International Poetry Series: African Poetry

Please join us for a survey of poetry around the world. We will meet in four monthly gatherings and begin our investigation with a literary culture of modern and contemporary African poets. In the subsequent sessions, we will read South American, Asian, and Middle Eastern poets.

African poetry encompasses a broad variety of traditions. The field is wonderfully complex, primarily because of Africa's original linguistic and cultural diversity. Many African poets write in English or French and have studied, lived, and taught in Europe or the United States. Nonetheless, African literature maintains its character and power. It is these qualities we will look to experience during our seminar-style meetings. During our meeting, we will live-read and unpack poems that resonated with us the most.