Poetry in Action, 2:45 - 3:45pm, Sunday, September 11

Discussing the poem he wrote in response to the church shootings in South Carolina last year, U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera said, “Poetry is a call to action, and it also is action.” In a moment when news reports tell a story of divisiveness and violence, can poetry be a space where the violence and legacy of the past and the present are compressed onto the page and into new forms? A team of poets with new collections out this year discusses how poetry can have an active role in the world, and how our current moment in history is transforming the forms and modes of poetry.