National Women’s History Museum
National Women's History Museum: Phillis Wheatley
Despite spending much of her life enslaved, Phillis Wheatley was the first African American woman to publish a book of poems.
Yale University
Yale New Haven Teachers Institute: How to Blues
This site has ten lessons to teach about the blues in which students learn the geography, historical events and performers associated with the blues. The unit has been recognized by the American Music Education Initiative as one of the...
CommonLit
Common Lit: "Fastest Woman in the World" by Pat Parker
A learning module that begins with the poem "Fastest Woman in the World" by Pat Parker, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through...
Library of Congress
Loc: America's Story: Langston Hughes
A concise window into the world of Langston Hughes. He used his own life experiences to write poetry. Photographs help to engage the reader.
Library of Congress
Loc: America's Story: Langston Hughes
A concise window into the world of Langston Hughes. He used his own life experiences to write poetry. Photographs help to engage the reader.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: A Harlem Renaissance Retrospective
In this lesson, students work in collaborative groups to conduct Internet research and create a museum exhibit that highlights the work of selected artists, musicians, and poets of the Harlem Renaissance.
Other
Lesson Plan: Writing a Haiku
Check out this lesson plan on haiku that includes samples by Richard Wright. Students and teachers will benefit from this educational tool.
Schools of California Online Resources for Education
Literature Unit: The House of Dies Drear
"The House of Dies Drear," is a powerful novel by Virginia Hamilton.
Other
Database of Award Winning Children's Literature
This is a phenomenal resource. It allows the user to create a reading list of quality children's literature based of choices such as reading level, type of book, genre, ethnicity, gender, etc. In addition, one can determine if a book won...
University at Buffalo
University at Buffalo: Jean Toomer Unpublished Works
You can see the texts of unpublished works at this site.
Library of Congress
Loc: A Voice of Her Own: Phillis Wheatley
The Library of Congress series biography of Phillis Wheatley also includes links to her selected writings.
University of Virginia
University of Virginia: Electronic Text Center: The Modern English Collection
This collection contains fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, letters, newspapers, manuscripts, and illustrations from 1500 to the present, arranged for browsing by author's last name or by category of interest. It contains classics such...
University at Buffalo
University at Buffalo: Derek Walcott
This site, created by a University of Buffalo math professor with a deep interest in African American and Caribbean writing, gives four poems by Walcott an audio of him speaking, and a biography and bibliography.
Curated OER
Phillis Wheatley: Life and Poems
Biographical note about the 18th century African American poet Phillis Wheatley.
Yale University
Yale New Haven Teachers Institute: Influence of Folk
This site, which explores the influence of musical folk traditions in the poetry of Langston Hughes and Nicolas Guillen, provides lesson plans, a biography, examples of Hughes' poetry, and details about his meeting with Nicolas Guillen.
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College: Hood Museum of Art
Designed by architect Charles Moore, the Hood Museum of Art has a permanent collection ranging from Ancient and Asian to Modern and Contemporary Art. Of special note are American portrait paintings of the 18th and 19th centuries,...
University of Virginia Library
Prism: "Kentucke" Visualization
[Free Registration/Login Required] Read Frank X. Walker's "Kentucke" and highlight details that are neutral in blue, African-American in red, and Appalachian in green. When finished, click save to see how others marked the text as well.
Other
Scholastic News: Week of 5 26 14: Maya Angelou: Remembering a Life of Brilliance
Poet Maya Angelou, who passed away this week, was also a civil rights activist. Learn about the work she did, and why it was so important to her and many others.
Library of Congress
Loc: Web Guides: Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith: Online Resources
A collection of online resources compiled by the Library of Congress for information on Tracy K. Smith, the U.S. Poet Laureate for 2017. Includes links to biographical information, audio recordings, videos, articles, essays, and book...
Other
Harvard Magazine: A Conversation With Tracy K. Smith '94
An interview with Tracy K. Smith, the 2017 U.S. Poet Laureate, where she talks about her memoir, Ordinary Light. (Published April 9, 2015)
Other
Phillis Wheatley: Life and Poems
Biographical note about the 18th century African American poet Phillis Wheatley.
Curated OER
Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral
The Library of Congress series biography of Phillis Wheatley also includes links to her selected writings.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Sapphire
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Sapphire, an American author of fiction and poetry that features unsparing though often empowering depictions of the vicissitudes of African American and bisexual life.
Scholastic
Scholastic: Eloise Greenfield Biography
Discover how Eloise Greenfield became an author when you explore this biography of her. This site also features a booklist for this award winning author.
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