A Place in the Country By Toi Derricotte (Grade 7-9)

Toi Dericotte is the author of numerous poetry collections, including “The Empress of the Death House” and “I,” earning numerous awards from the 2020 Frost Medal by the Poetry Society of America and the Wallace Stevens 2021 Award by the Academy of American Poets. She was also the Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets between 2012-2017. Her poem, “A Place in the Country,” tells the story of the struggles that African American citizens face when dealing with common tasks, like the buying or selling of a house. The book extends the theme of present discrimination against African American citizens.