Adam of Ifé

Naomi Long Madgett grew up in East Orange, NJ, St. Louis, MO, and New Rochelle, NY. She has been a resident of Detroit, MI since 1946. She earned her B.A. from Virginia State University (1945), her M.Ed. from Wayne State University, and her Ph.D. from the International Institute for Advanced Studies (1981). She is the author of ten books of poetry, the first published when she was seventeen years old, two textbooks, and an autobiography and editor of two anthologies. She is also the founder and publisher/editor of Lotus Press, Inc., established in 1972. Since 2001 she has been Poet Laureate of the City of Detroit. She is also Professor of English Emeritus at Eastern Michigan University. Illustrator Carl Owens began his career as a portrait artist but later broadened out to include the diversity of African and African American culture, demonstrating a variety of styles and scenes. His many highly acclaimed works include the, "Great Kings of Africa" series and "Images of the African Diaspora."