Editor’s note: The essay below is in response to the What Book Changed Your Life Contest by Marita Golden. Winners receive an autographed copy of Marita Golden’s newest book THE WORD: Black Writers Talk About the Transformative Power of Reading and Writing. Submission deadline: February 5, 2011. Click here for more contest info. When Shake […]
Editor’s note: Joseph Ross, a poet and guestblogger at Tidal Basin Review, asked me to write an essay on where I find hope. The essay below, which will also be posted on the Basin Blog, is an attempt at illustrating that source. I’m challenged whenever I walk into the classroom. Especially every Tuesday that Truth […]
It’s “…the language of collard greens and black-eyed peas seasoned with fatback and Big Mama’s sweet tea” was how one writer put it in a blurb. Another writer called its contents “…intoxicatingly sweet, sharp, with a dash of bitter, good for the soul’s health.” A third one noted the poet finds “heaven in his Mama’s […]
EDITOR’S NOTE: In honor of national poetry month coming upon us in less than two weeks, here’s an essay on a young poet’s never-ending journey and the lessons learned along the way. Standing in front of my fourth grade Eng/Lit class, I had only one goal: to recite every line correctly. It was more than […]
Alan W. King 