Comeback Evolution: Selected Works of Walter K. Delbridge

by Walter Delbridge

Overview

A compelling foray into the life and work of poet philosopher Walter K. Delbridge. From rising star of the civil rights era to outcast 'schizophrenic,' Delbridge reclaims his dignity in poetry and prose, constructing beauty from fragmented structures of oppression. Living a life of relative isolation, he determined to 'steel' his mind against schizophrenia through study and creative expression, building inner pathways of resilience that would lead to his recovery and a brilliant return to society, on his terms this time. From stargazing poetry to his call for free thinkers to write in his “Book of Ideas,” to intimate journalistic musings dating back to 1982, Delbridge reveals the transformative power of his own experience, inspiring others to join him in the dance. As Delbridge's longtime collaborator Kate Tucker says: “His life, his experience is his great work, so great that it takes a whole choir of voices to sing it.” Tucker's voice infuses the book with biographical context and editorial commentary in a subtle duet with Delbridge's own special kind of jazz.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781629221267
Publisher:	University of Akron Press, The
Publication date:	05/17/2022
Series:	Ohio History and Culture
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	152
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Having studied at Harvard, Yale, and Morehouse, Walter Delbridge was on his way to the Sorbonne as one of the first African Americans to receive a Ford Foundation scholarship, when a diagnosis of schizophrenia changed the trajectory of his life. While institutionalized in a psychiatric hospital, his poetry was published alongside the likes of Langston Hughes, Leadbelly, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Audre Lorde in the renowned anthology Understanding the New Black Poetry and in Orde Coomb’s We Speak As Liberators. He continued to write in isolation and in 2017, Oxford University Press published new poetry from Delbridge, along with his letter to the National Institute of Mental Health, in their flagship journal Schizophrenia Bulletin.

Table of Contents

The Evolution of a Comeback 1

Fruits of Memory from the Alphabet Tree Biography of Walter K. Dancy 17

Jazz Coltrane Sings 18

Biographical Notes: Stephen Henderson on Walter Dancy 20

Chinese River Prophet Song 21

The Metaphorical Egress 23

This the Poet as I See 24

Letter to the National Institute of Mental Health Isolation and Intellect 29

Awakening 35

Fugue 36

Excellence 38

Cosmic Regression 39

Evaluation 40

Psychoid 41

The Mystic 42

Crystal Consciousness 43

Peregrination 44

An Artist's Soul Free and Cycling 45

Overview 47

From the Ache to the Crown 48

A Noble Fry 49

Offended Love 51

Into 52

Triumph 53

Cupid's Eagle 54

Beauty Wakes Me 55

Subtle Psychism 56

Muse Magic 57

Sleep Darling 58

Snow Crystal Flakes and Geometric Ubiquity 59

Basics 60

The Bed: Frontier of Invention 61

Nova 62

Charades 64

Past Time Games 65

To Die Unfulfilled 67

See See 69

The Will to Live as an Intuition of Purpose 70

Dialogues of Uncertainty: The Beginning of Wisdom 72

The Sage Saint in a Militaristic World 73

Spirit Fusion 74

History Lesson 75

Love General 76

Lone Wolf 77

Spells 78

Language 79

Reason's Bad Season 80

Surging Forth 81

Prayer to Earth 82

The Power of Eros 83

Soft Elegance 84

Mirrored Revelation 85

Caverns 86

Brain Chain Miracle 87

Perceptics 88

Pause in Thought 89

Gemnal Dream 90

Lyric Figures 91

Sea Scenes 92

Diamonds 94

Atlas 95

Sonics 96

Historamus 97

Volatile Silence 98

Rose Rose 99

Iris 100

Gradation 101

Bio-Mathic Reflections 102

Power Circle 103

Einstein 104

Lore 105

Energies 106

Elixir 107

The Key to Anti-Gravity is the Creative Mind 108

Sun Centers and Galactic Imagination 109

The Last Cosmocraft 110

Psi Cosmos Religion 111

Psi Master 112

Grand Architect Eternal 113

Foetal Dreams and Infinite Memories 114

Interval 116

Treasonous Reason 117

The Only Way 118

O Beautiful Spring 119

Stress View 120

Love Vertigo 121

Dove Dance 122

The Leaf Falls in Fall to Complete a Cycle 123

Olga 124

The Honeybee (for myself) 127

Once a Schizophrenic, Twice a Poet

Coordinates 133

Day Job 134

Clockwork 135

Disintegration 136

Who's on First 137

Father Forgive 138

He Who Has Ears 139

In My Hermitage 140

I Kissed a Leaf Tonight 141

Braintechtonics 142

Why I Cry 143

Peculiarity 144

The Giant 145

Utility 146

Conformity Perspective 147

Understanding Positive Mutations (Speculative Article) 148

Reprise (a poem at age 66) 150

Book of Ideas

Book of Ideas 155

Idea Roots 156

God, Musings, and Memories 159

Sun on Glass Lake 161

Moonbeam Down Sliding the Rising of Life 162

Touch Tones: Inner / Outer Working Insights: Neurocracy Old and New / Fragments of a Creative Path (May-June 2009) 166

Untitled 171

Soul Stages 173

Journal of a Reflective Poet 179

Acknowledgments 225

Notes 228

Bibliography 231

Editorial Reviews

In every sentence you can grasp the supreme intellect of Walter. His creativity and artistry are evident in his poetry. But to fully understand the artist, you must understand his journey. Rarely is an individual so attuned to their thoughts and feelings in a way that they are able to accept and embrace the positive and negative, and all that falls between. Rarely can an individual convey these thoughts and feelings in the written word. This is Walter the artist: a beautiful, humble, kind soul.

—Leslie Powlette Stoyer, Executive Director NAMI Summit Count

Kate Tucker’s rich narrative leads us to the door of the intricate, complex, and beautiful mind of Walter Delbridge. And Walter, through his broad collection of prose and poetry, opens the door and invites us inside to be a part of his redemptive story.

—Al Andrews, Founder and Executive Director of Porter’s Call

There are many people in the world who simply need voices heard, yet many implement their voice into their artwork. It takes a special person to see the full story of an artist, and Kate Tucker was the right person. It's a blessing to see Walter's story told, and his work preserved! Both are soulful human beings.

—Theron Brown, Director of Rubber City Jazz and Blues Festival

From the Publisher