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University of Iowa Press, 2001
ISBN: 0-87745-747-6
Diaspora constitutes a powerful descriptor for the modern condition of the
contemporary poet, the spokesperson for the psyche of America. The poems in
American Diaspora: Poetry of Displacement focus on the struggles and pleasures
of creating a home-physical and mental-out of displacement, exile, migration,
and alienation. To fully explore the concept of diaspora, the editors have
broadened the scope of their definition to include not only the physical act of
moving and immigration but also the spiritual and emotional dislocations that
can occur-as for Emily Dickinson and other poets-even in a life spent entirely
in one location. More than one hundred and thirty contemporary poets reflect and
meditate, rage and bless, as they tell their own stories. In short, this is an
anthology of American poetry that draws upon the sensitivity, tenderness,
rebelliousness, patience, and spirituality that point to the future of our
nation.
Contributors Include: Sherman Alexie, Agha Shahid Ali, Jim Barnes,
Richard Blanco, J. J. Blickstein, Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Nick Carbo, Sandra
Castillo, G. S. Sharat Chandra, Victor Hernandez Cruz, Toi Derricotte, Ana
Doina, Sean Thomas Dougherty, Martín Espada, Brenda Hillman, Allison Joseph,
Timothy Liu, Orlando Ricardo Menes, Stanley Plumly, Marianne Poloskey, Leroy V.
Quintana, Luis J. Rodriguez, Vijay Seshadri, and C. Dale Young.