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Featured Poet
Featured Illinois Poet
Although this website's objective is simply to promote the art of poetry, its special focus is the rich bounty of work created by our state's poets past and present. Through features on the work of Illinois poets, the site will highlight the poetic legacy of Illinois and showcase the bevy of fine poets currently writing within the state.
Biographical Note
Haki R. Madhubuti
Reading Haki R. Madhubuti's work, one comes face to face with a citizen of the world. Thematically, his work embraces issues of race and class and does so without regard to whose toes might be stepped on in the process. His poems take on politicians and multi-national corporations with equal verve. The poetry is syncopated and agitated, spoken and read and chanted in equal measures. In addition, to enjoying text and audio selections of Mr. Madhubuti's poetry, be sure to click on Illinois Poet's Forum to access his commentary on poetry and the poetic life
Haki R. Madhubuti, is an award-winning poet, publisher, editor and educator. His poetry and essays have been published in over forty anthologies during the years 1997-2004. His most recent publications include Run Toward Fear (poetry), Yellow Black (memoir) and Freedom to Self-Destruct (essays). Professor Madhubuti is the Distinguished University Professor and professor of English, founder and director-emeritus of the Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing, and director of the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program at Chicago State University.
Over the years, he has published 25 books (some under his former name, Don L. Lee). His Black Men: Obsolete, Single, Dangerous?: The African American Family in Transition (1990) has sold over 1,000,000 copies. Selected titles include Claiming Earth: Race, Rage, Rape, Redemption (1994), Groundwork: New and Selected Poems 1966-1996 (1996), HeartLove: Wedding and Love Poems (1998) and Tough Notes: A Healing Call For Creating Exceptional Black Men (2002).
Haki R. Madhubuti's Poems
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