ARCHULETACHISOLM

In April 1996, the Academy of American Poets launched National Poetry Month to remind the community that poets have an integral role to play in our culture. After 25 years, it has become the largest literary celebration in the world. Readers, students, teachers, librarians, booksellers, publishers, and, of course, poets, come together to mark poetry’s important place in all of our lives. Poetry opens the door to be seen, and brings forth a powerful voice to be heard. We learn

Art and literature have always played a role in shaping the history of our civilization and culture. So, it’s interesting that the inclusion of poetry at a presidential inauguration has happened only recently. Only three presidents – John F. Kennedy in 1961, Bill Clinton in 1993 and 1997, and Barack Obama in 2009 and 2013 – have had poets read at their inaugurations. These three presidents were known for their appreciation of reading and literature, so it makes perfect sense.

Why it is so important that my next book focuses on Black women.

National Poetry Month occurs every April and was inaugurated in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets. It has grown to be the largest celebration in the world, celebrated by schools, libraries, booksellers, and publishers. Thanks to social media, poetry has found new spaces to breathe. People who typically wouldn’t be exposed to poetry now have access to it and can get close and personal with talented poets. Poetry, much like other art forms, has strongly been influenced by t

As we continue our journey through National Poetry Month, Walt Whitman has been noted as one the most influential poets of our time. He’s credited with developing a certain style, writing in simple language so that everyone could easily access his poetry. And who can forget Robin Williams’ iconic role in “Dead Poet’s Society” reciting Whitman’s O Captain, My Captain! In 2013, Timothy McNair, a black, gay graduate music student at Northwestern University, refused to perform Ho

In 1971, James Baldwin sat down with Nikki Giovanni in London for a deep conversation that lasted hours. At the time, Baldwin was 46 years old and Giovanni 28 years old. The poets explored justice, freedom, morality, and what it means to be an empowered human being. You may have seen this video floating around on social media. Their conversation had presence, intellect, and occasional disagreement, highlighting their perspectives, in both their gendered and generational exper

In 2010, the film For Colored Girls was released – adapted from Ntozake Shange’s 1975 choreopoem 'for colored girls who’ve considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf'. Written and directed by Tyler Perry, it brought us a star-studded cast depicting the interconnected lives of ten women. Like it’s source, each character deals with a different personal conflict such as love, abandonment, rape, infidelity, and abortion. The film included some of the most beautiful poetry writ

My favorite poem by Langston Hughes is I, Too. It’s a short free-verse poem that focuses on African-American identity within the dominant white culture of the United States. It encapsulates the history of oppression of black people by means of slavery and denial of rights. I, Too is an informal poem, despite it being nearly one hundred years old. The short lines send a message of deliberate, direct speech - the speaker is addressing an audience, or replying to a rhetorical qu

It’s been over a week now since rapper Nipsey Hussle, whose real name was Ermias Asghedom, was fatally shot in South Los Angeles. The world is mourning a man who was truly beloved in the music industry and in communities all over the world. As we continue to celebrate National Poetry Month, it seems fitting that some of Nipsey Hussle’s childhood poetry surfaced on Twitter just days ago. A former classmate said that he enrolled at The Open School with Nipsey when they were jus

I was about 10 years old when I read the poem Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou. It’s a lyrical poem that shouts an undeniable message about convention and stereotype: empowerment comes from being confident in your own female skin, no matter if you are seen as cute by society. Maya Angelou published this poem in 1978 when it appeared in And Still I Rise, a collection of powerful poems that set many oppressed women free. Since then, the poem has been adapted and used by associa

Happy April everyone! This is absolutely my favorite time of year. April 1st marks my birthday, the first day of National Poetry Month, and the weather starting to warm up. It’s like a reawakening in my spirit, almost greater than when the new year begins. So many things are happening in this world and it’s easy to lost. Some of the goals we may have set on January 1st are now a distant memory. But we can always press the restart button. The following poem Range of View, spea

We all can attest to waiting on Monday - as if it were a person with magical powers. Monday signifies the beginning of a new week where we have permission to start the new diet, make the new plan, or stop doing whatever we deem is no longer working for us. Whether we realize it or not, we have given Monday all the power. If things don't work out like we planned, it always opens its arms and lets us start again the following Monday. It can become a never-ending cycle of hope w

I always have a notebook and pen resting in my lap, while on long road trips. I anticipate seeing or hearing something that will spark my imagination. Patiently, I wait for it. Observation can be an extraordinary tool in creating poetry but you have to allow it to take its course. I can't even tell you what state I was in or how long I had endured being a passenger. What I do know is that we came upon tall, dark trees standing in a body of water. It was breathtaking. The elem

Growing up, my Nana wrote the most beautiful poetry. It reflected her unwavering faith in God and belief in all things good. She also wrote speeches that she’d recite in church for various functions. I was about 7 or 8 years old when she bought me a black and white composition book, along with several pencils. Nana told me I could write about anything I wanted. It didn’t take long for me to write poems and stories about family and my beloved stuff animals. My writing was youn

Earlier this year, the National Endowment for the Arts reported that 12 percent of American adults, about 28 million people, read poetry in the past year. These numbers are the highest they’ve been in the report’s 15 year history. In the poetry world, this is encouraging, as this represents a significant increase from just five years ago. What has attributed to this increase? Social media and stronger outreach activities have had a significant influence on this endeared art f