Marcus Amaker
Author archive
Poem: “Mahogany”
Who decided to call us “black and white”? When I look at my skin, I don’t see black, I see brown. Brown. Like the color of sand, a brilliant tan that needs no sun. Brown, like the mahogany tree bark, grounded in the summer, whose green leaves make the transition into fall, coffee-stained by the […]
New poem – “greater than (or) equal to”
I was born the year our country celebrated its 200th birthday. Less than a decade from Martin Luther King Jr.’s assasination, 113 years after the emancipation proclimation. Here’s a bicentennial baby obsessed with numbers, released from his mother’s womb into a wounded society. He opened his eyes to a binary world where 0’s and 1’s […]
A poem about Charleston
I was blessed to be able to perform this poem at Lowcountry Local First’s Good Business Summit on August 27 at the Charleston Museum. Text is below. You can also hear my version with Quentin E. Baxter on iTunes. charleston, where the sidewalks scream on saturday nights and the corners rotate budding musicians with skin-tight […]
Evolution of a logo: Charleston Walking Guild
August 25, 2015
Charleston’s tourism and local industry are largely fueled by its walking tours. To date, there are more than 80 Charleston walking tours in town. I met Liz Worrall, who is one of the founders of the Charleston Walking Guild, and she asked me for some design work. I’m putting together the website now, but was […]
“circadian rhythms”
at ground zero of death, the voice of God will sound like an alarm clock, waking you up from a dream. you open your eyes and see yourself, not as a woman or man, but as a spirit who had been breathing in an illusion. on June 18, the voice of God sounded like an […]
Black Cloth – a poem for Charleston
Racism, let us no longer walk in your shoes. you are a traveler of darkness, a walker of shadows, cloaking yourself in a black cloth like the grim reaper and arming your soul with the tools of a terrorist – a misguided soldier who’s trying to start a war. My sisters, heaven was as close […]
Graphic design: poster for Jazz Artists of Charleston
June 20, 2015
Here’s a poster I designed for the Jazz Artists of Charleston‘s summer jazz series. Happening in the Circular Congregational Church – 150 Meeting St, Charleston, SC 29401.
Video: Charleston Art Pot / Mag Art Studio
June 17, 2015
Here’s a quick video that I did for Mag Art Studio and Art Pot. Art Pot’s mission is to unite our community through art, in a search for a better community coexistence for all, where different groups of race, nationality and language are integrated through art and its diverse manifestations. Doing this video was a […]
Charleston City Paper Spoleto review: Madeleine Peyroux
May 29, 2015
I was asked by the Charleston City Paper to review Madeleine Peyroux’s Spoleto show during my honeymoon week with Jordan. Jordan and I chose one of Madeleine’s songs for our wedding, so we were eager to see her. Here’s how it looked, through my eyes. Read the article on the Charleston City Paper’s website Madeleine […]
