In celebration of Women's History Month, today's Thoughtful Thursday features poems by well known African-American women poets: "won't you celebrate with me" by Lucille Clifton, "Legacies" by Nikki Giovanni, and "Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou. The following biographies, courtesy of poetryfoundation.org, gives you some insight into their brilliance. A prolific and widely respected poet, Lucille Clifton's work emphasizes endurance [...]
We at GCP think parents should celebrate Black History every month. But since February is the "official" Black History Month (established as such in 1967 by President Gerald Ford; now there is a bit of BHM trivia for you), we will focus on some family "must-do's" this month. 1. Talk about your Family History with your sons and daughters. [...]
Thoughtful Thursdays are back! For those new to GCP, Thoughtful Thursdays feature poetry, quotes, and other literary delights for you to enjoy and share with your sons. The first Thoughtful Thursday of Black History Month 2017 features a classic poem by Langston Hughes, "I Too, Sing America". In this poem Hughes reminds us that Americans of all hues can [...]
Today's Thoughtful Thursday offers an anthem to remind us that we have endured hard times before, and we will survive them again. James Weldon Johnson wrote the lyrics to "Lift Every Voice and Sing" (and his brother John Rosamond Johnson wrote the music) in 1900 as a birthday tribute to Abraham Lincoln, and it was first performed by a [...]
Excitement is in the air!! The Cubs win the World Series! America will soon elect a new president! All the goings on this week has led today's Thoughtful Thursday to be a bit of a hodge-podge, but with a bit of brain-wracking we have come up with a unifying theme for the quotes and poems of the week: perseverance. [...]
We at GCP were so excited to see poetry included in the opening ceremonies of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, we just had to make this the subject of this week's Thoughtful Thursday. Oprah Winfrey (who funded the museum's auditorium) and Will Smith gifted us with some mighty thoughts in a poetry battle. You can [...]
Season's Greetings!! With Christmas but a week away, today's Thoughtful Thursday brings you some holiday cheer in the form of poetry from two of the great ones. Here are two Christmas poems by Langston Hughes and one from Paul Lawrence Dunbar. Enjoy! Christmas Eve: Nearing Midnight In New York The Christmas trees are almost all sold And the ones [...]
It's that time of year when students everywhere face tests and papers before the holiday break. Today's Thoughtful Thursday brings quotes to inspire your sons as they hunker down and get this job done. The will to succeed is important, but what's more important is the will to prepare. -Bobby Knight Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated [...]
Happy Fall! Today's Thoughtful Thursday celebrates fall with the poem "Merry Autumn" from Paul Laurence Dunbar. Enjoy. Merry Autumn It's all a farce, — these tales they tell About the breezes sighing, And moans astir o'er field and dell, Because the year is dying. Such principles are most absurd, — I care not who first taught 'em; There's nothing [...]
Another horrific shooting on another college campus. 10 dead and 7 more injured. The shooter is among the dead, leaving a nation with never-to-be-answered questions as to why. President Obama grimly commented on this most recent tragedy with concern and frustration: "[A]s I said just a few months ago, and I said a few months before that, and I [...]