New York, NY (August 23, 2017)—The Academy of American Poets is pleased to announce the schedule for its 2017 fall season, which will run from September through November and include conversations between poets and artists in other disciplines, readings by acclaimed and emerging poets, master classes given by the organization’s Chancellors, and a lecture by Academy Chancellor Claudia Rankine, author of the award-winning book Citizen, at the Guggenheim Museum.
SCHEDULE:
September 25: The Academy of American Poets presents the first in its Fall Conversation Series with Academy Chancellor, best-selling poet, and Pulitzer Prize Award finalist Elizabeth Alexander and Brain Pickings founder Maria Popova. This series explores how different art forms engage with poetry and features leading poets and cultural leaders in other disciplines. Housing Works Bookstore and Café, 126 Crosby St, New York, NY, 7 p.m. Free and open to the public.
October 4: The esteemed poets who serve on the Academy of American Poets Board of Chancellors—including Brenda Hillman and Arthur Sze, both of whom were recently inducted as fellows of the Academy of Arts and Science—will give a reading, with a book signing to follow. Buttenwieser Hall, Unterberg Poetry Center – 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY, 8 p.m, $15. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the 92nd Street Y box office or at the door.
October 6: For the first time, Academy Chancellors will offer Master Classes for poets and poetry lovers. Each Master Class is a one-of-kind opportunity to read poems alongside an Academy Chancellor and to generate work through writing exercises. Open to all levels of experience. Held at the Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House, 58 West 10th Street, New York, NY. Enrollment is limited and tickets must be purchased in advance online.
October 7: Academy Chancellors will take part in a series of three conversations that explore the topics Poetry and Healing, Poetry and Activism, and How to Read a Poem. This special opportunity to hear leading poets from across the United States discussing these timely topics will deepen one's understanding of poetry today. Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House, 58 West 10th Street, New York, NY, $15. Tickets can be purchased in advance online or at the door.
October 25: The second of the Fall Conversations will feature Academy Chancellor and National Book Award–winning poet Terrance Hayes and American Academy Award in Art winner Ellen Gallagher. (Hayes wrote the ekphrastic poem “Wigphrastic” in response to Gallagher's print series “DeLuxe.”) Housing Works Bookstore and Café, 126 Crosby Street, New York, NY 10012, 7 p.m. Free and open to the public.
November 1: The Academy will launch the Fall-Winter 2017 issue of its biannual magazine American Poets with a reading by poets with new books who are featured in the issue. Berl’s Brooklyn Poetry Shop, New York City’s only all poetry bookstore located in Walt Whitman’s former stomping grounds, 7 p.m. Free and open to the public.
November 13: “A Celebration of Gwendolyn Brooks.” The Academy will cosponsor this evening of readings to celebrate the centenary of Gwendolyn Brooks—part of a year-long, nationwide tribute to one of America’s most influential poets. Featured readers include Elizabeth Alexander, Tyehimba Jess, Yusef Komunyakaa, Quraysh Ali Lansana, Marilyn Nelson, Atsuro Riley, Sapphire, Solmaz Sharif, and Patricia Smith. Kaufmann Concert Hall, Unterberg Poetry Center – 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY, 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the 92nd Street Y box office or at the door.
November 30: Claudia Rankine, Academy Chancellor and author of the best-selling book Citizen will deliver this year’s Blaney Lecture on contemporary poetry and poetics. The lecture, which is offered annually by a prominent poet, was created in memory of former Academy of American Poets Board member Dr. Dorothy Gulbenkian Blaney, past president of Cedar Crest College and champion of women and education, by a gift from her estate. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1071 5th Avenue, New York, NY, 6:30 p.m., $30 general, $25 Academy and Guggenheim members, $15 students (with valid ID). Tickets go on sale September 1 and the members presale begins August 30. Visit guggenheim.org/calendar for tickets. Copresented by the Academy of American Poets and the Guggenheim Museum.
The Academy’s 2017 fall season is cosponsored by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Housing Works Bookstore and Café, NYU Creative Writing Program, and The Unterberg Poetry Center - 92nd Street Y. It is also made possible, in part, by support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and the New York State Council on the Arts.
About the Academy of American Poets
The Academy of American Poets is the largest membership-based nonprofit organization fostering an appreciation for contemporary poetry and supporting American poets. The organization produces Poets.org, the world’s largest publicly funded website for poets and poetry; National Poetry Month; the popular Poem-a-Day series; American Poets magazine; Teach This Poem and other resources for K-12 educators; and an annual series of poetry readings and special events.
The Academy of American Poets is part of a national poetry coalition working together to promote the value poets bring to our culture and the important contribution poetry makes in the lives of people of all ages and backgrounds.