Claude McKay (1889–1948)

Claude McKay is an integral figure from the Harlem Renaissance. Born in Jamaica, his work is heavily influenced by the racism he experienced in places like Kingston and New York. This poem directly addresses the theme of racial strife and injustice in the form of a classic Petrarchan sonnet.

“If We Must Die” (1919)^[1]

Archibald MacLeish (1892–1982)

Archibald MacLeish was born in Illinois in the early 20th century, served during World War I, and was the 9th Librarian of Congress. A leading figure of literary Modernism, he won three Pulitzer Prizes for his poetry. The poem “Ars Poetica” exhibits the Modernist aesthetic in content and form; in fact, the poem is a defense, or apologia, for the kind of poetry valued by the Modernists of the early 20th century.

“Ars Poetica” (1926)

Sylvia Plath (1932–1963)

Sylvia Plath is a New England poet famous for her confessional poetry, lyric and personal poetry rooted in revealing and discussing intimate details of the poet’s life. Someone who fought with depression her entire life, she died by suicide in 1963. Her poems were published posthumously, and she was the fourth person to receive a posthumous Pulitzer Prize. The poem “Daddy” exemplifies the sort of confessional poetry for which she was known, and in it she links personal trauma to generational and political trauma.

“Daddy” (1965)

Pablo Neruda (1904–1973)

Pablo Neruda is a Chilean poet who was very famous in his lifetime. He remains perhaps the most well known Spanish-language poet of the Americas. As poet-diplomat, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971. Naturally, the poem you have before you is a translation from the Spanish. Do not let the impersonal title “A Dog has Died” fool you; the speaker is eulogizing a friend.

“A Dog Has Died” (1974)

Ai (1947–2010)

Ai Ogawa, born Florence Anthony, is a mixed race American poet who described herself as part Japanese, part Choctaw-Chickasaw, part Black, and part Irish. She won the National Book Award for poetry in 1999, and is considered a modern master of the dramatic monologue. She did not shy away from dark or controversial topics, and her poem “Interview with a Policeman,” written in the 1980s, takes on issues of race and justice in a way that foretells contemporary racial politics surrounding policing.

“Interview with a Policeman” (1987)

Adrian C. Louis (1946–2018)

Adrian C. Louis hailed from the Lovelock Paiute tribe of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. He is known for chronicling reservation life, unflinching in his realism. This realism stemmed from his training as a journalist; he was also a co-founder of the Native American Journalists Association. “I Flew Into Denver April” provides a stark and honest view of life in Denver for an out-of-town Native American in the form of a non-traditional sonnet.

“I Flew Into Denver April” (1989)

Natasha Trethewey (1966–)

Natasha Tretheway is a biracial poet from the U.S. South. She has published five books of poetry, and has been the recipient of many awards. Most notably, she served as Poet Laureate of the State of Mississippi (2012–2016) and the 19th Poet Laureate of the United States (2012–2014). “White Lies” is a poem set in the South, where color defines the landscape. Of course, the lies that our biracial speaker can tell, well, they are more than just little white lies.

“White Lies” (2000)

Yusef Komunyakaa (1947–)

Yusef Komunyakaa was born James Williams Brown in the small town of Bogalusa, LA. He changed his name to Komunyakaa because that was his grandfather’s African name before his grandfather stowed away on a ship from Trinidad to America. A Vietnam War veteran, Komunyakaa’s experiences during the war became an integral part of his poetry. The poem “Facing It” chronicles the first time he visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, where he finds himself overwhelmed by memories of his brothers-in-arms.

“Facing It” (2001)

Harryette Mullen (1953–)

Harryette Mullen is a professor of English at UCLA. She has published many works of poetry, all of them a mix of linguistic experimentation, politics, and the blues. “We Are Not Responsible” engages in word play to call attention to racial profiling and immigration through a speaker that is both comical and chilling in their absurd commitment to dehumanizing the Other.

“We Are Not Responsible” (2002)