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The Golden Shovel Anthology: New Poems Honoring Gwendolyn Brooks
“The cross-section of poets with varying poetics and styles gathered here is only one of the many admirable achievements of this volume.”
—Claudia Rankine in the New York Times
The Golden Shovel Anthology celebrates the life and work of poet and civil rights icon Gwendolyn Brooks through a dynamic new poetic form, the Golden Shovel, created by National Book Award–winner Terrance Hayes.
An array of writers—including winners of the Pulitzer Prize, the T. S. Eliot Prize, and the National Book Award, as well as a couple of National Poets Laureate—have written poems for this exciting new Rita Dove, Billy Collins, Danez Smith, Nikki Giovanni, Sharon Olds, Tracy K. Smith, Mark Doty, Sharon Draper, Richard Powers, and Julia Glass are just a few of the contributing poets.
This second edition includes Golden Shovel poems by two winners and six runners-up from an international student poetry competition judged by Nora Brooks Blakely, Gwendolyn Brooks’s daughter. The poems by these eight talented high school students add to Ms. Brooks’s legacy and contribute to the depth and breadth of this anthology.
—Claudia Rankine in the New York Times
The Golden Shovel Anthology celebrates the life and work of poet and civil rights icon Gwendolyn Brooks through a dynamic new poetic form, the Golden Shovel, created by National Book Award–winner Terrance Hayes.
An array of writers—including winners of the Pulitzer Prize, the T. S. Eliot Prize, and the National Book Award, as well as a couple of National Poets Laureate—have written poems for this exciting new Rita Dove, Billy Collins, Danez Smith, Nikki Giovanni, Sharon Olds, Tracy K. Smith, Mark Doty, Sharon Draper, Richard Powers, and Julia Glass are just a few of the contributing poets.
This second edition includes Golden Shovel poems by two winners and six runners-up from an international student poetry competition judged by Nora Brooks Blakely, Gwendolyn Brooks’s daughter. The poems by these eight talented high school students add to Ms. Brooks’s legacy and contribute to the depth and breadth of this anthology.
- GenresPoetryAnthologies
338 pages, Paperback
Published June 7, 2019
7 people are currently reading
138 people want to read
About the author
Terrance Hayes
59 books344 followersTerrance Hayes is the author of six poetry collections, including American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin, How to Be Drawn, and Lighthead, which won the National Book Award. He is a MacArthur Fellow and teaches at the University of Pittsburgh.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 1, 2018
It is February, and that means the winter doldrums are upon me, and I tend to lose focus on reading and other tasks as I look ahead to spring and the rebirth which it brings. February also means Black History Month. Last year, I read a number of diverse books by African American authors in February, and I look to do the same this year. I decided to kick off the month by reading The Golden Shovel Anthology: New Poems Honoring Gwendolyn Brooks edited by Peter Kahn, Ravi Shankar, and Patricia Smith. In pages filled with work by authors ranging from elementary school students to Nobel laureates, writers penned their lilting tributes to Brooks, one of the 20th century's premier poets.
Gwendolyn Brooks was the poet laureate of Illinois for over thirty years. In 1954 she won the Pulitzer Prize for Annie Allen, becoming the first African American woman to win the award. In a writing career spanning most of her life, Brooks brought the perils of African American society to the forefront, challenging her readers to better themselves. Her poetry largely centered on the Bronzeville Chicago neighborhood which she called home. It is from Bronzeville that Brooks also established citywide poetry salons including the Poetry Guild, which brought together Chicago based poets from all walks of life. It is there that she first met Patricia Smith, before Smith became a published poet in her own right, encouraging the younger author to take more time to write. Thus, it is with great joy that Smith signed onto participate in this project, including some of her own work as well.
