People For the American Way President Svante Myrick discuss art and activism with poet and New World Foundation President Dr. Colin Greer, author of a new collection of poems titled If But My Gaze Could Heal.

About If But My Gaze Could Heal

An engaging, moving, and poignant book of poetry from a well-known leader, educator, and writer with notable endorsements from Reverend Billy Talen (Church of Stop Shopping), Carolyn Martin (poetry editor at Kosmos Journal), and Alice Reys (Singer Dancer) among others.

Colin Greer knows a lot about a lot. His rich life as an educator and author/playwright, emersed in the social and political justice trenches, is reflected in his latest poetry book alongside his wordily wisdom. The author muses on the human condition through verse, taking the lucky reader through the ordinary, the personal, the sublime, and tragic alike. If But My Gaze Could Heal’s 150 poems are thoughtfully broken into five thematic chapters: With or Without Which, Mischief and Melancholy, Stick out your Tongue, Phew!, and What is Hidden and Hidden From.

About Dr. Colin Greer

Dr. Colin Greer has been the President of the New World Foundation. Formerly, he was a Professor at Brooklyn College, CUNY.

He has written, co-authored and edited numerous books on immigration, education and public policy. He is best known for The Great School Legend and co-author of Choosing Equality: The Case for Democratic Schooling (which won the American Library Association’s Eli M. Obole Intellectual Freedom Award). He was a founding editor of Social Policy Magazine and a contributing editor to Parade Magazine for 17 years.

He also writes plays and poetry. Two of his plays are collected in Religious Differences Between Artichokes. He has published three books of poetry, most recently If But My Gaze Could Heal and Defeat/No Surrender.