This course will examine the poetry of Langston Hughes (1902 – 1967), an important American writer who chronicled the lives of African Americans in poetry, prose, and plays and was a strong voice against racism; Pablo Neruda (1904 -1973), the internationally beloved Chilean poet and political activist; and Adrienne Rich (1929 – 2012), a much awarded feminist, activist, queer poet who refused the National Medal of Arts for political reasons. All three wrote in a variety of styles and forms on a variety of topics, and we will read two books by each: one early and one later. As well as looking closely at individual poems, we will consider the structures of the books as wholes and the poets’ themes, lives, and the critical responses to their work. We will read Neruda’s poetry in bilingual editions, but a knowledge of Spanish is not required.

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