Poetry is one of the greatest written expressions known to humans since its inception. The literary form is one of the many ways African Americans have been able to express themselves in a way that helps others to understand the tragedy and triumphs that have been a part of their journey since the early days of writing. In the present day, poetic forms have been at the forefront of almost all literary circles and major spaces of thought in all areas of the world.

In this class, we will analyze the major poetic voices that have shaped African American culture, while understanding the deeper meanings behind s key terms and ideas from these literary giants. Also, we will form small literature groups to understand other works and develop our own poetry.