Award-winning poets to discuss their work, inspirations during Fall Arts Celebration

Two unique poetic voices will share their work and discuss their inspirations with the West Michigan community during Fall Arts Celebration at Grand Valley State University.

“An Evening of Poetry and Conversation with Ada Limón and Carl Phillips” will take place October 18, at 7:30 p.m., on the 2nd floor of the Eberhard Center, located on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus. A reception and book signing will take place after both authors read samples from their work.

“Carl Phillips and Ada Limón both write out of their passions,” said Patricia Clark, professor of writing and Grand Valley’s Poet-in-Residence. “If Phillips is the more somber voice of the two poets, his words are still lit by brief moments of intensity and beauty. Limón's relaxed, seemingly casual voice dazzles with precision and directness.”

Clark said attendees of the event will experience the power of poetry when it is heard instead of read.

“It is a completely different experience to hear poets live, not just on the page,” she said. “They reveal quite a bit about themselves and their work, and they say things that help illuminate the poems.

Limón is the author of five books of poetry, including her new book, The Carrying (2018). Her volume Bright Dead Things was named one of the top 10 poetry books of 2015 by The New York Times. Limón currently serves on the faculty of Queens University of Charlotte’s low-residency Master of Fine Arts program.

Phillips is the author of 14 books of poetry, including his most recent works, Wild Is the Wind (2018) and Reconnaissance (2015). The latter won the PEN USA Award and the Lambda Literary Award. A four-time finalist for the National Book Award, Phillips’ honors include the Los Angeles Times’ Book Prize for Poetry, the Kingsley Tufts Award and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, Library of Congress and Academy of American Poets. He is currently a professor of English at Washington University in St. Louis.

For more information about Fall Arts Celebration, visit gvsu.edu/fallarts. All Fall Arts Celebration events are free and open to the public.