Confronting the Warpland

"Confronting the Warpland: Black Poets of Chicago" is a one-hour radio documentary presenting African American poets who have found influence and inspiration living in Chicago. Beginning with the Great Migration of the early 20th century when millions of African Americans came from the South to the urban North, the program examines the ways in which black poets have chronicled Chicago’s complex history through poetry and continue to do so today. The documentary features poets Gwendolyn Brooks, Tyehimba Jess, Quraysh Ali Lansana, Haki Madhubuti, Sterling Plumpp, and Margaret Walker in interviews, readings, and archival recordings. "Confronting the Warpland: Black Poets of Chicago" is a production of the Poetry Foundation. It was written and produced by Ed Herrmann and narrated by Richard Steele. Need a transcript of this episode? Request a transcript here.