Description
"There is no messiah here." The most popular religion on Earth was founded by a Jewish man who traveled the Roman Empire. He allegedly challenged religious leaders, while preaching the importance of love. He was persecuted in his time, but eventually, his preachings flourished. Millennia later (in the 60's), another Jewish man challenged political and religious leaders on the stage as a comic. He preached lessons of love through laughter. He also was persecuted for his beliefs. They both had humiliating deaths. After he died, many of those who prosecuted him, praised him. His fans renamed him Saint Lenny.
We have no way of knowing if Lenny Bruce and Jesus Christ were similar people, but both fiercely believed in the power of love. The life and death of the late great comic Lenny Bruce acts as the backdrop for Dane Swan's meditation on drugs, sex, religion and love.
About the author
Dane Swan is a Bermuda raised, Toronto based, internationally published poet, writer, and musician. His first collection, Bending The Continuum, was published by Guernica Editions in the spring of 2011. The collection was a recommended mid-summer read by Open Book Toronto. In 2016 Guernica also published his second collection of poetry, A Mingus Lullaby, a finalist for the 2017 Trillium Book Award for Poetry. His first novella, Tuesday, is forthcoming from Grey Borders Books.
Dane is also an accomplished slam poet and touring spoken-word performer, placing second at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word, third at the Rust Belt Regional Slam and touring the US Midwest and West Coast regions. His poetry has been taught in schools and has been published in France, the UK, Bahamas, and Canada. His spoken-word work can be found in solo projects and collaborations available on CD, vinyl and MP3. He has read alongside numerous literary luminaries including Lawrence Hill, George Elliott Clarke, Goran Sumic, Priscila Uppal, Gianna Patriarca, and spoken-word stars including Shayne Koyczan, Dwayne Morgan, and Lillian Allen. He will be a featured author at the 2017 International Festival of Authors in Toronto.
The Bermuda born, Jamaican heritage writer is currently a member of the Writers Union of Canada.
