Gwendolyn Brooks and Me
How I Discovered the Golden Shovel
I had never paid much attention to specific poetry styles. When I started attending the Young Authors Academy at the Syracuse
YMCA’s Downtown Writer’s Center, I wasn’t focused on learning how to write; I just wanted to write more and, of course, find more people to read my work than just my parents. The program has given me multiple opportunities to shine in my own way, through writing and through positive reinforcement. But as I started to move into an artistic stage, I realized there was more to discover than just the rhymes, stanzas, or the classic double entendres. The Young Authors Academy has been an essential part of my growth as a writer. When recruiting for the program, I always tell other students the same thing I learned from experience: it’s a great way to improve your skills, share your work, receive positive feedback, and make new friends and long-lasting connections with instructors.
I joined the Young Authors Academy during the summer of 2013. I was one of several excited twelve-year-olds to walk into the room and tell everyone I had written a “full-length novel.” Although I began writing short fiction, I started to feel as if the fiction I wrote wasn’t bringing me up to my full potential. I slowly transitioned into poetry, and I haven’t looked back since. The poetry I wrote made me feel complete, being able to tell the world a full story in less than a thousand words. However, it wasn’t until a poetry class I took in the winter of 2014 that I found Ms. Gwendolyn Brooks.
From the information given to me and the rest of the students, I discovered Brooks was an African American poet who started writing during the 1930s, continuing to write poetry and receive awards all the way up until the late ’90s. She was most famously known for being the first African American woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1950. Our instructor, Georgia Popoff, loved to use Brooks’s poem “We Real Cool” as an example of enjambment and empowerment for all the possibilities of what a poem could be. She also introduced us to something called a Golden Shovel, a different style of poetry altogether and one that honors Brooks in a simple way for everything she contributed to the poet community.
When it was first created, a Golden Shovel used Brooks’s poetry exclusively. Using the lines of one of her poems, you place each word at the end of your lines and then fill in the blanks in between. “The Golden Shovel” by Terrance Hayes serves as a primary example of the form he created. Here is an excerpt: “When I am so small Da’s sock covers my arm, we / cruise at twilight until we find the place the real / men lean, bloodshot and translucent with cool.”2
As you can see, each word of the first line of “We Real Cool” is used as the final word in each line of Hayes’s poem. In the time since the Golden Shovel form was created, it has expanded to pay homage to other poets, and even other artists. I, myself, have used the art form with another in mind.
Two of my poems that have been recently published are Golden Shovels: one, titled “Smile Jars,” uses the traditional form of a Brooks poem (“my dreams, my works, must wait till after hell”), and the other, “Brooklyn Baby Girl,” takes lines from a song I admire (“Waiting for Superman” by Daughtry). In addition to writing and poetry, I’m also actively involved in my school’s music program, so if anyone is a firm believer in the powerful connection between song lyrics and poetry, it’s me.
I was never familiar with Gwendolyn Brooks and her poetry until I was taught the Golden Shovel. Crafting both poems taught me different things about my writing style, and I’m proud to say that I’m better off for learning them. Without the skill, I don’t know where my writing would be.
Gwendolyn Brooks and other inspirational prompts provided by the Young Authors Academy instructors have given me a new lease on life. Brooks has inspired my writing in more ways than one. Her work made me realize I could truly write anything I wanted.
A Golden Shovel can be full of possibilities. In contrast to most art forms, this one approves of “plagiarism” in a way. Taking lines from a poet or poem you admire (but giving them credit in the end) is an easy way to gain inspiration. You’re already aware of the impression your favorite poem gives you, so using its lines can give anyone the option of completely flipping the storyline around. It’s a new type of originality based on the words of other great minds.
I can see myself in one of my favorite quotes by Brooks: “Very early in life I became fascinated with the wonders language can achieve. And I began playing with words.”3 Had she never begun playing with words, the world would’ve never known the beauty of her writing. And because the art form has gained so much popularity over the years, it has been proven to inspire writers of all shapes and sizes. Beyond just reaching poets and poetry readers, her work can give guidance to young authors just like me, who want major opportunities and to be noticed in the big-shot world of publishing.
As I begin my college journey, applying for scholarships and jobs and juggling my senior year while simultaneously continuing my social life, I find myself turning to Ms. Brooks for inspiration in my poetry. Had I never been exposed to Ms. Popoff and everyone else in the Young Authors Academy, I wouldn’t have made the many accomplishments, including my published Golden Shovels, that have helped me stand out from the academic crowd. Now that I’m aware of the art that Brooks has provided the poetry community for decades, I can also find myself looking for inspiration in a Golden Shovel whenever I have free time. Today, I know that most of my problems can be solved, if not by rational and positive thinking, then by simply writing my heart out, in the styles of poets I can’t help but imitate, allowing me to grow in the educational experiences to come.