Review of Poetry Book #2: WORDS WITH WINGS: A TREASURY OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN POETRY AND ART by: Belinda Rochelle

Words with Wings: A Treasury of African-American Poetry and Art

 Review by Lucinda Zamora-Wiley

1.      Bibliography:

Rochelle, Belinda, Editor. Words with Wings: A Treasury of African-American Poetry and Art. 

    New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2001.

2.       2. Brief Plot summary: In Rochelle's curated collection of African-American verse, there are twenty poems written by some U.S. icons--ranging from Paul Laurence Dunbar to Countee Cullen and from Langston Hughes to Alice Walker and Rita Dove. There are some amazing poetic choices here! In addition, Rochelle chose twenty accompanying works of art painted by African-Americans, and these pieces all accompany each poem brilliantly in terms of subject matter and/ or theme. Poetic/ artistic topics in this anthology include: the cruelty of racism, the need for kindness and compassion among humanity, the power of positivity despite facing tremendous obstacles, the power of strong, beautiful, black matriarchs--and even the beauty of a quiet, steadfast father and provider...to ending on Maya Angelou's most potent, "Human Family," in which she writes: "We are more alike, my friends,/ than we are unalike." It makes perfect sense that Rochelle ends her collection on this note. 

 3.   Critical analysis with specific literary considerations pertinent to each genre (this is the “heart” of your review)

While the rationale behind this collection is brilliant and beautiful--and even timely and essential--I would argue that a selection of different works by many of these poets --and the inclusion of more contemporary Black poets such as Tracy K. Smith, Kwame Alexander, and Jericho Brown-- would make for a more solid and accessible collection to celebrate Black literary and artistic voices for elementary-aged students. As it is now, this anthology is lovely and potent, but on occasion, an included poem might "go over the head" of a young reader due to complexity or relevancy. For example, "Auction Street" by Lucile Clifton is dense and deep; "Those Winter Sundays" by Robert Hayden is equally concentrated; and "Fifth Grade Autobiography" by Rita Dove is complex as well; it might be that the complexity of these rich poems is too much to grasp for younger readers, especially as the front matter of the book declares that the book is aimed at readers between "Ages 4-8." A teacher, however, could make great use of this book as an educational resource in his/her class--especially to highlight more accessible works of poetry and/ or art. And a work such as Rochelle's is essential for a classroom library, especially for differentiation for advanced readers and students of depth and life...for all the future poets who are sitting in our classrooms right under their teachers' noses. A collection like this could prove integral to a young student's development--psychological and artistic. But more collections such as Rochelle are absolutely crucial to the literary world--and to classrooms all across America. 

4.     4. Awards won (if any) and review excerpt(s):

* Named one of the New York Public Library's "100 Titles for Reading and Sharing" 

* Kirkus Reviews describes how Rochelle "envisioned this project as a way to help youngsters release their “own creative energy” even as they confront the “work, pain, love, anger, regret” endemic to the human experience... Though backmatter is included, it is, sadly, too brief to be of use for the reader who wants to know more about the poets and the artists Rochelle highlights. There is little or no substantive information about the writers, the original sources and dates of the poetry, or the medium, dimension, and dates of the reproduced art."

* Scholastic.com declares: "The poetry within these pages not only reflects the experiences of African Americans, but also reflects experiences shared by everyone, everywhere."

* From Booklist: This collection was described as "a stirring book that will take [readers] up close and also extend their view of themselves" in a starred review. 

* Publishers Weekly writes: “In this stunning collection, Rochelle's 20 pairings of painting and poems, culled from 19th- and 20th-century African-American artists and poets, are nearly as inspired as the works themselves." 

5.     5. Connections: (related books, enrichment activities, children’s responses, etc.)

 ·         Students can research a particular African-American poet included in this short anthology for

        further appreciation of his/ her poetic works and contributions to the literary world. 

·        As a follow-up, students might try to emulate the style of their selected poet via the creation/ composition of their own poem.

·        In addition, students might research an African-American artist whose works were selected to accompany individual poems in this collection.

·        As a follow-up, students might emulate the artistic style of the artist whom they researched and create a new work of art of his/ her own.

·        A librarian might act as the gallery host to such poetic and artistic compositions as described above.

·         An entire class could create an anthology of their own in the style of Rochelle's edited artistic and poetic collections.

·        A history teacher might opt to guide students in mini-lessons that help students put the artist/ writer’s creations into historical context to help students understand each artist’s response to the context of the historical time period in which he she/ lived. 

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