In Memoriam: Remembering Black Children's Writers, Illustrators, & Scholars

 

So many creatives in children's literature have passed over the years. I still have a newspaper clipping of an obituary for Gwendolyn Brooks that I look at from time to time. I want to remember and honor these artists because their work has meant so much to me.   

Ashley Bryan, author, illustrator, teacher

Gwendolyn Brooks, poet

Lucille Clifton, poet

Floyd Cooper, author, illustrator

Leo Dillon, illustrator

Eloise Greenfield, author

Virginia Hamilton, author

bell hooks, author, scholar

Julius Lester, author, teacher

Patricia McKissack, author

Toni Morrison, author

Walter Dean Myers, author

Jerry Pinkney, illustrator

Faith Ringgold, artist, author

Ntozake Shange, playwright, poet

Althea Tait, scholar

Joyce Carol Thomas, author, playwright

VivianYenika-Agbaw, scholar

*I realize some writers (e.g., hooks, Morrison, and Shange) may be more well-known for writing for adults rather than children.  

Guyku by Bob Raczka Wins Award

The 2011 Claudia Lewis Award for poetry went to Guyku: A Year of Haiku for Boys by Bob Raczka, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds.


Check my blog out about Guyku. Z and my students (the preservice and inservice teachers) seemed to like this one, too.

Did you like the book?

Check out Raczka’s Lemonade.

Looking for something new to introduce students to during *poetry month?

Try Poetry Speaks Who I Am.

As the title implies, the poems were selected to encourage the reader, in this case the young adult reader, to enjoy and puzzle over poems about the things that really matter during adolescence: identity development, kisses, dreams, boys, girls, friends… you get the point. Although I am a few years past adolescence, some of my favorites were in there, especially the Lucille Clifton poem I wrote about a few months ago. Here, you can find poems by YA authors, like Ron Koertge and Nikki Grimes, and traditionally studied poets like Poe, Angelou, and Harjo. In fact, it doesn’t seem like any poet was omitted; you get a taste of almost every poet you’ve ever heard of, and, of course, some that you haven’t.


The book is accompanied by a CD that includes forty-four poems, some of which are original recordings read by the poets. One year at NCTE, I went to Sonia Sanchez’s presentation and she talked about the haiku that is included in this collection so I was happy to hear it on the CD. My only wish for the CD is that each speaker would have introduced the poem by stating the title and author before reading it. I listened to the CD in my car and in my office, and both times I did not have the book with me so I could see exactly who wrote each poem and what it’s called.

The final pages of the book include blank pages that encourage readers to try to craft a few poems of their own.



*Of course I’m not suggesting that we should only share poetry during April. I like to read poems that are important to me whenever I need them, and I encourage students to do the same.

Guyku by Bob Raczka

The haikus in this book (organized by seasons) tickled me and reminded me of what it was like growing up: playing outside, riding bikes, enjoying nature. I gave the book to Z and he read it in 2 seconds. He said he liked it, too, for the same reason I like it.


One of his favorite haikus from the collection reads:

With baseball cards and
clothespins, we make our bikes sound
like motorcycles.

My favorite is the one when the boy says it must be winter because “Every time I open my/ mouth, a cloud comes out.”

The author, Bob Raczka, also wrote Lemonade.

C+C+WD+E =P

I found this formula for a poem in Teaching Writing in Middle and Secondary Schools and thought I'd try it: C+C+WD+E =P.

The authors say they got the formula from a book called Patterns.
C+C+WD+E =P means comparison plus comparison plus wild dream plus emotion equals a poem. I chose dreams as my topic, but I'm not sure why.

Here's my attempt when the whole class tried formula poems:

Dreams are stars shining brightly, but vast and out of reach.
Dreams are like rainbows of many colors, bright and promising
dreams of abundance and good health for all.
Dreams are an answered prayer.

My poem is filled with cliches, but I gave my best try. Since it's poetry month, I should get a pass for trying.

Cool Poetry Stuff

This is cool stuff if you use templates when encouraging students to write poems.

We always ask students to imitate certain poems such as “Where I’m From” or “This is Just to Say;” check out the links.


Diamante? Create an interactive one. Yay!

The Best *100 African American Poems (*But I Cheated)

The poets span generations, from Sterling A. Brown, Robert Hayden, Langston Hughes to Marilyn Nelson, Tupac Shakur, and Tony Medina. Some poems took me back to my days at NC A&T: Dudley Randall’s “Ballad of Birmingham” and Mari Evans’ “I Am a Black Woman,” for example. There were poets I’ve had the pleasure of hearing read because they are connected to Virginia in some way: Tim Seibles, Kwame Alexander, or Natasha Trethewey (She was just visiting Chesapeake.).


I like the CD that accompanies the book. I heard poems read by Gwendolyn Brooks, Sonia Sanchez, Marilyn Nelson, Nikki Giovanni, and Robert Hayden. I particularly liked hearing Hayden’s reading alongside another reader’s rendition of the same poem. Some of the readings are grand performances and the clapping from the audience made me feel I was there instead of in my bathroom rolling my hair or brushing my teeth.

Of course there are more than 100 poems in the book, but I doubt anyone would complain.

The book ends with Nikki Giovanni’s “Ego Tripping (There May Be a Reason Why)” which I thought was apt.

*Is your favorite poet/poem missing from this book? I believe one of mine is: Maya Angelou

Everything Sparks Writing, Even a Potluck at the SI

It’s 10:38pm and I am laboring over my piece for tomorrow’s potluck. Tiffany said we have to bring in a dish for lunch and a piece of writing that connects with it, revealing why the dish is important. No offense to cooks, but I find cooking boring. When I turn on the stove with the intentions of cooking, I end up reading or writing, only stopping when I smell smoke (I’m cooking fries) or when I hear a pan pop (I’m boiling eggs for tuna). So yes, I chose something I could manage: peanut butter and jelly. The funny thing is the thought of making this sandwich for the Fellows in the Summer Institute has brought back childhood memories that I want to write about. When I think peanut butter and jelly, I think Grandma’s house, Sunday afternoons, love, homemade jelly, and “You better eat that bread crust ‘cause it will make you pretty.” In other words, something as simple as PB&J is personal to me.


Now it’s 11:00pm and I haven’t made the first sandwich because I’ve been too busy writing (and looking in Immersed in Verse for poetry ideas). Oh, well, I guess I have to get up early and make the sandwiches. I wonder if the Fellows will be sore if I come in with my piece of writing, but I don’t bring the PB&J with me:)
I guess I’ll never find out.