Deirdre O'Connell Tells of 'poem and performance piece written by Tyehimba Jess' on Thomas Wiggins

[The Ballad of Blind Tom, Slave Pianist: America's Lost Musical Genius; Deirdre O’Connell; Overlook Press (2009)]

Thomas “Blind Tom” Wiggins (1849-1908) is featured at AfriClassical.com, which presents a complete Works List compiled by Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma of Lawrence University Conservatory. The most recent biography is the critically acclaimed 272-page work The Ballad of Blind Tom, Slave Pianist: America's Lost Musical Genius. The author is Deirdre O'Connell, a documentary filmmaker in Australia whose informative website is http://www.BlindTom.org. Her book was published by Overlook Press (2009). Deirdre O'Connell writes AfriClassical about a poem in Nashville Review, a publication of Vanderbilt University, and a performance piece. Both are by Tyehimba Jess, M.F.A., who teaches Poetry and Fiction at CUNY College of Staten Island:

"Hello Bill,

Appreciate the focus you are placing on dear Tom and his long suffering parents. And fantastic that John Davis secured the NYT review too. I just became aware of a poem and performance piece written by Tyehimba Jess about Tom. Hope you enjoy.

Best wishes,

Deirdre"