PoemsThese contemporary American poems (published since 1950) reflect cultural backgrounds, socioeconomic realities, gender identities, sexual orientations, or experiences of oppression, violence, abuse, illness, or loss, underrepresented - and sometimes silent - in standard literature anthologies and history textbooks.
Invite these poets into your imagination with the whole kaleidoscope of identities, affinities, and experiences which inform their art. Some poets may appear in multiple sections because they explore different aspects of their identity or experience in different poems. Other poems may elude readers' attempts to find traces of the poet's identities within their lines, illustrating that although poets may have particular identities, their poems often capture experiences in which those identities are not salient. What remains salient are the trademarks of their individual poetic styles. |
Tracy K. Smith reading Seamus Heaney's "Digging" and an original poem, "My God, It's Full of Stars," from her Pulitzer-winning collection Life on Mars. Part of the Poets on Poetry video series.
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