Caroline Giles Banks

Playing Fields

Seemingly benign—after all, they concern childhood education—
public school board elections enter the fray of culture wars.
Nominees seesaw on curriculum and library selections, sparring
over the merits of Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning books.

Hear their voices teeter-totter.
“… welcome an inclusive, diverse, and equitable district.”
“… get politics and activism out of schools.”
“… welcome an inclusive, diverse, and equitable district.”
“… get poetics and activism out of schools.”

banned
Shakespeare’s complete works
Et tu, Brute
you are
the company you keep

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About the Author

Caroline Giles Banks, born in Boston, is a cultural anthropologist whose poetry is often informed by her anthropological training and research. She is the author of several books of poetry, including Pressing Matters: Haiku, Senryu, and Haibun Poems; The Clay Jar: Haiku, Senryu and Haibun Poems; and The Weight of Whiteness: A Memoir in Poetry. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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