Truth and Greatness

Truth and Greatness is a collaboration in the form of a nonfiction novella and two poems. In November 2009, Steffani Jemison commissioned a poem from Houston-based spoken word performers Michael "Truth" Graham and Khorey "Greatness" Smith. The novella is her transcription, in narrative form, of the creative process of the poets as they write, including their conversations about language, politics, street literature, the art world, and music. Two poems by Truth and Greatness, completed in 2010, describe their writing process and their collaboration with Steffani. About the authors: Michael ("Truth") Graham is a poet and emcee. For two years, he co-organized the Secret Word Poetry reading series in Houston, Texas, which brought dozens of nationally-recognized urban poets and musicians to Houston. Steffani Jemison is an artist whose work has been presented internationally. In 2010-2011, she was an Artist-in-Residence at Project Row Houses as well as a Core Fellow at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Khorey ("Greatness") Smith is a writer and photographer. Since early 2009, he has worked as a freelance creative and commercial photographer serving clients throughout Texas. As a poet, he has performed individually and in collaboration with Michael Graham at poetry slams in Houston, Albuquerque, and Philadelphia. Truth and Greatness is published by Future Plan and Program, a provisional publishing project featuring newly-commissioned literary works by visual artists.