In his foreward, Terrance Hayes describes the overarching project. A golden shovel poem is a new genre that makes poetry relevant to the 21st century. In a golden shovel poem, the last word of each line makes up a sentence or story on its own, depending on the poem's length. Creating a double entendre, this new genre is one that Brooks would have been proud of as she played around with words and meanings in her poems constantly. Golden shovel is also used by Brooks as well as other writers of color to signify the success in society that they could achieve through hard work. Authors of golden shovel poems in this anthology took lines from Brooks' poems, including well known works as The Bean Eaters and her Bronzeville collection and include gifted writers as Hayes, Smith, and poet laureate Tracy K Smith. Yet, Hayes has done this exercise with his students, resulting in creative constructs on poster board or out of popsicle sticks. While these young writers are not included in this volume, it would be interesting to see the poems that students came up with while left to their own devices.
I was most moved by poems by some of my preferred poets as Tracy K Smith and Gregory Pardlo, but also by authors as Hayes, Patricia Smith, and Brenda Cardenas who used Brooks' own words while creating their golden shovels. In her What Will We Give Our Children, Cardenas takes a stanza from Brooks' The Womanhood. She poignantly notes, "We shall give them tools- a golden shovel to dig a revolution of good food. What else but a Joe Louis sized fistful of squiggles in their soiled palms? Yes, we shall hand them a hill of red worms...and they'll say, "I grow my own lunch, raise my own supper." Cardenas encourages children to better themselves and offers hope for the younger generations. Another author who includes Brooks behind the scenes is Julia Alvarez. In her aptly titled poem Behind the Scenes, Alvarez pays homage to Brooks as an pioneer poet of color. While her own poem does not take root in Brooks' work, it lauds her contribution as a leading poet who brought to the forefront the social issues of the time in which she wrote.
With over two hundred fifty pages of poetry, The Golden Shovel is not my usual before bedtime reading. It contains intelligent poems full of double meanings required to be read two or three times through. As I prefer modern poetry that tells a story in prose, I was moved by this new golden shovel format of poem, and, like the authors and editors featured in this volume, I hope that the genre endures in years to come. Poet Alicia Ostriker says it best when she notes that this volume has been "an irresistible invitation. I'll try and have something for you before the end of March..in fact, so irresistible that I could not go to bed before writing this." The editors end this by noting that a century after her birth, Gwendolyn Brooks remains a pioneer. Her poems and sagely advice have inspired poets from all walks of life to challenge themselves in their writing, taking their writing to new heights. I only came across this volume in passing on goodreads, but it is safe to safe that this a poetry collection that I will want to revisit in years to come.
5 shining stars
Gwendolyn Brooks was the poet laureate of Illinois for over thirty years. In 1954 she won the Pulitzer Prize for Annie Allen, becoming the first African American woman to win the award. In a writing career spanning most of her life, Brooks brought the perils of African American society to the forefront, challenging her readers to better themselves. Her poetry largely centered on the Bronzeville Chicago neighborhood which she called home. It is from Bronzeville that Brooks also established citywide poetry salons including the Poetry Guild, which brought together Chicago based poets from all walks of life. It is there that she first met Patricia Smith, before Smith became a published poet in her own right, encouraging the younger author to take more time to write. Thus, it is with great joy that Smith signed onto participate in this project, including some of her own work as well.
In his foreward, Terrance Hayes describes the overarching project. A golden shovel poem is a new genre that makes poetry relevant to the 21st century. In a golden shovel poem, the last word of each line makes up a sentence or story on its own, depending on the poem's length. Creating a double entendre, this new genre is one that Brooks would have been proud of as she played around with words and meanings in her poems constantly. Golden shovel is also used by Brooks as well as other writers of color to signify the success in society that they could achieve through hard work. Authors of golden shovel poems in this anthology took lines from Brooks' poems, including well known works as The Bean Eaters and her Bronzeville collection and include gifted writers as Hayes, Smith, and poet laureate Tracy K Smith. Yet, Hayes has done this exercise with his students, resulting in creative constructs on poster board or out of popsicle sticks. While these young writers are not included in this volume, it would be interesting to see the poems that students came up with while left to their own devices.
