U.S. Poet Laureate to Hold Reading at Duke Nov. 17
Juan Felipe Herrera will read selections of his works and meet the public
DURHAM, N.C. -- U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera will read selections of his works and meet the public during a free event at Duke University Thursday, Nov. 17.
The event begins at 4:30 p.m. in the David M. Rubenstein Library’s Gothic Reading Room on West Campus. Parking is available in the Bryan Center lot and garage.
Herrera -- a poet, photographer, anthropologist, cartoonist and multimedia artist -- was selected as the nation’s 21st poet laureate in June 2015. He is the first Mexican-American and Latino to hold the position. Herrera’s publications include 14 collections of poetry, prose, short stories, a young adult novel and picture books for children with 21 books in total in the last decade.
As U.S. poet laureate, Herrera is involved in creating projects and broadening the appeal of poetry to audiences across the country. During his year in the position, he initiated the project “La Casa de Colores” (“The House of Colors”) where he invited Americans to contribute to an epic poem about the American experience.
He recently launched projects for his second year as poet laureate:
- “The Technicolor Adventures of Catalina Neon,” a bilingual poem written by Herrera and students in second and third grade, and illustrated by artist Juana Medina.
- “Wordstreet Champions and Brave Builders of the Dream,” a collaboration with Poetry Foundation in Chicago and the Chicago Public Schools to develop new ways to teach poetry to freshmen.
- “Laureate Lab -- Visual Wordist Studio,” which creates a performance/classroom space in the library of California State University, Fresno to develop programs and classes for the local community.
In addition to these projects, Herrera maintains an active reading and lecture schedule, and continues to pen new works. His recent projects include several in response to violence and terrorist activities in America, including the San Bernardino mass shooting, the Orlando night club attack and the shootings of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Philando Castile in Minnesota, and five police officers in Dallas.
Herrera’s appearance is co-sponsored by Duke’s Office of the Provost, the Office of the Dean of Arts & Sciences, the Department of Romance Studies, and the Program in Latino/a Studies in the Global South.