Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance - by Nikki Grimes

About the Book

"From Children's Literature Legacy Award-winning author Nikki Grimes comes a feminist-forward new collection of poetry celebrating the little-known women poets of the Harlem Renaissance--paired with full-color, original art from today's most talented female African-American illustrators."

Book Synopsis

From Children's Literature Legacy Award-winning author Nikki Grimes comes a feminist-forward new collection of poetry celebrating the little-known women poets of the Harlem Renaissance--paired with full-color, original art from today's most talented female African-American illustrators.

For centuries, accomplished women--of all races--have fallen out of the historical records. The same is true for gifted, prolific, women poets of the Harlem Renaissance who are little known, especially as compared to their male counterparts.

In this poetry collection, bestselling author Nikki Grimes uses "The Golden Shovel" poetic method to create wholly original poems based on the works of these groundbreaking women-and to introduce readers to their work.

Each poem is paired with one-of-a-kind art from today's most exciting female African-American illustrators: Vanessa Brantley-Newton, Cozbi A. Cabrera, Nina Crews, Pat Cummings, Laura Freeman, Jan Spivey Gilchrist, Ebony Glenn, April Harrison, Vashti Harrison, Ekua Holmes, Cathy Ann Johnson, Keisha Morris, Daria Peoples-Riley, Andrea Pippins, Erin Robinson, Shadra Strickland, Nicole Tadgell, and Elizabeth Zunon.

Legacy also includes a foreword, an introduction to the history of the Harlem Renaissance, author's note, and poet biographies, which make this a wonderful resource and a book to cherish.

Acclaim for One Last Word
A Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor winner
A New York Public Library Best Kids Book of the Year
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year, Middle Grade
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, Nonfiction

Review Quotes

"This book is exquisitely rendered. . . . a timely, healing mirror to a new generation of readers. . . . Black girls everywhere, this collection is salve and sanctuary." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"An abundantly layered landscape of Black female experiences." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

"A compelling reflection on gender, race, politics, and everyday life. . . . A striking collection of voices, who examine and celebrate the experience of Black women from the past and present. An excellent introduction to Black women writers who were ignored by history." --School Library Journal, starred review

"A compelling dialogue with the past." --BCCB, starred review

"[A] tour de force of a poetry collection . . . Grimes lays claim to an amazing artistic legacy on every page, her poetic rejoinders building a stirring call and response." --BookPage, starred review

"Remarkable. . . The art here is unified in its emphasis on portraying the beauty and uniqueness of Black girls and women. . . . This unique title is sure to spark thought and touch hearts." --Booklist

"The eloquent and stirring voices of Grimes and her counterparts of the past resonate with passion, purpose, and resilience." --The Horn Book Magazine

"Radiant mixed-media art bolsters Grimes's themes, full-page, full-bleed illustrations showcasing images of beautiful Black women, young and old, of all shapes, sizes and shades living their lives and being unapologetically themselves. The beautifully written Legacy will make anyone, regardless of age, sex or race, feel a sense of pride in being a citizen of the world." --Shelf Awareness

"One Last Word is the work of a master poet." --Kwame Alexander, Newbery Medal-winning author of THE CROSSOVER, on ONE LAST WORD

"Gorgeous." --The New York Times Book Review on ONE LAST WORD

"Timely and thought-provoking." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review, on ONE LAST WORD

"Grimes powerfully transposes the original poems' themes of racial bias, hidden inner selves, beauty, and pride into the here and now." --Publishers Weekly, starred review, on ONE LAST WORD

"Innovative and powerful . . . a beautiful new homage to the Harlem Renaissance but also a moving reflection on the African American experience and the resilience of the human spirit." --School Library Journal, starred review, on ONE LAST WORD

"Between the covers of this compact volume lies artistic, literary, sociocultural, and curricular gold . . . Mothers and elders exhort and reflect while young boys and girls plead and dream, reimagining the sorrows and dreams of the legendary wordsmiths into scenarios involving superheroes, bullies, peer pressure, poverty, and prom dates that young readers will relate to. This is simply essential for both personal and classroom collections." --BCCB, starred review, on ONE LAST WORD

"The vibrancy of the Harlem Renaissance is illuminated in Grimes's provocative poetry collection . . . This enterprising and unusual volume not only introduces the Harlem Renaissance to young readers but also presents the challenge of a new way to write and enjoy poetry." --The Horn Book Magazine on ONE LAST WORD

About the Author

Nikki Grimes is a New York Times bestselling author and the recipient of the Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award, the ALAN Award, the Children's Literature Legacy Award, the Virginia Hamilton Literary Award, and the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Her distinguished works include Southwest Sunrise, illustrated by Wendell Minor; the Printz Honor and Sibert Honor book Ordinary Hazards; NAACP Image Award nominee Planet Middle School; Coretta Scott King Award winner Bronx Masquerade; Coretta Scott King Author Honor books Jazmin's Notebook, Talkin' About Bessie, Dark Sons, The Road to Paris, and Words with Wings, which was also named an ALA Notable Book; and What Is Goodbye?, an ALA Notable Book. She lives in Corona, California.
www.nikkigrimes.com