In celebration of National Poetry Day, W.S. Merwin, the 2010 U.S. Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner, will give a free reading at the Cindy Pritzger Auditorium of the Harold Washington Library. The reading will begin at 6 p.m. on Thursday, October 11, but get there early; audience members will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis, according to the Poetry Foundation, which sponsors the event.
Merwin’s work, with its narrative style and straightforward imagery that is accessible to even those who might consider themselves poetry-shy, dates back to the 1950s and includes nearly 30 books of poems. He is also an accomplished translator, having interpreted foreign language poetry for English-speaking audiences. An extended biography and selections of Merwin’s work are available on the Academy of American Poets website. I hope you’ll join me in listening to this legend live!