These Dads Are Doing It Right – Part 186 – Dads Who Are Poets And Know It 

This week for the These Dads Are Doing It Right series I want to put the spotlight on some dads who are poets. In this case they know it. There are many touching and endearing poems on fatherhood I would suggest you check out. Here are four of them. In addition, if there are any other dads that you think we should check out leave their name and info in the comment section below. 

Li-Young Lee – One Of The Dad Poets 

Li-Young Lee is the author of four collections of poetry. One of those collections is the Book of My Nights. The City in Which I Love You is another and Rose, won the Delmore Schwartz Memorial Poetry Award. His other work includes Breaking the Alabaster Jar: Conversations with Li-Young Lee. It is a collection of twelve interviews with Lee at various stages of his artistic development. In addition there is The Winged Seed: A Remembrance, a memoir which received an American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation. He lives in Chicago, Illinois, with his wife and their two sons. 

Quincy Troupe – Poem for My Father

Quincy Troupe is an awarding-winning author of 12 volumes of poetry, three children’s books, and six non-fiction works. In 2010 Troupe received the American Book Award for Lifetime Literary Achievement. He co-wrote The Pursuit of Happyness. That book spent over 40 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. It was made into a major motion picture starring Will Smith. In addition, he is the author of Miles & Me, a memoir of his friendship with Miles Davis, soon to be a major motion picture co-produced by Denzel Washington.

David Stanley 

David L. Stanley, B.S., M.A., is a Michigan based writer, voice-over actor, and audiobook narrator. He speaks regularly on fatherhood, education, and cancer advocacy issues. His voice over work can be heard at Myvoiceovermasters.com. He has nearly 30 audiobook narrations under his belt. Therefore make sure you search for him on Audible.com. Plus he has a sub-stack that focuses on sonnets and poems. Check out his work here. Below is one of his sonnets.

I kept one Hoodie. Sonnet 283
Those years ago, you were my little boy.
You held my thumb, and later, held my hand.
I never felt such tenderhearted joy;
it spoke in ways I could not understand.
The toddler hugs, the flying through the air;
all gone too soon, the giddy laughter stopped.
We were inseparable, but now a pair.
I saw you growing fast, and I was shocked.
You first became a teen, and then a man.
We butted heads, as sons and fathers must.
You showed me that at last you had a plan,
I hugged you hard, a dad-hug full of trust.
In my closet, your hoodie will remain.
I put it on, I feel your hugs again.
—January 2024 —

Edgar Guest – Only A Dad 

Edgar Guest was born in Birmingham, England. The family settled in Detroit, Michigan, in 1891. When his father, Edwin lost his job in 1893, eleven-year-old Edgar between working odd jobs after school. In 1895 he was hired as a copy boy for the Detroit Free Press, where he would work for almost sixty-five years. His father died when the poet was seventeen, and Guest was forced to drop out of high school and work full time at the newspaper. He worked his way up from a copy boy to a job in the news department. His first poem appeared on December 11, 1898. His poem, Only A Dad is a famous poem on fatherhood. He and his wife, Nellie had three children.