One Last Word: Wisdom from the Harlem Renaissance

One Last Word connects poems from the Harlem Renaissance with original contemporary poetry by Nikki Grimes through the "Golden Shovel" form. The book pairs historical works by poets like Langston Hughes and Georgia Douglas Johnson with new pieces that use words from the original poems to create fresh verses about modern life. The collection features artwork by prominent African American illustrators including E.B. Lewis, Pat Cummings, and Christopher Myers. Each spread presents a Harlem Renaissance poem alongside Grimes' response poem and complementary artwork, creating a dialogue across generations. Through her poetry, Grimes addresses challenges faced by today's youth while drawing direct connections to themes of identity, struggle, and hope expressed by Harlem Renaissance writers. The work demonstrates the enduring relevance and power of African American literary voices, both past and present.

Readers appreciate how the book connects contemporary poetry with Harlem Renaissance works through the "Golden Shovel" poetry form, making historical poetry relevant for young readers. Many teachers report using it successfully in middle school classrooms. Readers highlight: - The artwork by multiple Black illustrators - Clear historical context provided for each poem - Accessibility for students grades 5-8 - Integration of past and present perspectives Common criticisms: - Some found the poetry form restrictive - A few readers wanted more biographical details about the Renaissance poets Ratings across platforms: Goodreads: 4.3/5 (1,200+ ratings) Amazon: 4.8/5 (240+ ratings) School Library Journal: Starred review "The illustrations alone make this book worth owning," notes one teacher-reviewer. A student reviewer wrote: "I didn't know much about the Harlem Renaissance before, but the poems helped me understand what it was like then and now."

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🎭 Author Nikki Grimes uses an innovative poetry form called the "Golden Shovel" throughout the book, where she takes a line from a Harlem Renaissance poem and uses those words, in order, as the last words of each line in her new poem. 📚 The book pairs contemporary poems with classic works from Harlem Renaissance poets including Langston Hughes, Georgia Douglas Johnson, and Jean Toomer. 🎨 Award-winning African American artists contributed original artwork to accompany the poems, including E.B. Lewis, Christopher Myers, and Brian Pinkney. ✨ The Harlem Renaissance (1918-1937) saw an explosion of African American art, literature, and music centered in Harlem, New York, inspiring generations of artists and writers. 🏆 One Last Word received multiple honors including the 2018 Arnold Adoff Poetry Award for New Voices and was named to the New York Public Library's Best Books for Kids list.