Free Plenary Talk by Alabama Poet Laureate Ashley M. Jones: The Importance of Writing in These Times

Join us at 3 p.m. at The Threshold Center for the plenary talk by Alabama Poet Laureate Ashley M. Jones on The Importance of Writing in These Times.

Although suffering, uncertainty, and anger feels so new in these times, it has always been a time of anger, suffering, and uncertainty. How have we coped? How can we parse this unceasing horror? Poetry can help us find some footing as we make ourselves available for the work that must be done to create a livable and kind world. Audre Lorde told us that poetry is not a luxury, but that it is vital for our survival. I’ll share a few ways that has been true in my life, and I’ll invite you to explore the genre (and literature as a whole) for what it can tell us about who we are and how to be better.