Additional Info: Joan 'Lyric' Leslie performing "Triggers" in San Diego, California. Information courtesy, YouTube
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A Monumental and Rapturous New Anthology of Black American Poetry (via NY Times)
In her stirring essay “The Difficult Miracle of Black Poetry in America,” June Jordan recalled serving as the final judge for a poetry prize in the mid-1980s. As she sifted through the last round of manuscripts, she began to jot down recurring nouns: moon, elms, lilac, gulley, tundra. “Sixteen different manuscripts of poetry written in 1985 and not one of them uses … Continue reading A Monumental and Rapturous New Anthology of Black American Poetry (via NY Times)
(Video) Lady Brion | I Talk Black
Additional Info: Lady Brion performing "I talk Black" in Deep Ellum in Dallas, Texas. Information courtesy, YouTube
Diane di Prima, Poet of the Beat Era and Beyond, Dies at 86 (via NY Times)
Diane di Prima, the most prominent woman among the male-dominated Beat poets, who after being immersed in the bohemian swirl of Greenwich Village in the 1950s moved to the West Coast and continued to publish prolifically in a wide range of forms, died on Sunday in San Francisco. She was 86. Her husband, Sheppard Powell, … Continue reading Diane di Prima, Poet of the Beat Era and Beyond, Dies at 86 (via NY Times)
(Video) Darius Simpson | In Defense of Scar from the Lion King
Additional Info: About Button: Button Poetry is committed to developing a coherent and effective system of production, distribution, promotion and fundraising for spoken word and performance poetry. Information courtesy, YouTube
Nobel Prize in Literature awarded to American poet Louise Glück (via CNN)
The 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded to the US poet Louise Glück "for her unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal." She is the first American to win the prestigious award since Bob Dylan was honored in 2016. Toni Morrison was the last American to receive the prize … Continue reading Nobel Prize in Literature awarded to American poet Louise Glück (via CNN)
(Video) Aiya | Youth Speaks Teen Poetry Slam Finals 2019
Additional Info: Poet: Aiya Meilani (IG @aiyapapayaa) After months of preliminary rounds with over 200 young poets hailing from the SF Bay Area, 12 finalists stepped up to the mic at the Sydney Goldstein Theater on April 6th for a night of spoken word poetry at 2019 Teen Poetry Slam Finals. Information courtesy, YouTube
The 2020 National Book Awards Longlist: Poetry (via The New Yorker)
"The Age of Phillis,” a poetry collection by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, reimagines the life of Phillis Wheatley, a Black poet who achieved literary stardom as an enslaved young woman in colonial Boston. Though Wheatley, who died in 1784, left behind a sizable body of work, much of her biography has been recovered from the memoir … Continue reading The 2020 National Book Awards Longlist: Poetry (via The New Yorker)
(Video) Olivia Gatwood | Alternate Universe in Which I Am Unfazed by the Men Who Do Not Love Me
Additional Info: About Button: Button Poetry is committed to developing a coherent and effective system of production, distribution, promotion and fundraising for spoken word and performance poetry. Information courtesy, YouTube
UW Libraries to Host Lift Every Voice Poetry Programs in October (Via Wyoming News Now)
University of Wyoming Libraries is partnering with the Albany County Public Library (ACPL) to offer a series of events to celebrate African American poetry in October. Lift Every Voice: Why African American Poetry Matters is a national program dedicated to enhancing appreciation of the extraordinary range and richness of the 250-year-long African American poetic tradition. … Continue reading UW Libraries to Host Lift Every Voice Poetry Programs in October (Via Wyoming News Now)