Elizabeth Alexander, who read her poem "Praise Song for the Day" at the inauguration of President Barack Obama, will give a poetry reading at Duke University on Tuesday, April 14.
The reading will take place at 5:30 p.m. at the Nasher Museum of Art, followed by a reception. The event, sponsored by Duke's Office of the President, the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute, and the departments of English and of African and African American Studies, is free and open to the public.
A poet, essayist, playwright and professor of African-American Studies at Yale University, Alexander teaches courses on African-American poetry, drama and 20th century literature. As an undergraduate student at Yale, she studied with Duke President Richard H. Brodhead, who taught in Yale's English department for more than three decades.
"We are really interested in bringing the best and most interesting artists and writers to campus in highly visible events," said Christina Chia, assistant director for programs and communications at the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute. "Given professor Alexander's interest in American history and the way that she weaves history into her poetry -- which people got a taste of in the inaugural poem -- we thought that this was the right moment for this event."
More information is available at fhi.duke.edu/programs/lectures/elizabeth-alexander/.