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Unsettling America: An Anthology of Contemporary Multicultural Poetry
With extraordinary honesty, dignity, and insight, an impressive array of poets displace the myths and stereotypes that pervade our culture. The first multicultural poetry anthology to give voice to the lives and experiences of ethnic Americans.
432 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1994
28 people are currently reading
136 people want to read
About the author
Maria Mazziotti Gillan
43 books27 followersMaria Mazziotti Gillan is a recipient of the 2011 Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award from Poets & Writers, and the 2008 American Book Award for her book, All That Lies Between Us (Guernica Editions). Her latest book is What We Pass On: Collected Poems 1980-2009 (Guernica Editions, 2010).
She is the Founder and Executive Director of the Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College in Paterson, NJ, and editor of the Paterson Literary Review. She is also Director of the Creative Writing Program and Professor of Poetry at Binghamton University-SUNY.
She has published twelve books of poetry, including The Weather of Old Seasons (Cross-Cultural Communications), and Where I Come From, Things My Mother Told Me, and Italian Women in Black Dresses (Guernica Editions). With her daughter Jennifer, she is co-editor of four anthologies: Unsettling America, Identity Lessons, and Growing Up Ethnic in America (Penguin/Putnam) and Italian-American Writers on New Jersey (Rutgers).
Maria was born and raised in Paterson, New Jersey, attended Paterson public schools and is a graduate of Eastside High School. She now lives in Hawthorne, New Jersey.
She is the Founder and Executive Director of the Poetry Center at Passaic County Community College in Paterson, NJ, and editor of the Paterson Literary Review. She is also Director of the Creative Writing Program and Professor of Poetry at Binghamton University-SUNY.
She has published twelve books of poetry, including The Weather of Old Seasons (Cross-Cultural Communications), and Where I Come From, Things My Mother Told Me, and Italian Women in Black Dresses (Guernica Editions). With her daughter Jennifer, she is co-editor of four anthologies: Unsettling America, Identity Lessons, and Growing Up Ethnic in America (Penguin/Putnam) and Italian-American Writers on New Jersey (Rutgers).
Maria was born and raised in Paterson, New Jersey, attended Paterson public schools and is a graduate of Eastside High School. She now lives in Hawthorne, New Jersey.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 2, 2021
This was pretty good!
There was a lot of stuff I've seen being talked about in the media quite recently like stuff about the sexualisation of Asian women and just anti-Asian violence in general, and it was really good to read about it in an artistic form from the perspective of people who've dealt with this kind of stuff personally.
Also, Maria Mazziotti Gillan's work in the book is pretty awesome - a lot of her poems were just really good.
The book was divided into about 4 sections, and I kinda enjoyed the first two the most and then after that, it flatlined a bit but it was still good to read.
(I suddenly really feel like re-reading The Great Gatsby after this??)
There was a lot of stuff I've seen being talked about in the media quite recently like stuff about the sexualisation of Asian women and just anti-Asian violence in general, and it was really good to read about it in an artistic form from the perspective of people who've dealt with this kind of stuff personally.
Also, Maria Mazziotti Gillan's work in the book is pretty awesome - a lot of her poems were just really good.
The book was divided into about 4 sections, and I kinda enjoyed the first two the most and then after that, it flatlined a bit but it was still good to read.
(I suddenly really feel like re-reading The Great Gatsby after this??)
August 18, 2017
This anthology is stuffed with fabulous poetry reflecting a variety of ethnic traditions and other perspectives. I used it in my "Literary Diversity" course the first semester I taught it but honestly was overwhelmed by it. This upcoming semester, when I am teaching the class again, I decided to adopt a book by a single author, but I will definitely be returning to this collection in the future.
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March 24, 2010Excellant anthology of poetry by a wide variety of America voices.
April 5, 2021
This book was published in 1994. It could’ve been written today I could’ve been written in 1894. We have a long, cruel history in this country: to the first peoples, the enslaved, the immigrants from every country and ethnicity who were unwelcome here. Maybe someday we will stop treating each other as “the other”. Reading these poems may be a good start.
September 25, 2017
Great variety in this anthology. It has been particularly useful in teaching a high school literature unit on examining what it means to be American through a multi-cultural lens.
December 15, 2016
I'll be using this extensively in my classes.
February 6, 2015
I think this is the most amazing book I ever read in my entire life. I'm learning more about poetry than I expected because I'm trying to become a poet when I grow up! I want people to experience how this book can connect to you faster than you can say, "OMG, this book is awesome"
January 21, 2008
this is a great collection of poetry. it took me forever to actually get down and read it. but i was very happy with the variety and the poets chosen. inspired me to get a-writing.
January 11, 2009
Powerful voices from the "salad bowl" that is this country
June 18, 2012
I'm not much for poetry but I really enjoyed this collection.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews