annie ruth’s conversations with a c /c st sisterfriend...

Annie Ruth’s

Conversations with a Sisterfriend

A straight-talk and interactive dialog that inspires reflection, overcoming adversity and writing from experience.

Education/community RElations 650 Walnut st. cincinnati, oH 45202PHonE 513-977-4116Fax [email protected]

Study Guide

Written by Annie Ruth

Edited & Designed by Kathleen Riemenschneider

Artists on Tour

Classroom photo by Rich Sofranko

Cincinnati Arts Association � Conversations with a Sisterfriend

Annie Ruth’S CommentS: The Conversations with a Sisterfriend artist visit is meant to be an inspirational arts experience and lesson utilizing poetry to share a message of affirmation, hope, inspiration, and overcoming adversity.

I created this structured visit and lesson to encourage dialog between generations of women and expose students to the work of positive African American females. My goal is to enhance their understanding of the power of poetry and inspirational verse.

Presentation FormatWomen writers have helped to bring many experiences to life for millions of readers. Through

readings from her book, Conversations with a Sisterfriend, Annie Ruth introduces students to writing creative works inspired by life’s experiences.1. Introduction–Annie Ruth: How I got started writing2. Whatdoyousee?–Using visual art to prompt or inspire your thoughts3. What’sinyourpersonalexperience?–Reviewing works from Maya Angelou, Nikki Giovanni, and

Annie Ruth4. Thecreativewritingjourneybegins…One of the best ways to begin writing is to pull from your

own experiences

Annie Ruth is an award-winning poet, author, and performing artist who uses her voice to inspire women nationally. She exhorts people from all walks of life to embrace the power of a positive self-image and walk in their unique gifting. Annie Ruth earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from National University in San Diego, California and is a trailblazer who has received critical acclaim for her work. She is the author and illustrator of more than 15 books, articles and inspirational commentaries for both children and adults. She is active within the community, leading causes that impact women, children, the arts, and literacy. She has a passion for empowering youth and has consistently produced arts, literacy and education projects that benefit the community at large. Her work has impacted countless people across the country.

Poems “Still I Rise” and “Phenomenal Woman” © by Maya Angelo; “Nikki-Rosa” and “EgoTrippin” © by Nikki Giovanni; “Uncle Johnny,” “What I Am,” “A Black Woman, Nothing Else” and “No, You’re Not” © by Annie Ruth. All materials are used for educational purposes only.


Partial Glossary oF Poetic terms

PRoSe—ordinary language that people use in speaking or writing, without metrical structure – straightforward.

PoetRy—form of imaginative literary expression that makes its effect by the sound and imagery of language. Poetry is essentially rhythmic and usually metrical and it frequently has a stanziac structure. It is these characteristics that the difference between poetry and other kinds of imaginative writing can be discerned.

1. SubjeCt, theme, And meAninG—The subject or topic of the poem is its general or specific area of concern, such as love (the love of a particular person), disgust (disgust of a particular situation); most poems make statements about a subject.

Subjects offer a variety of themes: e.g. Sista is a statement of loving unconditionally or a tear is an outward releasing of monumental love. Therefore the poem’s theme is the statement it makes about its subject.

Sometimes the poem may have hidden meanings, which implies the poem is a puzzle or that the author is deliberately obscuring his or her point. Meaning is the poem’s combination of themes and statements about a subject or series of subjects. But however we dissect the poem by trying to establish its meaning—this is usually never the poem itself.

2. Attitude, tone, And AudienCe—Not only what is said determines the poem’s meaning and effect but how and to whom it said is important. The term tone represents the author’s attitude toward what his poem is literally saying. Words to describe the tone may be “comic,” “sincere,” “straightforward,” “angry,” “boastful,” etc.

It’s often useful to know the imagined audience of the poem because the poet is not only writing for himself but he is writing to move and influence the hearers. Poems are meant to be read and experienced by someone other than the poet.

Poems use artistic or poetic devices to generate an effect: An allusion is a reference to something outside of the poem (history) to back up generalizations.

3. SPeAkeR—Distinguish between the person who wrote the poem from the person who is speaking in the poem. Oftentimes the author creates characters and deliberately speaks through them.

4. SituAtion And SettinG—Just like stories and plays, many poems have settings. The effect of the poem may rely heavily upon recognizing its setting.


