The Harper Anthology Of Poetry

A collection of poems ranging from before 1400 to the present.

The central metaphor of the collection The Octopus and Other Poems is the search for new life in the universe -- to find something beyond ourselves, and simultaneously to be "found." The tension between wanting to understand, and giving in to the mysteries of the universe, culminates in the long poem "The Octopus," in which former lovers debate the merits of searching for extraterrestrial life. He considers it a futile and wasteful endeavour, particularly since there are "alien" life forms we don't understand right here on earth, like the octopus. She, on the other hand, comes to realize her enjoyment of the search isn't about aliens at all, but about the pleasure of simply hoping for something new, something spectacular. In the end, she believes that it's the hope of the search that matters, not finding or being found, but looking.

Representing the work of thirty-one poets since the turn of the century, this is the definitive anthology of Native American poetry.

Gathers poems by thirty-six writers from thirty tribes of American Indians, from Blackfeet to Tlingit

In The Vintage Book of African American Poetry, editors Michael S. Harper and Anthony Walton present the definitive collection of black verse in the United States--200 years of vision, struggle, power, beauty, and triumph from 52 outstanding poets. From the neoclassical stylings of slave-born Phillis Wheatley to the wistful lyricism of Paul Lawrence Dunbar . . . the rigorous wisdom of Gwendolyn Brooks...the chiseled modernism of Robert Hayden...the extraordinary prosody of Sterling A. Brown...the breathtaking, expansive narratives of Rita Dove...the plaintive rhapsodies of an imprisoned Elderidge Knight . . . The postmodern artistry of Yusef Komunyaka. Here, too, is a landmark exploration of lesser-known artists whose efforts birthed the Harlem Renaissance and the Black Arts movements--and changed forever our national literature and the course of America itself. Meticulously researched, thoughtfully structured, The Vintage Book of African-American Poetry is a collection of inestimable value to students, educators, and all those interested in the ever-evolving tradition that is American poetry.