Reading Connections

5 BLACK POETS WHOSE WORKS YOU NEED TO READ

1. Paul Laurence Dunbar
   

   Paul Dunbar was one of the first black poets to gain national recognition in America and had already published some of his poems by the age of 14 — you might have once heard or read the opening line of one of his most famous poems called “Sympathy”: I know what the caged bird feels, alas!

   
   

2. Langston Hughes
   

   Langston Hughes is one of the fathers of the literary art form called jazz poetry — he wrote his first piece of jazz poetry, “When Sue Wears Red,” while he was still in high school.

   
   

3. Gwendolyn Brooks
   

   Gwendolyn Brooks was the first African-American ever to win the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, for her poetry book “Annie Allen,” where she speaks about the life of an African-American girl growing to adulthood.

   
   

4. Alice Walker
   

   You probably know Alice Walker from her Pulitzer-winning novel, “The Color Purple” but Walker isn’t just a brilliant novelist; she is also a striking poet, whose works often comment on some of the experiences of black women.

   
   

5. Maya Angelou
   

   Angelou uses her captivating poetry to kickstart conversations on race, sex, oppression, and loss — her most famous poem is “On The Pulse of Morning,” which she recited at the U.S. President Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1993.

   
   

Almost all of our school libraries have books written by or about these authors. You can also find a lot of their writings online to share with students.