August 25, 2014 Poet Laureate Charles Wright's Opening Reading Headlines Fall Poetry Events at Library of Congress

Press Contact: Donna Urschel (202) 707-1639
Public Contact: Rob Casper (202) 707-5394
Contact: Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at (202) 707-6362 or ada@loc.gov
Request ADA accommodations five business days in advance at (202) 707-6362 or ADA@loc.gov

The inaugural reading of the 20th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry Charles Wright will headline the fall literary season of the Poetry and Literature Center at the Library of Congress.

Wright will read his poetry at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 25 in the Coolidge Auditorium on the ground level of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington, D.C. The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not needed.

The fall literary season will include the following events. All are free and open to the public. Tickets or reservations are not needed, unless otherwise noted.

At noon on Thursday, Sept. 4
Bagley Wright Lecture Series: Joshua Beckman

Poet and Wave Books editor Joshua Beckman will give a lecture on poetry. In the Mary Pickford Theater, on the third floor of the James Madison Memorial Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C.

At 4 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 11
International Literature: Okinawan Literature

Writer/editor Frank Stewart and scholar/translator Katsunori Yamazato will read from the MANOA journal’s special feature “Living Spirit: Literature and Resurgence in Okinawa” and participate in a moderated discussion with poet Brenda Shaughnessy. An audience question-and-answer will follow. Co-sponsored with the Library’s Asian Division and presented in partnership with MANOA: A Pacific Journal of International Writings. In the Mumford Room, on the sixth floor of the James Madison Memorial Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C.

At 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 17
The Life of a Poet: Mary Szybist

Reservations are required, (202) 707-5394
National Book Award winner Mary Szybist will discuss her poetry with Ron Charles, editor of the Washington Post’s Book World. Co-sponsored with the Hill Center and the Washington Post. At the Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital, 921 Pennsylvania Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C.

At 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 19
National Student Poets Inaugural Reading

The National Student Poets Program, the nation’s highest honor for youth poets creating original work, and the inaugural reading of the 2014 class. Presented in partnership with the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers. In the Whittall Pavilion on the ground level of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington, D.C.

At noon on Thursday, Oct. 2
Literary Birthday Celebration: Wallace Stevens

Poets Jennifer Michael Hecht and Peter Streckfus will celebrate the birthday of poet Wallace Stevens by reading selections from his work and discussing his influence on their own writing. This event will feature a display from the Library’s collection. Co-sponsored with the Library’s Rare Book and Special Collections Division. In the Whittall Pavilion on the ground level of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington, D.C.

At 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 7
International Literature: Translating the Poetry of Robert Pinsky

Former Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry Robert Pinsky will read and discuss the translation of his poems into Spanish for his bilingual book “Ginza Samba: Selected Poems,” with translator Luis Alberto Ambroggio. A question-and-answer session, a book sale and a book signing will follow. Co-sponsored with the Library’s Hispanic Division. In the Montpelier Room on the sixth floor of the James Madison Memorial Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C.

At noon on Tuesday, Oct. 14
Lecture: Dana Gioia on “Poetry as Enchantment”

Dana Gioia—poet, essayist, and former chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts—will discuss the relationship between poetry and music and explore the ways in which poetry achieves its special expressive power. In the Whittall Pavilion on the ground level of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington, D.C.

At 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 30
Asian American Literature Today: Yiyun Li

MacArthur fellow Yiyun Li will read from her work and discuss the state of Asian-American literature. Presented in partnership with the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, The Asian American Literary Review and the Asian American Studies Program, University of Maryland. In the Mumford Room on the sixth floor of the James Madison Memorial Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C.

At 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 4
The Life of a Poet: August Kleinzahler

Reservations are required, (202) 707-5394
National Book Critics Circle Award winner August Kleinzahler will discuss his poetry with Ron Charles, editor of the Washington Post's Book World. Co-sponsored with the Hill Center and the Washington Post. At the Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital, 921 Pennsylvania Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C.

At 3 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 11
Bagley Wright Lecture Series: Timothy Donnelly

Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award winner Timothy Donnelly will give a lecture on poetry.In the Mary Pickford Theater on the third floor of the James Madison Memorial Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C.

At noon on Wednesday, Jan. 7
Literary Birthday Celebration: Zora Neale Hurston

Novelists Dolen Perkins-Valdez and Emily Raboteau will celebrate the birthday of American writer Zora Neale Hurston by reading selections from her work and discussing her influence on their own writing. This event will feature a display from the Library’s collection. Co-sponsored with the Library’s American Folklife Center. In the Whittall Pavilion on the ground level of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington, D.C.

At noon on Thursday, Jan. 22
Bagley Wright Lecture Series: Terrance Hayes

National Book Award winner Terrance Hayes will give a lecture on poetry. In the Whittall Pavilion on the ground level of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington, D.C.

The Poetry and Literature Center fosters and enhances the public’s appreciation of literature. The center administers the endowed poetry chair (the U.S. Poet Laureate), and coordinates an annual literary season of poetry, fiction and drama readings, performances, lectures and symposia. For more information, visit www.loc.gov/poetry/.

The Library of Congress, the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution and the largest library in the world, holds more than 158 million items in various languages, disciplines and formats. The Library serves the U.S. Congress and the nation both on-site and in its reading rooms on Capitol Hill and through its award-winning website at www.loc.gov.

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PR 14-153
2014-08-25
ISSN 0731-3527