Poetry all around us: Inauguration poem

Poetry is all around us. We see it in television shows, greeting cards, and every four years at the Presidential Inauguration. This year Amanda Gorman, youth poet laureate, read her poem at the Inauguration ceremony held earlier this month.

Don’t forget Kwame Alexander’s event: “Light for the World to See” coming up on February 26 at 2:00 (EST). Kwame Alexander is a distinguished poet, educator and author, known for his works bringing attention to the experiences of Black lives in America. This event will take place as part of a Black History Month initiative at Hope College. Alexander will discuss a variety of topics including his newest book Light for the World to See: A Thousand Words on Race and Hope.

Amanda Gorman,

When day comes we ask ourselves,
where can we find light in this never-ending shade?
The loss we carry,
a sea we must wade
We’ve braved the belly of the beast
We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace
And the norms and notions
of what just is
Isn’t always just-ice
And yet the dawn is ours
before we knew it
Somehow we do it
Somehow we’ve weathered and witnessed
a nation that isn’t broken
but simply unfinished
We the successors of a country and a time
Where a skinny Black girl
descended from slaves and raised by a single mother
can dream of becoming president
only to find herself reciting for one
And yes we are far from polished
far from pristine
but that doesn’t mean we are
striving to form a union that is perfect
We are striving to forge a union with purpose
To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and
conditions of man
And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us
but what stands before us
We close the divide because we know, to put our future first,
we must first put our differences aside
We lay down our arms
so we can reach out our arms
to one another
We seek harm to none and harmony for all
Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true:
That even as we grieved, we grew
That even as we hurt, we hoped
That even as we tired, we tried
That we’ll forever be tied together, victorious
Not because we will never again know defeat
but because we will never again sow division
Scripture tells us to envision
that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree
And no one shall make them afraid
If we’re to live up to our own time
Then victory won’t lie in the blade
But in all the bridges we’ve made
That is the promised glade
The hill we climb
If only we dare
It’s because being American is more than a pride we inherit,
it’s the past we step into
and how we repair it
We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation
rather than share it
Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy
And this effort very nearly succeeded
But while democracy can be periodically delayed
it can never be permanently defeated
In this truth
in this faith we trust
For while we have our eyes on the future
history has its eyes on us
This is the era of just redemption
We feared at its inception
We did not feel prepared to be the heirs
of such a terrifying hour
but within it we found the power
to author a new chapter
To offer hope and laughter to ourselves
So while once we asked,
how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe?
Now we assert
How could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?
We will not march back to what was
but move to what shall be
A country that is bruised but whole,
benevolent but bold,
fierce and free
We will not be turned around
or interrupted by intimidation
because we know our inaction and inertia
will be the inheritance of the next generation
Our blunders become their burdens
But one thing is certain:
If we merge mercy with might,
and might with right,
then love becomes our legacy
and change our children’s birthright
So let us leave behind a country
better than the one we were left with
Every breath from my bronze-pounded chest,
we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one
We will rise from the gold-limbed hills of the west,
we will rise from the windswept northeast
where our forefathers first realized revolution
We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the midwestern states,
we will rise from the sunbaked south
We will rebuild, reconcile and recover
and every known nook of our nation and
every corner called our country,
our people diverse and beautiful will emerge,
battered and beautiful
When day comes we step out of the shade,
aflame and unafraid
The new dawn blooms as we free it
For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it
If only we’re brave enough to be it

Gorman, Amanda. “The Hill We Climb.” 2021. https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/20/politics/amanda-gorman-inaugural-poem-transcript/index.html. Accessed 25 January 2021.

Light for the World to See: A Conversation with Kwame Alexander

We are thrilled to announce that Kwame Alexander will virtually visit Hope College as a result of a collaborative effort of several Hope organizations. The NEA Big Read Lakeshore, Black Student Union, Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Tensen Writing Fund, Cultural Affairs Committee, Education Department and Jack Ridl Visiting Writers Series are thrilled to announce this partnership for Black History Month. Alexander is a distinguished poet, educator and author, known for his works bringing attention to the experiences of Black lives in America. His works are powerful and provocative, cultivating important thought and discussion. This event will take place as part of a Black History Month initiative at Hope College. 

