Poets of the Past and Present in 2014 Spotlight (part 2) by Aberjhani

                 Poster featuring iron cast of Walt Whitman's hand courtesy of Academy of American Poets.

“Stars ink your fingers
with a lexicon of flame
blazing rare knowledge.”
--from The River of Winged Dreams
(Aberjhani)

Every year the Academy of American Poets produces a fascinating poster in celebration of National Poetry Month in April. The Academy, along with such partners as The Poetry Foundation, American Booksellers Association, and American Libraries, very generously makes the poster available for free as a digital download and as a hard copy poster via the U.S. postal service.

The posters are always unique in their visual style and feature quotes, from works by famous authors, which are often both compelling and inspiring. Last year’s poster featured a collage of envelopes, stationery, and writing utensil with the following words from the Prague-born poet Rainer Maria Rilke’s classic book Letters to a Young Poet:

“Write about your sorrows, your wishes, your passing thoughts, your belief in anything beautiful.”

Other posters in the past have featured excerpts from the works of such literary luminaries as former U.S. Poet Laureate Philip Levine (2012), poet Elizabeth Bishop (2011), and Emily Dickinson (1998 and 2005). To date, the only African Americans who seem to have been featured by themselves on a poster are Langston Hughes (in 1999 and 2002), and Jay Wright (2008). The posters from 1999 to 2001 fared better so far as diversity is concerned with each containing snapshots of a variety of poets.

Walt Whitman: an American Original

The 2014 poster features these words from the quintessential American poet Walt Whitman’s iconic literary masterpiece Leaves of Grass:

Please read the complete article by Aberjhani by clicking here:
Poets of the past and present in 2014 spotlight (part 2 of 2) - National African-American Art | Examiner.com