Ask The Puma Research Guides: Dear John, Dear Coltrane

Dear John, Dear Coltrane

African-American poet Michael (Steven) Harper wrote ” Dear John, Dear Coltrane” in 1970 about jazz saxophone legend, John Coltrane. This poem was  included in his first volume of the same name.   His use of repetition and lyric fragmentation in this poem displays the influence of not only that music, but the slower-paced traditions of African-American blues, gospel, and folk music.   In this poem, Harper is   innovative in his use of jazz rhythms and cultural allusion.  This poem was also included in a more recent Harper volume--Songlines in Michaeltree: New and Collected Poems (2000).

LINCCWeb online catalog – Search Terms

• Harper, Michael  (Author Keywords)
• Harper, Michael Steven (Subject Keywords)

Call Numbers for Browsing the Shelves

• PS153
• PS508

Circulating Books – A Selected List

• Andrews, William L, ed.  The Concise Oxford Companion to African American

Literature.  2001.

                         Call Number:  PS153.N5 C59 2001

• Gates, Henry Louis, Jr., and McKay, Nellie Y., ed.  The Norton Anthology of African American Literature. Second edition. 2004.

                        Call Number:  PS508.N3 N67 2004

• Lock, Graham and Murray, David, ed.    thriving on a riff; jazz & blues influences in African American literature and film. 2009.

                       Call Number:  PS153.N5 T465 2009

Reference Materials

• Contemporary Authors NR Series --  Call Number.   REF PN771.C58

o   Vol. 24, p. 226

• Contemporary Literary  Criticism. – Call Number.  REF PN771.C59

o   Vol. 7, p. 139

o   Vol. 22, p. 207

• Dictionary of Literary Biography. – Call Number.  REF PS 221.D5

o   Vol. 41, p. 157

• Masterplots II:  Poetry Series (Revised Edition). – Call Number:  REF PN1110.5 .M37 2002

o   Vol. 2, p. 946

Research Databases

To access Valencia’s research databases, open your Atlas account, select ‘Search the Library’, then select ‘Databases A-Z’.

• JSTOR
• Literary Reference Center Plus
• Literature Criticism Online
• Literature Resources from Gale
• Poetry & Short Story Reference Center (EBSCO) 

This Research Guide is designed to help users find information on a particular topic within the Valencia College East Campus Library.  This is by no means a comprehensive list of resources and other resources may be available on this topic.  Please check the LINCCWeb, Valencia East’s online catalog, to verify the availability of circulating books within the library.  Feel free to ask a librarian for help if you need further assistance.

Valencia College East Campus Library

Last Revised November 21, 2021