African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle and Song Edited essays Opal is a fiercely independent

Opal is a fiercely independent young woman pushing against the grain in her style and attitude

Bearing the names of two formidable Black Americans—the revered choreographer Alvin Ailey and her great grandmother

Edwidge Danticat

She challenges us to reckon with our commitment to all the nation’s inhabitants and our responsibilities to all humanity

Beginning in his own hometown of New Orleans

African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle and Song Edited essays Opal is a fiercely independentA literary landmark: the biggest, most ambitious anthology of black poetry ever published, gathering 250 poets from the colonial period to the present. Only now, in the 21st century, can we fully grasp the breadth and range of African American poetry: a magnificent chorus of voices, some familiar, others recently rescued from neglect. Here, in this unprecedented anthology expertly selected by poet and scholar Kevin Young, this precious living heritage