poetry

When Russia invaded Ukraine, Ukrainian American writer Ilya Kaminsky’s poem “We Lived Happily During the War” went viral across social media. Poetry can often help people make sense of the world in difficult times. For World Poetry Day, The Conversation U.S. has gathered four articles on the power of poetry. 1. Poetry gives people a voice In 1991, Kentucky poet Frank X. Walker coined the term “Affrilachian” after attending a poetry reading that featured several Black Appalachian poets. Amy M. Alvarez, assistant teaching professor of English at West Virginia University, and Jameka Hartley, an instructor of gender and race studies at University of Alabama, wrote on the history of how Black people in Appalachia found their voice in poetry. “By coining the terms ‘Affrilachia’ and ‘Affrilach...

Not long after Amanda Gorman recited one of her poems at the inauguration of President Joe Biden on Jan. 20, three of her forthcoming books skyrocketed to three of the top four spots on Amazon. She was also selected to recite an original poem at Super Bowl LV. Here, three scholars of poetry explain why the writings of the 22-year-old Gorman – who became the country’s national youth poet laureate at age 17 – and her rise to fame represent a prime opportunity for educators to use spoken word poetry as a lively way to engage students. Wendy R. Williams, assistant professor of English at Arizona State University During my research studying a diverse group of spoken word poets in Arizona, I learned that adolescents improved their writing skills, academic performance, confidence and social ski...

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4 essential reads – How Poetry Can Help People Get Through Hard Times

Spoken Word Belongs In Schools, Amanda Gorman’s Poetry Shows