1) Define poetry in ONE sentence

* Poetry is way to express your feelings in a certain way of writing like in a type of certain rhythm.



2) What do you believe determines what is a poem & what is not a poem?

* My opinion on what determines a poem and what does not determines a poem is that the way of writing a poem is in a type og rhythm, and usually a poem does not tell you straight forward about what it is about or what the writer is trying to say, usually a poem has to be read a few times to really understand what the poem means and what the writer is saying. what is not a poem is when it has not type of rhythm to the writing and it tells you exactly what is going on, because my opinion is that a poem is not like an essay. an essay you may read or a story you may read and it tells you directly what the story or essay is about but a poem does not do that.



3) Visit http://www.poets.org/

Summarize 2 poets biographies (one paragraph for each)

Select one poem for each poet to share with the class.

How are these poems an example of what poetry is to you? Explain

*Maya Angelou, she was born on April 4,1928 in St. Louis, Missouri, her birth name was Marguerite Johnson. She grew up in St. Louis and Stamps, Arkansas. She is best known for her autobiographical books. Maya Angelou is an author, poet, historian, songwriter, director, and civil rights activist. She has been nominated for the National Book Award. Maya Angelou is the first black women director in Hollywood. In 1959, she became the northern coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Maya Angelou wrote and delivered "On The Pulse of the Morning" poem at Bill Clinton's inauguration.

Still I rise poem by Maya Angelou
http://poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15623

This poem is an example of what poetry means to me because in her poem she speaks about no matter how you try to bring her down she will still rise. and she did not say it styaright forward she used saying and other meanings to express what she was trying to say and how she felt.

*Nikki Giovanni's real name is Yolando Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni. She was born in Knoxville, Tennessee on June 7, 1943 and was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. She attended Fisk Univeristy in Nashville, Tennessee, and attended the Univeristy of Pennsylvania and Columbia Univeristy for graduate school. After receving her Bachelors degree, she organized the Black arts Festival in Cincinnati. She is an English professor at Virginia Tech since 1987. She has been named the womne of the year in the Essence, Ebony, and Ladies Home Journal Magazines. she is a lung cancer survivor. She also was a poetry judge for the National Book awards and was the first recipient of the Rosa Parks Woman of Courage Awards.

Possom Crossing by Nikki Giovanni
http://poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/16548

This poem is an example of what poetry means to me because in this poem she tells about the animals and how a mother to be possom was in the middle of the road and drivers should realize that they are not the only ones on the street and that animals and creatures are too. The few poems i read i noticed her title is what the poem will be. For instance Possom Crossing is about a mother to be possom crossing the orad and how the writer is he driver and what happens when you see animals and have to slam on brakes, and her other poems also are the same way. the titile is what the poem is about. But in her poems she has a way of telling her story but in a way where it does not tell you to the point.