Schedule of Events, 2012-2013 Season
Jump to: Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Prior Seasons
Unless otherwise noted, tickets to and reservations for these events are not required.
September 2012
Thursday, September 13 at 7:00 PM
POET LAUREATE INAUGURAL READING
Natasha Trethewey, the 19th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry of the Library of Congress, will kick off the Library’s literary season with a reading. The event is free and open to the public. A reception and book signing will follow.
Location: Coolidge Auditorium, Thomas Jefferson Building (ground floor) <view map>
Concact: (202) 707-5394
Thursday, September 20 at 3:00 PM (Jackson, Mississippi)
POET LAUREATE READING IN MISSISSIPPI
Natasha Trethewey, the 19th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry and Mississippi State Poet Laureate, will read a selection from her poetry. The event is free and open to the public. A reception will follow. Co-sponsored by Library of Congress Center for the Book and the English Department of Jackson State University, the Mississippi Arts Commission, the Mississippi Center for the Book and the Mississippi Library Commission, and the Mississippi Humanities Council.
Location: Dollye M. E. Robinson Building, Jackson State University
Contact: (202) 707-5394
Tuesday, September 25 12:00 PM
CONVERSATIONS WITH AFRICAN POETS & WRITERS: MANDLA MATYUMZA
South African writer and Executive Head of the Cape Town Centre for the Book Mandla Matyumza will read from his own work and discuss the state of contemporary South African literature & publishing, especially highlighting African languages and culture. Co-sponsored by the Library of Congress African and Middle Eastern Division and Center for the Book. Presented in partnership with the Africa Society on the National Summit of Africa.
Location: African and Middle Eastern Division Reading Room, Thomas Jefferson Building (second floor) <view map>
Contact: (202) 707-5394
October 2012
Friday, October 12 at 4:30 PM
INTERNATIONAL LITERATURE: ROLENA ADORNO
Rolena Adorno, Reuben Post Halleck Professor of Spanish and Portuguese Literature at Yale University, will deliver a keynote address titled “Aztects and Allegory: the Baroque in Colonial Mexico” as part of the University of Maryland symposium “Colonial Intersections: Reconsidering History, the Literary, and the Visual Archives.” The event will be free and open to the public. Co-sponsored by the Hispanic Division of the Library of Congress.
Location: Mumford Room, James Madison Building (sixth floor) <view map>
Contact: (202) 707-5394
Tuesday, October 23 at 7:00 PM (New York City, NY)
WITTER BYNNER STATE READING WITH L. S. ASEKOFF,
CONVERSATION WITH PHILIP LEVINE
L. S. Asekoff, co-recipient of the Library of Congress’s 15th annual Witter Bynner Poetry Fellowship, reads in his home state. A moderated conversation with 18th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry Philip Levine (who selected Asekoff for the fellowship) will follow the reading. This event is free and open to the public. Co-sponsored by the Center for the Book and New York Center for the Book, the Poetry Society of America, and Poets House.
Location: Poets House, 10 River Terrace
Contact: (212) 431-7920
November 2012
Monday, November 5, 12:00 Noon
A 100 YEARS OF HEBREW POETRY
Poet and anthologist Peter Cole will read from his poems and discuss the history of Hebrew poetry. This event is free and open to the public. Book sales and a signing will follow. Co-sponsored by the Library of Congress African and Middle Eastern Division.
Location: African and Middle Eastern Division Reading Room, Thomas Jefferson Building (second floor) <view map>
Contact: (202) 707-5394
Wednesday, November 7, 3:30 PM
CONVERSATIONS WITH AFRICAN POETS & WRITERS: ANNA MWALAGHO
Kenyan storyteller and poet Anna Mwalagho will read from her work and discuss the state of contemporary African literature. The event is free and open to the public. A tea party will follow. Co-sponsored by the Library of Congress African and Middle Eastern Division and presented in partnership with the Africa Society of the National Summit on Africa.
