22-year-old alum self-publishes collection of poems

   Triggered by loss, struggle and a hunger for success, a University at Albany alum took it upon himself to get his words and his experiences out to the masses.

   “A Walk Through Brooklyn,” a collection of 19 personal poems from 22-year-old writer, performer and student Rashaun J. Allen, tells painful, heart-breaking and uplifting tales that touch on topics including growing up in a fatherless home, triumph and intimacy.

   Allen, who graduated from UAlbany in May 2009, was compelled to put the book together after performing several of the pieces to warm reception during open mic and slam poetry sessions hosted at the university throughout his college years.

   “I like poetry and have a lot of poetry, so I figured I could put these pieces together and make a comprehensive piece,” Allen says. “I wanted to write a book, it just so happens that I had all this material waiting to be put together. That’s how it came about.”

   Described as “my heart on display,” according to Allen, the book offers readers his thoughts and feelings in his most vulnerable moments. 

   “Those poems have me at different emotional times – like an emotional rollercoaster,” Allen says, “when I was happy, when I was sad, when I was struggling, different things and different experiences.”

   Those experiences have shaped Allen, who grew up in one-parent home in Canarsie, Brooklyn for most of his life. At the age of 14, he lost his mother in a fatal car accident, leaving him essentially on his own since.

   The poems cover a range of topics, and offer unique perspectives to oft-told stories. A piece entitled “Mathematics” tells the story of a child who could have been better at math had his father had been around to teach him.

   “More like father ain’t bother/He don’t have time for you/Multiply that by the times/He lied to you/Equal/He forgot about you/Meanwhile/Mom is on the clock 24 divided by 3/That’s 9 hours a day/Or 21 hours a week/All I wanted/Was to show you/My math was weak,” Allen writes.

   In “Tre Got a Problem,” Tre and his drug-addicted father meet under unfortunate circumstances that leave the two in the hands of the law. Allen says he’s witnessed first-hand the destruction of families due to drug addiction and this poem and several others are the products of those sights.

   At UAlbany, Allen made a name of himself double majoring in English and Business Administration and being heavily involved on campus. He was featured on UAlbany’s Year in Review during the 08’-09’ academic year for his academic achievement and extensive involvement with Residential Life and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.

   Allen, currently an MBA student at The College of Saint Rose, says the duality of his interest, both writing and business, has helped him get his work from the pages in his journal and onto bookshelves.

   Allen decided to self-publish the work instead of looking for potential publishers

   Using Lulu, a self-publishing website and online retailer, Allen was able to put the work together to be sold.

   Formatting the pieces into a concise body of work, finding a cover design, editing, copyrighting, and acquiring an ISBN number and bar code, were all left up to Allen, with lulu.com taking on mass production and distribution responsibilities. The process left Allen with Rashaun Enterprises, his very own publishing company that he hopes aspiring writers will take advantage of when releasing their work.

   Several local retailers are carrying the book and it is available online at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and on his website, rashaunenterprises.com, where you can preview several pages of the 53-page book.

   Allen will be hosting a book signing at The Open Door Bookstore on 128 Jay Street in Schenectady on May 21 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

   Allen says his next step, in regards to writing, is possibly publishing another poetry book or a memoir.

   “I have personal essays, and I liked the stories I was telling. People can hear those stories and possibly relate to them.”

   “Selling books is the hard part, but once people read the poems and take the time … I haven’t heard any complaints,” Allen says. “People have said they feel like they know me more intimately, a lot of friends were surprised and encouraged me to keep writing.”

   “This is concrete stuff that a lot of people can relate to. You can see the ills of society in my writing and it could possibly challenge you to make a difference.” Allen says. “Read the poems, challenge yourself.”