“Light and Hope for the World To See: A Conversation with Kwame Alexander” will occur on February 26, 2021 from 2-3pm ET and is intended for readers of all ages. Due to COVID-19, this event will be hosted virtually. More information along with registration can be found on bigreadlakeshore.com. Community members and K-12 students and teachers are encouraged to attend.

During the event, Alexander will discuss a variety of topics including his newest book Light for the World to See: A Thousand Words on Race and Hope. Written in verse, this collection cuts to the heart of the entrenched racism and oppression in America, eloquently exploring ongoing events and experiences. It has been called a “rap session on race” and is a lyrical response to the struggles of Black lives in our world. Alexander honors the centuries of loss, endless resilience and unstoppable hope.  

Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, and the New York Times Bestselling author of 32 books, including Swing, Rebound, which was shortlisted for prestigious Carnegie Medal, The Undefeated, How to Read a Book and, his Newberry medal-winning middle grade novel, The Crossover. 

A regular contributor to NPR’s Morning Edition, Kwame is the recipient of numerous awards, including The Coretta Scott King Author Honor, Three NAACP Image Award Nominations, and the 2017 Inaugural Pat Conroy Legacy Award. In partnership with Follett Book Fairs, he created the #AllBooksForAllKids initiative to bring more diverse books into school libraries. 

In 2018, he opened the Barbara E. Alexander Memorial Library and Health Clinic in Ghana, as a part of LEAP for Ghana, an international literacy program he co-founded. Kwame is the Founding Editor of VERSIFY, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt that aims to Change the World One Word at a Time.

Hope College’s NEA Big Read Lakeshore program began in 2014 with the goal to create and foster a culture where reading matters. By bringing the Lakeshore community together around a common book, Big Read Lakeshore uses the shared experience of reading, discussing and exploring the themes of the book as a springboard to listen from and learn from each other. 

The NEA Big Read Lakeshore program is made possible in part by a grant from the NEA Big Read, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. 

Hope’s BSU has played a key role in the planning of this event and others during Black History Month. BSU facilitates interaction and heightens awareness of African American history and culture within the Hope College and Holland communities. They work to unite our community by providing educational experiences through speakers, dialogues and social functions.

“Books contain some of the greatest stories ever told, and Black Student Union is excited to partner with several great organizations around the Hope/Holland community to help highlight some of those stories and the black creators that inspire us. Kwame Alexander is one of those creators, and we are thrilled to have him come and share with us!” Kworweinski Lafontant, president of BSU, said.


The Center for Diversity and Inclusion is another organization involved in the event. The Center for Diversity and Inclusion empowers students to excel academically and flourish as socially responsible members in a diverse world. They provide opportunities, resources and advocacy in partnership with the greater Hope College community to promote a Christ-centered culture of equity and inclusion.

“The Center for Diversity and Inclusion is excited to collaborate on our celebration of Black History Month and African American writers with many Hope College departments and groups. We commemorate Black History in February and throughout the year.  [We are] looking forward to virtually welcoming Kwame Alexander to our campus,” Margo Walters, Program Coordinator for the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, said.

This event is also being hosted in partnership with Hope College’s Jack Ridl Visiting Writers Series, a student-run, faculty-organized series committed to hosting free events that are open to the public. Their events offer opportunities for our local and student communities to interact with the visiting writers and discuss their craft  through panels, readings, classes and workshops. The program’s goal is to provide the community with diverse and rich literary experiences.

This event is also made possible through support from Hope College’s Education Department, the Ruth Tensen Creative Writing Fund and the Cultural Affairs Committee. More information about them can be found at hope.edu.

