Poets & Poetry

April is National Poetry Month. View our Poets & Poetry Collection and our Poets Laureate Collection.

View our Poets & Poetry Collection and our Poets Laureate Collection. 

Title:
Nikky Finney
Nikky Finney

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6

Nikky Finney, daughter of the late SC Supreme Court Chief Justice Ernest A. Finney, Jr., recites her poem, " He Never Had It Made" on the occasion of his installation to the S.C. Supreme Court. Just...
SCETV Simile Slam at League Academy
SCETV Simile Slam at League Academy

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Higher Education

League Academy in Greenville, SC was selected as the SCETV Simile Slam site. In the episode, students perform their own poetry featuring similes inspired by the life of Muhammad Ali. 0:00 Introduction...
David Drake | SC African American History Calendar (2019) 2
David Drake | SC African American History Calendar (2019)
Episode 2

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Higher Education

David Drake, also known as “Dave the Potter” and “Dave the Slave,” (c.1801-c.1870) was an American potter who lived in Edgefield, S.C. Dave produced alkaline-glazed stoneware jugs between the 1820s...
Hyer, Helen von Kolonitz | South Carolina Public Radio
Hyer, Helen von Kolonitz | South Carolina Public Radio

Audio

Grades: 6 7 8

"H" is for Hyer, Helen von Kolonitz (1896-1983). Poet, writer. While still in her teens, Hyer published her first poems. She joined the Poetry Society in 1920. Her first poetry collection, Santee...
Dinah Johnson | National Book Month
Dinah Johnson | National Book Month
Episode 9

Photo

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Dinah Johnson is a children's book author and a professor of English who specializes in African-American children's literature. In Dinah Johnson's book, All Around Town, we experience the lives of...
William Crafts, Jr | History of SC Slide Collection
William Crafts, Jr | History of SC Slide Collection
Episode 46

Photo

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

A poet, politician and reformer born in Charleston, William Crafts, Jr. (1787-1826), was educated by tutors and later entered Harvard, graduating in 1805. He returned to Charleston and studied law...
Tommy Scott Young | Conversations with SC Writers
Tommy Scott Young | Conversations with SC Writers

Video

Grades: PreK Kindergarten 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Students speak with poet, storyteller and writer Tommy Scott Young. Mr. Young starts with The Gingerbread Man. One of his secrets is to read outloud. The characters do not come fully alive without...
Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886) | Periscope
Emily Dickinson (1830 - 1886) | Periscope
Episode 4

Photo

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Despite the fact that Emily Dickinson had little of her poetry published during her lifetime, her work is considered a major influence on modern poetry. Emily's family allowed her limited access to...
Marjory Wentworth | A Literary Tour of South Carolina
Marjory Wentworth | A Literary Tour of South Carolina

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

This program features Marjory Wentworth. Her poems have appeared in numerous books, magazines and anthologies. She is the author of a collection of poems entitled Noticing Eden. Her most recent book...
Kwame Dawes | A Literary Tour of South Carolina
Kwame Dawes | A Literary Tour of South Carolina

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Born in Ghana in 1962, Kwame Dawes grew up and spent his early adult life in Jamaica. Dawes is a Distinguished Poet-In-Residence, Louis Frye Scudder Professor of Liberal Arts, and Founder/Executive...
August Wilson | Artopia
August Wilson | Artopia

Photo

Grades: 6 7 8

Illustration by Maria Manhattan August Wilson was born on April 27, 1945 and grew up in the Hill district of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His childhood experiences in this particular community and the...
Garcia Lorca | Artopia
Garcia Lorca | Artopia

Photo

Grades: 6 7 8

Illustration by Maria Manhattan García Lorca was born Federico García Lorca on June 5, 1898, in Fuente Vaqueros in the Spanish province of Granada. As a child, he expressed his creativity and vivid...