Great poetry allows us to discover the many sides of ourselves and the world around us – both its beauty and its injustice. This audio course “Classics of Black American Protest Poetry” explores the U.S. tradition of Black protest through poetry. In the face of the recent murder of George Floyd, the disproportionate mortality of people of color during the COVID 19 pandemic, and Black Lives Matter demonstrations all over the country and around the world, we look back at America’s great history of civic poetry. we will read several foundational poems rooted in the Harlem Renaissance, including classics by Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Lucille Clifton.

Hosted by Harvard professor Elisa New, will feature highlights and never-before-heard outtakes from conversations with many of the most distinguished people of our time, as well as poetry readers and interpreters of all ages.

What You'll Learn

You will learn about the Black protest tradition in the United States
You will learn about the poetry of the Harlem Renaissance
You will hear from prominent American figures in never-before-heard conversations

Details