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By invitation of the Poetry Foundation, Louise Fry Scudder Professor of English and Distinguished Poet in Residence Kwame Dawes presented a reading from his most recent work at The Arts institute of Chicago in January. The event, Poetry Off the Shelf, features readings by many of the United States’ most renowned poets, including Mary Oliver, Li-Young Lee, and Charles Simic. Dawes’ reading was the first in the 2008 series.
The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine, is an independent literary organization committed to a vigorous presence for poetry in our culture. The Foundation works to raise poetry to a more visible and influential position in American culture. Rather than celebrating the status quo, the Foundation seeks to be a leader in shaping a receptive climate for poetry by developing new audiences, creating new avenues for delivery, and encouraging new kinds of poetry.
Dawes, who teaches poetry writing and post-colonial literature, is the author of 14 books of poetry, three novels, four nonfiction works, a play, and numerous scholarly articles. His 1994 book Progeny of Air won the Forward Poetry Prize for the best first collection, and his 2000 collection Midland won the Hollis Summers Poetry prize. Dawes is also Executive Director of the USC Arts Institute and Director of the Poetry Initiative, a center for the promotion, celebration, and production of poetry based at the University of South Carolina.
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