Echoes in Now-Time

About the Book

For the reader, this  book could be a journey into the author’s mind, his heart and sometimes even his soul--full of defining moments--a peek into the man he’s becoming.  And for him, this  is a journey that began and remained in a dream for nearly 40 years.  Not quite awake, not quite asleep, but definitely and always--present.  The journals that were the landscapes he painted with words of passion, of love or fury, but never indifference--were also the buffers that allowed an intensely private young man full and safe expression.

A few of the poems he shares are simply whimsical.  Their substance may be felt like the fluffy feathers of a down pillow.  Something soft and cool to lay your head on and feel pleasantly OK.  For him though, most of his poetry feels and looks like the rings of a once handsome, but rugged tree.  Not cut down, but only momentarily exposed so as to share--not its own, but nature’s history and gifts of beauty.  The author begs the reader’s indulgence in allowing him the outpouring of his bilingual spirit on some of these pages.  The inspiration that flows may look like a florescent yellow cactus flower in a sea of white Spring lilies, but where the heart goes, the pen just follows.

Like this book, he has opened himself up and invites any who will dare to meander through his sometimes quirky imagination.  Now, no more the guarded, reserved dreamer, but a wiser optimist and a realist--at least every other Tuesday.  No teacher is he, as the majestic brother Wolf, but the mythical Coyote prankster whose many plans and schemes often cause him to flail and fall only to get back up and try again to sometimes succeed in the light of his efforts.  Dear reader, this book is his way of giving thanks and giving back by sharing with complete abandon, for all the pleasures and sorrows, and even each breath we take for granted.

About the Author

Naguib (Najeeb) Elias Lozano Manzur, an only child born to poverty in Mexico City in 1951.  He became a Legal Alien in 1957 (and later a U.S. citizen) and with his family permanently migrated to San Jose, California in 1962.  Aptly acclimated to his new country, he learned to love language, writing and philosophy.  Equal in his development were the diverse cultures of his heritage:  Mexican Indian (Chichimeca Hñañu) of his maternal grandmother, Spanish by his Mexican-born maternal grandfather, as well as Lebanese and Greek from his paternal grandfather and grandmother.  Poetry came naturally to him as he began writing in his teens as a form of self-expression.

A once shy young man, he became fully immersed in verse while attending San Jose State University in the early 1970‘s.  With the influence and encouragement of an extraordinary Chicano professor, the early works became his voice to the world when he sometimes felt invisible.  His  courage,  passion, and the search for enlightenment come from the poetry that began to emerge.  This path, some call it the Red Road is where he faithfully travels today.

The poetry in this collection spans nearly 40 years.  With new determination, he’s created a living legacy of a life’s commitment to art.  With many late-night editing sessions and his constant scrutinizing, the author has honed down what he considers his best work to date with more inspiration coming as he continues to learn and appreciate life.  Are they a masterpiece? You the readers are invited to be the judge.  Welcome!