Poetry For All
Finding Our Way Into Great Poems
Displaying 2 items of Poetry For All with the tag "twentieth century".
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Episode 113: Langston Hughes, Theme for English B
August 27th, 2026 | 24 mins 36 secs
african american, black history month, city, dialogue, free verse, harlem renaissance, twentieth century
In this episode, we read one of Langston Hughes's most famous poems. We discuss Hughes's conversational style, how he evokes the topography of Harlem, and the way the poetic speaker addresses the power dynamics of the classroom.
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Episode 86: Gwendolyn Bennett, I Build America
February 20th, 2025 | Season 6 | 25 mins 19 secs
free verse, harlem renaissance, labor day, laborers, persona poem, social justice and advocacy, twentieth century, violence, women's history month
Gwendolyn Bennett was a poet, journalist, editor, and activist whose contributions helped to fuel the Harlem Renaissance. In this episode, we read "I Build America," a poem that exposes and critiques the exploitation and suffering of ordinary workers.