Literature faculty discuss poems in Eve Ewing’s book 1919. This discussion will explore history through the lens of poetry while connecting Ewing’s works to other historic and contemporary poets and artists. This event was part of our 20-21 One Book, One College Program. View past events on MVCC Library's YouTube Channel.
Resources for Reading Poetry
A Poet's Glossary
by Edward Hirsch
Explore the literary terms used in the discussion--from tanka to prose and list poems--in this encyclopedic but accessible volume from poet and critic Hirsch.
Hirsch also wrote the bestselling How to Read a Poem: and Fall in Love with Poetry, also available in our print collection and as an e-book.
Don't Read Poetry
By Stephanie Burt
Burt explores six ways of approaching poetry, many of which (form, feeling, character) align with comments from the event video.
A Publisher's Weekly review states "Burt’s sweeping, insightful survey makes a great case that with wider exposure, people will discover how poems can be relevant to anyone who has “ever felt unique, or confused, or confusing to others.”
Poets and Authors
The Essential Gwendolyn Brooks
by Gwendolyn Brooks
Explore Brooks' iconic poems, including "We Real Cool," as discussed in the event video.
You can listen to a recording of Brooks reading "We Real Cool" on the Poetry Foundation's website.
Learn more about Brooks' poetry and life in Gwendolyn Brooks : comprehensive research and study guide or A surprised queenhood in the new Black sun : the life & legacy of Gwendolyn Brooks.
The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes
by Langston Hughes
Explore Hughes' iconic poems, including "Harlem," as discussed in the event video.
Dig deeper into Hughes' life and work with Langston Hughes : the man, his art, and his continuing influence or The life of Langston Hughes.
"Girl"
by Jamaica Kincaid
Find "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid, as discussed in the event video in 40 short stories : a portable anthology or online.
Find more of Kincaid's work including e-audiobooks of At the Bottom of the River, Annie John, and Lucy in the Library's digital collections.
Explore biography and criticism of Kincaid's work in Jamaica Kincaid.
The 1919 Chicago Riots
The Negro in Chicago: A Study of Race Relations and a Race Riot in 1919
by The Chicago Commission on Race Relations
As mentioned in the event video, read a copy of the original report on the 1919 Chicago Riots from which Ewing took excerpts, in the Library's print collection.
You can also find a digital version of the original report through the Internet Archive or Project Gutenberg.
Occupied Territory: Policing Black Chicago from Red Summer to Black Power
by Simon Balto
"In this history of Chicago from 1919 to the rise and fall of Black Power in the 1960s and 1970s, Simon Balto narrates the evolution of racially repressive policing in black neighborhoods as well as how black citizen-activists challenged that repression." --Publisher's Website
Race, Space, and Riots in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles
by Janet Abu-Lughod
Explore the 1919 Chicago riots in larger the context of riots across the country during the 'Red Summer.'
"While there are many studies of individual race riots, this is the first book to compare major twentieth century race riots in the three largest American cities in the context of their unique historical, economic, and political characteristics." --Publisher's Website
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Created with an image by John-Mark Smith - "untitled image"