What Poetry Can Do

Howard County, Maryland, sits just north of Washington, DC, and it is home to a remarkable organization.  The Howard County Poetry & Literature Society is one of the most active and amazing arts organizations in the country. For forty years, they have offered poetry and literature events: readings, workshops, television programs, and a poet-in-residence program. A

A New School Year Means Hope

More than once, in the last few weeks, I’ve found myself thinking: “What am I, ten?” I am excited for this school year in ways I haven’t always been before. I’m not certain, but I think it’s because I’m more prepared than ever. For the third year in a row, I’ll be teaching the same

America: We Have a Lot to Learn

After watching events unfold in Ferguson, Missouri for the last several days, one truth is clear: We don’t know one another. We, Americans in general, live knowing very little about those who are different from ourselves. We are clannish, tribal, and we cross the boundaries to learn about others far too rarely. In Ferguson, Missouri,

The August Mystery

There’s something about the month of August. I don’t know if it’s personal to me or if it’s inherent in August. But there’s something magical about this month. For those of us who live on the American school calendar, it marks both the end of summer vacation and the beginning of a new school year.

Hope Is A Seven Year-Old’s Birthday Party

By almost any accounting, the world is having a rough summer. Israel and Palestine brutalize and slaughter one another. Ukraine fights off separatists and the separatists seem to have shot down a civilian airliner. War in the Congo trudges on with extreme violence but not much publicity. Poor children cross the U.S. border alone from

Malcolm X Park Gets Us out of “Me” and into “We”

Washington, D.C. has amazing parks. Those who read my blog often know my love for Rock Creek Park, the enormous and beautiful urban park which runs the length (and more) of the District. But it has been a long time since I visited Malcolm X Park. Today I decided to make a visit. I forgot

Le Hinton Speaks in THE LANGUAGE OF MOISTURE AND LIGHT

Poet, editor, and publisher, Le Hinton, has given poetry lovers a real gift. The Language of Moisture and Light, his fifth poetry collection, speaks in an honest vocabulary about love, memory, loss, and the constant struggle to be human. This books takes the reader to the center of those realities. Even the book’s covers, front and back,

The World’s Cup

In 2010, I taught a writing class at Montgomery College’s Takoma Park campus, just outside Washington, D.C. As the class entered the room, I was amazed. They resembled a meeting of the Africa Union. There were students from nine or ten African countries and many of them knew one another so they were boisterous and

Shine & Break: Lenelle Moise’s HAITI GLASS

Poet and playwright, Lenelle Moise has given us a new collection of poetry, Haiti Glass. This book of poems, from City Lights Books,  shines and glistens. Its language is delicate, intricate, and tender. It challenges and breaks your heart at the same time. One good word to describe this book’s power is “sonic.” These poems were

Loving the Questions in American Literature

I’ve just finished my twenty-fifth year of teaching, which probably deserves its own blog post. But I’ve also just completed my second year teaching American Literature, a body of literature I love. This is what I’ve been thinking about for the last several days — the many ways I’ve learned, in the last two years–