A Poetics of Global Solidarity traces the transformations of the engaged tradition of modern and contemporary American poetry. Clemens Spahr argues that the presence or absence of social and political movements has crucially shaped the imagination of writers who see poetry as a form of cultural practice. The book offers readings of the poetry of the Great Depression, the Harlem Renaissance, post-World War II political poetry, the Beats, and contemporary poetry by writers such as Amiri Baraka and Mark Nowak, as well as song lyrics from IWW songwriter Joe Hill to contemporary rap lyricists and hardcore punk bands. Reading the vision of global solidarity that underlies large parts of modern and contemporary American poetry along the trajectory of the rise and fall of important social and political movements allows us to establish a littérature engagée within the field of American poetry.