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03/21/2005: National Poetry Month is April
This news advisory from US News Wire about National Poetry Month, The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine, and The Union League Civic & Arts Foundation:"... will host a public lecture by Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts Dana Gioia on Monday, April 4.
The event will begin at 6 p.m. and will take place at The Union League Club, 65 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago.
Poet, critic, and best-selling anthologist, Dana Gioia will speak on "Poetry in the Public Forum." He is one of America's leading men of letters. Winner of Poetry magazine's Frederick Bock Prize in 1985 and the Poets' Prize for his collection The Gods of Winter in 1991, Gioia is internationally recognized for his role in reviving rhyme, meter, and narrative in contemporary poetry. An influential critic, he has combined populist ideals and high standards to bring poetry to a broader audience.
For fifteen years Gioia worked as a business executive, eventually becoming a vice president of General Foods. Writing at night and on weekends, he also established a major literary reputation. In 1992 he left business to become a full-time writer.
Gioia has published three full-length books of poetry and has been an active translator of poetry from Latin, Italian, German, and Romanian. Although widely noted for his use of traditional forms, Gioia also writes in free verse-insisting that a poet should be able to use whatever style the work suggests. Widely anthologized and translated, he has been the subject of several critical books and monographs. Gioia's third collection of poems, Interrogations at Noon (2001), won the American Book Award. Reviewing the volume, British critic William Oxley praised Gioia as "probably the most exquisite poet writing today in English."
Best known to many as a critic, Gioia has been an active and outspoken literary commentator for over a quarter century. His essay, "Can Poetry Matter?", which first appeared in The Atlantic Monthly in 1991 and later in a collection of essays under the same title, ignited an international debate on the role of poetry in contemporary intellectual life.
Admission is free, but reservations are required. Space is limited. For tickets call The Civic & Arts Foundation at 312-435- 5961."
Karen on 03.21.05 @ 12:28 PM CST
