(September 23, 2021)— The Academy of American Poets is pleased to present its Fall–Winter Season, which will be entirely virtual and run from October 2021 through February 2022. Programs include a conversation series with the Academy of American Poets Chancellors* and special guests; Gather in Poems, a reading by the chancellors celebrating poetry and community; and the Annual Blaney Lecture on contemporary poetry and poetics.
*Established in 1946, the Board of Chancellors is an elected group of distinguished poets who advise the Academy of American Poets on artistic matters, judge its largest legacy prizes, and serve as ambassadors for poetry. To purchase books by the chancellors, visit: https://bookshop.org/lists/chancellors-of-the-academy-of-american-poets
The Academy of American Poets’ 2021–2022 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 is committed to hosting accessible, inclusive events. Each event will be free to attend with advance registration and have closed captioning available. If you require an accommodation or service that is not currently offered by the organization, 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.
To help the Academy continue to present new, virtual programming; promote the work of poets; and publish poems, donate today.
SCHEDULE:
Monday, September 27 at 7 p.m. ET: World in Verse, a multilingual virtual poetry reading and celebration of the 2021 Poems in Translation Contest winners, presented by Words Without Borders in partnership with the Academy of American Poets. The event will be hosted by the contest judge, poet Airea D. Matthews, and feature the winning poets and translators of this year’s contest. An accessibility packet will be available, and closed captioning will be provided for the English-language portion of the event. This is an official 2021 Brooklyn Book Festival Bookend event.
Register for World in Verse: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/world-in-verse-a-virtual-poetry-reading-tickets-166180423119
Thursday, October 14 at 7 p.m. ET: Poetry & Social Change, a virtual conversation with Academy Chancellors Natalie Diaz, Nikky Finney, Joy Harjo, Tracy K. Smith, The Poetry Project at St. Mark's Executive Director Kyle Dacuyan, and award-winning author Eve L. Ewing on the unique role that poetry plays in civic dialogue and social change. Academy Executive Director Jennifer Benka and Founding President and CEO of the Milton S. Eisenhower Foundation Alan Curtis will introduce the event. Presented in partnership with the Milton S. Eisenhower Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, this event is part of a series of conversations with arts leaders convened by the Eisenhower Foundation, and supported by the Mellon Foundation, on healing racial and economic inequality and making good on the promises of democracy in the United States.
Register for Poetry & Social Change: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/wnkvskju/register
Thursday, November 4 at 7 p.m. ET: Poetry & Labor, a virtual conversation with Academy Chancellors Kwame Dawes, Brenda Hillman, Marie Howe, Dorianne Laux, and Natasha Trethewey on the poet's labor and how poetry envisions itself as a piece of work.
Register for Poetry & Labor: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/qjcao1ge/register
Thursday, November 18 at 7 p.m. ET: Gather in Poems, a special reading and offering of community from the Academy of American Poets Board of Chancellors. Each poet will share a poem that inspires them, as well as works of their own, on the theme of coming together.
Register for Gather in Poems: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/gather-in-poems/register
Thursday, December 2 at 7 p.m. ET: The FSG Poetry Anthology Launch, a reading and celebration of the 75th Anniversary Anthology from Farrar, Straus & Giroux, edited by FSG President and former Academy Chairman Jonathan Galassi. Hosted by The Strand and co-sponsored by The Academy of American Poets. Featuring Jonathan Galassi, Robyn Creswell, and a selection of FSG poets. More information about the FSG Poetry Anthology Launch, including the registration link and event accessibility, will be available on Poets.org in the coming weeks.
Thursday, December 9 at 7 p.m. ET: Poetry & Appetite, a virtual conversation with Academy Chancellors Ellen Bass, Marilyn Chin, Forrest Gander, Terrance Hayes, and David St. John on poetry and appetite, and on poems about the desires and needs of the body and of communities.
Register for Poetry & Appetite: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/z2pkci79/register
Wednesday, February 23, 2022: The Annual Blaney Lecture on contemporary poetry and poetics, presented by Paisley Rekdal. Past lectures have been given by Elizabeth Alexander, Richard Blanco, Anne Carson, Carolyn Forché, Joy Harjo, Terrance Hayes, Susan Howe, Adrian Matejka, Sharon Olds, Alicia Ostriker, and Claudia Rankine. More information about the 2022 Blaney lecture, including the registration link, will be available on Poets.org soon.
About the Academy of American Poets
Founded in 1934, the Academy of American Poets is the nation’s leading champion of poets and poetry with supporters in all fifty states. The organization annually awards more funds to individual poets than any other organization through its prize program, giving a total of $1.25 million to more than 200 poets at various stages of their careers. The organization also produces Poets.org, the world’s largest publicly funded website for poets and poetry; organizes National Poetry Month; publishes the popular Poem-a-Day series and American Poets magazine; provides award-winning resources to K–12 educators, including the Teach This Poem series; hosts an annual series of poetry readings and special events; and coordinates a national Poetry Coalition working together to promote the value poets bring to our culture.