Contributed

Akgrif Neunie

Samuel Taylor Coleridge famously wrote: "prose — words in their best order; poetry — the best words in their best order."

Poet Akgrif Neunie knows these words to be expressly true of his art, and he stays true to this philosophy in his first book of poetry, The Concept, where he tries to put his best words in their best order.

"This is my first book of poetry, but I have been writing poetry for almost 20 years, fine-tuning my craft. It will be self-published under lulu.com. It's a non-fictional story formed by the journey, inspired by the destination. These poems are the representation of a man's dream of the world becoming his stage," he said.

The book now retails online for US$13.95.

""The book is a summary of my experiences - 12 poems about the blend of my life. Poems like Got Tricked have a twist to them. I listen to everything - music, poetry. I love reggae and dancehall, and from those influences and experiences, I create my own philosophies and views about life," he said.

Neunie grew up in Westport in Portmore, St Catherine. He attended Bridgeport High School before migrating to the United States of America when he was 13. He has performed at open mike nights at poetry clubs in Manhattan, New York, but has never published any poems in international poetry magazines or literary publications. You can, however, find his poems online at poetry.com.

Neunie has now returned to Jamaica to launch his book, The Concept. The book launch will feature a live performance and book signing at 66 Mannings Hill Road on Wednesday. It begins at 7:30 p.m.