To say that's an oversimplification of his career is a colossal understatement. Just out with his heavyweight, 421-page biographical and historical tome, "The Complete Muhammad Ali," the famed Oakland poet, playwright and author of 30-plus books is more than the sum of his two current positions as Poet Laureate at the San Francisco Jazz Center, and as lecturer at the California College of the Arts. He's well known for his biting satire and critical works on political culture and social oppression. During his long and ongoing career, he's written countless boisterous essays, was nominated twice for a National Book Award and was a Pulitzer finalist for a book of poetry titled, "Conjure."


Yet for all his accomplishments and accolades, Reed feels he's often seen as part of the old guard these days, especially in East Coast literary circles. He's revered, to be sure, and held up as a standard for young writers. But having once been the darling of the New York lit scene, he's now a mere mention in articles, and his newer works are rarely reviewed.

"I feel I'm seen as something of a journeyman boxer," he says. "Someone who had a couple of championships in the past, but whose career is on the decline. Somehow, it seems it's OK to still engage in ageism these days."
At the same time, Reed is a smash hit as a global literary force, welcomed in European and Asian countries with eager arms. His books, including the novels "Mumbo Jumbo,""Reckless Eyeballing" and "Juice!" have been translated into several languages. He just returned from a June trip to China where his play "Mother Hubbard" was performed -- directed by his wife of 40 years, Carla Blank, a choreographer, director and author in her own right. And in May, Reed was honored in Switzerland, and performed with his daughter, poet Tennessee Reed, and members of the Swiss Jazz School. Yes, he plays piano too. Plus he maintains an online literary magazine called Konch, and his own website at www.ishmaelreed.org, and is working on a new book of poetry, a book of essays and two novels.
"I've become sort of a global writer," he says. "Things have become so politically correct in this country, so I've had to go abroad to express myself."

California poet Juan Felipe Herrera, who was named who was named U.S. poet laureate in June, says he was mesmerized early on by Reed's writing. "His 'Calafia' poetry anthology is a seminal collection of the poets of this state," he says. "I did not know what he was up to then, now I know -- he was envisioning this cauldron of many voices that sing to us every day as we go about our lives."

Many of Reed's winning words are embedded in the Bay Area for future decades to come. Quite literally. Artist Mildred Howard's work at the Richmond BART station features a Reed poem incised into a 40-foot wall of faceted steel. Another poem, "When I Die I Will Go To Jazz," is installed on the north gate of the San Francisco Jazz Center. And a line of his famed poem, "Let Oakland be a City of Civility," written for Jerry Brown's 1999 Oakland mayoral inauguration, is emblazoned on a mural in Reed's neighborhood. It reads, "Let Oakland be a city of civility. Let each citizen treat other citizens with good will and generosity."

Reed's own comparison of his career to that of a "journeyman boxer" is quite apt given his new Ali book, and the fact that his hard-hitting writing style has previously been likened to Ali's boxing techniques. The book is the culmination of a project he's been working on for several years. It moves way beyond biography, using Ali as "a human mirror for the sixties, as a cautionary tale for the seventies," Reed writes in the introduction. The book incorporates a history and critique of the sport and the business of boxing, in addition to the influence of Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam on Ali amid the atmosphere of the 1960s civil rights movement.

"Most of the Ali books out there have been written by groupies and fans, or by those who make him out as a villain," Reed says. "My book is sort of down the middle."
Author Ron Jacobs, who recently reviewed the book for the CounterPunch website, has called Reed, "one of the English language's most important contemporary writers."
"There is no other living writer who says what he says in the manner he says it," Jacobs says. "I wish more people paid attention."

Contact Angela Hill at ahill@bayareanewsgroup.com, or follow her at Twitter.com/GiveEmHill.