In the history of African American poetry, famous debates have emerged about the priorities of Black poets. One recurring question some have considered is: "Are you Black or a poet first?"
Laura Vrana’s book, Pitfalls of Prestige: Black Women and Literary Recognition, highlights a different, ongoing question about the identities of Black poets—particularly African American women poets: "Are you a professor or a poet first?"
"African American women," writes Vrana, "are no exception to the rule that virtually every at-all successful contemporary American poet is inextricably affiliated with universities professionally" (62). It's difficult to identify contemporary well-established poets who do not work as professors. However, as Vrana notes, some poets, like Rita Dove, Natasha Trethewey, and Tracy K. Smith "tend (tellingly) to demur on opening addressing this facet of their day-to-day labors," that is, their identities as university professors (62).
Vrana mentions a 2010 book, Poets on Teaching, which includes contributions from various poets, including two Black women: Tracy K. Smith and Evie Shockley. Vrana points out that Shockley "self-presents as a university-associated poet-professor, while Smith minimizes her positioning in academia" (63).
Vrana highlights the careers of Shockley, Harryette Mullen, and Elizabeth Alexander. All three poets hold PhDs, which could explain some reasons why and how they self-present in ways different than some of their peers who hold only MFA degrees. For years, Alexander taught poetry and chaired African American Studies at Yale, showing the intersection of academia and literary careers.
More broadly, I've thought about the centrality of universities for supporting the careers of African American poets. My students generally enjoy works by spoken word artists more than poems by so-called print-based or academic, award-winning poets. However, spoken word rarely sustains individual poets over the course of decades. The University of Virginia and Princeton University have employed Dove and Smith, respectively, many years, for instance. Powerful institutions don't really support spoken word artists for extended periods of time like that.
Beyond providing cash prizes and news coverage, prestigious poetry awards play important roles in helping poets secure employment or promotions at elite universities. In many cases, the likelihood that a poet will have a long, fulfilling career depends on her ability to secure a stable position at a well-resourced university.
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