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Shelton Lamont ElkinsItalic text (April 12, 1955-June 23, 2009) was an American novelist, poet, playwright and musician. His first novel, "A Mile In My Shoes" was published in April 2009 and offers readers an alternate reality wherein whites were enslaved and brought to the United States and endured centuries of oppression. Elkins was also a short-story writer, blogger and spiritualist who infused his Christian based philosophy into his writings.

Elkins was a self-proclaimed spiritual Christian, who had also studied other religions as well as Astrology. He infused tenets from these fields in his artistic creations, however Christianity appears to be the dominant spiritual influence within his writings. The major premise of his blog, "Man's Eye View" is the examination of the relationship between man and woman. He uses biblical concepts, specifically excerpts from Genesis regarding The Garden of Eden, Adam, Eve and their relationship to God as examples of masculine/feminine concepts to be used for modern understanding of male/female societal/relational roles.

His novel, "A Mile In My Shoes" is a reality-based twist with racial roles reversed; whites are enslaved in the US by blacks. In his notes, he posits that race is merely a designator of diffrence and that it is the Spirit (God) -- or lack thereof - within man that determines who is the oppressor and who becomes oppressed.

Biography

Elkins was born April 12, 1955 in Cleveland, OH to Brooksie Mae (Gordon)Elkins and (?). Educated in the Cleveland schools, Elkins' family eventually moved to East Cleveland, where he graduated from Shaw High School. Upon graduation, he enlisted in the Air Force and served for four years (1974-78). After discharge, instead of returning to Ohio, Elkins opted to settle in Los Angeles, CA. Elkins earned a Bachelor's of Arts Degree in Creative Writing from Antioch University in (insert year). He resided in the LA area until his death, on June 23, 2009.

Artistic Contributions

Elkins novel, "A Mile in My Shoes" is an historical fictional account of slavery in the United States. Racial roles are reversed; caucasions are captured in Africa and enslaved in the US with blacks in the role as oppresor.

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