Before reading this, if someone would have asked me about women poets of the Harlem Renaissance, they would have received a blank stare. Not only does this book exposed me to some of the poetry and women poets, but it exposed me to various types of poetry. As a teacher (and life-long student), I am aware of various forms of poetry, but to see a poetry that reflects me has built an additional sense of pride. I will definitely buy this book for my classroom and my personal library. I would give this book ten out of ten!

Thanks to #NetGalley for providing me with an advance eBook arc in exchange for my unbiased, honest review.

Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance uplifts the voices of lesser known Black women poets during the Harlem Renaissance. Each featured poem reads as if it were written today. Grimes presents a new way to engage with these women and their work via her interpretation (using Terrance Hayes’ Golden Shovel poetry) and the beautifully done illustrations. Grimes begins and ends the text with her original works that seem to embody what it means to be Black and a woman.  Grimes’ choice to highlight Black women poets and spotlight up and coming Black women illustrators embodies Black Girl Magic. I especially enjoyed reading the biographies of the poets at the end. Definitely a book I’d recommend adding to your library.

ABSOLUTELY STUNNING!! I am already a huge fan of Nikki Grimes after reading Ordinary Hazards, so I was thrilled to get an opportunity to read this collection. The layout, the artwork and her unique way of connecting with the original poets of the Harlem Renaissance led to an amazing collection. I cannot wait to see this in physical form.

The preface explains that the accomplishments of women have often been forgotten (or erased) from history, so readers should not be surprised if they have never heard of the writers included in this collection. There is also a brief introduction to the Harlem Renaissance for those who are not familiar with the period and its incredible artistic outflow. Grimes also explains the form she has chosen to use in her response to each poem, the Golden Shovel. I must honestly say that it seems particularly difficult, but she says she enjoys the challenge of it. That  must be true, because she does an amazing job of putting it to use.  Back matter includes biographies of all the poets and all the artists featured in the book.

Now, on to the main body of the book. The poems she has chosen from these historical writers show a range of emotions and cover various topics. They are grouped into sections of Heritage, Earth Mother, and Taking Notice. Each poem has her response using a featured line in the Golden Shovel method. And each is also accompanied by an illustration from a talented female African-American illustrator. While the poets may not be well-known, the illustrators are a who's who of children's literature.

I would have read this book just because Nikki Grimes wrote it, or just because of the illustrators included in the project, or just because I love literature from the Harlem Renaissance. Finding all three in one book is a perfect blend of celebrating the past while showing how it inspires the present, and we may hope that it will continue to do so into the future.

Highly recommended for poetry lovers, fans of the Harlem Renaissance, or teachers putting together a unit on either.

I received an electronic ARC from Bloomsbury USA Children's Books through NetGalley.
Grimes shares poetry from women poets of the Harlem Renaissance. In support of each poet, she shares her own poem in "The Golden Shovel" format using lines from each woman's poem. A look at history and a beautiful tribute to the timeless power of poetry. The emotions leap off the pages as readers see the struggles and joys in the past and present, and, sadly, how some things have not changed in the intervening years. Along with the rich writings are lovely illustrations that leap off the page with their own powerful messages. After reading the poems, Grimes provides brief biographies of each poet and artist along with sources for further research. 
This book allows readers to connect with the past and see why history matters.

As an intriguing exercise in poetry, this volume hits the mark. I can't wait to show it to the teacher in my school who teaches poetry and runs the poetry club. Nikki's use of the "Golden Shovel" technique of writing poems using words from others' poems is something that will feel very accessible to our high school students. That being said, Nikki described the Golden Shovel technique as using each word chosen from one line of another's poem as the last word in a line of original poetry; it doesn't look like Nikki followed her own definition  --  although it could be that by reading the book on a Kindle, I couldn't properly see the line breaks.

Regardless, introducing or reintroducing the poems of these women from the Harlem Renaissance is worth the publication in itself. Add Nikki's additions, and we benefit from time and perspective, culture and experience. 

My intention of providing the next part of my review in a somewhat interpretive way is not to sway your own opinions of the poetry itself, but instead to provide the way I interpreted the collection as a teaching tool as much as a book of poetry. My favorite poem was Alice Dunbar-Nelson's "I Sit and Sew." It feels very "of a time." Nikki's corresponding poem, "Room for Dreams," makes for an interesting comparison of the culture of a time. I felt the same parallel of a universal theme moving across time with Clarissa Scott Delany's "Joy" and Nikki's Leah's "Reunion."  On the other hand, I perceived the pairing of Gertrude Parthenia McBrown's "Jehovah's Gesture" as an opposite to Nikki's "Judgment." Nikki even says in the introduction that her challenge was to make sense of and not just be derivative of the original poet's words. There are a few poem pairs that are a bit too similar, but is that really a problem? A shared experience doesn't lessen the experience for any individual. Plus, it's as interesting to see the similarities of culture in spite of the passing of time as it is to experience the opposites that arise from the same words used in different ways.

