Nelson, Marilyn: - Marilyn Nelson is the author or translator of over 25 books of poems for adults, young adults, and children, among them Carver: A Life in Poems and A Wreath for Emmett Till. In 2012 she was awarded the Frost Medal for distinguished lifetime achievement in poetry. She is a Chancellor of The Academy of American Poets and Poet-in-Residence of the Poets Corner at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. For years, every time I looked at the photograph of my mother with her 1954-55 class, I wondered what those children experienced. I'm so glad my friends agreed to explore that question. I loved trying to catch Mama's voice in the poems I wrote for this collection.