Big Read 2020 Wrap-Up: Lessons Learned from “Books as Windows and Mirrors: The Importance of Reading Diverse Books”

We are continuing our Big Read 2020 Wrap-up series: a compilation of blog posts written by various community members about some things they learned (and are still thinking about) from our recent Big Read events.

In this post, Abby Hamilton, English Educcation major, reflects on what she learned attending Books as Windows and Mirrors: The Importance of Reading Diverse Books. You can view this event on our Youtube channel here.

Abby writes,

One thing I learned from this event was how important book recommendations are to students and to other teachers in general. Recommending books involves knowing your students, and when you as the teacher are able to pick a book that would fit their interests, they are more likely to read it and enjoy reading it!

Another thing that I learned was about the theme of water in many children’s books, especially in the two books chosen for the Big Read/Little Read this year and in many other diverse books as highlighted by the presentation.

Lastly, I learned that “Own Voices Authors” means that the author telling the story belongs to the affinity group they are writing about. 

One idea that I’m walking away with is the importance of recommending books to my students on an ongoing basis. I want to have silent-reading time in my classroom, and I think that my students will develop a more personal relationship with reading if they are encouraged to read books I recommend or their peers recommend!

Secondly, I want to encourage my students (even though I hope to be teaching at the secondary level) to look at children’s literature as examples of windows/mirrors into diverse experiences. This could be connected to an in-class discussion of the importance of literature or why we still read Shakespeare and Homer in the 21st century.

Lastly, I really liked the audience participation by asking questions in the chat! Especially for this new virtual academic world, we are living in, students should be encouraged to ask questions or comment on course material in the chat to stay engaged with the lesson and the material covered in class.

Big Read 2020 Wrap-Up: Lessons Learned from “Adventure Stories with Hope Professors”

Our Big Read 2020 program may be over but the ideas and insights presented and discussed in our program are still floating around and shaping the way the readers along the Lakeshore are thinking about the world. We’re starting a series of blog posts written by various community members about some of the things they learned (and are still thinking about) from our recent Big Read events.

In the paragraphs below, Jael Stilwell, Art Education major at Hope College reflects on what she learned from watching the NEA Big Read Lakeshore’s “Adventure Stories with Hope Professors.” If you missed this event, it’s not too late! It’s available for viewing on our Big Read YouTube channel – you can access it here.

Jael writes,

I was so excited when I learned this event would give me a chance to hear professors’ stories! I was on my toes for the entire event because the stories were so interesting and exciting to listen to. Some of the stories were rather scary and risky but were definitely very enjoyable to listen to.

One of the things I’ve been thinking about what Dr. Van Duinen said about her experience of biking throughout Southeast Asia. She reflected that often when we’re in the middle of a story, we may not be enjoying it or able to reflect on it. However, when we have time and space away from it, once we’ve lived through a story, we are able to learn and laugh from our experiences.

Dr Forester’s story about biking through Europe was fascinating. He said that he was invited to dinner with a family and was given a cup of coffee, and the only person who drank coffee was him. He ended up finding out that coffee was very expensive at the time and was only bought through the black market. As a coffee lover myself (more of a coffee addict, I have to drink it every day!) I was shocked at how expensive and rare coffee was at the time.

This event has made me think about the importance of listening to people’s stories! As a future teacher, I’m realizing how important it is to listen to what students have to say. I think some amazing conversations with students could stem from asking them about their experiences. It’s also a great opportunity to get to know your students on a more personal level by asking them about some of their greatest life experiences.

I’ve also thought more about the importance of travel. Many of the amazing stories that the professors shared happened somewhere around the world outside of Holland, MI. Often these trips were taken during the earlier years of the professor’s life, and they had great experiences during these trips. One can experience amazing things through discovering and traveling to other places in our world. I think travel opportunities should be taken advantage of because of the experiences and stories that travel brings to one’s life. My mother still talks about her May Term through Hope College that she took in Austria and she still travels around the world for her job and always has amazing stories to tell us when she comes home.

