Powerful and diverse, this unique collection of African American poetry
spans three centuries of writing in America. Poets bare their souls,
speak their minds, trace their roots, and proclaim their dreams in the
thirty-six poems compiled here. From lamentations to celebrations, the
poems of Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Gwendolyn
Brooks, among others, reveal the ironies of black America, juxtaposing
themes of resistance and reconciliation, hope and despair.
Eminent scholar Catherine Clinton further illuminates these poems
through brief biographies of the poets and notes on the text. The result
is an authoritative introduction to twenty-five of America's best poets.
Prize-winning artist Stephen Alcorn lends his own artistic vision and
passion to the collection, providing stunning visual interpretations of
each poem. Together they create a stirring tribute to these great poets.