Location: African and Middle Eastern Division Reading Room, Thomas Jefferson Building (second floor) <view map>
Contact: (202) 707-5394
Friday, November 9, 12:00 Noon
CONVERSATIONS WITH AFRICAN POETS & WRITERS: TIJAN SALLAH
Gambian author and poet Tijan Sallah will read from his work and discuss the state of contemporary African literature. The event is free and open to the public. Book sales and a signing will follow. Co-sponsored by the Library of Congress African and Middle Eastern Division and presented in partnership with the Africa Society of the National Summit on Africa.
Location: African and Middle Eastern Division Reading Room, Thomas Jefferson Building (second floor) <view map>
Contact: (202) 707-5394
Thursday, November 29, 7:15 PM (Los Angeles, CA)
POETRY ALOUD: NATASHA TRETHEWEY
Natasha Trethewey, the 19th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry at the Library of Congress, will read a selection from her poetry. This event is free and open to the public. A reception and book signing will follow. Co-sponsored by the ALOUD Series and the Library of Congress Center for the Book.
Location: Los Angeles Central Library, 630 W. 5th Street
Contact: (202) 707-5394
December 2012
Thursday, December 6 at 2:00 PM
INTERNATIONAL LITERATURE: JAVIER CERCAS
Javier Cercas, novelist and Professor of Spanish Literature at the University of Girona in Spain, reads from his work and discusses the state of contemporary Spanish literature. The event is free and open to the public. Book sales and a signing will follow. Co-sponsored by the Hispanic Division of the Library of Congress.
Location: LJ-119, Thomas Jefferson Building (first floor) <view map>
Contact: (202) 707-5394
Friday, December 7 at 12:00 PM
BOOK TALK ABOUT MODERN POETRY: T. S. ELIOT AND OCTAVIO PAZ
Pedro Serrano, poet and professor in the Department of Comparative Literature at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, reads from his work and discusses the relationship between the Modernist poets T. S. Eliot and Octavio Paz. The event is free and open to the public. Book sales and a signing will follow. Co-sponsored by the Hispanic Division of the Library of Congress.
Location: Mary Pickford Theater, James Madison Building (third floor) <view map>
Contact: (202) 707-5394
Friday, December 7 at 8:00 PM (San Antonio, TX)
WITTER BYNNER STATE READING WITH SHEILA BLACK
Sheila Black, co-recipient of the Library of Congress’s 15th annual Witter Bynner Poetry Fellowship, reads in her home state. This event is free and open to the public. Co-sponosred by the Center for the Book and the Texas Center for the Book, and Gemini Ink.
Location: Gemini Ink, 513 S. Presa St., San Antonio, TX
Contact: (210) 734-9673
Monday, December 17, 12:00 NOON
INTERNATIONAL LITERATURE: SANDRA CYPESS
University of Maryland Professor of Latin American Literature Sandra Cypess will read selections from her critical study Uncivil Wars: Elena Garro, Octavio Paz, and the Battle for Cultural Memory in Mexico and discuss the impact of literature on Mexican cultural identity. This event is free and open to the public. This event is co-sponsored by the Library of Congress Hispanic Division.
Location: Mary Pickford Theater, James Madison Building (third floor) <view map>
Contact: (202) 707-5394
January 2013
Thursday, January 24, 12:00 Noon
KLUGE CENTER RESIDENT SCHOLAR LECTURE
Library of Congress Kluge Fellow Lindsay Tuggle examines the Civil War narratives of Walt Whitman and Union surgeon John H. Brinton as alternative histories of war casualties: military and poetic, phantom and physical in a lecture titled: "The Afterlives of Specimens: Science and Mourning in Whitman's America." The lecture will be free and open to the public. Co-sponsored by the Kluge Center of the Library of Congress.
