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Yusef Komunyakaa
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Yusef Komunyakaa
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Illustration of "The Lamb" from "Songs of Innocence" by William Blake, 1879. poem; poetry
A Study of Poetry
4:043 Dickinson, Emily: A Life of Letters, This is my letter to the world/That never wrote to me; I'll tell you how the Sun Rose/A Ribbon at a time; Hope is the thing with feathers/That perches in the soul
Famous Poets and Poetic Form
Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) only confirmed photograph of Emily Dickinson. 1978 scan of a Daguerreotype. ca. 1847; in the Amherst College Archives. American poet. See Notes:
Poetry: First Lines
Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) portrait by Carl Van Vecht April 3, 1938. Writer, folklorist and anthropologist celebrated African American culture of the rural South.
American Writers Quiz
Related Questions
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poem. A poet in a Heian period kimono writes Japanese poetry during the Kamo Kyokusui No En Ancient Festival at Jonan-gu shrine on April 29, 2013 in Kyoto, Japan. Festival of Kyokusui-no Utage orignated in 1,182, party Heian era (794-1192).
World Poetry Day
Vietnam War. U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson awards the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant Marty A. Hammer, during a visit to military personnel, Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, October 26, 1966. President Johnson
Vietnam War Timeline
Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society
12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”
Vietnam War. Fall of Saigon. Helicopter pilot radio transmissions during the United States Saigon evacuation dated: April 29, April 30, 1975. Partial text: 200 Americans left... Do not let South Viets follow too closely. Use Mace...do not fire...
40th Anniversary of the Fall of Saigon
President Richard M. Nixon smiles and gives the victory sign as he boards the White House helicopter after his resignation on August 9, 1974 in Washington, D.C.
Timeline of the 1970s
Discover
Battle of the Alamo from "Texas: An Epitome of Texas History from the Filibustering and Revolutionary Eras to the Independence of the Republic, 1897. Texas Revolution, Texas revolt, Texas independence, Texas history.
6 Wars of Independence
Illustration for Demystified "How Dangerous is Quicksand"
How Deadly Is Quicksand?
King Cobra snake in Malaysia. (reptile)
9 of the World’s Deadliest Snakes
Candles Burning On Table In Church
What Is the Most Widely Practiced Religion in the World?
Lusitania sinking, illustration from The War of the Nations (New York), December 31, 1919. World War I, WWI. This image is one of three on the page. (See source file for the other two.)
7 of the World’s Deadliest Shipwrecks
Two chicks near an egg with a white background (poultry, chick, chickens, birds).
What Do Eggs Have to Do with Easter?
World Data Locator Map: Australia
Is Australia an Island?

Yusef Komunyakaa: Facts & Related Content

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News •

Poet Yusef Komunyakaa to receive honorary Anisfeld-Wolf Award • Apr. 10, 2025, 7:14 PM ET (AP)

Facts

Also Known As James William Brown, Jr.
Born April 29, 1947 (age 77) • Bogalusa • Louisiana • (Birthday in 4 days)
Awards And Honors Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize (2001) • Pulitzer Prize (1994)
Notable Works “Neon Vernacular: New & Selected Poems 1977–1989”

Photos

Yusef Komunyakaa
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Maxine Kumin
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Merwin, W.S.
W.S. Merwin
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Gary Snyder
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Philip Levine
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Anthony Hecht
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Ashbery, John
John Ashbery
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Richard Wilbur
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Charles Wright
Charles Wright
American poet
Louise Glück
Louise Glück
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Robert Hass
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Jorie Graham
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Kay Ryan.
Kay Ryan
American poet
C.K. Williams
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Mona Van Duyn
Mona Van Duyn
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Charles Simic
Charles Simic
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James Tate
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Lisel Mueller
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Mark Strand
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Galway Kinnell
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Gwendolyn Brooks
Gwendolyn Brooks
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Related Quizzes and Features

Quiz
Illustration of "The Lamb" from "Songs of Innocence" by William Blake, 1879. poem; poetry
A Study of Poetry
Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) portrait by Carl Van Vecht April 3, 1938. Writer, folklorist and anthropologist celebrated African American culture of the rural South.
American Writers Quiz
4:043 Dickinson, Emily: A Life of Letters, This is my letter to the world/That never wrote to me; I'll tell you how the Sun Rose/A Ribbon at a time; Hope is the thing with feathers/That perches in the soul
Famous Poets and Poetic Form
Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) only confirmed photograph of Emily Dickinson. 1978 scan of a Daguerreotype. ca. 1847; in the Amherst College Archives. American poet. See Notes:
Poetry: First Lines