In the following chapter from her book on three poets, Berke deconstructs the text of For My People, suggesting that the themes of black northward migration and the economic and social conditions of the 1930s are important to an understanding of Walker's work.

In the following interview, conducted in 1986 and published in 1987, Walker discusses her personal life and her working methods and compares herself with other Southern women writers.

In the following essay, Berke calls attention to the often-neglected socially conscious poetry of three writers, including Walker's For My People.

Below, Miller explores Walker's use of Biblical allusions in poems from For my People and Prophets for a New Day.

In the following essay written after Walker's death, Graham offers an overview of her life and work, placing Walker in the context of her literary times.

In the following essay, Boyd examines the contributions of Walker and three black female writers to the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s, and places them in relationship to one another and to their times.

Collier discusses Walker's use of Black myth and ritual in the poems of For my People and Prophets for a New Day.

In the following interview, originally conducted in 1996 and published in 1999, Walker discusses such subjects as influences on her writing, social protest poetry, the postmodernists, and her own humanistic viewpoint.

In the following essay from his book on post-World War II African-America poets, Barksdale emphasizes Walker's attachment to African-American folk traditions in her use of language and subject matter.

In the following excerpt, Barksdale examines Walker's use of folklore in the ballads of For My People and the civil rights poems of Prophets for a New Day.

In the following excerpt, Buckner defines folklore and explores the manner in which Walker uses it in her ballads.

Walker summarizes her poetic career, acknowledging sources of literary inspiration and personal assistance from family members, friends and other writers throughout her life.

In the following review of Walker's poetry, Howe discusses "Epitaph for My Father" from the "October Journey" section and "Fanfare, Coda, and Finale" from the "Farish Street" section of This Is My Century.

In the following essay, delivered at New York University following Walker's death, Baraka emphasizes her unique contributions to American literature.

In this excerpt from the Foreword to For My People, Benét introduces Walker as a promising new poet whose sincerity and talent make her work successful.

In this review of Walker's first volume of poems, Algren compliments her on her ability to communicate as a social poet but faults her for some stylistic weaknesses.