This event has also prompted me to think about having confidence to step outside of our comfort zones. Sometimes we have to do things that are uncomfortable, in order to grow and learn and have stories to tell. I’ve always wanted to travel outside of the United States, and I’ve had the opportunity quite a few times. However, I often experience anxiety when it comes to traveling even only a couple hours away from Holland. I’ve always loved the idea of traveling and have been on many trips as a child, but I often spend more time worrying than exploring and experiencing those stories to share with others.

Although sometimes we have to push ourselves slightly out of our comfort zones to learn and grow. As I think about my chosen major (Art), I realize that many artists in history had to experiment and try new things when it came to their personal artistic practice. Many movements and great works of art came out of these experiments.

Big Read 2020 Wrap-Up: Lessons learned from the”Ethics Aboard the Essex” event

Our Big Read 2020 program may be over but the ideas and insights presented and discussed in our program are still floating around and shaping the way the readers along the Lakeshore are thinking about the world. We’re starting a series of blog posts written by various community members about some of the things they learned (and are still thinking about) from our recent Big Read events.

In the paragraphs below, Jael Stilwell, Art Education major at Hope College reflects on what she learned from watching Western Seminary‘s “Ethics Aboard the Essex” event led by Dr. Daniel Flores and Dr. David Stubbs. Her reflections speak to the ways that Dr. Stubbs’ comments and insights can be applied to a myriad of contexts. If you missed this event, it’s not too late! It’s available for viewing on our Big Read YouTube channel – you can access it here.

Jael writes,

Dr Stubbs, during his event “Ethics Aboard the Essex” discussed the ideas of the chaos of the sea and the theological implications of a chaotic sea. During my senior year of high school, I took one class at Holland Christian High School called Discipleship. In Discipleship, I learned about God’s promises to the Israelites in the Old  Testament of the Bible and how these promises connect to God’s promise of Jesus and his life on earth in the new testament. In Discipleship, we discussed the Hebrew word for the chaos, formlessness, and void in Genesis 1 in references to the dwelling place of the spirit before the creation of the earth. The word is tohu va vohu, meaning formless, empty, and void. While this was not necessarily something that I learned, this was a connection I was able to make between what Dr. Stubbs was discussing in regards to human’s ideas of the sea and the Hebrew meaning for the words discussed.

Dr. Stubbs also taught me that Nathanial Philbrick, the author of In the Heart of the Sea, was a sailor. Along with this, I learned that sailing is a great hobby and skill to develop as an individual. I could perhaps see myself enjoying sailing,  although I know nothing about sailing and have not stepped foot on a sailboat once in my life. I do know that I love the water because I used to be a swimmer, and I love the outdoors, so perhaps I could enjoy sailing if I tried it.

This event also taught me the Nantucketer Quaker disconnect between their religious and moral beliefs and economic practices. The Quakers were pacifists and did not believe in killing other humans, but they did believe in killing whales, almost in a savage way, as was stated throughout the journey of the sailors. Dr. Stubbs discussed this interesting phenomenon that the killing of others was considered very savage and inhumane while seeking out and killing whales was one of the biggest economic prosperities of  Nantucket.  

The culture and experiences of whaling and how it formed and shaped the people of Nantucket reminds me of what we’ve learned in Education classes about sociocultural theory and how each of our students have different backgrounds and differences in beliefs and culture. As a future teacher, it is imperative that I see each and every one of my students as unique individuals who each have a unique story to tell. I want to learn what shapes and forms my students in order to best serve them as individual students and individual learners.

Another lesson learned for me was how the captain of the Essex, who was an authoritarian figure and leader of the boat, practiced a democratic act by discussing what to do with those beneath him on the boat. This is similar to the role of a teacher in the classroom. While the teacher is in clear command of the classroom and leads the classroom in learning, often it is the role of the teacher to lead a democratic classroom by asking students to share their opinions. In ED 287 (Classroom Management) this semester, we learned about developing classroom expectations with your students. The best way to establish classroom expectations is having everybody form them, and then post the ones that everybody agrees upon.

