I, Too, Sing America: Three Centuries of African American Poetry - Softcover

Catherine Clinton earned her undergraduate degree in Afro-American studies from Harvard University and her Ph.D. in history from Princeton. She is the author of many historical works for children and adults, and has taught African American Studies at Brandeis University, Brown University, Harvard University, and Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland . Dr. Clinton lives in San Antonio, Texas, where she's Denman Professor of American History at the University of Texas San Antonio.

Stephen Alcorn is an acclaimed painter and printmaker who has created artwork for a number of anthologies and picture books, including Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters by Andrea Davis Pinkney, and I, Too, Sing America: Three Centuries of African American Poetry by Catherine Clinton. He lives in Cambridge, New York. Visit Stephen Alcorn at alcorngallery.com.
 

Grade 4 Up-The print version of I, Too, Sing America, edited by Catherine Clinton (Houghton, 1998), was selected as an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. This unabridged recording of the anthology features 36 poems by 25 African American poets (including two Pulitzer Prize winners and one Poet Laureate of the U.S.), performed in the widely diverse styles of Ashley Bryan and Renee Joshua-Porter. Joshua-Porter's interpretations flow in a smooth, expressive storyteller's style, making it easy to follow the thoughts being set forth. Bryan tends to use great dramatic flair and slow, careful enunciation in his oratory, a style that demands the listener's attention. The most outstanding feature of this collection is that a biographical sketch explaining the historical context of the poem prefaces each poet's work. The first cassette begins with the poem "Lift Every Voice and Sing" by James Weldon Johnson, sung with musical accompaniment in the style popularly called the African American anthem. It is followed by "I, Too, Sing America" by Langston Hughes, which segues nicely into an explanation of the role of the African American poet over the past three centuries. From Lucy Terry's 18th century "Bar's Fight," the first published work by an African American poet, to Rita Dove's "Primer" written near the end of the 20th century, the black American struggle for equality and appreciation is a recurring theme. School libraries will find this set especially useful to meet demands for Black History materials.
Joanne K. Hammond, Chambersburg Area Middle School, PA
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