Poetry Friday: All About the Inauguration
Do you know of Elizabeth Alexander? She is the poet creating the inauguration poem for President Brarack Obama. I caught a glimpse on about her on the news this week and decided to share her work as well as the previous inaugural poets with the students.
I have been reading the book March On! by Christine King Farris to students this week in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. And what struck me about Elizabeth Alexander is that she there with her parents (after all, she was just a wee baby) at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963.
Well, I have needed further investigation about this person who will be the fourth poet to deliver a poem at an inauguration. I discovered her website here. She has a brief statement about being selected to write a poem for the president-elect. Love this:
“Words matter. Language matters. We live in and express ourselves with language, and that is how we communicate and move through the world in community….The distillation of language in poetry, its precision, can help us see sharply in the midst of many conundrums…Poetry is not meant to cheer; rather, poetry challenges, and moves us towards transformation. Language distilled and artfully arranged shifts our experience of the words – and the worldviews – we live in…”
And I found a poem about John Cotrane to share with students:
John Col
“I reach from pain to music great enough to
bring me back”
–Michael S. Harper
“trane’s horn had words in it”
–A.B. Spellman
John Col
trane’s”Central Park
the point where
this is not enough
untested pain
imagined shred-
ding of my heart
The rest can be found here
And with all poems inaugural here is
Robert Frost’s poem for President John Kennedy (1961)
Maya Angelou’s poem for President Clinton (1993)
Miller William’s poem for President Clinton (1997)
Between reading the various inaugural poems (the other three) and talking about Martin Luther King,Jr. this week and preparing students for President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration, the week has been one that has found me teary at times. I have found myself deeply reflective of the cultural and social changes in our country. I look at the “quilt of students” (to paraphrase Christine Farris King) and think, this was not how it looked for me as a child.
On Tuesday, I will be listening intently to the words of this poet. I will be listening to see how her words help to transform us as a nation. It will be quite the day.
Happy Reading. Karen Edmisten is hosting Poetry Friday.
MsMac
January 16th, 2009 at 8:32 am
Elizabeth Alexander co-authored a children’s book with Marilyn Nelson (they took turns writing sonnets for it): Miss Crandall’s School for Young Ladies and Little Misses of Color. It tells the true story of a school in New England that allowed black students to attend, and the horrific racism that occurred. It was very good, and is worth a read. Alexander uses more “modern” sonnet techniques than Nelson, who tends to use the traditional forms.
January 16th, 2009 at 9:35 am
Thanks for this, Jone. I posted about her, too, but I’m going to update mine with a link to your post in a sec, as I love what you have here. And, Kelly, thanks for that info, too. I didn’t know that.
January 16th, 2009 at 9:39 am
[...] Jone has some more info on Ms. Alexander over at Check It Out. [...]
January 16th, 2009 at 10:24 am
Great post, Jone. I know what you mean about getting teary just trying to wrap your brain around the whole thing. Can’t wait for Tuesday!
January 16th, 2009 at 10:45 am
This was so interesting. Your lucky students! I came here from the link Jules posted. I loved hearing Elizabeth’s Alexander’s soft voice on the radio link Jules gave us.
Happy Inauguration Day!
January 16th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
This is so hugely momentous for this lady — I wondered why she was chosen, but I think she has a certain something that can capture something really memorable, in her own way… Words DO matter, and I look forward to hers.
January 17th, 2009 at 7:08 am
I CAN’T WAIT to hear her poem!
January 17th, 2009 at 9:17 am
In your opening sentence you said she is the poet creating the inaugural speech for Obama, but I think you meant to say she is creating an original poem for the inauguration, right? I think he’s writing his own historic speech and I am so looking forward to hearing both the speech and the poem by the two of them!
I reviewed Miss Crandall’s School last February. I really enjoyed it. She is a fabulous poet and that book is remarkable. The history of the school is phenomenal. Definitely look for it!
January 17th, 2009 at 9:18 am
I meant to leave a link to my post reviewing the book: http://awrungsponge.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.html
January 17th, 2009 at 9:24 am
Thank you for the correction. I fixed my error.