Denver performance poet and author SETH, together with members of Art Compost & the Word Mechanics, will present a live musical presentation of the author's newly released 4-CD audio book: A Black Odyssey. Event takes place January 18th, 7-9pm at Manos Sagrados, 9975 E Colfax Avenue in Aurora. $20 suggested donation.

This dynamic event celebrates a diverse literary/musical collection two years in the making, made possible by a grant from Denver Arts & Venues. The collaboration combines diverse talent of 28 local musicians with the collected poems of SETH's book A Black Odyssey. The book, originally published in 2012, is modeled on Homer's ancient epic, as an allegorical scaffolding for the author's personal experience as a black man in contemporary America.

Titled The Odyssey According to SETH, the audio book launch event will be emceed by Boulder Tonight variety talk show host, Ira Liss. Poet Racine Frank will interview SETH on his insights into Homer's Odyssey and ancient Greek mythology, traveling musically from one chapter to the next, each chapter offering varied musical textures to simulate Odysseus' varied challenges. The author's language runs the gamut from the vernacular to the Elizabethan; everything from pattern poems, free verse, prose poems, and sonnets to parodies of Mother Goose. Musical styles vary from improvisational jazz, to jazz-rock, to fusion, to classical.

“In a very real way, Homer's Odyssey has been my Bible,” says SETH. “It has served as a roadmap to my own journey.”

The collaborative celebration includes special guests and a salute to members of Art Compost, an improvisational ensemble that has performed Sunday nights, weekly at Mercury Cafe, for over 24 years. This is an all-ages event, open to the public.