June Jordan's Poetry for the People: A Revolutionary Blueprint

by June Jordan (Introduction), Lauren Muller (Editor), The Blueprint Collective (Editor)

Her vision and politics have set her at the forefront of contemporary poetry and her work has a far-reaching impact on all poets and readers of poetry today. A dedicated and inspired teacher, her innovative and highly successful poetry program, Poetry for the People, has recently emerged as a national phenomenon.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Education, Teaching, Feminism, Social Justice, Writing

240 pages, Paperback

First published October 19, 1995

About the author

June Millicent Jordan (July 9, 1936 – June 14, 2002) was a Caribbean-American poet and activist.

Jordan received numerous honors and awards, including a 1969-70 Rockefeller grant for creative writing, a Yaddo Fellowship in 1979, a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship in 1982, and the Achievement Award for International Reporting from the National Association of Black Journalists in 1984. Jordan also won the Lila Wallace Reader's Digest Writers Award from 1995 to 1998 as well as the Ground Breakers-Dream Makers Award from The Woman's Foundation in 1994.

She was included in Who's Who in America from 1984 until her death. She received the Chancellor's Distinguished Lectureship from UC Berkeley and the PEN Center USA West Freedom to Write Award (1991).

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[BookChampions · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 1995 well before youth poetry movements exploded in the 21st century, this book is beautiful but somewhat dated. Undoubtedly it is a magical recapturing of June Jordan and her collective's work to make poetry something we ALL can use and do.

While this is not an ESSENTIAL read, it means a lot to me. I read it early in my teaching career, maybe 2005, and visiting it again now, in 2021, makes it seem even more revolutionary and still very instructive. I can use the stuff outlined in this book to do the antiracist, revolutionary change I want to bring to my classroom.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't really know what to make of this book, or even how to describe it. The book grew out of the famous poetry class that June Jordan taught at Berkeley for many years, and it's something of a hodge podge. The book is essentially a compilation of materials for and by the class: student writings (both poetry and personal reflections), a sample syllabus, lists of classroom ground rules, tips for staging readings, etc. The book came out in the early nineties, and often feels a bit dated in some of its earnest political correctness and focus on identity politics. But June Jordan was an incredibly impressive poet and activist, and the book is definitely imbued with her sense of poetry as a real tool for change. It's an interesting book, I'm just not sure how useful it is unless you happen to be trying to initiate your own version of the Poetry for the People course.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mix of everything: how to (write a poem/plan a reading/publish an anthology) guide, poetry collection, curriculum, bibliography, reflection on experience. The variation in content type from page to page threw me off a little, but I found this to be a rich resource. Wish I was still teaching!

[Ananda Esteva · Rating 5 out of 5]

I co-wrote this book....

[Pachyderm Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

How to produce, promote, propigate, and pontificate your very own poetry through June Jordan's collective poetry workshop project, with its adjunct business model.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic. The guidelines were SO helpful. The intro is everything. I love June Jordan. Some was not as helpful for me since I’m not running a PFP program but nevertheless a good read.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book in a used bookstore in Mexico City -- one of the only English-language books on the wonderful, musty shelves -- when I was living there. It was such a delight, while living and working in a place where I had no writing group and didn't even know anyone who could read what I was writing. This book has traveled with me in the decade since I read it, through my MFA program, through my first two books, through the first classes I taught. Thank you, June!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book has a lot of awesome poetry by young people, as well as exercises you can do if you teach (or want to learn) poetry. even if you don't teach poetry but you're into radical education - or if you're not into education, but you study or studied literature- take a look at this book...

[James Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone looking to introduce poetry to a younger crowd, say in a classroom or or community setting should get this book.

[Maleka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very inspiring plan to bring poetry to the masses from the classes that June Jordan used to teach in the San Francisco/Bay Area. Loved it.

[Christina Olivares · Rating 5 out of 5]

made me wanna be a poet activist teacher scholar when i grew up. read it when i was 13 and changed my life.