Teen Voices Interview with Poet Elizabeth Alexander
If you watched yesterday’s historic presidential inauguration, then you must have heard poet Elizabeth Alexander deliver her powerful poem Praise Song for the Day. My favorite phrase: In today’s sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun.
While I’m not a poet, as a writer I was struck by the fact that millions of people around the world were listening to her perspective, her choice of words, her unique voice. So I was thrilled to receive in my inbox this morning a note from Teen Voices saying 18-year-old Feature Editor Wilza Merzeus had interviewed Ms. Alexander last spring. Here’s the start of the interview:
I sat down with the nationally-renowned African American poet, essayist, playwright, and teacher Elizabeth Alexander. Ms. Alexander was born and raised in Washington, D.C. She is the author of four books of poetry, a book of essays, and a play. She is a professor of African American Studies at Yale University. Lucky for me, she was a fellow at The Radcliffe Institute in Harvard Square in the spring of 2008, so I had a chance to sit down and speak with her one-on-one about her life, her poetry, and her views on feminism.
Loading...
