Applebee, Arthur N., editor.
The Language of Literature
. Evanston, IL: McDougal Little, 2001. This excellent collection of literature is the textbook we use at our school. All of the short stories and many of the poems used in this unit are in this textbook.
Eleveld, Mark, editor. Sourcebooks, Inc: Naperville, IL
The Spoken Word Revolution.
2004. This excellent publication touches on every aspect of the development of the "Spoken word Revolution" from the Beat Generation to Hip Hop and the Poetry Slam. It also comes with a CD that will come in handy in the classroom when introducing the open mic concept.
Richard Ellmann and Robert O'Clair, editors.
The Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry
. Norton, New York, 1988. A nice selection of a wide variety of modern American poetry.
Grimes, Nikki. Bronx Masquerade. Puffin Books: New York, 2003. This fictional account of a classroom poetry slam is a wonderful introduction to what I want teachers to do in the third section of this unit.
Lathem, Edward Connery, ed.
The Poetry of Robert Frost
. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1975. This is a wonderful, complete collection of Frost's poems.
Lamott, Anne.
Bird by Bird: Some instructions on Writing and Life
. New York: Anchor Books,1994. This is my favorite all time book on writing. There are lots of good practical ideas for writing as well as advice on life. A must read for all writers.
Meyers, Walter Dean.
Harlem
. New York: Scholastic Books, 1997. This award winning picture book/poem is composed of a great number of images of Harlem. The book is illustrated by the author's son and comes with a cassette in which the poem is read by Sean Combs.
Elise Paschen and Rebekah Presson Mosby, editors.
Poetry Speaks
. Naperville, IL Source books, 2001. A concise collection of African American poetry useful for this unit.
Smith, Marc Kelly, and Joe Kraynak.
Complete Idiot's Guide to Slam Poetry
, 2004. The famous "Idiot's Guides" takes on Poetry Slams with the help of two leaders in the field.
Sullivan, Charles, editor.
Children of Promise: African American Literature and Arts for Young People
. NewYork: Abradale Press, 1991. This book contains of variety of art and literature done by and about African Americans, including paintings by Jacob Lawrence and literature by Langston Hughes and others.
Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. (Penguin Classics Edition) New York: Penguin, 2003. A classic Twain tale in which voice is explored through several characters.
