers the breadth of human experience, and as you read this collection, from the homages to our ancestors to the cry of modern man in a high tech society, you will find a true poet's clear and present vision of our lives.

Bravo to Jeanean, and may she continue to share her gift with us.

Karen Evans

President, Black Women Playwrights

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Spirits of the Ancestors  has given new meaning to the word achievement, because in it' even the reader is able to achieve something very personal. That something begins with a greater understanding of his or her place in the world and encompasses new hopes and dreams.

To me poetry is a living thing. I think that each person experiences it differently, bringing to it an individual energy, empathy, memory or hope. It can lift you up, making your spirits soar, or bring you down to the plane of reality.

Spirits of the Ancestors is recommended reading for pleasure, for rejuvenation of the spirit, and for classes in contemporary literature, because it has a message applicable for each of these situations and more.

Jeanean, you are a truly gifted sister, and I am proud of you, more so because I can call you my friend.

Stella S. Gomes, Ph. D. Assistant Professor

Howard University School of Education

About the Author

C. Jeanean Gibbs is original form the Caribbean island of Trinidad and Tobago. Jeanean migrated to the United States in 1966. She later attended Washington Technical Institute and The American University for a degree in Sociology.

Jeanean, a performance poet and playwright is the author of one book of poetry "Drum People" published by Lutt's Productions in 1980. She is also the editor of the poetry anthology, "Gurus & Griots" published in by Palm Tree Enterprises 1987. Some of her writings appear in the following anthologies: "Messages from Black Women," published by The Message makers in 1976; "Whose Woods These Are" by The Word Works Inc., 1983; "Evidence of Community" by George Washington University, 1984 and "WPFW. 89.3 FM Poetry Anthology " by The Bunny & The Crocodile Press in 1993. Her poetry has been heard on Radio Stations WHUR, WYCB, WOOK and WPFW. Jeanean has presented her work in many places of interest, including The Smithsonian Institute and The Kennedy Center. She has been actively involved with the Black Woman Playwrights' Group and The Trinidad and Tobago Association in Washington, D.C. since 1990.