Tag: family-history

Posted on in Appearances, books, Newsletter, Uncategorized, Visits

The Power of One: One School, One Book, One Author, One Poem

Last year, our verse novel and family history, KIN: ROOTED IN HOPE was chosen as the One Maryland One Book. In communities across the state, reading groups gathered around the theme, “What We Collect, What We Tell,” to discuss KIN. On tour, we were heartened by readers’ questions and conversations.

While KIN was the first poetry book chosen as the One Maryland One Book, it was not the first time that one of our books was selected for a common read. Here are some titles that schools and communities have read together and some that we think would make great picks:

A variation on One School, One Book is a One Author (author study) program. Nashville Public Schools took it a step further, starting with a professional development on integrating my books into music classrooms and culminating with a district-wide recital. Talk about ambitious! Learn more in this video.

Common reads foster community, connection, learning and growth. If you’d like to organize a common read but want to keep things simple, try a One Poem program. Here are some poems that will get your scholars reading and talking.

MARTIN”S LETTER

Though sermons rolled off his tongue,

Martin could not find words

to tell his little brown girl

why Funtown’s gates were closed to her

or that the “Colored Only” sign

on the drinking fountain didn’t mean

the water was a different hue.

But in a jail cell in Birmingham,

he found the words to tell the holy men

why we would not halt the marches.

He would rather fight off

police dogs and face fire hoses

than wipe his daughter’s tears.

Have you used my books or poems for a common read or conducted an author study? If so, how did it go? Reply in the comments section below.

Posted on in Uncategorized

Family Feast, on the Road with Kin

We’ve got a few more appearances before the holiday season: Arlington, Virginia; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Washington, DC for the African American Civil War Museum Descendants Conference; and Denver, Colorado for National Council of Teachers of English conference. NCTE meets the week before Thanksgiving, so I’m planning ahead for my family feast. I’m prepping not only for the big meal but also to keep bellies full all weekend. These recipes are among my faves. What’s cooking at your house? Share in the comments section below.

How fitting that our One Maryland One Book (OMOB) tour for Kin: Rooted in Hope coincided with Family History Month and Banned Books Week. Kin traces our family’s lineage to 1770 on the largest enslavement plantation in Maryland and to two all-Black Reconstruction era villages that they co-founded. Jeffery and I collaborated on the book in a quest that culminated with this epiphany.

Knowing your history is generational wealth.

The OMOB tour began at Riversdale House Museum in Riversdale, Maryland with a pop-up exhibition of Jeffery’s art from the book juxtaposed with furniture and artifacts throughout the one-time plantation. Together, we discussed the book and shared favorite poems.

The next stop was Chesapeake College in Wye Mills, Maryland on the Eastern Shore where the book is set. My dear friend, Harriette Lowery, a co-founder of the Frederick Douglass Honor Society, moderated the discussion which was livestreamed. A record crowd greeted us. We appreciate all the love.

Our busiest day–on Maryland’s Western Shore–included stops at the College of Southern Maryland in La Plata and St. Mary’s College of Maryland in St. Mary’s City. The reception at the College of Southern Maryland featured such local delicacies as quick-pickled watermelon rind. Delish! Here’s a recipe.

We ended the week at Morgan State University in my hometown–Baltimore. Thanks to the Department of English and Foreign Languages and new chair Dr. DeMaris Hill for hosting our appearance.

Although our official tour wrapped up, discussions of Kin continue across the state. Jeffery and I attended the Berlin Book Festival (Maryland, not Germany!). Berlin was the birthplace of the subject of By and By: Charles Albert Tindley, the Father of Gospel Music, my first collaboration with Bryan Collier. I dropped in on a book club meeting at Edenwald senior living community in Towson, and we both spoke at the Maryland Lynching Memorial Conference at the Reginald F. Lewis Maryland Museum of African American History and Culture.

We’re eager to discuss Kin in secondary schools and with book clubs. Download the Kin reading guide here.