poetic sequence

In this performance, Michael Burkard reads from his first three books, particularly from the 1981 collection Ruby for Grief. He also reads some uncollected work.

David Wojahn reads primarily from his then-manuscript Late Empire (1994), which would be published two years later. He also reads four sections of his sonnet sequence on rock and roll from Mystery Train (1990).

Rita Dove reads from Collected Poems, 1974-2004 (2016) and Sonata Mulattica (2009). She also reads uncollected work.

Alison Hawthorne Deming discusses the Climate Change & Poetry Series. She also reads from Stairway to Heaven (2016) and from uncollected work. This reading was given as part of the Climate Change & Poetry Series.

Jos Charles reads poems from their collections Safe Space (2016) and feeld (forthcoming in 2018), along with new work. This reading was originally given with Noah Baldino.

Khaled Mattawa reads poems from a manuscript in progress, including a poetic sequence on human trafficking and global migration. Some poems would go on to appear in Fugitive Atlas (2020). 

Khaled Mattawa presents a lecture on the long poem, in which he considers different types of long poems, their inspiration and subject matter, and their effect. The lecture incorporates portions of a published essay, "Epic Temptations: On an Unwritten Poem." Mattawa also reads from a sequence of poems in progress that would later appear in Fugitive Atlas (2020).

Yanyi reads from his two published collections, The Year of Blue Water (2019) and Dream of the Divided Field (2022), opening with two early, uncollected poems and closing with one recent draft. Intimacy emerges as a thematic center—in friendships, romantic relationships, and with the self.

Alison Hawthorne Deming reads poems focused on animals, humans' relationship with the natural world, and the political landscape of post-2016 America. These poems come from The Gift of Animals: Poems of Love, Loss, and Connection (2025), edited by Deming, and her sixth collection of poetry, Blue Flax & Yellow Mustard Flower (2025). This reading was originally given with Sally Ball.