5. LAnGuAGe And PoetRy—Words are the wood and nails of poetry. Word choice (diction) is usually calculated carefully. Often words are used because of their precision or multiple uses. Where words are placed is important too; like prose, poetry usually follows a word order but sometimes words are moved around for emphasis or special effects in sound.

6. FiGuRAtive LAnGuAGe—Metaphors pretend that one thing is something else, thus making a comparison between the things, e.g. storms could indicate hard times. George Washington is the father of our country would show father as being the leader. Comparison, (I am like the Sower).

7. FoRm And StRuCtuRe—The form of the poem has to do with its appearance. Structure supports form. The order arrangement of all the poem parts—words, images, figures of speech, ideas, grammar, and presentation of ideas.

8. the Study oF Sound And Rhythm in PoetRy (PRoSody)—The rhythm of a passage in prose or poetry is the pattern of sound pulsation in the voice as one reads it. Almost all spoken language has some kind of rhythm. Stress is relative (what may be accented).

9. StAnzA And veRSe FoRmS—Most poems of more than four lines are divided into stanzas, groups of lines with a specific context of their own. Traditionally stanzas are linked by a common rhyme scheme.

10.mode oF the Poem—In literature the mode is the basic literary pattern of organizing experience. The narrative mode tells a story and organizes experience (e.g. “Uncle Johnny”). A hymn is a song of praise, usually in praise of God.

11.WideR ContextS—Context is the circumstances that surround the making of the poem – occasional, historical, cultural, etc.

Cincinnati Arts Association 5 Conversations with a Sisterfriend

exercise one (Visual art and analytical thinkinG)

On a separate piece of paper, tell what you see depicted in the photograph. The name that I gave the photograph is “The Transference.” It could also be called “Inheritance.” Based on what is shown in the photograph, what would you name it? Tell why.

Hint: Don’t simply write what you see with your natural eye. Feel what the images in the photograph speak to your heart and spirit. Look for any symbolism in the images as well.

© Chevaness Greene. Used with permission of the photographer.

The Transference


exercise two (Visual art and thematic writinG)

On a separate piece of paper, tell what you think “The Sisterhood” could be.Hint: There are more things which bring us together than those things which separate us.

© Clatties Moorer. Used with permission of the photographer.

The Sisterhood


exercise three (analytical thinkinG and writinG)

The voice of the work is the message that the audience hears. Everyone has a message to share or something to say. Literature is an excellent way to establish a voice. That voice can be portrayed in many ways. You can share your feelings or point of view directly with the audience in the form of a speech or commentary. Or, you can create characters in poetry or prose. The poems by Maya Angelou, Nikki Giovanni and Annie Ruth have a voice. Oftentimes the voice of the poem is the poet’s voice but at times the poem reveals a voice beyond that of the poet.

Study the following authors and their works. Discuss the works among your group and use them as inspiration to develop your voice and a voice for your work.

maya anGelou Regarded by many to be the greatest work of one of America’s greatest living authors, I Know Why

the Caged Bird Sings is the tragic yet heart-warming story of Maya Angelou’s life from birth to young adulthood. Angelou lacked a stable home environment, shuffling between her grandparents, her mother, and her father, with her best friend and brother, Bailey. A bright and capable child, at eight-years-old Angelou is physically and emotionally devastated when her mother’s boyfriend raped her. She shuts herself off to the world, speaking only to Bailey for years, until a kind and loving teacher pulls her out of her silence. Angelou eventually moves to California, where her adventures include running away from home, getting pregnant, and becoming the first African American streetcar conductor in San Francisco.

The title of the book comes from the third stanza of the poem “Sympathy” by Paul Laurence Dunbar:I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,When he beats his bars and would be free;It is not a carol of joy or glee,But a prayer that he sends from his heart’s deep core,But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings –I know why the caged bird sings

Dr. Angelou began writing as a means of freeing herself and moving beyond her pain. Many of her themes speak to overcoming obstacles, embracing universal sisterhood, and celebrating womanhood.


still i riseBy Maya Angelou

You may write me down in historyWith your bitter, twisted lies,You may trod me in the very dirtBut still, like dust, I’ll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?Why are you beset with gloom?‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wellsPumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,With the certainty of tides,Just like hopes springing high,Still I’ll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?Bowed head and lowered eyes?Shoulders falling down like teardrops,Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?Don’t you take it awful hard‘Cause I laugh like I got gold minesDiggin’ in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,You may cut me with your eyes,You may kill me with your hatefulness,But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?Does it come as a surpriseThat I dance like I’ve got diamondsAt the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history’s shameI riseUp from a past that’s rooted in painI riseI’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fearI riseInto a daybreak that’s wondrously clearI riseBringing the gifts my ancestors gave,I am the dream and the hope of the slave.I riseI riseI rise.


