You Work Tomorrow: An Anthology of American Labor Poetry, 1929-41

by John Marsh

You Work Tomorrow provides a glimpse into a relatively unknown aspect of American literary and labor history---the remarkable but largely forgotten poems published in union newspapers during the turbulent 1930s. Members of all unions---including autoworkers, musicians, teachers, tenant farmers, garment workers, artists, and electricians---wrote thousands of poems during this period that described their working, living, and political conditions. From this wealth of material, John Marsh has chosen poetry that is both aesthetically appealing and historically relevant, dispelling the myth that labor poetry consisted solely of amateurish and predictable sloganeering. A foreword by contemporary poet Jim Daniels is followed by John Marsh's substantive introduction, detailing the cultural and political significance of union poetry.
 
John Marsh is Assistant Professor of English at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Coordinator of The Odyssey Project, a year-long, college-accredited course in the humanities offered at no cost to adults living below or slightly above the federal poverty level.
 
A volume in the series Class : Culture

Genres: Poetry

248 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

John Marsh is assistant professor of English at Penn State University. In addition to many articles and reviews, he is the author of You Work Tomorrow: An Anthology of American Labor Poetry, 1929-1941, which won the Tillie Olsen Award for Creative Writing.

Reviews

[Gringoire · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent read for both students and laborers who love poetry. Marsh compiles a great selection of poems from those in the labor struggles of the thirties. In addition his intro and preface and footnotes are enlightening to a wonderful degree. You'll be happy that you picked it up and read it. I was!!!