One of the beautiful poems included in this collection is Effie Lee Newsome's "The Bronze Legacy (to a Brown Boy)." In this case, Nikki's corresponding poem did not augment or improve upon the original one. I felt the same about "Prelude" by Lucy Ariel Williams;  Nikki's "Slow Burn" felt too derivative. 

Given the modern push toward PC language, I found "Advice" by Gwendolyn Bennett and Nikki's "Brown Poems" to reveal the irony of either choosing pale words to write dark poems or using the brown way of saying what the pale one said. That, and the push for PC isn't so modern.

Structurally, I understand why this would first be a book of poetry and then a contextual history volume. However, for many of us, the poems out-of-context from the poet leave gaps in the ability to relate, interpret, or visualize the context of the poem. To that I'd suggest introducing each poem set with the biography of the poet rather than grouping the biographies at the end. Including the index is a real plus for making this book a useful teaching tool.

This is 4 ⭐ as a teaching tool, 3 ⭐ as a book of poetry.

What a fantastic addition of poetry and legacy of African American women to be used in the classroom. Nikki always has a way to grasp her readers, and this story did not disappoint. I could definitely see pulling these poems out for lessons in the classroom.

Beautiful art, beautiful poetry, another winner from Grimes  Readers young and old can learn about the female poets of the Harlem Renaissance.

This book is not just a beautiful collection of poetry, it contains many lessons from various aspects of life. Obviously race underpins the collection, and the history of the Harlem Renaissance is included. The author includes an explanation of the Golden Shovel and encourages readers to attempt their own. The poetry used as inspiration is well chosen and I believe would speak to the older child or teenager very clearly. Environmental issues are touched upon in the Earth section. 

Colorful and a great addition to the home or classroom.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this beautiful book! This book is an amazing introduction to female poets from the Harlem Renaissance, as well as to amazing African-American female illustrators today. I absolutely loved the way that Nikki Grimes crafted new poems based on the poems written by these amazingly talented women. Both the original poems and Grimes's poems are incredibly moving, and I am so happy I had the opportunity to be introduced to them. Many of these women I had never heard of, and I think it is extremely important for young people to be introduced to these amazing women as well. Definitely recommend!

I'm super picky about poetry; really, the only modern poet I really like is Timothy Steele, who uses formulaic verse brilliantly. Naomi Shahib Nye is another one whose work I like (Amaze Me was fantastic), and I'm going to have to add Grimes' Legacy to this list.

This is an interesting concept in poetry. Not only does Grimes collect poems from women writers who flourished during the Harlem Renaissance, she then takes the poems and writes her own in the "Golden Shovel" format created by Terrance Hayes (https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-poetry/golden-shovel-poetic-form).  Since one of my favorite older poets is Edna St. Vincent Millay, it's interesting to see work by poets such as Alice Dunbar-Nelson and Angelina Weld Grimké who would have been her contemporaries. Definitely looking forward to having this for our yearly 7th grade language arts poetry project.

This book took a different turn than I expected, I had anticipated it being entirely poetry written during the Harlem Renaissance. Instead the poetry of the author was interspersed with poetry from women during the Harlem Renaissance and when I found this rhythm I discovered that it was an excellent way to cross past and present. 

The poems feel relevant and fresh, and the way the two work together increases this feeling. Add a contextual historical essay at the beginning, and the biographical profiles at the end, and the book provides a solid picture of this poetry and the women who created them and time that it was created in. 

The art chosen illustrates the poetry well and all in all I would consider this an excellent selection for children’s or youth poetry collections.

This labor of love is phenomenal: Grimes highlights the often-sidelined female poets who made significant contributions during the Harlem Renaissance. Building on the works of these poets, she intersperses her own Golden Shovel poems, as she did in her companion volume One Last Word: Wisdom from the Harlem Renaissance. 

Grimes grounds her readers’ knowledge of the significance of these women’s contributions, opening her preface with, “For centuries, accomplished women, of all races, have fallen out of the historical records.” She includes background on the Harlem Renaissance and on the Golden Shovel poetry form before turning to the works themselves.

Contributions from nineteen contemporary female illustrators of color complement the poetry selections. Brief biographies of all of the poets and the illustrators underscore the prevailing message of claiming your power and not being defined by the expectations of others.

