We are pleased to announce our 2019 Fall–Winter Season, which will run from September through February and include readings and panel discussions by the Chancellors of the Academy of American Poets; a conversation series between poets and artists working in other disciplines; tributes to Mary Oliver, W. S. Merwin, and Ntozake Shange; readings by acclaimed and emerging poets; and a lecture presented by Academy Chancellor Terrance Hayes, author of American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin (Penguin Books, 2018) and recipient of the 2010 National Book Award for Lighthead (Penguin Books, 2010).
The Academy of American Poets’ 2019 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.
SCHEDULE:
Tuesday, September 17: “World in Verse: A Multilingual Poetry Reading.” A celebration of the winning works from Words Without Borders’ and the Academy of American Poets’ Poems in Translation Contest, hosted by contest judge Mónica de la Torre. Word Up Community Bookstore – Librería Comunitária, 2113 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY, 7 p.m. This is an official Brooklyn Book Festival Bookends event. Free and open to the public.
Sunday, September 22: The 2019 Brooklyn Book Festival, the largest free literary event in New York City. Participating poets include Hala Alyan, Jericho Brown, Tina Chang, Nick Flynn, Rigoberto González, Ilya Kaminsky, Sally Wen Mao, Ladan Osman, Vanessa Angélica Villarreal, and more. Drop by the Academy booth at Brooklyn Borough Hall to pick up copies of our latest issue of American Poets magazine and American Poets Prize–winners' books. Brooklyn Borough Hall and Vicinity, 209 Joralemon St, Brooklyn, NY, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free and open to the public.
Monday, September 23: A Tribute to Mary Oliver. A celebration of the poet and her wide-reaching influence. Reflections and readings by Coleman Barks, Eve Ensler, Maria Shriver, Lisa Starr, Lindsay Whalen, and more. Cosponsored by the 92Y Unterberg Poetry Center, Penguin Press, Poets House, and the Poetry Society of America. Kaufmann Concert Hall, Unterberg Poetry Center – 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY, 7:30 p.m. Free with registration at 92Y.org/events.
Tuesday, September 24: “Renascence: Edna St. Vincent Millay Today.” A spirited reading of Edna St. Vincent Millay's poetry by Karen Alkalay-Gut, Diana Hume George, Marilyn Hacker, Marie Howe, Joan Larkin, Kimiko Hahn, Shara McCallum, Mihaela Moscaliuc, Joan Murray, Alicia Ostriker, and Afaa Michael Weaver, who will also share their work and discuss what Millay means to them. Organized in collaboration with the Creative Writing Program at The New School and cosponsored by the Poetry Foundation. Theresa Lang Community and Student Center, The New School, 55 W 13th St, New York, NY, 6:30 p.m. Free and open to the public.
Monday, October 21: A Tribute to W. S. Merwin. Friends and fellow writers will share the beloved poet's work. Readers include Sonnet Coggins, Robert Hass, Edward Hirsch, Howard Norman, Naomi Shihab Nye, Michael Ondaatje, Tracy K. Smith, John Burnham Schwartz, Michael Wiegers, and Terry Tempest Williams. Cosponsored by the 92Y Unterberg Poetry Center, Copper Canyon Press, The Merwin Conservancy, Poets House, and the Poetry Society of America. Kaufmann Concert Hall. Unterberg Poetry Center – 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY, 8 p.m. Free with registration at 92Y.org/events.
Thursday, October 24: An Evening with the Chancellors of the Academy of American Poets. A sure-to-be-memorable reading by the Academy’s Chancellors, an esteemed group of the nation's leading poets who serve as artistic advisors and ambassadors of poetry in the world at large. Featuring Elizabeth Alexander, Ellen Bass, Marilyn Chin, Kwame Dawes, Forrest Gander, Linda Gregerson, Joy Harjo, Terrance Hayes, Brenda Hillman, Marie Howe, Khaled Mattawa, Alicia Ostriker, Alberto Ríos, and David St. John. Copresented by the NYU Creative Writing Program. Greenberg Lounge - NYU School of Law, 40 Washington Sq S, New York, NY, 7 p.m. Free and open to the public. Please note: RSVP does not guarantee entry; doors open 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 26: Chancellor Conversations. A special opportunity to engage with the Academy’s Chancellors as they take up three timely topics in conversations that will provide insight, inspiration, and a deeper understanding of poetry. Copresented by Poets House. Full schedule below. Poets House, 10 River Terrace, New York, NY. Tickets are $15 and available for purchase online. Academy members receive a 10% discount.
- 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. “Poetry Makes Nothing Happen?: Poetry In/And the Public Sphere” with Elizabeth Alexander, Alicia Ostriker, Marie Howe, Alberto Ríos, and Natasha Trethewey.
- 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. “Our Own Foreignness: Border-Crossing Poetry in Translation” with Forrest Gander, Brenda Hillman, Khaled Mattawa, and Marilyn Chin.
- 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. “Writing Poetry in a Troubled World” with Kwame Dawes, Linda Gregerson, Terrance Hayes, and David St. John.
Wednesday, November 13: In Conversation: Marie Howe and Madeleine Olnek. An intimate conversation about the life and work of Emily Dickinson with poet Marie Howe, author of Magdalene and The Kingdom of Ordinary Time, and Madeleine Olnek, director of the 2018 film Wild Nights with Emily. Cohosted by Housing Works Bookstore Café and Bar, 126 Crosby St, New York, NY, 7 p.m. Free and open to the public.
Monday, December 16: A Tribute to Ntozake Shange. In remembrance of poet and playwright of for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf. Hilton Als, Mahogany L. Browne, Toshi Reagon, Anna Deavere Smith, Jacqueline Woodson, and more will read from her work. Cosponsored by the 92Y Unterberg Poetry Center, Barnard College, and the Poetry Society of America. Buttenwieser Hall, Unterberg Poetry Center – 92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Ave, New York, NY, 8 p.m. Free with registration at 92Y.org/events.
Tuesday, January 21: In Conversation: Mahogany L. Browne and Shaun Leonardo. Mahogany L. Browne, author of Black Girl Magic: A Poem and the forthcoming Woke: A Young Poet’s Call to Justice, will discuss art and action with award-winning multidisciplinary artist Shaun Leonardo, whose work has been featured at The Guggenheim Museum and the High Line. Cohosted by Housing Works Bookstore Café and Bar, 126 Crosby St, New York, NY, 7 p.m. Free and open to the public.
Thursday, February 13: The Blaney Lecture. Terrance Hayes, the author of American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin and recipient of the 2010 National Book Award for Lighthead, delivers the 2019 Blaney Lecture, made possible by a generous gift from the estate of Dr. Dorothy Gulbenkian Blaney. Copresented by the NYU Creative Writing Program. Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House, 58 W 10th St, New York, NY, 7 p.m. Doors open 6:30 p.m. Free and open to the public.