April 2, 2008
State of the Art: African American Poetry Today Panel Discussion
Hosted by Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center and the Poetry Society of America
Boston University’s Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center and the Poetry Society of America team up to celebrate the rich, wide-ranging voice of African-American poetry with a panel discussion. Panelists include a Pulitzer prize winner and several nominees, the founders of the poetry group Cave Canem, and a former state poet laureate, among others. Cosponsored by the Boston Review and Cave Canem, the event honors the memory of Martin Luther King, Jr. (GRS’55, Hon.’59) on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of his assassination.
New York–based poet Dante Micheaux moderates the star-studded panel discussion on the evolution and identity of African-American poetry. Panelists include Yusef Komunyakaa, Toi Derricotte, Cornelius Eady, and Quincy Troupe, among others. Topics range from the responsibility of African-American poetry to the role of public poetry programs to the function of community. A question-and-answer session follows.
The poets read from their work after the panel discussion.
April 2, 2008, 4 p.m.
Metcalf Ballroom
Video length is 01:26:51.
About the speakers:
Elizabeth Alexander is the author of four books of poems, including American Sublime, which was one of three finalists for a 2005 Pulitzer Prize.
Toi Derricotte, a Cave Canem cofounder, is an NEA fellow and winner of two Pushcart Prizes.
Cornelius Eady, a cofounder of Cave Canem, is author of Brutal Imagination, a finalist for the 2001 National Book Award in Poetry, and The Gathering of My Name, which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.
Major Jackson is the author of two collections of poetry, Hoops and Leaving Saturn, a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award.
Yusef Komunyakaa won a Pulitzer Prize in 1994 for Neon Vernacular: New and Selected Poems.
Dawn Lundy Martin was awarded the 2006 Cave Canem Poetry Prize and is the author of The Morning Hour.
Carl Phillips (GRS’92) is the author of numerous books of poetry, including The Rest of Love, which was a finalist for the National Book Award.
Quincy Troupe is the former poet laureate of California and the author of Snake-Back Solos: Selected Poems, winner of the American Book Award in 1979, and Miles: The Autobiography.
Afaa Michael Weaver is a NEA fellow and author of eight books of poetry, most recently Plum Flower Dance.
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