"Colossal power, sharp, spot-on writing...."William Packard, poet, editor, professor, playwright, & writer
"Colossal power, sharp, spot-on writing..."
William Packard was an American poet, playwright, teacher, novelist, and was also founder and editor of the New York Quarterly, a national poetry magazine.
"This book is perfectly suited to the times we are in even though it is is set in another era ...
Tony William Jones
"...Mr. Smith deftly balances the worst impulses of man, with deep, heartfelt love and honor."
Babara Luviene
"It kept me riveted from the very first page. Rich in imagery and depth of feeling and insights..."
Giovanna
(Goodreads review)
book Summary
On The Ropes: A Tale of the 60’s is a retelling of the legend of King Arthur and The Knights of the Round Table, the search for the Holy Grail, for one’s selfhood told through the eyes of Percival Jones a young black pugilist during the tumultuous period of the 1960s. A timely story for today as we witness a resurgent movement for social, environmental, racial, and economic justice, On The Ropes is a modern rendering of the mythic hero overcoming insuperable obstacles while on the way to unraveling the mystery of his assigned destiny.Neil J. Smith started boxing at the age of 12 and went on to win various amateur awards for the next 12 years, including the All Army Champion. He organized for various civil rights groups, the 5th Avenue Peace Parade Committee, and finally The Black Panther Party. After that sojourn, Neil studied creative writing, literature, and poetry at NYU with William Packard, author, editor, professor, and founder of the prestigious New York Quarterly, where Neil was vice president for 15 years.
UPSTATE BOOK TOUR
WHEN:November 17, 2021 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Virtual Author Event: On the Ropes by Neil J. Smith
Registration required — Please click here to register: https://drmlhost.wufoo.com/forms/on-the-ropes-author-event-registration/
Deborah Rawson Memorial Library
8 River Road
Jericho, VT 05465
Calendar Add to Calendar
Neil J. Smith will give a talk and reading based on his epic historical novel, On The Ropes: A Tale of the 60’s. This is a retelling of the legend of King Arthur and The Knights of the Round Table, the search for the Holy Grail, for one’s selfhood told through the eyes of Percival Jones a young black pugilist during the tumultuous period of the 1960s. A timely story for today as we witness a resurgent movement for social, environmental, racial, and economic justice, On The Ropes is a modern rendering of the mythic hero overcoming insuperable obstacles while on the way to unraveling the mystery of his assigned destiny.
Neil J. Smith started boxing at the age of 12 and went on to win various amateur awards for the next 12 years, including the All Army Champion. He organized for various civil rights groups, the 5th Avenue Peace Parade Committee, and finally The Black Panther Party. After that sojourn, Neil studied creative writing, literature, and poetry at NYU with William Packard, author, editor, professor, and founder of the prestigious New York Quarterly, where Neil was vice president for 15 years. He now lives upstate with his spouse where he continues to write.
Registration required — Please click here to register: https://drmlhost.wufoo.com/forms/on-the-ropes-author-event-registration/
September 17, 7 pm
24 2nd St., Athens, NY,
The Athens Cultural Center at the Athens cultural Center,
in collaboration with D.R. Evart
September 25, 1 pm
Chatham Library
11 Woodbridge Ave., Chatham NY,
(outside ), library (518) 392-3666
(in collaboration with the Chatham Bookstore)
also at this event:
Barbara Luviene
Author of "Alfresco" and "Charlotte’s Chronicles"
&
Eric G. Müller
a collection of short stories &
"Meet Me At The Met"
Sunday, Sept. 26, 1pm
Time & Space Limited,
434 Columbia St., Hudson, NY,
Thursday, Sept. 30 at 6pm.,
Roeliff Jansen Library,
9091 NY-22, Hillsdale, NY,
Oct. 7, 5:30-7pm,
Germantown Library,
31 Palatine Park Road, Germantown, NY,
About the Author
NEIL J SMITH
Born in the Bahamas but raised in four of the five New York boroughs, excluding the Bronx, from age seven onwards, Neil J. Smith was the fifth child of ten children. He says “I was ill-educated in as many schools” and did not receive an education until he discovered the library system. He started boxing at the age of 12 and went on to win various amateur awards for the next 12 years, including the All Army Champion. He organized for various civil rights groups, the 5th Avenue Peace Parade Committee, and finally The Black Panther Party. After that sojourn, Neil studied creative writing, literature, and poetry at NYU with William Packard, author, editor, professor, and founder of the prestigious New York Quarterly, where Neil was vice president for 15 years. He now lives upstate with his spouse where he continues to write.ting about your business here.
More about book
Additional Information
On The Ropes is the story of a young black fighter, Percival Jones, whose bid for the 1968 Olympic Gold is sidetracked by the successive deaths of both Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. and Senator Robert F. Kennedy, six weeks apart. Here his life spins off course, he loses his purpose, becomes misdirected and drifts into the ranks of The Black Panther Party, where every ideal for which the Panthers stood turns into betrayals, suicide, fratricide, insanity, etc. He is eventually cast out of the Party for not submitting to a scopolamine test, thus facilitating his return to the ring where he claws his way up the ranks and surmounts the difficulties which accompany such a climb along with other unforeseen hazards until, at long last, a title shot is within reach. Where-upon his complicity in the death of his brother is unearthed, jeopardizing his freedom and prospects for a title bout. On The Ropes is a modern rendering of the mythic hero overcoming insuperable obstacles while on the way to unraveling the mystery of his assigned destiny.
Yet and still it is a story of the ’60’s as lived not romanticized. Nevertheless, romance was much a part of the zeitgeist, the fabric of the day; otherwise the most hopeful period in recent American memory—the ’60’s-was overcast by disappointment after disappointment: The assassin’s bullet killing by night the promises of every hope sown by day.
In the annals of sports boxing has produced more black champions than in any other field and yet, in the realm of fiction, where there are numerous stories of white fighters- champions or otherwise. That is, Tarzan remains King of a jungle he never inhabited. Hence, On The Ropes, in some small way hopes to help rectify this oversight; as well as bring to the story of the ’60’s all the excitement of being up front at ringside.
