Welcome to Lightbox Poetry

Now that school is back underway, it’s time for another issue of Lightbox Poetry! This time, we feature the work of two poet-documentarians: Solmaz Sharif and Tyehimba Jess. These poets, fresh from the publications of their respective triumphs, Look and Olio, discuss their creative processes, formal innovations, and their theories and practices of using historical and contemporary sources to create transformative new poetry.

In each of our features, we provide a full range of classroom materials in a portfolio beneath the interview:

  • Links to poems
  • Discussion questions
  • In-class activities
  • Writing prompts
  • Relevant links about our featured poets

We hope you will find these materials useful as you plan your classes or delve into your own poetic interests.

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Thanks, and happy reading!