I-POEM PROJECT
POETRY WE RECOMMEND
We believe that I-Poems are one way, but not the only way, that poetry can highlight lived experiences and contribute to social justice movements Here is some poetry we can personally recommend. This list was compiled by Dr. Chrysanthi Leon, Maggie Buckridge, Jules Lowman, and Francisca Moreno.
Books and Anthologies
Clap When You Land, by Elizabeth Acevedo
Felon, by Reginald Dwayne Betts
Hustling Verse: An Anthology of Sex Workers’ Poetry, edited by Amber Dawn and Dustin Ducharme
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
Poetic Inquiry as Social Justice and Political Response, edited by Sandra L. Daulkner and Abigail Cloud
Resistencia: Poems of Protest and Revolution, edited by Mark Eisner and Tina Escaja
Poets
Angelou, Maya
Acevedo, Elizabeth
Baca, Jimmy Santiago
Dawn, Amber
Dwayne Betts, Reginald
Finch, Jamie Lee
Poems
“American Wedding”, by Essex Hemphill
“At the End of a Life, A Secret”, by Reginald Dwyane Betts
“Estiado Chile (How Hard It is to Sing)”, by Víctor Jara
“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”, by Maya Angelou
“I Want a President”, by Zoe Leonard
“The Earth is a Satellite of the Moon”, by José Leonel Rugama
“Today, Running Along the River”, by Jimmy Santiago Baca
“You Want Me White”, by Alfonsina Storni
Other Things to Check Out
Poetry in the Age of Mass Incarceration: Challenging the Dichotomy of Innocence Versus Criminality