Poetry Foundation Announces Fall Event Lineup and New Exhibition

CHICAGO, August 13, 2019— The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine and the home for poetry in Chicago, announces its fall events and exhibition. Beginning on September 5 with the opening of the exhibition The Life of Poetry in Morden Tower, and running until December 20, the season includes a conversation with our 2019 Ruth Lilly Prize Winner Marilyn Nelson; readings by Erika L. Sánchez and Nick Flynn in celebration of the 45th anniversary of Graywolf; and the launch of a new YouTube channel with a live reading and conversation featuring curator Paige Lewis, series producer John Green, and special guest Kaveh Akbar.

“It’s our mission to create dynamic poetry experiences, and we are excited to  showcase an array of talent this fall,” said Henry Bienen, Poetry Foundation president. “We welcome poetry lovers, and the culturally curious to join us and find inspiration in our programs.”

Travel through the Morden Tower archives Tom Pickard kicks off the season with a reading and discussion during the exhibition opening of The Life of Poetry in Morden Tower on September 5. Along with Connie Pickard, he started the Morden Tower Reading Series  in 1964 in the near-defunct medieval turret in Newcastle upon Tyne, England that soon became an international poetry hub. Basil Bunting reinvigorated his career with his first reading of Briggflatts, and Allen Ginsberg performed the first European reading of Kaddish at Morden Tower, earning it a place in poetry history. 

The Poetry Foundation Gallery will display archival-quality facsimile posters, photographs, and ephemera from Tom Pickard’s personal collection that tell a story of the graphic anarchy emblematic of the 1960s and 1970s. The exhibition will be on display through December 20. 

Celebrations all around Get an early look at Ours Poetica, a forthcoming video series and YouTube channel created in collaboration with Complexly, before it launches online. The launch event features a reading, screening, and discussion with curator Paige Lewis, series producer John Green, and special guest Kaveh Akbar. 

Later in the season, join us at the Harold Washington Library to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship featuring a reading with 2019 Fellows. The reading takes place on Poetry Day, inaugurated by Robert Frost in 1955. Continue the anniversary celebrations with readings from Nick Flynn, Carmen Giménez Smith, Erika L. Sánchez, Diane Seuss, and Tom Sleigh for the 45th anniversary of Graywolf Press hosted at the Poetry Foundation. 

The Poetry Foundation teams up with the Chicago Humanities Festival as its yearlong 30th anniversary celebration continues. Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award and NAACP Image Award winner Patricia Smith joins co-hosts Danez Smith and Franny Choi for a live recording of VS, the Webby-nominated podcast that expands poetry beyond the page. Later, poet, essayist, and NAACP Image Award winner Reginald Dwayne Betts will come to the Poetry Foundation for a reading and conversation. 

Blending poetry, music, dance, and theatre For the eighth iteration of the Collaborative Arts Institute music festival, the Poetry Foundation will host a concert exploring art songs by American composers, including Jake Heggie, Nico Muhly, Gabriela Lena Frank, and Caroline Shaw. The performance features  a performance of Ned Rorem’s cycle composed of poems from Ariel, by Sylvia Plath.

Travel back to 1170 with a performance of Murder in the Cathedral, T.S. Eliot’s play depicting the assassination of Archbishop Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral during the reign of Henry II. Staged by Curious Theatre Branch, the performance takes place for two nights exclusively at the Poetry Foundation.

Let yourself be moved by an excerpt from Floe, a multimedia dance that addresses climate change with dance company The Seldoms, a group that uses dance to ignite thinking about critical social issues. Joining them onstage is poet Gabriel Ojeda-Sagué, author of Losing Miami, a collection about the potential sinking of Miami because of climate change and rising sea levels.

Fall hours and event details New this season: onsite events will offer priority entry with advance online registration. We remain committed to programs that are free and open to all. 

These are only a selection of the varied events that the Poetry Foundation offers this season. For all event listings, details, and advance registration visit poetryfoundation.org/events.

Unless otherwise noted, all events are free and open to the public on a first come, first served basis at the Poetry Foundation, 61 West Superior Street, Chicago.

In addition, the Poetry Foundation Library, home to a collection of more than 30,000 books of poetry, is open to the public weekdays and select Saturdays, including September 21, October 12, November 2, and December 17, from 11:00 AM–4:00 PM, as well as select evenings, including September 17, October 15, November 19, and December 17, from 4:00 PM–7:00 PM.

VISUALS: Building, programming, and/or exhibition Images available upon request.

About the Poetry Foundation The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine, is an independent literary organization committed to a vigorous presence for poetry in American culture. It exists to discover and celebrate the best poetry and to place it before the largest possible audience. The Poetry Foundation seeks to be a leader in shaping a receptive climate for poetry by developing new audiences, creating new avenues for delivery, and encouraging new kinds of poetry through innovative literary prizes and programs.

Follow the Poetry Foundation and Poetry on Facebook at facebook.com/poetryfoundation,  Twitter @PoetryFound and @Poetrymagazine, and Instagram @PoetryFoundation.

Media Contacts:
Liz O’Connell-Thompson, Media Associate, [email protected], 312.799.8065
Sarah Whitcher, Marketing and Media Director, [email protected], 312.799.8016