Honors Option: Multicultural Poetry Anthology

I've recently completed my Honors Option which required me to create a multicultural poetry anthology featuring inside authors. If you are at all interested in poetry, please feel free to use the following introductory handout I wrote as a resource.

Almond Cookies, Pomegranates and Tea

A Multicultural Poetry Anthology Selected by Caitlin M. Knapp

When first presented with the task of creating a poetry anthology that specifically featured minority groups traditionally underrepresented in children’s and adolescent literature, I was consumed with an overwhelming feeling. First of all, I do not particularly care for poetry and second, I couldn’t name one multicultural poet off the top of my head. Over the course of completing this project however, I have come a long way. To select my texts, I heavily relied on our course readings as well example pieces of literature brought to class by my instructor. Only one of the poets, Janet S. Wong, was completely new to me. I was already familiar with both Langston Hughes and Gary Soto and I came to know Naomi Shihab Nye through reading Habibi. Once I actually went out to gather the books, I was pleased to find that both my local library from home, the Royal Oak Public Library, as well as the East Lansing Public Library, had books written by all four authors. Gary Soto’s Neighborhood Odes as well as Naomi Shihab Nye’s 19 Varieties of Gazelle, were actually classified under Adult-Non-Fiction, but both Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes and A Suitcase of Seaweed by Janet S. Wong were located in the children’s section.

While pouring through all four books of poetry, I had one thing in mind. What poems might children relate to? I see the end product of this project as a resource which I can someday use in my own classroom. Therefore, I wanted to choose poetry that I felt young students could not only understand, but also appreciate. As I read through each book, I found myself appreciating poetry more than I ever have before. I still wouldn’t say I like poetry, but I think I have a better understanding of it as a creative outlet for the authors to share about their life and culture. All four of the featured poets are insiders of the culture they identify with. Their poetry is reflective of their personal experiences within their culture and as well as the cultures around them. It is important to keep in mind that although all of the poets have an inside perspective, they are still only one person. Based on what I read I was able to develop a sense of what was important to each author and how these things may be valued by others with the same cultural identity. To compile my poetry anthology, I used the following four texts.

Hughes, Langston. Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes. New York: Sterling Publishing, 1994.

This book is part of Poetry for Young People series that feature well-known poets. Each book provides a beautifully illustrated collection of one poet’s work. The book that features Langston Hughes includes several of his most famous poems. Throughout the book are publisher notes that provide clarification of some of the vocabulary used in the poems to help young readers better understand and appreciate the art form.

Nye, Naomi Shihab. 19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East. New York: Greenwillow Books, 1994.

The content and reading level of Namoi Shihab Nye’s poetry collection, 19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East, is certainly most appropriate for the older, more mature adolescent reader. Nye’s poetry covers a broad range of topics that often revolve around war and the present-day conflict in the Middle East. Her heart-felt poetry is emotionally charged and provide readers with a lot of food for thought.

Soto, Gary. Neighborhood Odes. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1992.

Gary Soto’s poetry collection, Neighborhood Odes, may best be enjoyed individually by older adolescent readers or as a shared experience for younger readers. Soto’s book is beautifully illustrated with black and white block prints designed by David Diaz. The poems in this collection work together to recreate the sense of neighborhood community Soto experienced as a child.

Wong, Janet S. A Suitcase of Seaweed and Other Poems. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 1996.

Wong’s poetry collection, A Suitcase of Seaweed, is specifically geared towards young readers. The book is set-up in three sections entitled, Chinese Poems, Korean Poems and American Poems as a way of representing Wong’s multicultural identity. At the beginning of each section, Wong provides a brief background on her experience with each culture. The text of the poems is accessible to young readers and the content is appealing to all ages.

The following is a brief sample of poetry included in my anthology.

Still Here

I been scared and battered.

My hopes the wind done scattered.

Snow has frize me, sun has baked me.

Looks like between ‘em

They done tried to make me

Stop laughin’, stop lovin’, stop livin’—

But I don’t care!

I’m still here! *Frize—dialect for “froze”

Hughes, Langston. “Still Here.” Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes. New York: Sterling Publishing, 1994. 39.

Albert J. Bell

Forty years of friendship

with my grandfather,

and still Uncle Al cannot eat

with chopsticks.

Forty years of friendship

with Uncle Al,

and still my grandfather forgets

to offer him a fork.

Wong, Janet S. “Albert J. Bell.” A Suitcase of Seaweed and Other Poems. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 1996. 17.

Ode to La Piñata It sways In the tree In the yard, This paper pig Bloated with Candies, this Piñata my father Bought and hung On a low branch. I’m Rachel. Today’s my birthday. If six fingers Go up, that’s how Old I am. I’m going To strike the Piñata six times, And then let my Six guests swing A broom at the pig. Dad works the rope. Mom blindfolds me With a dish towel And turns me six times, My lucky day. When she stops, I keep going, Dizzy and sick— Inside my belly

A merry-go-round Of hot dog, chips, Pink lemonade, And cake with ice cream I stagger and swing. I fall to a knee, Rise, and swing again. I’m more dizzy Than when I started, And then, wham, The stick explodes Against the piñata. My friends laugh And squeal, and I hit It again, the first Rain of candies. I pull away The dish towel, dazed By the sunlight. I give the stick To a friend, And more candies Rain to the ground, Kisses and jawbreakers, Tootsie Rolls like Chocolate worms. My six friends All take a turn, And then baby brother From his stroller Whacks a plastic bat— Candies rain down, And by magic, one falls Into his squealing mouth.

Soto, Gary. “Ode to La Piñata.” Neighborhood Odes. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1992. 37-38.