Over the past few months publishers have sent me a number of desk copies for my Fall 2019 courses.
For First-Year Composition:
Blanco, Richard. The Prince of Los Cocuyos: A Miami Childhood. 2014. New York: Ecco, 2015.
Irby, Samantha. We Are Never Meeting in Real Life: Essays. New York: Vintage Books, 2017.
Knisley, Lucy. Relish: My Life in the Kitchen. New York: First Second, 2013.
Tea, Michelle. How to Grow Up: A Memoir. New York: Plume, 2015.
As is evident from Blanco’s, Irby’s, and Tea’s books, this is sneakily a queer memoir class as well.
For American Literature Before 1865:
Brown, Charles Brockden. Wieland and Memoirs of Carwin the Biloquist. New York: Penguin Books, 1991.
This, Irving’s, and Wilson’s books are Penguin Classics, which I love.
Hollander, John, ed. American Poetry: The Nineteenth Century, Volume One; Philip Freneau to Walt Whitman. New York: Library of America, 1993.
Over the past year I’ve begun the practice of assigning a poetry anthology in all of my literature classes, which has been an excellent decision. We read one or two poems at the beginning of each class and then spend the rest of the class talking about the longer reading for the day.
Irving, Washington. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories. New York: Penguin Books, 2014.
Wilson, Harriet E. Our Nig, Or, Sketches from the Life of a Free Black. 1859. New York: Penguin Books, 2009.
For African American Literature:
Delany, Samuel R. Dark Reflections. 2007. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2016.
This is an excellent novel that was out of print for quite a while (an issue that many of Delany’s best novels have, unfortunately). I have been wanting to teach it since I first read it, and am glad that Dover has now made this possible.
Harper, Michael S., and Anthony Walton, eds. The Vintage Book of African American Poetry: 200 Years of Vision, Struggle, Power, Beauty, and Triumph from 50 Outstanding Poets. New York: Vintage Books, 2000.
Lorde, Audre. Zami: A New Spelling of My Name. Berkeley, CA: Crossing Press, 1982.
This is one of my favorite memoirs ever.
Morrison, Toni. Sula. 1973. New York: Vintage International, 2004.
Walker, Alice. Meridian. 1976. Orlando: Harvest, 2003.
I wrote a dissertation chapter on this novel many years ago, haha.
