The Chancellors of the Academy of American Poets will take part in a series of three conversations that explore 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.
SCHEDULE:
Poetry and Healing
Ellen Bass, Toi Derricotte, Jane Hirshfield, and Alicia Ostriker
1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Ellen Bass is the author of eight poetry collections, the most recent of which is Like a Beggar (Copper Canyon Press, 2014). She is the recipient of fellowships from the California Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, the Lambda Literary Award for Poetry, the Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry, and two Pushcart Prizes.
Toi Derricotte is author of several books of poetry, including her most recent collection, The Undertaker's Daughter (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2011). She is cofounder of Cave Canem, a national poetry organization committed to cultivating the artistic and professional growth of African American poets.
Jane Hirshfield is the author of eight collections of poetry, including The Beauty: Poems (Alfred A. Knopf, 2015), which was long listed for the National Book Award. She is the receipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Rockefeller Foundation.
Alicia Ostriker is the author of more than ten poetry collections, including Waiting for the Light (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2017), The Old Woman, the Tulip, and the Dog (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2014), and At the Revelation Restaurant and Other Poems (Marick Press, 2010).
Poetry and Activism
Forrest Gander, Marilyn Nelson, and Khaled Mattawa
2:45 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.
Forrest Gander is the author of several poetry collections, including Eye Against Eye (New Directions Press, 2005). His honors include a Whiting Award, two Gertrude Stein Awards for Innovative North American Writing, and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and Yaddo.
Marilyn Nelson is the author of over eight books of poetry, most recently My Seneca Village (namelos, 2015), as well as collections for children and young adults. She was awarded the 2017 NSK Neustadt Prize for Children’s Literature, given in recognition of a “storied literary career exploring history, race relations, and feminism in America.”
Khaled Mattawa is a poet and translator of contemporary Arabic poetry. His collections of poetry include Tocqueville (New Issues, 2010), Amorisco (Ausable, 2008), and Zodiac of Echoes (Ausable, 2003). He is also the author of Mahmoud Darwish: The Poet's Art and His Nation (Syracuse University Press, 2014).
How to Read a Poem
Linda Gregerson, Terrance Hayes, and Alicia Ostriker
4:15 to 5:45 p.m.
Linda Gregerson's most recent poetry collections include Prodigal: New and Selected Poems, 1976 to 2014 (Mariner Books, 2015), The Selvage (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012), and Magnetic North (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2007), a finalist for the National Book Award.
Terrance Hayes is the author of several poetry collections, including How to Be Drawn (Penguin Books, 2015), a finalist for both the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award; Lighthead (Penguin, 2010), which won the National Book Award for Poetry; and Wind in a Box (Penguin, 2006).
Alicia Ostriker is the author of more than ten poetry collections, including Waiting for the Light (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2017), The Old Woman, the Tulip, and the Dog (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2014), and At the Revelation Restaurant and Other Poems (Marick Press, 2010).
The Academy’s 2017 fall Chancellors Master Classes is cosponsored by the NYU Creative Writing Program.