Ishmael Reed is one of those energizing spirits whose good graces and abiding vision make his difficult work -- making various American cultures aware of themselves as well as of each other -- seem evolutionary rather than revolutionary. As a novelist (James Baldwin called him 'A Great Writer'), poet, essaysit, songwriter, television producer, journalist, playwright, and founder of the Before Columbus Foundation and PEN Oakland, Reed has extended the definition of African-American culture and helped destroy cross-cultural misperceptions. He is the author of Miles, The Free-lance Pall Bearers, Yellow Back Radio Broke-Down, Mumbo Jumbo, Flight to Canada and Reckless Eyeballing.