Reuben Jackson is best known to Vermonters as the velour-voiced host of "Friday Night Jazz" on Vermont Public Radio. The 60-year-old native of Washington, D.C., is a jazz scholar and aficionado; he worked for 20 years as curator of the Duke Ellington Collection at the Smithsonian Institution and has critical bylines in numerous prestigious publications. He's been a high school teacher. He's a well-regarded, published poet. He's in love with his cat. He follows sports avidly, without necessarily rooting for a particular team. Jackson is a man of myriad passions. But never mind his illuminating meditations on the works of Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis, his brilliant poetic scribbles, or his predictions about the Seattle Seahawks' chances this season. Lately, Jackson's friends — at least those connected with him on Facebook — want to know about Amir. "It's like when your parents come to visit, and they're not really there to see you," says Jackson over coffee in Winooski. "They want to see the grandkids." Amir Yasin isn't Jackson's grandson. In fact, he's old enough to be a grandfather. Over the past few years, Jackson has served as an online proxy for the man he describes as a Detroit-based barber. He posts near-daily updates from this mysterious, tech-averse friend. And Jackson's Facebook pals have fallen in love with the man. "They're like, 'I don't care about your Facebook posts. I want to hear what Amir is up to,'" says Jackson. Indeed, Amir's musings and observations on everything from politics to race to love to the minutiae of daily life are captivating and often stirring. Through Jackson, he speaks and writes with a simple, lyrical quality. He's insightful, wistful and sometimes dryly funny. Witness Amir's dispatch from July 11, 2017: Amir writes: Jayden [sic] Smith is Frederick Douglass' bass player. And like Tupac, Frederick Douglass is alive. Their new single will drop like an acorn in September. It's called "Covfefe and Black Eyed Peas." Jackson's Facebook followers have gravitated toward Amir without quite knowing who he is — or even if he's real. The Amir posts often elicit more likes and reactions than Jackson's personal posts, which doesn't seem to bother him. If anything, he's touched by people's interest. "People stop me on the street and remember things he said in 2013," says Jackson. "People care, they worry, which is really sweet." Like Jackson, Amir has a poetic streak. That's…
Reuben Jackson is best known to Vermonters as the velour-voiced host of "Friday Night Jazz" on Vermont Public Radio. The 60-year-old native of Washington, D.C., is a jazz scholar and aficionado; he worked for 20 years as curator of the Duke Ellington Collection at the Smithsonian Institution and has critical bylines in numerous prestigious publications. He's been a high school teacher. He's a well-regarded, published poet. He's in love with his cat. He follows sports avidly, without necessarily rooting for a particular team. Jackson is a man of myriad passions. But never mind his illuminating meditations on the works of Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis, his brilliant poetic scribbles, or his predictions about the Seattle Seahawks' chances this season. Lately, Jackson's friends — at least those connected with him on Facebook — want to know about Amir. "It's like when your parents come to visit, and they're not really there to see you," says Jackson over coffee in Winooski. "They want to see the grandkids." Amir Yasin isn't Jackson's grandson. In fact, he's old enough to be a grandfather. Over the past few years, Jackson has served as an online proxy for the man he describes as a Detroit-based barber. He posts near-daily updates from this mysterious, tech-averse friend. And Jackson's Facebook pals have fallen in love with the man. "They're like, 'I don't care about your Facebook posts. I want to hear what Amir is up to,'" says Jackson. Indeed, Amir's musings and observations on everything from politics to race to love to the minutiae of daily life are captivating and often stirring. Through Jackson, he speaks and writes with a simple, lyrical quality. He's insightful, wistful and sometimes dryly funny. Witness Amir's dispatch from July 11, 2017: Amir writes: Jayden [sic] Smith is Frederick Douglass' bass player. And like Tupac, Frederick Douglass is alive. Their new single will drop like an acorn in September. It's called "Covfefe and Black Eyed Peas." Jackson's Facebook followers have gravitated toward Amir without quite knowing who he is — or even if he's real. The Amir posts often elicit more likes and reactions than Jackson's personal posts, which doesn't seem to bother him. If anything, he's touched by people's interest. "People stop me on the street and remember things he said in 2013," says Jackson. "People care, they worry, which is really sweet." Like Jackson, Amir has a poetic streak. That's…