Poets Forum 2010: 30 Poets, 3 Days, All Poetry

Every year the Academy of American Poets sponsors the Poets Forum. The Forum has now become one of the premiere poetry events in the U.S. In 2010, it will feature 30 poets from all schools discussing the art, readings, lectures, publication parties and literary walking tours throughout Manhattan during the days of October 28 - 30, 2010. The schedule for the 2010 event is outlined below, according to the information presented in the brochure mailing.

Poets Forum Reading: Thursday, October 28, 7:00 p.m. at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, New York University, 566 LaGuardia Place. Some of the most acclaimed poets writing today come together on one stage to read from their latest work. Participants will be Victor Hernandez Cruz, Rita Dove, Marilyn Hacker, Lyn Hejinian, Edward Hirsch, Naomi Shihab Nye, Sharon Olds, Ron Padgett, Marie Ponsot, Carl Phillips, Robert Pinsky, Kay Ryan, Gerald Stern, and C. K. Williams. This event is co-sponsored by the New York University Creative Writing Program.

Poetry Walking Tours: Friday, October 29, 10:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. at various meeting places. Walk the same streets as Walt Whitman, Marianne Moore, E. E. Cummings, Langston Hughes, and others. These tours will explore the literary history of Harlem, the West Village, the Museum of Modern Art, and SoHo.

Emerging Poets Panel: Friday, October 29, 1:30 p.m. at the Philoctetes Center, 247 East 82^nd Street. Five of today's most exciting young poets discuss the use of irony and sincerity in their poems and in the work of poets who have shaped their aesthetics and poetic visions. Panelists will be Jericho Brown, Tina Chang, Olena Kalytiak Davis, Meghan O'Rourke, and Mark Wunderlich.

The Blaney Lecture: Friday, October 29, 3:30 p.m. at the Philoctetes Center, 247 East 82^nd Street. Anne Carson presents a lecture on forms of contempt in Homer's Odyssey, Moravia's Il Disprezzo, and Jean-Luc Godard's Le Mepris. This lecture series was created in memory of former Academy of American Poets Board member Dorothy Gulbenkian Blaney by a gift from her estate.

Poets Awards Ceremony: Friday, October 29, 7:00 p.m. at the Tishman Auditorium, The New School, 66 West 12^th Street. This event celebrates the recipients of the premiere collection of awards for poetry in the U.S. and given by the Academy of American Poets. There will be readings and presentations by Galway Kinnell, Khaled Mattawa, Stephen Kessler, Carl Adamshick, and many others. A reception will follow. This event is co-sponsored by the New School Creative Writing Program.

Poets Forum Discussions on Contemporary Poetry: Saturday, October 30, 10:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m. at the Tishman Auditorium, the New School, 66 West 12^th Street. Through intimate talks, some of the most renowned poets today examine issues central to poetry now. Participants will be Victor Hernandez Cruz, Rita Dove, Marilyn Hacker, Lyn Hejinian, Edward Hirsch, Naomi Shihab Nye, Sharon Olds, Ron Padgett, Marie Ponsot, Carl Phillips, Robert Pinsky, Kay Ryan, Gerald Stern, C. K. Williams, and others. Among the topics discussed will be "Punctuation and the Imagination", "Silence and Interruption", "The Mystical in the Mundane", and "The Poet as Translator". This event is co-sponsored by the New School Creative Writing Program.

American Poet Publication Party: Saturday, October 30, 7:00 p.m. at the Wollman Hall, The New School, 66 West 12^th Street. This a reading and reception for the new Fall issue of American Poet, the official journal of the Academy of American Poets. Those reading from their work will be Julie Carr, Prageeta Sharma, and Wayne Koestenbaum.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.poets.org/poetsforum or by calling (212) 274-0343, extension 10. All-Events Pass is Discounted at $85 until September 15, 2010, after which it will be $110. A limited number of Saturday-only tickets for the discussion sessions are available for $60. More information can be found at www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/380.