Little Read Event: Angela Dominguez at Herrick District Library

November 14, 2020 10:00 AM

Angela Dominguez: Illustrating Galapagos Girl

Herrick District Library

For Families: Join us for a very special virtual presentation by Angela Dominguez, as she talks about her experience illustrating of this year’s Little Read book, Galápagos Girl!

November 14, 2020 1:00 PM 

Angela Dominguez: Illustrating Galapagos Girl

Herrick District Library

Join us for a very special virtual presentation with Angela Dominguez, illustrator of The Little Read book “Galápagos Girl”, and author and illustrator of “Maria Had a Little Llama (María Tenía Una Llamita)”, “Sing, Don’t Cry”, “Stella Diaz Has Something to Say”, and so many more! (Recommended for ages 5-8)

November 14, 2020 3:00 PM 

Angela Dominguez: Illustrating Galapagos Girl

Herrick District Library

Join us for a very special virtual presentation with Angela Dominguez, illustrator of The Little Read book “Galápagos Girl”, and author and illustrator of “Maria Had a Little Llama (María Tenía Una Llamita)”, “Sing, Don’t Cry”, “Stella Diaz Has Something to Say”, and so many more! (Recommended for ages 9-11)

Angela Dominguez was born in Mexico City and grew up in the great state of Texas. She now resides on the east coast with her boyfriend, Kyle, and petite dog, Petunia. She is also the author and illustrator of several books for children and a two-time recipient of Pura Belpré Illustration Honor. Her debut middle grade novel, Stella Díaz Has Something To Say, was a New York Public Library and a Chicago Public Library pick for Best Books for Kids in 2018, Sid Fleischman Award winner, and an ALA Notable. When Angela is not in her studio or visiting schools, she teaches at the Academy of Art University, which honored her with their Distinguished Alumni Award in 2013. Angela is a proud member of SCBWI, PEN America, and represented by Wernick and Pratt Literary Agency. As a child, she loved reading books and making a mess creating pictures. She’s delighted to still be doing both.

Mark Your Calander! Ross Richardson is coming virtually to Herrick District Library

November 13, 2020 5:00 PM 

Marine Biologist: Ben Kamphuis 

Herrick District Library

Ross Richardson

Journey to the waters of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Northern Lake Michigan and join author and shipwreck hunter Ross Richardson in exploring the histories and mysteries of the Manitou Passage, one of the deadliest areas on the great lakes. An undiscovered fleet of shipwrecked ghost-ships lies off that rugged coast, just waiting to be found. Learn their stories and explore a newly discovered mystery schooner thought to be one of the most intact shipwrecks on the planet.

Too excited to wait? Check out some of Ross Richardson’s books!

Follow Herrick District Library on Social Media

And don’t forget our Big Read social media links are down below.

NEA Big Read Kick-Off Announcement

November 02, 2020, 7:00 PM

Kick-Off Event with Dr. Fred Johnson III: Swimming Through the Gray

BR/LR

In this kickoff address, Dr. Fred Johnson III will explore the historical context of the sinking of the Essex in 1820. In doing so, he will reflect on those who have told our nation’s history, those who are telling our history, and those whose histories have been left out.

Big Read Lakeshore Announces Author Skip Finley as Featured Speaker

Exciting announcement! Our November programming will include two events featuring Skip Finley, author of Whaling Captains of Color – America’s First Meritocracy. 

The events featuring Finley will take place on November 11 and 23, both at 7pm. The second event will be hosted in partnership with the Herrick District Library. Due to COVID-19, these events will be hosted virtually. More information can be found on bigreadlakeshore.com.

Finley will discuss race in the context of the whaling industry which is heavily featured in the Big Read Lakeshore’s 2020 book selection, In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick.