Location: LJ-119, Thomas Jefferson Building (first floor) <view map>
Contact: (202) 707-5394
Thursday, January 24, 7:00 PM
BOBBITT PRIZE READING: GERALD STERN
Gerald Stern, winner of the 12th Rebekah Johnson Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry, will read selections from his Early Collected Poems: 1965-1992. This event is free and open to the public. Book sales and a signing will follow.
Location: Montpelier Room, James Madison Building (sixth floor) <view map>
Contact: (202) 707-5394
Wednesday, January 30, 12:00 Noon
POET LAUREATE CIVIL WAR READING
Natasha Trethewey, the 19th Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry, reads historically focused poems in celebration of The Civil War in America exhibit at the Library of Congress. This event is free and open to the public. Book sales and a signing will follow. Co-sponsored by the Interpretive Program Office of the Library of Congress.
Location: LJ-119, Thomas Jefferson Building (first floor) <view map>
Contact: (202) 707-5394
February 2013
Friday, February 22 at 12:00 Noon
LITERARY BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION: EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY
Poets Alicia Ostriker and Claudia Emerson will celebrate the birthday of American poet Edna St. Vincent Millay by reading selections from her work and discussing her influence on their own writing. This event is free and open to the public, and will feature a display from the Library’s collections. Co-sponsored by the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress.
Location: Whittall Pavillion, Thomas Jefferson Building (ground floor) <view map>
Contact: (202) 707-5394
March 2013
Tuesday, March 26 at 12:00 Noon
LITERARY BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION: ROBERT FROST
Poets Dana Gioia and Eric Pankey will celebrate the birthday of American poet Robert Frost by reading selections from his work and discussing his influence on their own writing. This event is free and open to the public, and will feature a display from the Library’s collections. Co-sponsored by the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress.
Location: Whittall Pavillion, Thomas Jefferson Building (ground floor) <view map>
Contact: (202) 707-5394
April 2013
Thursday, April 11 at 6:30 PM
LITERATURE IN CONVERSATION: FRED ARROYO AND MARIA MELENDEZ
Authors Fred Arroyo and Maria Melendez will read selections from their works. This event is free and open to the public. Book sales and a signing will follow. Co-sponsored by the Library of Congress Center for the Book and Hispanic Division, and presented in collaboration with Letras Latinas.
Location: Montpelier Room, James Madison Building (sixth floor) <view map>
Contact: (202) 707-5394
Wednesday, April 24 at 12:00 Noon
LITERARY BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION: ROBERT PENN WARREN
Poet Maurice Manning and author Alan Cheuse will celebrate the birthday of American writer Robert Penn Warren by reading selections from his work and discussing his influence on their own writing. This event is free and open to the public, and will feature a display from the Library’s collections. Co-sponsored by the Rare Book and Special Collections Division of the Library of Congress.
Location: Whittall Pavillion, Thomas Jefferson Building (first floor) <view map>
Contact: (202) 707-5394
May 2013
Wednesday, May 15 12:00 Noon
LITERARY BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION: KATHERINE ANNE PORTER
Authors Mary Gaitskill and Janet Peery will celebrate the birthday of American poet Katherine Anne Porter by reading selections from her work and discussing her influence on their own writing. This event is free and open to the public, and will feature a display from the Library’s collections. Co-sponsored by the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress.
Location: Whittall Pavillion, Thomas Jefferson Building (first floor) <view map>
Contact: (202) 707-5394
Friday, May 31 at 12:00 Noon
LITERARY BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION: WALT WHITMAN
Poets Mark Doty and Sally Keith will celebrate the birthday of American poet Walt Whitman by reading selections from his work and discussing his influence on their own writing. This event is free and open to the public, and will feature a display from the Library’s collections. Co-sponsored by the Rare Book and Special Collections Division of the Library of Congress.
Location: Whittall Pavillion, Thomas Jefferson Building (first floor) <view map>
Contact: (202) 707-5394
June 2013
Currently, there are no scheduled event in June 2013.