"If poetry is overlooked in schools, African-American poetry is nearly off the radar. And yet, it is a wonderful window through which a reader can see many of the most important social and political issues in our country. Much African-American poetry has deep connections with music—the blues, jazz and gospel—which enhances its appeal to young people."

"Teachers are always looking for high-quality resources of the sort that Furious Flower developed for Target. One of the reasons that poetry is undertaught in our schools is that teachers don’t feel confident about their own knowledge of it. They're puzzled and intimidated by it. Furious Flowers' open-ended lesson plans bring back the fun of poetry. They also cater to overburdened teachers, who can use as much or as little of the curricula as their schedules allow. Because most poems are shorter than novels, they can often be read and discussed in the space of one class period. The pay off comes quickly.

"Furious Flower has well-recognized expertise in the field. We need an organization that could produce high-quality materials and still meet Target’s short deadlines."

"It was delight to work with Furious Flower, even under the tremendous pressures of the deadlines. I hope we can collaborate again in the future."

More information is available at these links:

"Dream in Color" curriculum
www.target.com/dreamincolor

Furious Flower Poetry Center
http://www.jmu.edu/furiousflower

Poetry Foundation
http://poetryfoundation.org/