New York, NY (September 22, 2020)— The Academy of American Poets is pleased to present its Fall–Winter Season, which will be entirely virtual and run from September 2020 through February 2021. Programs include a reading and panel discussions by the Academy of American Poets Chancellors at the biennial Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival; Books Noted Live, a series of readings and conversations featuring poets with new or forthcoming titles; and the Blaney Lecture presented by Adrian Matejka, author of the graphic novel Last On His Feet (Liveright, 2021) and the poetry collection Map to the Stars (Penguin Books, 2017), a finalist for the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize, and a 2019 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow.
The Academy of American Poets’ 2020–2021 Fall–Winter season is made possible in part by support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts.
The Academy of American Poets is committed to hosting accessible, inclusive events. If you require an accommodation or service or if you are experiencing any accessibility issues with the registration site, please contact us at [email protected] at least 24-hours prior to the event.
SCHEDULE:
Friday, September 25 at 7 p.m. EDT: “Books Noted Live: A Reading and Conversation” with Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, author of The Age of Phillis (Wesleyan University Press, 2020), which was longlisted for the 2020 National Book Award for Poetry, and Tyree Daye, author of Cardinal (Copper Canyon Press, 2020). ASL services provided. Free with registration. Watch a recording of this event.
To order Jeffers’ book, visit: https://bookshop.org/a/262/9780819579492
To order Daye’s book, visit: https://bookshop.org/a/11503/9781556595738
Thursday, October 1 at 7 p.m. EDT: “A Q+A with Maggie Smith.” An exclusive conversation with poet Maggie Smith about her forthcoming book, Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity, and Change (Simon & Schuster, 2020). Available only to members at the Patron level and above. To become a Patron of the Academy of American Poets and join this free event, visit: poets.org/membership.
- To pre-order Smith’s book, visit: https://bookshop.org/a/262/9781982132071
Sunday, October 4 at 10 a.m. EDT: “New Works: A Poetry Reading” at the Brooklyn Book Festival with Aria Aber, Ricardo Alberto Maldonado, John Murillo, and Diannely Antigua, introduced by Nikay Paredes, the Academy of American Poets’ Senior Programs Manager. The Brooklyn Book Festival, the largest free literary event in New York City, is now a virtual program for all from September 28–October 5, including Bookend Events and the Literary Marketplace. Free with registration.
Wednesday, October 7 at 8 p.m. EDT: “World in Verse: A Multilingual Poetry Reading” and celebration of the winners of the 2020 Poems in Translation Contest from Words Without Borders in partnership with the Academy of American Poets. Featuring readings by Bryan Mendoza, Enrique Villasis, Bernard Capinpin, Chenxin Jiang, plus others and hosted by contest judge David Tomas Martinez. Free with registration.
Friday, October 9 at 7 p.m. EDT: “Books Noted Live: A Reading and Conversation” with Pamela Sneed, author of Funeral Diva (City Lights Books, 2020) and Aditi Machado, author of Emporium (Nightboat Books, 2020) and winner of the 2019 James Laughlin Award from the Academy of American Poets. ASL services provided. Free with registration. Watch a recording of this event.
To order Sneed’s book, visit: http://www.citylights.com/book/?GCOI=87286100510140 – all customers will receive a 30% discount
To order Machado’s book, visit: https://nightboat.org/book/emporium/
Friday, October 23 at 7 p.m. EDT: “Books Noted Live: A Reading and Conversation” with Yona Harvey, author of You Don’t Have to Go to Mars for Love (Four Way Books, 2020) and Taylor Johnson, author of Inheritance (Alice James Books, 2020). ASL services provided. Free with registration.
- To order Harvey’s book, visit: https://fourwaybooks.com/site/you-dont-have-to-go-to-mars-for-love-by-yona-harvey/ – Academy members will receive an 18% discount
- To pre-order Johnson’s book, visit: https://www.alicejamesbooks.org/bookstore/inheritance – Academy members will receive a 25% discount
Friday, October 30 at 7 p.m. EDT: “Books Noted Live: A Reading and Conversation” with Kazim Ali, author of The Voice of Sheila Chandra (Alice James Books, 2020) and Joshua Bennett, author of Owed (Penguin Books, 2020). ASL services provided. Free with registration.
To order Ali’s book, visit: https://www.alicejamesbooks.org/bookstore/the-voice-of-sheila-chandra – Academy members will receive a 25% discount
To order Bennett’s book, visit: https://bookshop.org/a/262/9780143133858
Thursday, October 22—Sunday, November 1: The Academy of American Poets Chancellors at the biennial Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival. The Dodge Poetry Festival, the largest poetry event in North America, is now a virtual program for all. For the full schedule of festival events, including a reading and panel discussions featuring the Chancellors, visit: https://www.dodgepoetryfestival.org/. Free with registration.
Sunday, November 15 at 8 p.m. EST: “Just Us: An American Conversation” between Claudia Rankine, author of Just Us (Graywolf Press, 2020), and National Book Award-winning poet Terrance Hayes in their first public event together, moderated by Dawn Lundy Martin. Co-presented by the Academy of American Poets, ALOUD of the Library Foundation of Los Angeles, and Blue Flower Arts. Free with registration. Registrants have the option of purchasing signed copies of Just Us for $35 (including shipping) from the Library Store. Members of the Academy of American Poets or the Library Foundation of Los Angeles will have access to a private reception with Claudia Rankine before the event. To become an Academy of American Poets member and get access to the reception, visit: poets.org/membership.
Friday, December 4 at 7 p.m. EST: “Songs at the Confluence: Indigenous Poets on Place.” A virtual reading and celebration of When the Light of the World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through: A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry edited by Academy of American Poets Chancellor and U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo. Co-produced by the Tippet Rise Art Center and the Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation in collaboration with In-Na-Po (Indigenous Nations’ Poets), and with promotional support from the Academy of American Poets. Free and open to the public.
Thursday, February 4 at 7 p.m. EST: “All We Can Save,” a virtual reading and conversation about the climate crisis with Katharine K. Wilkinson and Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, co-editors of the anthology All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis, and poets Camille T. Dungy and Academy of American Poets Chancellor Ellen Bass, two contributors to the anthology. Free with registration. Closed captioning will be provided.
Thursday, February 11 at 7 p.m. EST: The Blaney Lecture with Adrian Matejka, author of the graphic novel Last On His Feet (Liveright, 2021) and the poetry collection Map to the Stars (Penguin Books, 2017), a finalist for the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize, and a 2019 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow. The Blaney Lecture on contemporary poetry and poetics is offered annually by a prominent poet and is made possible by a generous gift from the estate of Dr. Dorothy Gulbenkian Blaney. Free with registration. ASL interpretation will be provided.