poets write about their new square-toed boots
A member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, Santee Frazier earned a BFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts and an MFA from Syracuse University. His collection of poems, Dark Thirty (2009), was published in the Sun Tracks series of the University of Arizona Press. In Dark Thirty, Frazier …
poets speak of power
A self-described “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet,” Audre Lorde dedicated both her life and her creative talent to confronting and addressing the injustices of racism, sexism, and homophobia. Concerned with modern society’s tendency to categorize groups of people, Lorde fought the marginalization of such categories as “lesbian” and “black woman,” …
poets translate things from one language to another
Yesika Salgado, the self-described “LA born Salvadoran Fat Fly Poet,” drips with a fierce love of her curves. Her poems bask in the glory of being “fat and beautiful” with works including “On the Bad Days” and “How Not to Make Love to a Fat Girl” along with her TedTalk “What Comes After …
poets type the menu of simmering American dreams
Poet and activist Nellie Wong was born in Oakland, California. She is the daughter of Chinese immigrants, and in her poetry and through her community activism, she confronts social problems such as racism, sexism, and labor issues. Her collections of poetry include Dreams in Harrison Railroad Park (1977), TheDeath of Long Steam Lady (1986), Stolen …
poets take us into the hour-glass of sound
Sonia Sanchez was born Wilsonia Benita Driver on September 9, 1934, in Birmingham, Alabama. After her mother died in childbirth a year later, Sanchez lived with her paternal grandmother and other relatives for several years. In 1943, she moved to Harlem with her sister to live with their father and …
poets stand proud as you can see
Puerto Rican poet and playwright, Miguel Piñero, was a leading member of the Nuyorican literary movement and founder of the Nuyorican Poets Café—an influential forum in Alphabet City known as a haven for music, poetry, theater, and comedy. Piñero migrated from Puerto Rico to Manhattan in 1950. Enmeshed in poverty and abandoned by …
poets give us instructions on not giving up
Born March 28, 1976, Ada Limón is originally from Sonoma, California. As a child, she was greatly influenced by the visual arts and artists, including her mother, Stacia Brady. In 2001 she received an MFA from the Creative Writing Program at New York University. Her first collection of poetry, Lucky Wreck (Autumn …
poets hold the light of a night with stars
Born in Saigon, Vietnamese poet and novelist Quan Barry was raised on the north shore of Boston. She earned a BA from the University of Virginia and an MFA from the University of Michigan. Barry is the author of the poetry collections Asylum (2001), Controvertibles (2004), Water Puppets (2011), and Loose Strife (2015). She also wrote the …
poets are freedom fighters
Sarojini Naidu (13 February 1879 – 2 March 1949), also known as The Nightingale of India, was a child prodigy, Indian independence activist, and poet. She was a brilliant student. Proficient in Urdu, Telugu, English, Bengali, and Persian, at the age of twelve, Sarojini Naidu attained national fame when she topped the …
poets speak of accents
Denice Frohman is an award-winning poet, writer, performer, and educator. Born and raised in New York City, she is a CantoMundo Fellow, 2014 National Association of Latino Arts & Cultures grant recipient, 2013 Women of the World Poetry Slam Champion, 2013 Hispanic Choice Award winner (Creative Artist of the Year), and former …
