After her daughter was caught in the crossfire of a shootout, Jacqueline Allen Trimble penned a poem that asks: how do we sing when every note sounds like a gunshot?

In his new collection, the Affrilachian Poets founder gives voice to Black Civil War soldiers and their families, aiming to uncover hidden truths inside Southern history.

Three poems from—and a compelling interview with—Alabama’s inimitable Jacqueline Allen Trimble.

“Educate” has Latin roots, meaning “to draw out” from within or “to lead out” into something larger. The Alabama poet Dr. Jacqueline Allen Trimble calls out the powerful people who want our schools to do neither.