Contemporary American Ethnic Poets

Until recently, many of America's ethnic poets remained underrepresented in classrooms and literary anthologies. This volume, celebrating the lives and works of 75 significant poets, testifies to the power of poetry to change perspectives. These poets produce works that display the range of human experiences and expression, with an added element of intensity from being both American and ethnic. This book presents the lives and literary contributions of famous and unfamiliar poets alike. Offering concise personal and professional information, including awards, coverage includes such poets as Maya Angelou, N. Scott Momaday, Leslie Marmon Silko, Rita Dove, Gary Soto, Pat Mora, Derek Walcott, and more. Readers are also introduced to the major works and thematic concerns of such lesser-known poets as Luci Tapahonso, Li-Young Lee, and Jimmy Santiago Baca. A dozen different ethnic backgrounds are represented, including Asian American, African American, Jewish American, American Indian, Latino/a, and Palestinian American. Full bibliographic information following each entry will help users locate the collections and anthologies where the cited poems can easily be found.

Instead of having to turn to a number of different sources for information on diverse poets, users will find here a wealth of information to satisfy their individual needs and interests. Introduced with an inspiring essay on multi-cultural poetry, this multi-use guide follows standard A-to-Z reference format for direct access to all biographical and bibliographic content. Set up to aid librarians and educators, additional components allow users to search for information in a number of different ways. Readers interested in poets of a particular ethnicity will find two helpful guides: an appendix listing poets by ethnic background and a supplementary list of additional poets, not covered in the text, also organized by ethnicity. For student assignments, a thematic guide identifies which poets have written about important topics such as ancestry, nature, family, lesbianism, immigration, and internment. Whether used a collection development tool or a research guide, this valuable reference will earn its place on the reference shelf.

Linda Cullum is assistant professor of English and director of the University Writing Center at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Cullum is coeditor, with Lynne Alvine, ofBreaking the Cycle: Gender, Literacy, and Learning (Heinemann 1999). She is also the author of a number of articles on issues such as Native American Poetry, identity politics in the composition classroom, service learning, and teaching special needs students.