On September 9, the College Arts + Humanities Institute (CAHI) is pleased to welcome celebrated poet Carolyn Forche to the Buskirk-Chumley Theater as part of its 2021 Ruth N. Halls lecture series. Themester is proud to support this event alongside the College of Arts + Sciences, the Ruth N. Halls Humanities Fund, and the Center for the Study of Global Change.
Known for coining the phrase “poetry of witness,” Forche’s has been a name of note for several decades. In 1978, she traveled to El Salvador on a Guggenheim Fellowship and worked as a human rights advocate during the country’s civil war. When she returned, she wrote The Country Between Us, a melding of personal and political poetic traditions which bore parallels with the works of Pablo Neruda and Denise Levertov.
Since then, Forche has translated, and edited several volumes, and she has published memoirs, books of poetry, and translations of her own. She was a finalist for the 2021 Pulitzer Prize in poetry. She currently teaches at Georgetown University, and co-chairs the Creative Advisory Council of Hedgebrook alongside Gloria Steinem.
During her visit to IU, Forche will read from her newest work, share a discussion with Distinguished Professor Jeffrey Gould, and sign copies of her books.
Given her commitment to advocacy and tradition of poetry which is invested in the social and human rights realms, and her previous recognition as a poet of “uncommon vigor and assurance,” Themester is honored to include Forche in its exploration of the Resilience theme. The work of a political poet, according to a New Yorker article, is equated with momentum and a resistance to oppression.
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