It's Thoughtful Thursday! On the last Thursday of International Women's Month, we celebrate with the work of some wonderful women poets writing about women. From Lucille Clifton we have "Won't You Celebrate with Me", Nikki Giovanni gives us "Legacies", and finally, Marge Piercy sends us a "Memo" to remind us to never give up. Enjoy. Won't You Celebrate with [...]
On this Thoughtful Thursday we celebrate Black History Month with poetry by and/or about Black people. (Actually, we celebrate pretty much every month this way, but we'll jump on the BHM bandwagon for February.). Today we offer a variety of poems which all nod to the theme of sharing Black History, including our cultural history, with our children. We [...]
Even if you missed yesterday's inauguration, odds are you've already heard about Amanda Gorman, the 22 year old poet who was a star at the inaugural ceremony. The amazing Ms. Gorman read her poem "The Hill We Climb" as the world watched in awe. Her words, her imagery, her poise, her eloquence, and the joy in her delivery captivated [...]
Eight days after the horrifying attack on the U.S. Capitol last week, today's Thoughtful Thursday offers "America", by the great African-American poet Claude McKay (1889-1948). In this poem, McKay notes the difficulty Black Americans have with balancing their love for this country with their knowledge of the way that it has treated them. This balance was particularly challenging last [...]
It's Thoughtful Thursday! Today we are celebrating one of our favorite poets, Kevin Young. In case you hadn't heard, Kevin Young has just been named as the new director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. He will be leaving his position as the head of the Schomberg Center for Research in Black Culture, a division [...]
Today's Thoughtful Thursday we celebrate Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden's choice of Kamala Harris as his running mate. As most everyone certainly knows by know, she is the first Black woman and the first person of Indian descent to be named as a vice presidential candidate by a national party. As exciting as Biden's VP choice is, it's true historical [...]
A bit of a hodgepodge for Summer 2020 poems in today's Thoughtful Thursday: two poems celebrating familiar visions of summer (Fireflies! Kool-Aid!) and one prayer/poem that reminds us that our focus this summer must include more sobering and critical visions. Jacqueline Woodson, who brings us "Firefly", is an award-winning of over 30 books for children and young adults, who served [...]
In today's Thoughtful Thursday we feature two poems that highlight touchy subjects in the Black community: being called "articulate" and the head nod. I learned the definition of "articulate" from my uncle Percy Sutton, who included in its definition the fact that you should not regard it as a compliment when white people directed it at you. Uncle Percy, [...]
Today's Thoughtful Thursday showcases more current voices in poetry, courtesy of poets.org's focus on featuring Black poets in its poem-a-day offering throughout the summer. If there were ever a time to subscribe to poem-a-day, it would be now, so that you can have Black poetry pop into your inbox on a daily basis for the next few months. What [...]
We are a few days away from Independence Day 2020. As in prior years today's Thoughtful Thursday celebrates Independence Day with two poems from one of America's most beloved and well-known poets, Langston Hughes (1902-1967). These poems are even more powerful in light of recent events. Share and discuss with your children. Enjoy, and enjoy the 4th! I, Too, [...]