Princeton University to host Inaugural Poetry Festival

April, the most poetic month

Internationally renowned poets to read at Richardson Auditorium
    To celebrate poetry’s vital place in our culture, Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts Performance Central program will present the inaugural Princeton Poetry Festival. Poets from around the world will read and share their work during the two-day event on April 27 – 28 at Richardson Auditorium. The event is free but pre-registration is required.
    Poetry is a longstanding tradition at Princeton University. Revolutionary War poet Philip Morin Freneau, class of 1771, and major postwar poets William Ralph Meredith ‘40, Galway Kinnell ‘48 and W. S. Merwin ‘48 are among the hundreds of renowned graduates who studied poetry and the creative arts at Princeton. Interest in poetry continues to play an essential role in campus life and today’s dedicated students of creative writing undoubtedly will be among the recognized poets of the future.
    The Princeton Poetry Festival is the fruition of a longstanding commitment of Paul Muldoon, the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet who is chair of the Lewis Center for the Arts and the Howard G.B. Clark ‘21 University Professor in the Humanities, and also professor of creative writing, director of the Princeton Atelier and chair of the University’s Fund for Irish Studies.
    Mr. Muldoon, who has been thinking about hosting a poetry festival for several years, was pleased to have secured funding for the launch of the inaugural poetry festival this year. He hopes that Princeton will continue to host a biannual international poetry festival in the years to follow.
    The selection of this year’s poets was based on the quality of their work and includes several of the most esteemed poets in the world. The “variousness” of poetry and translation is also reflected in the poets invited this year.
    World-acclaimed poets participating in this year’s international festival include Durs Gruenbein of Germany, Michael Hofmann of the United Kingdom and Seamus Heaney of Ireland. American poets taking part are John Ashbery, Tina Chang, Lucille Clifton, Michael Dickman, Matthea Harvey, Naomi Shihab Nye, Gerald Stern, Ellen Doré Watson and Kevin Young, as well as three distinguished poets who are graduates of Princeton’s world-renowned Program in Creative Writing, Galway Kinnell ‘39, Sally Van Doren ‘84 and Troy Jollimore GS ‘99.
    For more information about the poets visit: www.princeton.edu/arts/ poetryfestival
    There is ample precedent for bringing internationally acclaimed poets, novelists and essayists to campus. Princeton’s popular Althea Ward Clark W ‘21 Reading Series, sponsored by the Program in Creative Writing, brings a steady stream of world-renowned authors to read at the Lewis Center for the Arts each month. Among the list of distinguished authors who read this year are the South African poet Breyten Breytenbach and former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky.
    “When one considers Princeton is truly an international venue, one thing we would like to be known for is honoring poets and authors from around the world. Princeton has a responsibility not only to its own students and scholars but to the wider community of students and scholars. Many writers not associated with the University live in the area. We like the idea of bringing internationally renowned writers into that mix,” said Mr. Muldoon.
    Letters of invitation to the poetry festival were sent to area colleges and universities as well as to public and private high schools in Central New Jersey. “We welcome in part young students and scholars from local schools. It is here that the next generation of poets and poetry readers are being nurtured,” said Mr. Muldoon.
    “One of the greatest things about poetry is that it does have an international aspect. Poets are always reading translations of other poets, both contemporary and historical, and they tend to move around the world, often traveling to attend festivals. It is a renewing experience for poets as one is reminded that every individual is doing something quite different but in a way that is universally recognizable. “
    Initially timed to complement the biannual fall Dodge Poetry Festival, the advent of Princeton’s Poetry Festival will help to fill the gap left by the passing of that well- regarded poets’ conclave. Although Paul Muldoon was “gravely shocked” by its demise, he hopes that the Princeton Poetry Festival will carry on the high standards of excellence established by the Dodge Foundation.
    The Princeton Poetry Festival is free and open to the public but reservations are essential. Early indications are that tickets will go quickly. For more information about the Princeton Poetry Festival visit www.princeton.edu/arts/ poetryfestival.
The Lewis Center for the Arts is part of a major initiative announced by President Shirley M. Tilghman in 2006 to fully embrace the arts as an essential part of the educational experience for all who study and teach at Princeton University. The Lewis Center for the Arts will have a significant impact on the University and the larger community it serves. The public is welcomed to a full range of lectures, exhibitions, concerts and performances at the Center. Many of the Center’s events are free or charge a nominal admission fee. For more information about the Lewis Center for the Arts visit www.princeton.edu/arts.