Phenomenal womanBy Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret liesI’m not cute or built to suit a model’s fashion sizeBut when I start to tell them They think I’m telling lies. I say It’s in the reach of my arms The span of my hips The stride of my steps The curl of my lips. I’m a woman Phenomenally Phenomenal woman That’s me.

I walk into a room Just as cool as you please And to a man The fellows stand or Fall down on their knees Then they swarm around me A hive of honey bees. I say It’s the fire in my eyes And the flash of my teeth The swing of my waist And the joy in my feet. I’m a woman Phenomenally Phenomenal woman That’s me.

Men themselves have wondered What they see in me They try so much But they can’t touch My inner mystery. When I try to show them They say they still can’t see. I say It’s in the arch of my back The sun of my smile The ride of my breasts The grace of my style. I’m a woman Phenomenally Phenomenal woman That’s me.

Now you understand Just why my head’s not bowed I don’t shout or jump about Or have to talk real loud When you see me passing It ought to make you proud. I say It’s in the click of my heels The bend of my hair The palm of my hand The need for my care. ‘Cause I’m a woman Phenomenally Phenomenal woman That’s me.


nikki GioVanniNikki Giovanni is a world-renowned poet,

writer, commentator, activist, and educator. Over the past 30 years, her outspokenness, in her writing and in lectures, has brought the eyes of the world upon her. One of the most widely-read American poets, she prides herself on being “a Black American, a daughter, a mother, a professor of English.” Giovanni remains as determined and committed as ever to the fight for civil rights and equality. Always insisting on presenting the truth as she sees it, she has maintained a prominent place as a strong voice of the Black community. Her focus is on the individual, specifically, on the power one has to make a difference in oneself, and thus, in the lives of others.

Nikki Giovanni was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, and grew up in Lincoln Heights, an all-black suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio. She and her sister spent their summers with their grandparents in Knoxville, and she graduated with honors from Fisk University, her grandfather’s alma mater, in 1968; after graduating from Fisk, she attended the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University. She published her first book of poetry, Black Feeling Black Talk, in 1968, and within the next year published a second book, thus launching her career as a writer.

(Bio Courtesy of www.nikki-giovanni.com)

nikki-rosa By Nikki Giovannichildhood remembrances are always a dragif you’re Blackyou always remember things like living in Woodlawnwith no inside toiletand if you become famous or somethingthey never talk about how happy you were to haveyour motherall to yourself andhow good the water felt when you got your bathfrom one of thosebig tubs that folk in Chicago barbeque inand somehow when you talk about homeit never gets across how much youunderstood their feelingsas the whole family attended meetings about Hollydaleand even though you rememberyour biographers never understandyour father’s pain as he sells his stockand another dream goesAnd though you’re poor it isn’t poverty thatconcerns youand though they fought a lotit isn’t your father’s drinking that makes any differencebut only that everybody is together and youand your sister have happy birthdays and very goodChristmasesand I really hope no white person ever has causeto write about mebecause they never understandBlack love is Black wealth and they’llprobably talk about my hard childhoodand never understand thatall the while I was quite happy


eGo triPPin’By Nikki Giovanni

I was born in the CongoI walked to the fertile crescent and built the SphinxI designed a pyramid so tough that a starthat glows every one hundred years falls intothe center giving divine perfect lightI AM BADI sat on the thronedrinking nectar with AllahI got hot and sent an ice age to Europeto cool my thirst.My oldest daughter is Nefertitithe tears from by birth pains created the NileI am a beautiful womanI gazed on a forest and burned out theSahara DesertWith a packet of goat’s meatand a change of clothes–I crossed it in two hoursI am a gazelle so swift–so swift – you can’t catch meFor a birthday present when he was threeI gave my son Hannibal an elephant–He gave me Rome for Mother’s DayMy strength flows ever onMy son Noah built new/ark andI stood proudly at the helmas we sailed on a soft summer dayI turned myself into myself–and was Jesus!men intone my loving nameAll praises – All praisesI am one who would save

