On Wednesday, May 4 at 7:30 PM ET, the MacArthur Grant-winning poet and novelist Ocean Vuong (CRF 2016, Incoming Director’s Guest 2022) and the poets Yanyi and Solmaz Sharif will give readings from their respective newest books, leading to discussion and criticism about each other’s oeuvre and a general exploration of the themes of displacement, transition, survival, and metamorphosis inherent in all their forthcoming works. This triad collectively represents a broad stratum of the generational, ethnic, and gender diversity found within the contemporary Asian diaspora and stand confidently at successful but distinct stages in their careers as authors. The event will be approximately 90 minutes long and is free and open to the public. Seating and entry are first-come, first-serve; the line will form at the Atrium’s entrance on Broadway, between 62nd and 63rd Street. For more information, click here.
Mai Der Vang (CRF 2017) will participate in a Virtual Workshop, “Rupturing the Poem,” on Wednesday, May 18, 2022 from 6 PM–9 PM ET. The workshop is priced on a sliding scale, from $50- $100, with limited scholarship seats available. Find more info here.
“What happens when a poet relinquishes control in a poem? What does it mean to dismantle the rules of language? What surprises can surface when a poem is afforded its own level agency? How does one “rupture” a poem? Poetry’s dynamic and dexterous power means that it is continually teaching us how to interact and coexist with language. In some ways, poetry can make us question everything we ever thought we knew about writing (or were taught about writing), and in some ways, we are constantly re-learning and re-teaching ourselves how to write all over again. In this workshop, we will read and share poems with the goal of offering feedback that encourages one another toward this kind of re-engagement and creative transformation. We will push outside of our craft comfort zones to examine other approaches to poem-making and poem-revising all the while learning together.”