World Class

There are 325 languages spoken in the United States and over a million immigrants enrolled in federally funded English classes. Most are beginners. In this collection of poems, an ESL teacher and former expat illustrates her students' struggles and triumphs by addressing their linguistic challenges and culture shock alongside broader social issues such as poverty, spousal abuse, religious traditions, illegal immigration, education, the role of women in other cultures, and the mental scars of war. Their stories are heart-breaking, uplifting, and tinged with unexpected humor that shines a new light on their place in America.

"You will never think the same about immigrant workers and their children after you read these poems. And you will better appreciate the passion, frustration, pain and joy of those who teach English as a second language.
A remarkable achievement in a few words."
- Newt Gingrich, 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives

"Elkin manages to capture the amusing without poking fun and to embody the heartbreaking without resorting to pity. Instead she employs the strong rhythms of accentual verse to explore what it is like to teach and to learn from students whose stories span the globe."
-Sue Ellen Thompson, author of The Golden Hour and winner of the 2010 Maryland Author Award

J.C. Elkin is a graduate of Bates College, Southern Connecticut State University, and the Defense Language Institute. Founder of The Broadneck Writers' Workshop, she is a Pushcart Prize nominee whose work has been recognized by Poetry Matters, The Poetry Society of New Hampshire, and the Maryland Writers' Association. An E.S.L. instructor at Anne Arundel Community College, she also works as a theater critic and singer, and makes her home on the Chesapeake Bay.