New Content for Juneteenth, Poems for Father's Day, and more

James Weldon Johnson was born on June 17, 1871, in Jacksonville, Florida. The author of several books of prose and poetry, he became the national organizer for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1920. Johnson died on June 26, 1938. Celebrate Johnson by reading his poems, including “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
 

It has this private, non-performative element that I can give myself permission to be so much more associational. And I don’t know. I remember more. Yeah, that’s been the curious thing. I’m remembering much more, maybe too much. It’s a little bit of the open the flood gates and, oh, no. Remembering what it’s like to be a child again, the poor thing… But it’s… Yeah, no, it’s been good. I recommend it. If you haven’t journaled, I recommend it.

Jos Charles is the author of feeld (Milkweed Editions, 2018), a winner of the National Poetry Series and long-listed for the 2018 National Book Award. Read and listen to Charles discuss her curatorial approach and more on Poets.org.