[stylist] Black History Month - a Poem

Thu Feb 7 14:29:52 UTC 2013

Morning Jackie,

I am sharing some poets and a poem throughout the month of February as a way 
of celebrating this special month. There is no assignment intended, but just 
the joy of reading the work, and a few questions to help the readers begin 
to think about or discover what is there in the poem. I am trying to choose 
poems that are reflective of the poet's "voice."

Thanks for taking the time to send your reflections, the piece by Patty 
Smith, and the poems. I really enjoyed reading this all today.

"We Real Cool"   is the poem Brooks is most famous for writing as it was 
always published over the years in all the anthologies that included her. It 
is the one I was going to post, too. But, on reflection, I decided to go 
with a differnt sort of poem that would not be as familiar.

What you are working on is so humorous and it is so clear who you are 
responding to. Yes, deciding to put "We" at the end of each line is 
distinctly Brook's trademark piece. Does anyone know of any other poem that 
does this? Off hand, I don't.

I just loved the piece by Patty Smith - I was right there with her in this 
piece. But we were not in Chicago, we were in New York City, and it was not 
poets, it was visual artists. This is how I experienced the introduction to 
a new book that had just been released - it was at a book store in NYC - and 
all around me, were the faces of so many of the visual artists I had always 
loved.

I sat next to Howardena Pindell. Later we would become acquainted, and when 
my book (Concerti: Psalms for the Pilgrimage)  came out it was Pindell who 
wrote the back cover commentary on it.  It turns out we were born the same 
year, and both experienced what it was like to have our father's taken away 
to fight in Europe for the first couple years of our lives.

It was Pindell's art that I researched and did programs on throughout the 
state of Pennsylvania for the Pennsylvania Humanities Council.  I spent a 
couple years lecturing all over the US on African American Art and 
Literature, at academic conferences.

And, when one of my research papers was published in the Book, "Blacks and 
Whites Meeting in America"  by Terry White, it was Pindell's art that was in 
color on the cover of the book. I shared the same kind of feelings as Smith 
did, when in the center of a world populated by creative genius.

The quote that struck me this morning is this:

(Block Quote)

"The corner of her mouth twitched, then spread into one of those indulgent 
smiles that knots you up a little inside. It's the smile a teacher gives you 
before handing back a test paper with a grade lower than either of you 
expected.

Without looking directly at me, Gwendolyn said, "Your problem should be 
finding time for anything else." (End Block Quote)

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jacqueline Williams" <jackieleepoet at cox.net>
To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2013 2:17 PM
Subject: Re: [stylist] Black History Month - a Poem

> Well, I forgot the attachments. Here goes again. I have put in the two
> poems, plus an article about Gwendolyn Brooks.
> Jackie
> Jackie
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Lynda 
> Lambert
> Sent: Friday, February 01, 2013 7:22 AM
> To: Writer's Division Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [stylist] Black History Month - a Poem
>
> February is Black History Month. . .
>
> I was initially scheduled to do a lesson on the poetry of African 
> Americans
> in December. I have been struggling with health issues, and been 
> recovering
> from surgery since the beginning of January. Therefore, I thought I would
> bring you some poems of African American poets during February. I will 
> post
> some poems by different black poets from time to time during this month. I
> think you will really enjoy meeting some poets you may not be familiar 
> with,
> and maybe revisit some you already know.
>
>
>
> This morning I would like to introduce you to Gwendolyn Brooks. She was 
> born
> in Topeka, Kansas  (1917) but grew up in Chicago, Illinois. She is 
> generally
> considered an Illinois poet. In her earlier years, prior to 1967,  she
> focused on depicting the characters of her race, to bring them to life on
> the page.  The local people of her neighborhood were the subject of her
> poems. She passed away on December 3, 2000.
>
>
>
> I had the privilege of attending a writing workshop for poetry one 
> afternoon
> at Slippery Rock University of PA. Gwendolyn was the poet in residence 
> that
> day and budding poets could read a poem for her and she would respond to 
> it.
> She was so gentle and kind, and encouraging to the young students who read
> for her.  When one of them said, with hesitation, that she had self
> published a chap book of her work.  Brooks looked at her and said, "You do
> not need to feel apologetic about publishing your own book. It is a book
> after all. You wrote a book. You have a published book. That is something 
> to
> be proud of."
>
>
>
> In 1967 Gwendolyn Brooks'  work changed after she took a workshop at Fisk
> University and met other black poets, such as Amiri Baraka. She had a "New
> Awakening" through this experience. I have always been aware that an
> encounter with one person can change your life forever, and this was
> certainly true for Brooks.
>
>
>
> Brooks' first book was published in 1945. She won a Pulitzer Prize; and 
> was
> Poet Laureate of Illinois. She succeeded Carl Sandburg in that position.
>
>
>
> I am posting a link so you can hear her read her poem, "A Song in the 
> Front
> Yard."  It is from 1963, one of the earlier poems where she describes what
> she sees and thinks about the people in her neighborhood.
>
>
>
> As you listen or read this poem you can think about the carefully chosen
> words. This poem is full of symbols - you might try to identify some of 
> them
> and then think about what she is conveying to the reader through the
> symbolism. Her symbols begin before you even start reading the poem..look 
> at
> the title of it. Begin there.
>
>
>
> Listen  to Brooks read her poem "A Song in the Front Yard" here:
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWA6V3OaoR8
>
>
>
> You can read the text copy of this poem by opening up the attachment. 
> Enjoy!
>
>
>
>
>
> Lynda Lambert, BFA, MA, MFA
> 104 River Road
> Ellwood City, PA 16117
>
> 724 758 4979
>
> My Blog:  http://www.walkingbyinnervision.blogspot.com
> My Website:  http://lyndalambert.com
>
>
>
>
>
>

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