Beyond the Clouds of Misunderstanding is a collection of poetry and spoken word by C. Gavin Skeen. Skeen started writing poetry in 1991 while in high school, and soon was also performing at open mics. While in college at NYU, as a BFA student in Dramatic Writing, Skeen continued performing at open mics around the New York City; including at the then fledgling venue Bar 13, and at the famous Nuyorican Poets Cafe. The book, named after the title poem, was originally scheduled to be published in 2005, until a dispute with the then publisher led Skeen to shelve the project and walk away. Not only did he halt the publication, but he ceased performing as well. But even as Skeen pursued career opportunities in media analytics, he continued to write. Many years later, a chance encounter with another burgeoning poet inspired Skeen to revisit his shelved project, taking advantage of the advances in self-publishing through Kindle. The framework for this publication of Beyond the Clouds of Misunderstanding remains mostly true to the original. A brief third section of poems has been added, including a few poems that Skeen has come to believe should have been included with the original manuscript. Some additional back matter has been added as well, providing some insight for the interested reader into the tribulations that led to this edition.
