A golden shovel is a

poetic form Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in a ...

in which the last word of each line forms a second, pre-existing

poem Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in ...

(or section thereof), to which the poet is paying homage. It was created by

Terrance Hayes Terrance Hayes (born November 18, 1971) is an American poet and educator who has published seven poetry collections. His 2010 collection, ''Lighthead'', won the National Book Award for Poetry in 2010. In September 2014, he was one of 21 recipients ...

, whose poem "Golden Shovel" (from his 2010 collection ''Lighthead'')The End of the Line: Terrance Hayes and Formal Innovation
by

Dora Malech Dora Malech (born September 4, 1981) is an American poet. Life Malech grew up in Bethesda, Maryland, earned a BA in Fine Arts from Yale University in 2003, and received her MFA in Poetry from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop in 2005. Sh ...

, in ''

The Kenyon Review ''The Kenyon Review'' is a literary magazine based in Gambier, Ohio, US, home of Kenyon College. ''The Review'' was founded in 1939 by John Crowe Ransom, critic and professor of English at Kenyon College, who served as its editor until 1959. ' ...

''; published December 22, 2016; retrieved February 15, 2020 is based on

Gwendolyn Brooks Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks (June 7, 1917 – December 3, 2000) was an American poet, author, and teacher. Her work often dealt with the personal celebrations and struggles of ordinary people in her community. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetr ...

' "

We Real Cool In Modern English, ''we'' is a plural, first-person pronoun. Morphology In Standard Modern English, ''we'' has six distinct shapes for five word forms: * ''we'': the nominative (subjective) form * ''us'' and ': the accusative (objective; ...

" (which begins with an epigraph that includes the phrase "Golden Shovel"). ''

Writer's Digest ''Writer's Digest'' is an American magazine aimed at beginning and established writers. It contains interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles. History ''Writer's Digest'' was first published in December 1920 under ...

'' described it as "sort of in the tradition of the

cento The Middle East Treaty Organization (METO), also known as the Baghdad Pact and subsequently known as the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO), was a military alliance of the Cold War. It was formed in 24 February 1955 by Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Turk ...

and

erasure Erasure () is an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985, consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter Andy Bell with songwriter, producer and keyboardist Vince Clarke, previously known as co-founder of the band Depeche Mode and a membe ...

", but with "a lot more room for creativity,"Golden Shovel: Poetic Form
by Robert Lee Brewer, in ''

''; published June 24, 2014; retrieved February 15, 2020 while in ''

'',

called it "a kind of reverse-

acrostic An acrostic is a poem or other word composition in which the ''first'' letter (or syllable, or word) of each new line (or paragraph, or other recurring feature in the text) spells out a word, message or the alphabet. The term comes from the Fre ...

variation".

Claudia Rankine Claudia Rankine (; born September 4, 1963) is an American poet, essayist, playwright and the editor of several anthologies. She is the author of five volumes of poetry, two plays and various essays. Her book of poetry, '' Citizen: An American L ...

noted that a golden shovel "always remains in conversation with" the poem on which it is based,Claudia Rankine on the Legacy of Gwendolyn Brooks
by

, in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''; published July 31, 2017; retrieved February 15, 2020 while

Don Share Don Share is an American poet. He is the former chief editor of ''Poetry'' magazine in Chicago. He grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. Career Share, who was named the editor-in-chief of ''Poetry'' in 2013, previously served there as Senior Editor. E ...

observed that golden shovels "can be quite different in subject, tone, and texture from the source poem, depending upon the ingenuity and imagination of the poet".Introduction: The Golden Shovel
by

, originally published in ''

Poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

'', February 2017 issue; archived online February 1, 2017; retrieved February 15, 2020 In a discussion at

LitHub Literary Hub is a daily literary website that launched in 2015 by Grove Atlantic president and publisher Morgan Entrekin, American Society of Magazine Editors Hall of Fame editor Terry McDonell, and Electric Literature founder Andy Hunter. Conten ...

Adam Levin Adam Levin (b. 1976/77) is an American fiction author. His short fiction has been published in places like ''Timothy McSweeney's Quarterly Concern'' and ''Tin House''. Currently, he resides in Chicago, where he teaches Creative Writing and Litera ...

stated that he considers it to be a "puzzle" that can "challenge" poets, and that in terms of difficulty it is comparable to

sestina A sestina (, from ''sesto'', sixth; Old Occitan: ''cledisat'' ; also known as ''sestine'', ''sextine'', ''sextain'') is a fixed verse, fixed verse form consisting of six stanzas of six lines each, normally followed by a three-line envoi. The wor ...

and

pantoum The pantoum is a poetic form derived from the pantun, a Malay verse form: specifically from the ''pantun berkait'', a series of interwoven quatrains. Structure The pantoum is a form of poetry similar to a villanelle in that there are repeating lin ...

.Inventing a New Poetic Form To Honor Gwendolyn Brooks: A Roundtable Conversation With Poets from The Golden Shovel Anthology
at ''

''; published June 7, 2017; retrieved February 15, 2020

Origin

When Hayes decided that his five-year-old son should memorize "We Real Cool", the two of them recited the poem so many times that "(o)ne night, even as ayesbegan digging for isown words, Brooks kept playing in ishead. edecided to string the whole poem down the page and write into it."Foreword to ''The Golden Shovel Anthology''
by

, published February 2017 by

University of Arkansas Press The University of Arkansas Press is a university press that is part of the University of Arkansas and has been a member of the Association of University Presses since 1984. Its mission is to publish peer-reviewed books and academic journals. It wa ...

, excerpted at the

Poetry Society The Poetry Society is a membership organisation, open to all, whose stated aim is "to promote the study, use and enjoyment of poetry". The society was founded in London in February 1909 as the Poetry Recital Society, becoming the Poetry Society ...

References

{{reflist Poetic forms