Join us for readings by Ama Codjoe and Carl Phillips, two powerfully original voices in American poetry as they read from their new books — vital poems that find revelation in the intersections between language, history, and desire.
Ama Codjoe is the author of Bluest Nude, a collection that investigates what it means to be seen by others as well as that most intimate, singular spectacle of looking at oneself. “Sensual, sound-driven and brimming with a necessary truth, these poems are pulsating with both grief and beauty. She has written a true triumph of a debut that feels urgent and deeply human,” wrote Ada Limón.
Carl Phillips’s most recent books include Then the War, a collection of poems; and My Trade Is Mystery: Seven Meditations from a Life in Writing, a series of essays on his experiences as a writer and mentor. “More than a craft book, it is a reminder of the restlessness and recklessness that call many of us to keep doing the things we’re drawn to,” wrote Reginald Dwayne Betts.