18 pages • 36-minute read
Apollo
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Further Reading & Resources
Related Poems
“Crash” by Elizabeth Alexander (2001)
“Crash,” from Alexander’s collection Antebellum Dream Book, explores race and gender, and uses a similar short line as “Apollo.” The poem, while inspired by a dream, comments on a larger racial question. Much like “Apollo,” “Crash” appears to be about a plane crash but expands beyond that simple narrative.
“Butter” by Elizabeth Alexander (1996)
While different in tone and subject matter from “Apollo,” “Butter” explores a more personal lens into Alexander’s life, upbringing, and cultural heritage. The poem meditates on butter and how this ingredient fits into the speaker’s life. “Butter,” though, is more than just a poem dedicated to butter; it explores a rich, celebrated culture.
“They Clapped” by Nikki Giovanni (1972)
Nikki Giovanni is an important female Black poet. Her poem “They Clapped” was written in 1972, a similar time period to when Alexander’s “Apollo” takes place. “They Clapped” offers an interesting eye into the feelings around race at that time following the wake of the Civil Rights Movement.
Further Literary Resources
“Elizabeth Alexander on Moving Forward in the Face of Adversity.” Interview with Spencer Bailey (2021)
This interview with Alexander covers a significant amount of ground. It discusses several of her recent collections, including Antebellum Dream Book and American Sublime. The interview also discusses Alexander’s feelings around social justice and using language to promote positive change. In this interview, Alexander also reads her poem “Crash” aloud.
“Design Matters with Debbie Millman: Elizabeth Alexander.” Design Matters (2018)
In this podcast interview, Alexander shares the journey of her life and her feelings around death and how death can help us value life more. The article “Elizabeth Alexander on How Great Artists Orient Themselves to the Light of the World” cites this podcast and could be an important side-by-side text to Alexander’s discussion with Millman.
“Elizabeth Alexander: Words that Shimmer.” On Being Podcast (2011)
While recorded in 2011, this discussion with Krista Tippett offers an important eye into Alexander’s life and thoughts about poetry and how it “works in us.” Alexander shares in this discussion why she believes that poetry becomes more relevant (rather than less) in difficult, complicated times.
Listen to Poem
“Apollo” read aloud on the Poetry Foundation Website
Listen to “Apollo” read aloud on the Poetry Foundation’s website. To access the recording, click the small red play arrow next to the poem’s title.
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