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Proudly Present Bard:
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image: Wendell Brown.

Wendell Brown !

featured works:
Mother Hubbard's Son
Prayer

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This bio courtesy accomplished Los Angeles area web designer,
Eric David and Sunbar Creations

Wendell Brown was born in 1945 in Little Rock, Arkansas, to William and Lucille Vines and at the age of 14 moved with his family to Los Angeles.

When he turned 21 he was drafted to fight in Vietnam. While in Qui Nhon as a sergeant, he suffered from an experience that changed his life. In a letter to (former California) Senator Alan Cranston, Brown reiterated his experience as follows: "...the young lady I was with saved my life because she motioned to me to be silent. I rolled over reaching for my weapon as a Vietcong soldier was prodding where I was with a combat knife. I watched holding my breath, while my heart was about to explode out of my chest. In horror I saw the knife plunged effortlessly into the middle of the girl's chest. I lost all control and started firing repeatedly, killing two Vietcong soldiers and an officer. Their deaths did not relieve my shock but added to it." This incident has permanently affected Wendell.

While working as a bricklayer in 1983, he was standing on a ladder, when he saw the image of the girls death. This flashback caused him to fall off the ladder and dislocate his back. He has been afraid to work ever since that accident and has been on the streets ever since.

He has received psychological help and 90 days of treatment, but he's unsure if he'll ever be cured. In 1991, Wendell came to Brentwood bearing a well known sign "WILL WORK FOR FOOD."

This sign wasn't very successful, so he started changing his signs daily, to slogans that were entertaining. "When you give someone something, they are more likely to help you out," said Brown. "Those signs were my way of giving to people, and because it was successful, I had the idea to give my poetry."

The residents of Brentwood were at first reluctant to accept him into their neighborhood, but things have sure changed. 'Brentwood is like a family to me," he said. "I know if I'm hungry, within 30 minutes I'll have some food, and within a few hours I'll have some money."

"No matter what happens to me, I will keep writing the rest of my life because I've always pictured and seen things different from other people," said Brown. "There's a different kind of beauty in the life I see and writing helps me see that beauty."

Wendell Brown is a unique individual who has lived a life most of us are unfamiliar with. His poetry is designed to make us all think, and realize how fortunate we are.

Just sitting and listening to Wendell, one is able to learn about the trials and tribulations of a homeless Vietnam Veteran -- a man who was sent to fight for our country, and returned a different man.

You may be able to email Wendell through the kind services of :
Eric David and Sunbar Creations



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