African American Poets
 

Hello All, I need to do a poetry response and was wondering if anyone can recommend, any African American poets, preferrably (sp) some uncommon names..Hoping to broaden my horizons...Thanks.. :) :D

Hello determined_one~

I'm not sure if she would be considered an "uncommon name" or not, but I HAVE to recommend Lucille Clifton. She spoke at my school once and was absolutely enthralling! One of her best known poems is "Homage to My Hips." (At www.poets.org you can hear her reading a bit of it.)

And then...definitely not an uncommon name, but I have to mention Gwendolyn Brooks because she's one of my very favorite poets. :)

I know that there are so many more that I could recommend (I was a Lit. major) but I just moved and all my books are still in boxes. If I come across my poetry books soon I'll post some more.

Good Luck~

L.

P.S. I hope you don't mind me posting in your forum. Anything about poetry interests me so I thought I'd put in my 2 cents.

Leslie Anne
 

Thanks a bunch for the reply...And this not MY forum..either! :)
I am just a sisterfriend...Thanks again..Im going to check the poets out right now!!

We don't mind anyone posting on our board. If you find something of interest post. :)

queen krucial
 

Thanks for the poets..good looking..and yes I am in the MIA area? Good guess? Are u reppin' the 305 as well?

yes reppin that 305 and 404...i think i do know you...KK ?? is that you ??:)

Thanks, kizzie22 :)

queenicrucial
 

sorry its not KK...BUT I do know her...:)
Im gonna give you call...oky doky..chat to u lata!!!

Ditto on Lucille Clifton. There's also Rita Dove (who is a former Poet Laureate of the U.S.) and the late Beah Richards. If you're interested in reading some poets from around the time of the Harlem Renaissance, there's Angelina Weld Grimké and Mae V. Cowdery. Oh, Audre Lorde, though she was mostly known as an essayist, was also a noted poet.

Ntozake Shange has written poetry, and so has Alice Walker (her book "Revolutionary Petunias" is a poetry collection). Sapphire's a good (and prolific) poet as well. And finally, a triad of black Canadian poets: Karina Vernon (who has a poem featured at blackvenus.net this month), Mercedes Baines (her poetry is very sensual and sometimes funny) and Joy Russell (who deals with biracial identity in her work).

Hope this helps! :D

Edited to add a link to the book Shadowed Dreams - Women's Poetry of the Harlem Renaissance, which will be very helpful.