Marilyn Nelson -- Reading 0 comments

The poems of Marilyn Nelson wander through forgotten corridors of the past and bring forth treasures. Deeply imaginative, graceful and plainspoken, they often cry out against injustice; sometimes they cry out with gratitude to God. They insist ferociously on the full dignity of each particular human being, which they bring before our eyes with demanding vividness. Marilyn Nelson’s books include Carver: A Life in Poems, Fortune’s Bones (both from Front Street), and A Wreath for Emmett Till (Houghton Mifflin). Her honors include two NEA fellowships, a Guggenheim fellowship, three National Book Award finalist medals, the Poets’ Prize, the Boston Globe/Hornbook Award, a Newbery Honor medal, two Coretta Scott King Honor medals, and two Pushcart Prizes. She is an emeritus professor at the University of Connecticut, former poet laureate of Connecticut, and founder and director of Soul Mountain Retreat.

These poems were recorded at the 2009 Glen Workshop.

Bibliography

Poetry

• Sweethearts of Rhythm: The Story of the Greatest All-Girl Swing Band in the World (Dial Books, 2009, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney)

• The Freedom Business: Including A Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Venture, a Native of Africa (Front Street, 2008, with art by Deborah Dancy)

• A Wreath for Emmett Till (Houghton Mifflin, 2005, illustrated by Philippe Lardy)

• The Cachoeira Tales, and Other Poems (Louisiana State University Press, 2005)

• Fortune’s Bones: The Manumission Requiem (Front Street, 2004, notes and annotations by Pamela Espeland)

• Carver, a Life in Poems (Front Street, 2001)

• The Fields of Praise: New and Selected Poems (Louisiana State University Press, 1997)

• Magnificat (Louisiana State University Press, 1994)

• The Homeplace (Louisiana State University Press, 1990)

• Mama's Promises (Louisiana State University Press, 1985)

• For the Body (Louisiana State University Press, 1978)

Marilyn Nelson has also been involved in collaborative books, chapbooks, translations, and books for young children.