I was most moved by poems by some of my preferred poets as Tracy K Smith and Gregory Pardlo, but also by authors as Hayes, Patricia Smith, and Brenda Cardenas who used Brooks' own words while creating their golden shovels. In her What Will We Give Our Children, Cardenas takes a stanza from Brooks' The Womanhood. She poignantly notes, "We shall give them tools- a golden shovel to dig a revolution of good food. What else but a Joe Louis sized fistful of squiggles in their soiled palms? Yes, we shall hand them a hill of red worms...and they'll say, "I grow my own lunch, raise my own supper." Cardenas encourages children to better themselves and offers hope for the younger generations. Another author who includes Brooks behind the scenes is Julia Alvarez. In her aptly titled poem Behind the Scenes, Alvarez pays homage to Brooks as an pioneer poet of color. While her own poem does not take root in Brooks' work, it lauds her contribution as a leading poet who brought to the forefront the social issues of the time in which she wrote.
With over two hundred fifty pages of poetry, The Golden Shovel is not my usual before bedtime reading. It contains intelligent poems full of double meanings required to be read two or three times through. As I prefer modern poetry that tells a story in prose, I was moved by this new golden shovel format of poem, and, like the authors and editors featured in this volume, I hope that the genre endures in years to come. Poet Alicia Ostriker says it best when she notes that this volume has been "an irresistible invitation. I'll try and have something for you before the end of March..in fact, so irresistible that I could not go to bed before writing this." The editors end this by noting that a century after her birth, Gwendolyn Brooks remains a pioneer. Her poems and sagely advice have inspired poets from all walks of life to challenge themselves in their writing, taking their writing to new heights. I only came across this volume in passing on goodreads, but it is safe to safe that this a poetry collection that I will want to revisit in years to come.
5 shining stars
January 31, 2017
It breaks my heart to think that there is an entire generation (or two) of readers who haven't been blessed to know the brilliance of Gwendolyn Brooks. Despite her many accomplishments, I'm surprised by how few readers of contemporary poetry are familiar with her work. This is why the 'Golden Shovel Anthology' is so important; it honors Brooks's work by bringing together writers who admired and were inspired by her. Some of those who contributed are very well known; others are not. But each writer pays tribute to Brooks by using their own words to invoke her style and form. It's a delicately written collection that pays tribute to one of my favorite poets, and creates necessary generational bonds.
I received an e-galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an e-galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
December 10, 2025
A creative tribute to Gwendolyn Brooks, which manages to illuminate her poetry in unexpected ways. Worth buying new.
June 26, 2018
A few years ago Terrance Hayes published a poem called “The Golden Shovel”. Reading the last word of each line from top to bottom one realizes these words constitute Gwendolyne Brooks’s poem “We Real Cool”. Hayes thus created at once a new poetic form and a powerful homage to Brooks.
Last year (2017) on June 7th, Brooks, who was the first African American to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1950, would have turned 100 years old. What better year to publish a huge poetry anthology in her honour? The editors, Peter Kahn, Ravi Shankar, and Patricia Smith, brought together plenty of wonderful poets like Malika Booker, Kwame Dawes, and Rita Dove who used Hayes Golden Shovel form to write new poems taking lines or whole poems by Brooks as their foundation. The results are heartfelt, exciting, beautiful. The echo of Brooks is obviously strong, but each poet takes their work in a different direction. As a reader, I especially loved to read poems which took the same lines but created so fundamentally different poems. Words, as this anthology seems to stress, can be re_assembled in so many ways, creating so many meanings. As in most bigger poetry collections, some works will resonate more with you than others, but overall it is a strong collection showcasing different writers and reminding the reader of the timelessness of Brooks lines and her importance today.
