Poem of the Week: Ruth Forman

       

Stand

why so afraid to stand up?
someone will tell you
sit down?

but here is the truth
someone will always tell you
sit down 

the ones we remember
kept standing

  

-Ruth Forman 

Used by permission.

From Prayers Like Shoes (Whit Press, 2009) 

Ruth Forman is the author of three award-winning books: poetry collections We Are the Young Magicians and Renaissance (both from Beacon) and the children's book, Young Cornrows Callin Out the Moon (Children's Book Press). She is the recipient of the Barnard New Women Poets Prize, The Pen Oakland Josephine Miles Literary Award, The Durfee Artist Fellowship, the National Council of Teachers of English Notable Book Award, and recognition by The American Library Association. She provides writing workshops at schools and universities across the country and abroad, and has presented in forums such as the United Nations, the PBS series The United States of Poetry and National Public Radio. Forman is a former teacher of creative writing with the University of Southern California and June Jordan's Poetry for the People program at UC Berkeley and an eleven-year faculty member with the VONA-Voices writing program. Her latest collection is Prayers Like Shoes (2009) from Whit Press. Forman currently lives in Washington, DC.

  

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