Hayden Library is currently hosting a display of poetry anthologies by African American writers. The collection was curated by Professor Joshua Bennett in MIT’s Literature Section. The collection invites the reader to think about archiving as a cultural practice, and how art like poetry is preserved for future generations (as well as the people who make that work possible: poets, editors, publishers, librarians, and archivists).

Professor Bennett is himself the co-editor of an anthology in the display, Minor Notes. The anthology is part of a series intended to bring lesser-known African American works and poets to light. The New York Times describes Minor Notes as “a reclamation project that goes through you like a spear,” full of powerful voices that still ring clear and true today. The display features other anthologies that highlight work in this vein, both contemporary and from decades past.

The display is located at the west entrance to Hayden Library (14S-100). To find individual works by the authors featured in the display, feel free to search our collections. Literature Librarian Mark Szarko is also happy to provide additional recommendations.