Last year (2017) on June 7th, Brooks, who was the first African American to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1950, would have turned 100 years old. What better year to publish a huge poetry anthology in her honour? The editors, Peter Kahn, Ravi Shankar, and Patricia Smith, brought together plenty of wonderful poets like Malika Booker, Kwame Dawes, and Rita Dove who used Hayes Golden Shovel form to write new poems taking lines or whole poems by Brooks as their foundation. The results are heartfelt, exciting, beautiful. The echo of Brooks is obviously strong, but each poet takes their work in a different direction. As a reader, I especially loved to read poems which took the same lines but created so fundamentally different poems. Words, as this anthology seems to stress, can be re_assembled in so many ways, creating so many meanings. As in most bigger poetry collections, some works will resonate more with you than others, but overall it is a strong collection showcasing different writers and reminding the reader of the timelessness of Brooks lines and her importance today.
October 27, 2017
Read my review here: http://www.asiancha.com/content/view/...
Excerpt: The anthology is a labour of love—Hayes, the editorial team of Peter Kahn, Ravi Shankar and Patricia Smith and contributing poets guide us towards the brilliance, often forgotten, often taken for granted, in our literary histories. It is about recreating more than remembering and of letting form take lead. This reminds me of what Priya Sarukkai Chabria once told me, "While writing grief poets often employ strict forms in an attempt to corral it before making sense of it." The pain of loss preceded a tribute. While Hayes mourned the passing of Brooks, he sought to contain it, by devising a spine of her poetry for his own.
Excerpt: The anthology is a labour of love—Hayes, the editorial team of Peter Kahn, Ravi Shankar and Patricia Smith and contributing poets guide us towards the brilliance, often forgotten, often taken for granted, in our literary histories. It is about recreating more than remembering and of letting form take lead. This reminds me of what Priya Sarukkai Chabria once told me, "While writing grief poets often employ strict forms in an attempt to corral it before making sense of it." The pain of loss preceded a tribute. While Hayes mourned the passing of Brooks, he sought to contain it, by devising a spine of her poetry for his own.
December 4, 2016
The Golden Shovel Anthology
New Poems Honoring Gwendolyn Brooks
by Peter Kahn, Ravi Shankar, Patricia Smith
The University of Arkansas Press
University of Arkansas Press
Poetry
Pub Date 15 Feb 2017
I am voluntarily reviewing a copy of The Golden Shovel Anthology through the publisher and Netgalley:
This book is a celebration of Poet and Civil Rights Icon Gwendolyn Brooks. Tributes from poets such as Nikki Giovanni, Dianne Glancy, Jack Powers, Christian Robinson.
A hundred years after Gwendolyn's birth this collection of poetry honors her poetry and her Civil Rights work.
Five out of five stars.
Happy Reading.
September 10, 2017
One aspect about the book is the whole idea of the book is The Golden Shovel and Gwendolyn Brooks (1917-2000). The poetry from over 300 poems will grasp the readers attention with its imagery and formation of the poems. The words alone will speak heavy to the soul and the rhyme scheme is unbelievable. These outstanding poets did a wonderful job in honoring Brooks.
I received this book through NetGalley for a honest review. Thank you!
I received this book through NetGalley for a honest review. Thank you!
June 21, 2022
I’m very glad I read this book. There are poems by well known artists, by lesser known poets, and by young people who are poets in Chicago schools. The collection was moving and interesting and was playful, and serious, and intent. I loved it.
January 29, 2025
A poem about poverty and hardship and it's cycle.
June 13, 2017
What a spectacular tribute to the incomparable Gwendolyn Brooks! These poems captured vibrant emotions on an array of varied topics. Her legacy undeniably lives on with this.
December 19, 2016
An exceptional collection of poems by poets honoring the legacy of Gwendolyn Brooks.
good luck
**ARC/publisher/NetGalley
good luck
**ARC/publisher/NetGalley
April 12, 2017
This anthology is both a moving tribute to Gwendolyn Brooks and a useful introduction to a new form by Terrance Hayes. Clever and energetic, these poems will have you seeking out more Brooks poetry and writing your own golden shovels. A wonderful teaching resource, as well.
Postcard review: http://ow.ly/VRpT30aOz9H
Postcard review: http://ow.ly/VRpT30aOz9H
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews