Yusef Komunyakaa
Lesson plans and teaching resources
Yusef Komunyakaa
at the Academy of American Poets
Biography, links to a few poems and other sites.
Yusef Komunyakaa
Links to poems, biography, bibliography, and commentary.
"Blackberries"
Text of the poem and analysis.
In Memoriam
This lesson uses "Facing It" to explore poems written for a specific occasion. Scroll down to a link on How to Read a Memorial, an excellent brochure on a different kind of literacy.
"Facing It" by Yusef Komunyakaa
Hyptertext of the poem with an audio file of the poet reading (1:39). Follow links to writing ideas, teaching tips, and a video of the poet reading at the Dodge Poetry Festival (brief introduction by Garrison Keillor, 1:51).
"Facing It" by Yusef Komunyakaa
A video of the poet reading his poem, analysis, and teaching tips.
"Facing It" in
360 Degrees of Text
In this activities, students focus on the emotional shifts within the poem. Document has 59 pages; lesson begins on numbered page 50, document page 52. Adobe Reader required.