The Garden Thrives

"The Garden Thrives: 20th Century African-American Poetry," edited by Clarence Major, collects the best of what African-American poets have to offer. Featuring works that span from the turn of the century through the Harlem Renaissance and the profoundly political 1960s and '70s to the diversity of contemporary society, "The Garden Thrives" is the first truly comprehensive anthology of 20th-century African-American poetry.

"The Garden Thrives" showcases luminaries and heretofore lesser-knowns, with pieces by well-known contemporary poets, standouts from the Harlem Renaissance and works from the turn of the century, when many black American poets published to a solely black audience. "The Garden Thrives" contains the work of nearly 100 poets, including Nobelist Derek Walcott; Pulitzer-winners Rita Dove, Yusef Komunyakaa and Gwendolyn Brooks; Paul Laurence Dunbar; Jean Toomer; Langston Hughes; Arna Bontemps; Countee Cullen; Audre Lorde; Alice Walker; Robert Hayden; Esses Hemphill; Ntozake Shange and Nikki Giovanni.

As the end of the century approaches, "The Garden Thrives" eloquently demonstrates that African-American poets have been instrumental in defining and advancing the aesthetic of poetry in this country.