Clarence Major is a consummate artist whose work in poetry, fiction, and painting has been widely recognized. He has been part of twenty-eight group exhibitions, has had fifteen one-man shows, and has published fourteen collections of poetry and nine works of fiction. Major s works and this collection in particular are distinguished by his poetic sociability and his unblinking but generous and affectionate portraiture.

In "From Now On," a retrospective of poems from the 1950s to the present including selections from each of Major s previous books of poetry as well as a generous selection of new poems Major creates a vivid gallery of nimbly drawn characters. Here he establishes a voice that is singular and musical, one that draws witty, moving, and empathetic portraits of African American urban and country dwellers. Ultimately, this collection maintains Major s intimate, conversational poetry while simultaneously becoming more eclectic, multicultural, and cosmopolitan. Major s poetry is affable, but it suggests an insistence that we can connect with history and social change through the dynamic lives of the people we encounter daily."