AMERICAN POETS
ROBERT FROST Lived much of his life in New England Used more traditional poetic forms Writes language as it is actually spoken Writes searching and often dark meditations on universal themes His poems are often psychologically complex with layers of ambiguity and irony Won four Pulitzer prizes for his work
ROBERT FROST
GARY SOTO 1952 – Born to Mexican-American working-class parents in California Worked in the fields of San Joaquin valley when he was young Not academically motivated, but he became interested in poetry in high school Attended Fresno City College and then California State University Won a bunch of awards
GARY SOTO Poems focus on daily experiences, often reflecting on his life as a Chicano About his work, the writer Joyce Carol Oates has said, "Gary Soto's poems are fast, funny, heartening, and achingly believable, like Polaroid love letters, or snatches of music heard out of a passing car; patches of beauty like patches of sunlight; the very pulse of a life."
GARY SOTO
LANGSTON HUGHES 1902 – 1967 Divorced parents – raised by grandmother until he was thirteen when he moved to Illinois to live with his mother After graduation, spent a year in Mexico and a year at Columbia University – in this time he worked as an assistant cook, launderer, and busboy His first novel won the Harmon gold medal for literature
LANGSTON HUGHES Influenced a lot by the world of jazz Extremely important influence on the Harlem Renaissance Known for insightful, colorful portrayals of black life in America from the twenties through the sixties
LANGSTON HUGHES
WALT WHITMAN 1819 – 1892 Self-taught reader Worked at a printer, as a teacher, and finally as a journalist Struggled to support himself much of his life Often called the Father of Free Verse Leaves of Grass was an attempt to reach out to the common people with an American epic
WALT WHITMAN
E.E. CUMMINGS 1894 – 1962 Began writing poetry as early as 1904 B.A. and M.A. from Harvard Volunteer ambulance driver in WWI He and a friend were interned in a prison camp by the French authorities on suspicion of espionage for his outspoken anti-war convictions. Traveled throughout Europe, visiting poets and artists (like Picasso).
E.E. CUMMINGS Experimented radically with form, punctuation, spelling and syntax, abandoning traditional techniques and structures to create a new means of poetic expression. Had a great popularity, especially among young readers, for the simplicity of his language, his playful mode and his attention to subjects such as war and sex. Second most widely read poet in America at his death after Robert Frost
E.E. CUMMINGS
EDGAR ALLEN POE 1809 – 1849 Parents died before he was three Could not finish college because of money Life-long struggle with depression and alcoholism One of the originators of horror and detective fiction “Architect” of the modern short story Forerunner to the “art for art’s sake” movement One of the first American writers to became a major figure in world literature.
EDGAR ALLEN POE
MAYA ANGELOU 1928— Marguerite Johnson author, poet, historian, songwriter, playwright, dancer, stage and screen producer, director, performer, singer, and civil rights activist Best known for her autobiographic books In 1959, at the request of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Maya Angelou became the northern coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
MAYA ANGELOU Appointed by Gerald Ford to the Bicentennial Commission and later by Jimmy Carter to the Commission for International Woman of the Year She accepted a lifetime appointment in 1981 as Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
MAYA ANGELOU In 1993, Angelou wrote and delivered a poem, "On The Pulse of the Morning," at the inauguration for President Bill Clinton at his request The first black woman director in Hollywood, Angelou has written, produced, directed, and starred in productions for stage, film, and television
MAYA ANGELOU