Diaspora constitutes a powerful descriptor for the modern condition of the contemporary poet, the spokesperson for the psyche of America. The poems in American Diaspora: Poetry of Displacement focus on the struggles and pleasures of creating a home-physical and mental-out of displacement, exile, migration, and alienation. To fully explore the concept of diaspora, the editors have broadened the scope of their deÞnition to include not only the physical act of moving and immigration but also the spiritual and emotional dislocations that can occur-as for Emily Dickinson and other poets-even in a life spent entirely in one location. More than one hundred and thirty contemporary poets reßect and meditate, rage and bless, as they tell their own stories. In short, this is an anthology of American poetry that draws upon the sensitivity, tenderness, rebelliousness, patience, and spirituality that point to the future of our nation. Contributors Include: Sherman Alexie, Agha Shahid Ali, Jim Barnes, Richard Blanco, J. J. Blickstein, Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Nick Carb--, Sandra Castillo, G. S. Sharat Chandra,Victor Hern‡ndez Cruz, Toi Derricotte, Ana Doina, Sean Thomas Dougherty, Mart'n Espada, Brenda Hillman, Allison Joseph, Timothy Liu, Orlando Ricardo Menes, Stanley Plumly, Marianne Poloskey, Leroy V. Quintana, Luis J. Rodriguez,Vijay Seshadri, and C. Dale Young.
Ryan G. Van Cleave, Ph.D., is an international speaker on video game addiction; he also gives presentations and workshops on social networking, cyberbullying, and parenting tech-savvy kids. He teaches writing at The Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, FL.
The author (or co-author) of eighteen books, his writing has appeared in such publications as The Boston Review, The Christian Science Monitor, Clean Eating, Harvard Review, The Iowa Review, The Missouri Review, National Geographic Adventures, The New York Times Book Review, People, Ploughshares, The Progressive, Psychology Today, and Writers' Digest.
To contact the author: ryangvancleave.com
