June Jordan's Poetry for the People: A Revolutionary Blueprint

by Jordan,June; Jordan,June

• ISBN13: 9780415911689
• ISBN10: 0415911680
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 1995-10-17
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

June Jordan is one of America's best known poets. Her vision and politics have set her at the forefront of contemporary poetry and her work has a far-reaching impact on all poets and readers of poetry today. A dedicated and inspired teacher, her innovative and highly successful poetry program,Poetry for the People,has recently emerged as a national phenomenon. This book is the result of a unique collaborative effort among members of Jordan'sPoetry for the Peopleworkshop, and provides, for the first time, a step-by-step guide for teachers and poets on how to inspire young people to become practicing poets. Specially featured are interviews with contemporary poets--Ntozake Shange, Leroy Quintana, Cornelius Eady, Alfred Arteaga, Janice Gould, Dan Bellm, Marilyn Chin, Joy Harjo--who reflect on their poetic influences and the ways they adapted the canon to their own identities. Also valuable are bibliographies on African American, Asian American,native American, Carribean, Chicano/a, Latino/a, American, Irish and gay and lesbian poetry, and poetry for and by children. Focusing on both Jordan's classroom and workshop methods for teaching poetry and workshop basics, the Blueprint then extends its scope to moving poetry outward into our communities, covering, among other thinghs, stepping up to the mike and sponsoring "hot shot" poets. June Jordan's Poetryfor the Peopleis testimony to the group spirit that makes her poetry workshops such powerful events. No poet or teacher of poetry should be without this indispensable guide to making poetry a meaningful part of every school and community.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction	p. 1
Personal and Political Power in Poetry	p. 13
Poetry for The People: A Course Description
Claiming and Proclaiming Our Voices
Building a Community of Trust Within a Poetry Workshop	p. 35
Guidelines For Critiquing A Poem: The Poetry Distiller
The Guidelines in Action
The Workshop Puzzle: Putting It Together
Reflections on Teaching
Power Tripping, Responsibility, and Authority	p. 55
Why Teach Poetry? (What's Power Got To Do With It?)
Some Tips for Leading Poetry Workshops
Navigating the Highs and Lows of Teaching
Rescuing the Canon: Reinventing and Making It Relevant Again	p. 69
Contemporary Poets Talk About the Canon: Adrienne Rich, Joy Harjo, Cornelius Eady, Marilyn Chin, Ntozake Shange, Dan Bellm, Alfred Arteaga Janice Gould
Creating Our Own Canon: In-Your-Face-America Bibliographies
Alliterative Squat Thrusts
A Syllabus and Some Exercises for Writing Poetry	p. 103
A Sample Syllabus
Modeling Poetic Forms
Developing Cultural Literacies
Word of Mouth
Staging a Revolutionary Reading	p. 135
Getting Our Voices Out There
Preparing for the Big Events
Hot Shot Poet Readings
Chillin' After (or Before) the Readings
Publicity and Media
Let Them Drink Nectar	p. 149
Getting the Word Out
Reaching Inward and Outward Through Poetry	p. 157
Writing Poetry with Children
Community Workshops, Performances, and Other Types of Outreach
Throwing It Down (On Paper, in a Book)
Publishing Our Poetry	p. 177
Why Publish?
From a Stack of Papers to a Book: A Timeline
Poems from Poetry for the People, 1991-1994
A Fantabulous Collection of Poems	p. 191
Poetry for the People In a Time of War
Poetry for the People: What Now?
The Power of the Word
Poetry in a Time of Genocide
Poetry in a Season of Love
Coda	p. 225
Index of Coauthors and Contributors	p. 231
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.