Poems for Black History Month, Poems from Hayden’s Ferry, February’s Guest Editor & More

View this email on a browser Forward to a friend January 30, 2018 Celebrating Black History Month   In honor of Black History Month this February, celebrate black poets past and present with these poems and more on Poets.org. "John Henry crosses the threshold—" by Samiya Bashir "Shahid Reads His Own Palm" by Reginald Dwayne Betts "A People's Historian" by Kenneth Carroll "A Way of Seeing" by Kwame Dawes "Frederick Douglass" by Robert Hayden "When I Rise Up" by Georgia Douglas Johnson "Notes on the Peanut" by June Jordan "Thirty Lines About the 'Fro" by Allison Joseph "Aubade" by Camille Rankine "& even the black guy's profile reads 'sorry, no black guys'" by Danez Smith

Read the poems 12 contemporary black poets picked as required reading for Black History Month. Read an archival interview between Gwendolyn Brooks and historian Paul M. Angle. Read "Master and Master Works: On Black Male Poetics" by Afaa Michael Weaver. New Content Partner: Hayden's Ferry Review   We're excited to announce a new content partnership with Hayden's Ferry Review. Read a sampler of poems from the Fall-Winter 2017 issue, featuring poems by Chelsea Dingman, Douglas S. Jones, Ed Bok Lee, Alison Powell, and more. February Guest Editor: Dawn Lundy Martin   Dawn Lundy Martin, author of Good Stock Strange Blood (Coffee House Press, 2017), among other poetry collections, will join us as the second Poem-a-Day guest editor this year, for the month of February. Sign up for Poem-a-Day to see the poems she selected. Last Chance: Submit!   There's just two weeks left to submit to our three translation prizes: the Ambroggio Prize for a manuscript written in Spanish and with English translation, the Landon Translation Award for a collection translated from any language into English and published in the previous year, and the Raiziss/de Palchi Book Prize for a translation into English of a work of modern Italian poetry. Deadline: February 15. Dear Poet 2018   Bring poetry into your classroom this National Poetry Month with Dear Poet, a multimedia project that invites students to write letters in response to poems written and read by our Chancellors. In this video, Forrest Gander reads his poem "Passion & Risk." A Tribute to Thomas Lux   If you're in New York City, join us on Tuesday, February 13 at 7 pm in Elebash Recital Hall, CUNY, for A Tribute to Thomas Lux, featuring readings and remembrances from Academy Chancellors Terrance Hayes and Marie Howe, as well as Patrick Rosal, Vijay Seshadri, and more. In Case You Missed It   Kingsley and Kate Tufts Poetry Awards Congratulations to all the finalists for the 2018 Kingsley and Kate Tufts Poetry Awards, including 2016 Walt Whitman winner Mai Der Vang, who was nominated for her collection Afterland.   Poetry's Biggest Cheerleader NPR features this month's guest Poem-a-Day editor, Kaveh Akbar.   "The Question in the Mirror" The Los Angeles Review of Books interviews Academy Chancellor David St. John about his most recent collection, The Last Troubadour: New and Selected Poems.   Ron Padgett Awarded Frost Medal Former Chancellor Ron Padgett is the 2018 recipient of the Frost Medal for lifetime achievement in poetry.   Patricia Smith Wins NAACP Image Award Congratulations to 2013 Marshall winner Patricia Smith, who won the 2018 NAACP Image Award for Poetry.   The Academy of American Poets is supported in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Thanks for being a part of the Academy of American Poets community. To learn about other programs, including National Poetry Month, Poem in Your Pocket Day, the annual Poets Forum, and more, visit Poets.org.   You are receiving this e-mail because you elected to subscribe to our mailing list. If you would like to unsubscribe, please click here.   © Academy of American Poets 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038