American Political Poetry Into The 21st Century (american Literature Readings In The Twenty-first Century)

American Political Poetry in the 21st Century American Literature Readings in the 21st Century Series Editor: Linda Wagner-Martin American Literature Readings in the 21st Century publishes works by contemporary critics that help shape critical opinion regarding literature of the nineteenth and twentieth century in the United States. Published by Palgrave Macmillan: Freak Shows in Modern American Imagination: Constructing the Damaged Body from Willa Cather to Truman Capote By Thomas Fahy Arab American Literary Fictions, Cultures, and Politics By Steven Salaita Women & Race in Contemporary U.S. Writing: From Faulkner to Morrison By Kelly Lynch Reames American Political Poetry in the 21st Century By Michael Dowdy American Political Poetry in the 21st Century Michael Dowdy AMERICAN POLITICAL POETRY IN THE 21ST CENTURY © Michael Dowdy, 2007. “Mariano Explains Yanqui Colonialism to Judge Collings” by Martín Espada, from Trumpets from the Islands of Their Eviction (1987) reprinted by permission of the Bilingual Press/Editorial Bilingüe, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ. Parts of this book have appeared in different form in the following publications: Callaloo: A Journal of African Diaspora Arts and Letters Popular Music and Society Also by the author: The Coriolis Effect: Poems (Chapbook), Bright Hill Press (forthcoming 2007) All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. First published in 2007 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN™ 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 and Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England RG21 6XS Companies and representatives throughout the world. PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave Macmillan division of St. Martin’s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan® is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries. ISBN-13: 978–1–4039–7644–4 ISBN-10: 1–4039–7644–9 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Dowdy, Michael. American political poetry in the 21st Century / by Michael Dowdy. p. cm.—(American literature readings in the 21st century) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 1–4039–7644–9 (alk. paper) 1. Political poetry, American—History and criticism. 2. Hip-hop— Influence. 3. American poetry—21st century—History and criticism. 4. American poetry—20th century—History and criticism. 5. Politics and literature—United States—History—21st century. 6. Politics and literature—United States—History—20th century. I. Title. PS310.P6D69 2007 811⬘.609358—dc22 2006050995 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Design by Newgen Imaging Systems (P) Ltd., Chennai, India. First edition: March 2007 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America. To the poets of the fields, villages, mountains, city streets, stadiums, bars, clubs, prisons, rallies, and marches This page intentionally left blank Content s Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: Political Poetry in the United States ix xiii 1 1 Embodied Agency 35 2 Equivocal Agency 77 3 Migratory Agency 117 4 Contestatory Urban Agency 153 Conclusion 189 Notes 201 References 213 Index 227 This page intentionally left blank Preface When I began reading, writing, and studying American p