Words with Wings: A Treasury of African-American Poetry and Art

These are just some of the works of art you will find in this stunning collection that pairs twenty poems by distinglushed African-American poets with twenty works of art by acclaimed African-American artists.

Alice Walker's poem "Women" -- about women who "battered down/Doors/And ironed/Starched white/Shirts" so their children would get a good education -- is paired with the breathtaking portrait Harriet Tubman, by William H. Johnson. The tender "Little Brown Baby" by poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, and artist Romare Bearden's Family reflect the deep love parents feel for their children.

African-American identity and history are powerfully evoked in art and poetry about slavery, racism, and black pride. But African-American poetry and art have no boundaries, and these poets and artists explore many other themes as well, that will touch your heart, and dazzle your eyes.

This important collection inspires imagination as it pairs splendid poets and artists in a way that has never been done before.

Editor Belinda Rochelle imaginatively pairs 20 poems by African American poets with 20 works of art by African American artists. Each poem and piece of art evokes the history, identity, and pride of African American people, whether it addresses slavery, family, childhood joy and woes, or racism. In Alice Walker's poem "How Poems Are Made: A Discredited View," she writes: "I know how poems are made. / There is a place the loss must go / There is a place the gain must go. / The leftover love." Readers will pore over this extraordinary compilation for hours, weeks, and years, as it becomes a permanent treasure in their collections. Artists and poets also include William H. Johnson, Gwendolyn Brooks, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and Nikki Giovanni. --Emilie Coulter