Of the Deepest Shadows and The Prisons of Fire is a literary canvas of leaders who have affected humanity in very serious and unquestionable ways. the core of this artistic engagement is the destiny of the black world. There are tangential departures into temtones with crises the world cannot afford to ignore. The poet visits each leader. living or dead, with equal passion. His curious brush is delicate, ecstatic. melancholic or even celebratory depending on what image or circumstance he pans into view. The corpus comes with the characteristic anguish and tendemess of a very sensitive and caring mind...<BR><BR>"Nwankwo's visceral. hypnotic lines are filled with unexpected and challenging metaphorical combinations. His poems display the intense political commitment and Diasporic awareness of a skillful seasoned poet"---Joseph McLaren, Professor of English Hofstra University, New York<BR><BR>"(In this volume), Chimalum Nwankwo holds the globe in his hands; his craft presents it to us in cadences of dance and deja vu..."---Chuks Iloegbunam, Nigerian Vanguard<BR><BR>"Chimalum Nwankwo's enchanted language, rhythm, and starting juxtapositions make him a poet of prodigious beauty and genius-simply one of the best poets writing in any language today. (This collection) ... is a dazzling performance... a great feat of thought and expressive range." ---Ode Ogede, Professor of English North Carolina Central University, Durham<BR><BR>...a remarkable weaving of thoughts and feelings into rhythmically supply verse."---Emmanuel Obiechina Associate Fellow W.E.B. Du Bois Institute, Harvard University & Fellow of Nigerian Academy of Letters