This video segment from Poetry Everywhere features the poet Toi Derricotte reading her poem “Blackbottom” at the Dodge Poetry Festival. Identity is a central human concern: who am I? Where does identity come from? How much is assigned to us at birth (male, female, black, white, rich, poor), and how much is assigned to us during our lives, as other people try to fit us into stereotypes? How much of our identity do we finally create ourselves?

For a biography of the poet Toi Derricotte, please visit the Poetry Foundation Web site.