21st Century Contemporary

Featured author for this period...

Anna Quindlen

• • Interviews: Anna Quindlen- interesting insights from a PBS interview. 

  •  Prentice Hall Literature: The American Experience - Selected Textbook Resources:

    • • Essay: "One Day, Now Broken in Two" -p. 1156

Even more writers to explore...

Julia Alvarez  

• • Julia Alvarez- the author's own home page with biographical information and more. 

  •  Prentice Hall Literature: The American Experience - Selected Textbook Resources:

    • •   Short Story: "Antojos" -p. 1116 

 Sandra Cisneros

• • Sandra Cisneros - the author's own home page with biographical information and more

  • Modern American Poetry: Sandra Cisneros - from the Department of English at the University of Illinois, this site offers biographical information as well as links to selected works and analysis/criticism

  • Sandra Cisneros-  biographical information and more from the Academy of American poets

  •  Prentice Hall Literature: The American Experience - Selected Textbook Resources:

    • • Essay: "Straw into Gold" -p. 1164

Sharon Draper

Tears of a Tiger

Tony Earley 

• • An Interview with Tony Earley- from the New York Times Online

  • Prentice Hall Literature: The American Experience - Selected Textbook Resources:

    • • Short Story: "Aliceville" -p. 1030.

Louise Erdrich

• • Modern American Poetry: Louise Erdrich - from the Department of English at the University of Illinois, this site offers biographical information as well as links to selected works and analysis/criticism

  • Native American Authors: Louise Erdrich- from the Native American Authors Project of the Internet Public Library 

  •  Prentice Hall Literature: The American Experience - Selected Textbook Resources:

    • • Poem: "Bidwell Ghost" -p. 1243

Martin Espada

• • Modern American Poetry: Martin Espada - from the Department of English at the University of Illinois, this site offers biographical information as well as links to selected works and analysis/criticism.

  • Martin Espada-  biographical information and much more from the Academy of American poets. 

  •  Prentice Hall Literature: The American Experience - Selected Textbook Resources:

    • • Poem: "Who Burns for the Perfection of Paper" -p. 1132

Ian Frazier  

• • Minnesota Public Radio- Humorist Series: Ian Frazier- this page from Minnesota Public Radio has links to biographical information and much more.

  • "Typewriter Man" by Ian Frazier - from The Atlantic Online.

  •  Prentice Hall Literature: The American Experience - Selected Textbook Resources:

    • •  Essay: "Coyote v. Acme" -p. 1148 

Kaye Gibbons

Ellen Foster

John Green

The Fault in Our Stars

Joy Harjo

• • Joy Harjo-  biographical information and much more from the Academy of American poets

  • Native American Authors: Joy Harjo- from the Native American Authors Project of the Internet Public Library

  •  Prentice Hall Literature: The American Experience - Selected Textbook Resources:

    • • Essay: "Suspended" -p. 1083 

Karen Hesse

Out of the Dust

Homer Hickam

October Sky

Garrett Hongo

• • Modern American Poetry: Garrett Hongo - from the Department of English at the University of Illinois, this site offers biographical information as well as links to selected works and analysis/criticism

  • Garrett Hongo-  biographical information and much more from the Academy of American poets. 

  •  Prentice Hall Literature: The American Experience - Selected Textbook Resources:

    • • Poem: "What For" -p. 1135 

Edward P. Jones

• • Edward P. Jones- biographical information and more from publisher Harper-Collins.

  • Additional Resources

    • • Short Story: "The First Day" (handout) 

Maxine Hong Kingston

• • Bill Moyers Journal: Maxine Hong Kingston- interesting information and more from PBS. 

  •  Prentice Hall Literature: The American Experience - Selected Textbook Resources:

    • • Excerpt from Memoir: "The Woman Warrior" -p. 1104

Yusef Komunyakaa 

• • Modern American Poetry: Yusef Komunyakaa - from the Department of English at the University of Illinois, this site offers biographical information as well as links to selected works and analysis/criticism.

  • Yusef Komunyakaa-  biographical information and much more from the Academy of American poets. 

  •  Prentice Hall Literature: The American Experience - Selected Textbook Resources:

    • •   Poem: "Camouflaging the Chimera" -p. 1245 

N. Scott Momaday

• • Modern American Poetry: N. Scott Momaday- from the Department of English at the University of Illinois, this site offers biographical information as well as links to selected works and analysis/criticism

  • Native American Authors: N. Scott Momaday- from the Native American Authors Project of the Internet Public Library

  • New Perspectives on the West: N. Scott Momaday- great resource from PBS

  • N. Scott Momaday-  biographical information and more from the Academy of American poets.  

  •  Prentice Hall Literature: The American Experience - Selected Textbook Resources:

    • • Excerpt from Nonfiction: The Names -p. 1076.

Walter Dean Myers

Monster

Naomi Shihab Nye

• • Naomi Shihab Nye-  biographical information and much more from the Academy of American poets

  • Naomi Shihab Nye: A Bill Moyers Interview- nice resource from PBS.

  •  Prentice Hall Literature: The American Experience - Selected Textbook Resources:

    • • Essay: "Mint Snowball" -p. 1081

Tim O'Brien

• • The Things They Carried

  • Prentice Hall Literature: The American Experience - Selected Textbook Resources:

    • •   Short Story: "Ambush" -p. 834

Anna Quindlen

• • Interviews: Anna Quindlen- interesting insights from a PBS interview. 

  •  Prentice Hall Literature: The American Experience - Selected Textbook Resources:

    • • Essay: "One Day, Now Broken in Two" -p. 1156

Aaron Rosenberg

42: The Jackie Robinson Story

Amy Tan

• • Amy Tan's Official Website- the author's own webpage filled with lots of great information.

  • Prentice Hall Literature: The American Experience - Selected Textbook Resources:

    • • Excerpt from Memoir: The Opposite of Fate - "Mother Tongue"  -p. 1172.

David Sedaris

• • The Official Davis Sedaris Site- lots of interesting information about this author and his works. 

  • Additional Resources: 

    • • Short Story: "Go Carolina"  (handout excerpted from Me Talk Pretty One Day by Sedaris) 

Anne Tyler

• • "Anne Tyler digs writing, puttering" - interesting USA Today interview by Carol Memmott

  • Featured Author: Anne Tyler- great resource (many links) from the New York Times.

  •  Prentice Hall Literature: The American Experience - Selected Textbook Resources:

    • • Short Story: "Average Waves in Unprotected Waters" -p. 1062

Alice Walker

• • Alice Walker-  biographical information and more from the Academy of American poets. 

  • Featured Author: Alice Walker- great resource (many links) from the New York Times. 

  • Prentice Hall Literature: The American Experience - Selected Textbook Resources:

    • • Short Story: "Everyday Use" -p. 1090 

Overall "Text to World" & "Text to Text" Connections for this Literary Period

• • American Memory Timeline - from the Learning Page at The Library of Congress, this link will help you connect American history to American literature.

  • The Contemporary American Poetry Archive- find some new and amazing poets at this site from the Connecticut College Department of English. 

  • Favorite Poem Project -one of my favorite sites, this site features "American saying poems they love" and is sponsored by Boston University. 

  • Poetry Foundation- great resources and a wide collection of poetry!

  • Poems that GO - click here to visit a site that can best be described as cutting edge. Perhaps this is the start of an entirely new genre in poetry.  

  • Poetry 180- A Poem a Day for American High Schools - we'll be reading one poem a day from this fantastic site thanks to poet laureate Billy Collins!