I sowed diamonds in my backyardMy bowels deliver uraniumthe filings from my fingernailsare semi-precious jewelsOn a trip north I caught a cold and blew my nosegiving oil to the Arab worldI am so hip – even my errors are correctI sailed east to reach west – and had to round off theearth as I wentThe hair from my head thinned and gold was laidacross three continents


exercise Four (Visual art, analytical thinkinG and writinG)

Through the years Annie Ruth has had the opportunity to meet both Maya Angelou and Nikki Giovanni in up-close and personal settings. Their words have directly impacted her work. Dr. Maya Angelou’s encouragement to “be a rainbow” and Nikki Giovanni’s example of “creating an arts movement” are demonstrated in Annie Ruth’s life and work in the community. Annie Ruth’s voice resounds through her poetry and her poems have a voice of their own as well. Her message is one that speaks directly to women and youth.

© Annie Ruth. Used with permission of the artist.


rainbow oF sistersQuestion: The artwork above, created by Annie Ruth, is called “Rainbow of Sisters.” What do you feel

it represents?

annie ruthShe was still a child when she began drawing. Her writing came later. It burst out of her over 25

years ago. She was a teenager trying to deal with the loss of a four-year-old nephew who died in a fire. Annie Ruth turned to poetry. Before long, she self-published that poetry and more in a booklet that she sold door-to-door through the neighborhood. The money she raised ($2 a booklet) helped two young women with a small scholarship to continue their education.

Annie Ruth uses both poetry and prose to relay a positive message. Although she’s known for addressing heart-felt topics that bring up deep emotions and often painful experiences, the essence of her message is “triumph over adversity,” “love of self and self-acceptance,” and “universal sisterhood.”

No matter how difficult the subject, her theme is always “the positive and the uplifting” both in her writing and visual art. “It’s so important to reinforce those messages with young people.

“It’s about knowing that there’s more than the surface of what you see. It’s about not judging people on where they live or on the mistakes their family members may have made.”

Annie Ruth doesn’t just write for young people, she gets young people writing. It’s vital, she says, to “provoke literacy,” to get young people to write about their experiences and feelings, to get them thinking about the issues that most concern them.

QueStion: The cover design to the left is from Annie Ruth’s spoken word CD. Why do you think she used past childhood photographs of herself on the cover?


uncle JohnnyBy Annie Ruth

I guess it must’ve happenedThe first time when I was thirteen‘cause he snuck me in his basementSo I could not be seen.

He said, “Don’t talk too loudOr make too much noise”And if you’re a good girlI’ll buy you fancy toys.

I said, “Okay Uncle Johnny,I’ll do whatever you say–‘cause mama said you are my elderAnd I always should obey.”

He said, “That’s right darling,I’m your Uncle Johhny, you see;Just watch what I am doingAnd do everything like me.”

This game seemed kinda funny;I had never played beforeWhat kinda game was this That kept us lying on the floor?

I looked at Uncle JohnnyAnd he looked right back at me;My all time favorite uncleWho I’d always love to see.

He said, “Darling don’t you tellYour mama where you’ve been;Say you where at Sharon’s houseOr with another friend.”

I said, “Uncle Johnny,I cannot tell a lie.”But I knew what had happenedCould destroy my mother’s life.

So I never told anybodyTo this very day‘caused I lost my prized possessionMy Uncle Johnny’s way.

And now when I hear a storyThat reminds me of that night,I wonder within myselfCan I ever make it right.

I’m glad you were here to listenAnd understand what I’ve been through–All the pain and guilty feelingsWhich kept my life so blue.

And since we’ve shared these momentsWhich delivered me from this hell,I’m sure I will feel better–At last I will be well.


what i am (Female Version)By Annie Ruth

I’m not Trash or dirt—I was put here toAssert

MyselfI am a queen

I am intelligentI am courageousI am successfulAnd I pray it is contagiousSo this mind set can spreadThroughout my familyMy schoolAnd my communityI am a queen

I know who I amBecause knowledge is powerAnd if I believe it then I achieve itThere is power in what I speak to myselfWhat I think about myself

I am strengthI am beautyI am depthI am warmthThat’s what I am

I am royaltyI am loveI am gentlenessI am perseveranceI am determination…That’s what I am

I am creativeI am uniqueI am positiveI am brillianceThat’s what I am

I am daughterI am an exampleThat’s what I am

I am sisterI am baby girlI am sista friend

There ain’t nothin’ that I can’t doBecause I am filled with “Yes I can’s”I can is poured into meBecause I’ve learned toPour it into myself.‘cause I am a queen

I am the paver of new pathsThe bearer of the torch of greatnessMy future is in my hands.I will determine my destinyThe power is in my hands.

