Description- While archival poetry is not new, African-American poets continue to dig into the historical and familial record to create powerful collections that speak with authority about America’s racist past and how it colors our present. Alison C. Rollins’ Black Bell incorporates documents and images from American slavery’s insinuation into daily life to show the banal and, at times, ridiculous nature of the horrible institution. Sheila Carter-Jones’ Every Hard Sweetness draws on the experience and documentary evidence of her father—a victim of the Jim Crow practice of wrongly incarcerating “difficult” Black men in mental institutions. In this group, we’ll read and discuss a few poems from each of these recently published poetry collections.
Aiden Huntis a disabled writer, editor, poet and critic based in the Philadelphia, PA suburbs. Previously a freelance policy journalist and activist, he now focuses mainly on literary criticism. He is the creator and editor of the Philly Poetry Chapbook Review, an online literary journal dedicated to featuring poetry chapbooks through excerpts, reviews, and author features. Find out more at: PAidenHunt.com.
Description- In honor of National Poetry Month, we’ll read and discuss 10 poems on resilience and resistance. These are poems I both turn to and teach on a regular basis. Poems I find help anchor me in hope, especially in moments of doubt or despair. Throughout history, especially in moments of authoritarian uprising, mass violence, and social and political turmoil, poets and poetry have found their ways into the embers of our society to offer balms and breath in the wake of wrestling for our moral collective compass and soul. Together, we’ll explore the ways these 10 poems by 10 poets both contemporary and historical, offer us grounding to become and feel unshakeable, especially in tumultuous and shaky times. We will have a Zoom meeting on the first and last day. Participants will also receive optional writing prompts each day to deepen their engagement with each day’s poem, as well as offer a container for processing and generating fresh poetry as inspiration sparks.
Caroline Rothstein (she/her) is an internationally touring writer, poet, performer, educator, and documentary filmmaker. Her work has appeared in Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, InStyle, Narratively, The Guardian, BuzzFeed, MTV News, Hey Alma, and elsewhere. For more info, visit www.carolinerothstein.com