POEts: The Legendary, The Celebrity, The Local, The Controversial
/ CBS News
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American poet and author Maya Angelou has been awarded over 30 honorary degrees. She has won three Grammy awards for her spoken word albums, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.
The Legendary: Langston Hughes
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Best known as the leader of the Harlem Renaissance, American poet Langston Hughes was one of the earliest innovators of jazz poetry.
The Legendary: Nikki Giovanni Leans On Her Desk
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American poet Nikki Giovanni is a distinguished professor of English at Virginia Tech. The Civil Rights Movement inspired her early poetry. She is most known for her poem, "Ego Tripping (there may be a reason why)"
The Legendary: Dorothy Parker
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The humorist, writer and critic was very vocal in civil rights. The NAACP claimed her remains in 1988 and designed a memorial garden for them at its Baltimore headquarters.
The Legendary: Emily Dickinson
The popular American poet was very private so much so that the breadth of her work was not apparent until after her death.
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The Legendary: Robert Frost
American poet Robert Frost received four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry. Though he grew up in the city, he is often associated with his depiction of the rural life in poetic form.
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The Legendary: The Bard
William Shakespeare's works have been performed more than any other playwright. The English poet is widely known for his use of iambic pentameter in sonnet form.
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The Legendary: Edgar Allan Poe
Part of the Roamantic Movement, Poe is well known for his narrative poem, "The Raven." He died in Baltimore. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
The Legendary: Sonia Sanchez
American poet Sonia Sanches is associated with the Black Arts Movement. He poetic style often fuses traditional forms with musical elements. She has authored over a dozen books of poetry, as well as plays and children's books.
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The Controversial: Pablo Neruda
The Chilean poet won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971. Dubbed a Communist, Neruda spent more than a year in hiding in Chile before he was able to escape to Buenos Aires.
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The Controversial: Ezra Pound
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The Controversial: Charles Pierre Baudelaire
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The Controversial: Allen Ginsberg
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The Controversial: The Last Poets
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Credited as one of the earliest influences of hip hop. The Last Poets is a group of poets and musicians that emerged during the Civil Rights and Black Nationalist movements. Group members have changed throughout the years, but the message of black pride and progression has stayed the same.
The Controversial: Amiri Baraka
Amiri Baraka was a revolutionary poet author and professor. He was named Poet Laureate of New Jersey in 2002, but it was short lived amid public outrage and pressure for his resignation after his poem on 9-11 "Somebody Blew Up America?" was criticized for anti-Semitism.
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The Controversial: Staceyann Chin
The Tony Award winning spoken word poet and LGBT rights advocate is of Chinese and Jamaican descent. She is criticized for her use of profanity, open sexuality and sharing her firsthand experience of homophobia in Jamaica.
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The Local: The 5th L
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The Local: LOVE the poet
Source:lovethepoet.com
The Local: Clarinda Harriss
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The Celebrity: Bob Dylan
The legendary musician and singer/songwriter legally changed his name to Robert Dylan in 1962 in homage to the poet Dylan Thomas, according to the Poetry Foundation. He is often regarded as a poet in his own right for his use of metaphor and rhyme. (Photo by Larry Ellis/Express/Getty Images)
The Celebrity: Leonard Nimoy
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Yes, "Spock" published a poetry book in 1978.
"Come Be With Me" by Leonard Nimoy
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The Celebrity: Suzanne Somers
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Actress Suzanne Somers has published plenty of books, including a poetry collection in 1973.
"Touch Me: The Poems Of Suzanne Somers"
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Jewel
Singer Jewel released a collection of free verse poems in 1999.
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"A Night Without Armor"
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Charlie Sheen
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Actor Charlie Sheen published a collection of poems in 1999 called "A Peace of My Mind."
Alicia Keys
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Not just a singer/songwriter, Alicia Keys is also a poet. She released a book of poems and lyrics in 2005.
"Tears For Water: Songbook Of Poems And Lyrics"
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Jill Scott
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The R&B songstress started off as a spoken word poet. He first album "Who Is Jill Scott?" features both songs and poems. So her poetry collection in 2008 came of now surprise.
"The Moments, The Minutes, The Hours"
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James Franco
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James Franco is an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer, teacher, author and poet. Yes, published poet.
"Palo Alto"
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Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins
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One third of the R&B trio TLZ, T-Boz often transformed her poetry into song. The group's hit single "Unpretty" is featured in her poetry collection.
"Thoughts"
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tupac rose that grew from concrete credit amazon
The controversial hip hop artist's poetry was published after his death but was written between 1989 and 1991--before he became famous.
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