On Thursday, September 24, the Academy of American Poets cosponsored a free, public tribute to the life and work of Philip Levine, who passed away on February 14, 2015. A variety of renowned writers gathered at the Cooper Union to share their memories of the poet and recite his works: Kate Daniels, Toi Derricotte, Juan Felipe Herrera, Edward Hirsch, Yusef Komunyakaa, Dorianne Laux, Mari L’Esperance, Paul Mariani, Jane Mead, Tomás Q. Morín, Sharon Olds, Tom Sleigh, David St. John, and Gerald Stern.
Philip Levine was the author of over a dozen books and the recipient of numerous honors, including the American Book Award for Poetry, the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize, the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the Pulitzer Prize, among others. In 2000, Levine was elected a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets, and in 2011, he was named U.S. poet laureate. Two years later, the Academy of American Poets awarded him the prestigious Wallace Stevens Award.
Watch the video from our Philip Levine tribute.