This book of short stories and poetry is dedicated to those Ancestors whose bodies cover the Oceans' floor. Those Ancestors who were tossed into unmarked graves in the U.S.A., Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central & So. America. Those who lost their limbs & lives so we could live free. A sacrifice that insured our right to read & write. And all those amazing Folks who survived & worked triple time, but still found time to dance & sing & instill pride & dignity in millions of us hard headed children just so someone like me could write Poetry & play Music.
The 12th Annual Berkeley Poetry Festival honored Avotcja with its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. She received the Reginald Lockett Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015 and the Adelle Foley Award for writers whose work has improved lives in their communities in 2018 from PEN Oakland.
The 12th Annual Berkeley Poetry Festival honored Avotcja with its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. She received the Reginald Lockett Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015 and the Adelle Foley Award for writers whose work has improved lives in their communities in 2018 from PEN Oakland.