YES, I can…YES, I can…YES, I can‘cause I am a queen

That’s what I am

‘cause I am a queenThat’s who I amcause I am a queen


a black woman, nothinG elseBy Annie Ruth

There used to be a time whenI was ashamed of my skin.I received tormenting jokesFrom all of my friends.

Of course it wasn’t doneTo make me feel this wayBut being blackGave me much dismay.

“African, charcoal, Black Baby,”I would hear.But no one even noticed or knewThat I had silent tears.

Those names became nicknames andI’d hear them everyday at school‘cause when I was young and growing upI’d play by my peers’ rules.

One day when I was still youngMy father left us allAnd married a white womanWho beckoned his every call.

I was really ashamed of my skin then,I thought it was very bad,I thought the white womanHad something, which I could never have.

But one day when I was still youngI met a black lady darker than I was,She cherished and boasted that herColor was a gift from above.

She told me that I was beautiful–Something no one had ever done.She said, “your skin is so black and smooth–Which shows the perfecting of the sun.”

She said, “To match thePretty black skin Your teeth are white as snowAnd I’m sure that you will show themEverywhere that you go.”

Everyday she would tell me thisAnd her words began to spread.They came from other peopleI never even met.

The words of my friends changed to,“Let me feel your faceAnd let me see you grin”–For sister, you are beautiful–Be proud of the color of your skin.

Now, I’m not ashamed of my skinThough obstacles it may bring.I proclaim to the world that I amA Black Woman, the element of spring.

I blossom with happinessAnd pride within myselfFor I am A Black WomanAnd I wish to be nothing else.


no! you’re notBy Annie Ruth

“I’m a bitch.” I guess I was about as shocked as you are when I heard those words come from a little nine-year-old girl’s mouth. That’s the kind of word that people fight about—The kind of word that makes religious folks shudder. That’s the word that describes the lowest of animals, at least figuratively, that one can think of.

So why would a nine-year-old girl believe that she is a bitch? “NO you’re not,” I said, “and anyone who calls you that is wrong. You’re not a bitch.” (I almost said, you’re not a “B” because that’s the term we non-cussin’ folks use.

That term didn’t seem appropriate on this day.)This little girl was hurting and believed that she was a female dog.Somewhere along the course of her life someone had told her that and now she believed it. That’s

where low self-esteem comes from. Somewhere in people’s lives they have been treated low, looked upon as low, and called low so they embrace lowliness, and in this case the little nine-year-old girl had embraced being called a bitch and really believed she was one—

(Just as sure as she was black, she believed it).So you see, responding with “you’re not a ‘B’” was out of the question. I had to communicate in the

language, which she understood (which really wasn’t bad at all.)Society made bitch a bad word. The word, which originally stood for a female dog, was used

to describe black female slaves and now it is used to describe the lowest of women – the lowest of persons.

So by no means was this young girl a bitch. She had to be told this, but it couldn’t stop there. She had to believe that she was not a bitch. So again I said, “No! You’re Not a Bitch” and I noticed a faint smile trying to come through on her face. Somehow I was reaching her. “If you say it enough to yourself, then you’ll believe it,” I said. She smiled again.

So to all those people who feel worthless, useless, and the lowest of low – proclaim to yourselves and others, “I am not a Bitch,” until that smile comes through on your face.

Note: This story contains strong language.


exercise FiVe (analytical thinkinG and writinG)

The voice of the work is the message that the readers or listeners hear. Everyone has a message to share or something to say. It is important because you have to say it. Literature is an excellent way to establish a voice. That voice can be portrayed in many ways. You can share your feelings or point of view directly with the audience or reader in the form of a speech or commentary. Or, you can create characters in poetry or prose.

Assignment: Create poetry or prose to express what you feel or think about something that is important to you. The voice that is shared may be your own or you may develop a central theme of the work.

note: Share your work with Annie Ruth during the author visit.

annie ruth’s conversations with a c /c st sisterfriend...

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