Presenter(s): Lorelei Kelsey—English, Creative Writing
Session 4: Cultural Considerations—The Other
During my Spring term in 2019 at the University of Oregon I was assigned an archival assignment, I was to uncover a little known author of color . I elected to find a copy of a collection of poetry edited by June Jordan and Terri Bush, The Voice of the Children (1972) . I had heard that the kids who were included in the collection were from the intercity in Brooklyn, and that they were a part of a poetry workshop led by Jordan and Bush . I wasn’t aware how moving the work would end up being . After receiving the book I decided to highlight one of the students, Vanessa Howard . In this presentation I will be highlighting my journey through researching this book and reading some poetry . In doing so I hope to highlight the importance of poetry and freedom of expression .