Most of us have heard of Amanda Gorman, National Youth Poet Laureate, who read her poem “The Hill We Climb” at the recent inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden. Amanda’s inspirational poem reminds us all of the beauty and power of words. Salman Rushdie expressed this exquisitely when he wrote:
A poet’s work … to name the unnameable, to point at frauds, to take sides, start arguments, shape the world, and stop it from going to sleep.
In honor of Black History/African American History Month and Amanda Gorman, it seems fitting to highlight African American poets and their important contributions to American culture and society. Check out a sampling of some of the many wonderful books of poetry (both print and electronic) available through the Hatfield Library and listed on our WU Reads Reading Guide.
Visit the following websites for more information on Black History Month and Black poets and poetry:
https://www.archives.gov/news/topics/african-american-history
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/africanamericanheritage/index.htm
https://poets.org/black-history-month?mc_cid=e8ae6e254d&mc_eid=7d00100864