The Poetry as Activism project draws on the archival collections of twentieth-century American poets, with a focus on poets from historically marginalized groups, to engage with archival materials in new ways. This project examines the role that activism has played in poets’ lives and art over time while also exploring the notion of poetry as activism more generally.
To accomplish the goal of engaging with archival materials in new ways, the Poetry as Activism project includes three priorities:
- Thematic digitization of materials from multiple collections housed in UD’s Special Collections
- Recruitment of a Poet-in-Residence who will draw inspiration from the collections to develop and host a workshop on the theme of poetry as activism
- Creation of a born-digital edited collection on the project theme that incorporates the digitized materials and will be published on the Manifold platform
The Poetry as Activism Project is supported by a Mellon Foundation Public Knowledge grant, which supports the creation and preservation of the cultural and scholarly record.
Learn more about the project’s news and activities in the corresponding tabs.