Skip Finley built a career in radio and the communications industry. He served as Vice Chairman of the National Association of Broadcasters, Chairman of the Radio Advertising Bureau and several industry boards and committees. His career, since 1971, has included responsibility for 44 radio stations (five of which were owned by him). 

Although Finley has been retired since age 50, he has continuously returned to the communications industry. Finley is currently the Director of Sales and Marketing for the Vineyard Gazette Media Group on Martha’s Vineyard. Beginning in 1955, Finley spent his summers on Martha’s Vineyard and in 1999 he moved there and decided to become a writer.

Notably, Finley has written articles for the Vineyard Gazette, Martha’s Vineyard Magazine, Island Weddings Magazine, the Provincetown Banner and the Martha’s Vineyard Museum publications, The Intelligencer and the MV Museum Quarterly.

He has written two books: Historic Tales of Oak Bluffs, published by The History Press – Arcadia Publishing, and Whaling Captains of Color – America’s First Meritocracy, published by the Naval Institute Press in June 2020. Information of Finley’s career and publications can be found on his website, skipfinley.com.

Hope College’s NEA Big Read Lakeshore program began in 2014 with the goal to create and foster a culture where reading matters. By bringing the Lakeshore community together around a common book, Big Read Lakeshore uses the shared experience of reading, discussing, and exploring the themes of the book as a springboard to listen from and learn from each other.

Contributed by Kylie Galloway. Kylie is the Marketing Manager for Big Read Lakeshore. Kylie is also a junior at Hope College. She is majoring in Communications and minoring in both History and Spanish.

Let’s talk! Just reading our Big Read book isn’t enough…

During these summer months, our Big Read team has been hard at work getting ready for our upcoming virtual program this November. We are eager for our Lakeshore readers, on Hope’s campus and beyond, to read Nathaniel Philbrick’s In the Heart of the Sea along with our Little Read book, Galapagos Girl/Galapagueña, by Marsha Diane Arnold.

I’ve often said that while reading our chosen book is important and is a huge part of the Big Read experience each year, what I love and encourage more are the discussions that happen around the book and the ways that it can serve as a springboard for thinking and talking about a variety of topics, issues, and themes. Our Big Read is about reading a book but it’s also about what we do with the book and what we do after we read the book.

Particularly in light of our nation’s current racial protests and reckoning with race, we encourage our Big Read readers to reflect on both the historical events included in the book and the ways that they are told. We encourage our readers to read with and against the text. We encourage our readers to read with a racial equity lens and think about and read counterstories to what is included in In the Heart of the Sea.

To this end, here are some framing questions to guide our reading and our discussions about our Big Read and Little Read books: 

  • Whose history does this story tell? 
  • What is the historical Black experience in the United States? In In the Heart of the Sea?
  • Historically, the commercial maritime industry offered opportunities to Black Americans that weren’t available in most other industries. Why might this have been?
  • How do we tell our national stories from the past? How do we talk about them?
  • What choices do historians/writers have when writing about the past? How have historical stories been told/taught? How might they be taught in ways that acknowledge and value the experience of all?
  • What are counterstories to In the Heart of the Sea or other stories about our nation’s past?

In our November events and book discussions, we’re looking forward to digging more deeply into these questions and topics, bringing about more awareness to them, and exploring ways to respond in as individuals and as a community. Stay tuned for more information about these events!

Copies of the Big Read and Little Read books are available online or in-person at the Hope College bookstore for a discounted price. If you want to get started now, we encourage you to attend a free webinar on Tuesday, August 18 at 7pm led by Dr. Carlin Borsheim-Black, author of Letting Go of Literary Whiteness: Antiracist Literature for White Students. Hope faculty, staff, or students are welcome to attend along with any interested K-12 teachers or community members.

Contributed by Dr. Deborah Van Duinen. Deborah is the Big Read Lakeshore Executive Director and an Associate Professor of Education at Hope College.