Poet, essayist, playwright and Yale professor Elizabeth Alexander made history in 2009 as the fourth poet to compose and deliver a poem at a presidential inauguration, joining the ranks of celebrated honorees Robert Frost, Maya Angelou and Miller Williams. A longtime advocate of the arts as a critical element of our civic dialogue, she has said, “Poetry is not meant to cheer; rather, poetry challenges, and moves us towards transformation.” In an effort to create a more nuanced conversation about race and culture, she will discuss the rich and often surprising connections amongst diverse American cultures and traditions.

Professor Alexander has taught literature and creative writing and read her poetry across the United States and abroad for more than twenty years. In July 2009 she assumed the chair of the Department of African American Studies at Yale University. Her awards include a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, a Guggenheim fellowship and the Alphonse Fletcher, Sr., fellowship for work that “contributes to improving race relations in American society.” Alexander’s collections of poetry, which explore issues of race, gender and politics, include American Sublime, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize; Antebellum Dream Book; The Venus Hottentot; and Body of Life. Her new book, Crave Radiance: New and Selected Poems 1990–2010, is her first retrospective volume. The daughter of a civil-rights advisor to President Johnson, she has come full circle, having recited her poem for the inauguration, “Praise Song for the Day,” on the same mall where, as a child, she witnessed Martin Luther King, Jr., deliver his iconic speech, “I Have a Dream.”

Organized by the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism.

Photo: © CJ Gunther

For further information on this event:
visionsandvoices@usc.edu