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In the Black church,
when a member

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stands to testify to tell of
their experience in the world,

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from the congregation, you
will often hear someone shout,

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"make it plain."

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This is an encouragement of
sorts, telling the member

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to speak their mind but be
straightforward and honest.

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What comes from this
disarming, verbal,

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nakedness is a
directness that can

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be captivating and affecting
but always profound.

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In his poem "Unwritten
Letters," Steve

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writes of the inevitability
of brotherhood and friendship

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and time.

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He makes it plain by saying,
"years later I think our lives

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change ceaselessly--

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how much older we have grown.

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If I write this letter, this
is how you'll remember me--

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the curtains shut, the sun
going down, the cells of my body

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stopped.

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I must have been
thinking of you--

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of all we've said and left
unsaid, of all the things

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we meant to do.

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There is nothing that
I'm meant to say."

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This is the poetry of a man
born in Holyoke, Massachusetts,

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the author of five
collections of poetry,

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recipient of awards from the
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial

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Foundation, and the National
Endowment for the Arts,

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as well as the George
Dillon Memorial

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Award from Poetry Magazine.

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Like Steve himself, his
poetry is intrusive.

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It's tender, alarming.

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It is recognizable,
and it is trustworthy.

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It speaks to past times
and the struggles of today.

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Ladies and gentlemen,
it is my great honor

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to introduce Steve Orlen.

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