Thank you, Bloomsbury and NetGalley, for the advance readers copy.

The women in history are often overlooked, and this collection gives a fresh take on the poetry from Black women of the Harlem Renaissance. Their poems are beautiful reminders of the struggle and heritage. Nikki Grimes creates works in the Golden Shovel style, drawing inspiration from this Harlem Heritage. The book includes biography information about each poet and artist included, leaving teachable opportunity for students!

I believe this was listed as a children's book when I came across it, so I was very surprised to pick this up and come across poetry! I quickly decided this one for me and would enjoy much more reading it myself as opposed to the first time with my daughters. It also helped to be able to explain and have information about there questions ready prior. This is a beautiful and moving book about a time that seemed to wrapped in the beauty of creativity and the unique outlook of artist. This poetry bleeds that beauty onto this pages where I would happily read this one over and over again. It would make a perfect gift and is a must read for anyone learning about this time era.

Nikki Grimes has assembled a collection of poetic marvels and introduces a method that is newly framed for me. Grimes displays literary insight and all the gifts of a skilled poet in this collection.

Legacy is ideal for classroom use, reading at home, and school library purchasing. It’s a remarkable and beautiful text.

This beautifully illustrated children's book was a pleasure to read!  It details the history of women poets and their role during the Harlem Renaissance in New York.  This period of time is so fascinating to me as both a music and english language arts teacher of middle grade students.  I would love to own a physical copy to use during the month of April for National Poetry month as well as National Jazz Month in music class.  Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

When I read the introduction to this book, I thought there was no way it could work. The author shows a poem from an obscure female poet of the Harlem Renaissance (around the 1920s) and then includes a poem she wrote that was inspired by the first poem. Only her poem isn't just inspired by the first one, it's almost like a baton-pass to future generations. She takes a line from the previous poem and then uses each word from that line in order but not next to each other in her new poem. I'm not sure that makes sense, but it's called The Golden Shovel technique, and again, I was skeptical to say the least.

The obscure poems are uniformly excellent and so are the author's original poems. If that weren't enough, there's artwork with each poem in the Harlem Renaissance style that is magnificent. In my advanced reader copy, not all the art was there -- but I loved it enough that I will buy the book when it comes out. But wait, there's more! There are brief but interesting bios of each poet at the end. These were some remarkable women! I am so glad I got to learn about them, read their words, and see how they can be an inspiration today. Just fantastic. 

One poem especially blew me away -- it's called "Flag Salute" by Esther Popel where Popel alternates lines of the Pledge of Allegiance with the story of a "feeble-minded black boy" being lynched. The final lines describing the boy being set afire with gasoline and the rope being cut into bits to pass out as souvenirs to the white spectators while "With Liberty and Justice for all" is invoked ... well, it still takes my breath away. My god. If there's a better argument for why the phrase "All lives matter" is problematic, I'd be hard pressed to think of it.

So here's an excerpt, with the second poem using the words from the first line of the first poem.

JOY by Clarissa Scott Delany

Joy shakes me like the wind that lifts a sail,
Like the roistering wind
That laughs through stalwart pines.
It floods me like the sun
On rain-drenched tress
That flash with silver and green.

I abandon myself to joy --
I laugh -- I sing.
Too long have I walked a desolate way,
Too long stumbled down a maze
Bewildered.

LEAH'S REUNION by Nikki Grimes

"Yearly, I join the celebration of womanjoy: the blessing of unchecked tears when calamity shakes us, or when beauty surprises; the comfort of sisters cradling me when Death slithers into the neighborhood, like a rattler, striking yet another sweet son, the promise of him broken. But there is also the cleansing wind of deep belly laughter as we gather round that love-worn kitchen table, likcking morsels of each story that lifts us Without this maternal crew's guidance, a brown girl like me would simply be adrift. No wind. No sail.

P.S. This is labeled a "children's book." I think some may love this, but to me, adults will love this more.

#LegacyWomenPoetsoftheHarlemRenaissance #NetGalley

A marvelous collection of poems! Many of these ladies didn't receive the notoriety they deserved, during their lifetime. It's time we recognize them!

Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury USA Children's Books for sharing an eARC with me in exchange for an honest review. I am a huge fan of Nikki Grimes. Anytime I see her name on a book, I grab it and know it will be a powerful one. I loved the way Grimes used the Golden Shovel poetry method to celebrate the women poets of the Harlem Renaissance. What a beautiful way to honor those women and celebrate their work. This book is a must read and will be a staple in classrooms.