Adrienne Rich to Read and Lecture

Poet and essayist Adrienne Rich will visit the College October 1 and 2 to kick off the third year of the Department of Writing’s Distinguished Visiting Writers Series. In addition to meeting with students and faculty, Rich will give two free public presentations.

On Monday, October 1, she will deliver a talk/public lecture at 7:30 p.m. in 225 Williams Hall. She will also read from her poetry on Tuesday, October 2, at 7:30 p.m. in 225 Williams Hall.

Rich published her first volume of poetry, A Change of World, in 1951, at age 22. The book garnered considerable acclaim from both critics and fellow poets, winning the Yale Series of Younger Poets Award. In the book’s foreword W. H. Auden wrote that Rich’s poems "are neatly and modestly dressed, speak quietly but do not mumble, respect their elders but are not cowed by them, and do not tell fibs."

Rich’s subsequent body of work --- which includes 21 volumes of poetry, 5 nonfiction books, and several translations --- has earned her a reputation as one of the country’s leading feminist voices. Some critics have in fact censured her work for its harsh depiction of males, while others have praised its intensity. Margaret Atwood, in summing up Rich’s career, wrote, "Adrienne Rich is not just one of America’s best feminist poets or one of America’s best woman poets --- she is one of America’s best poets."

Rich’s many honors include the 1974 National Book Award for Diving into the Wreck: Poems, 1971–1972, Los Angeles Times Book Award for Poetry (twice), Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, National Poetry Association Award for distinguished service to the art of poetry, Robert Frost Silver Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Poetry, and Lambda Book Award in Lesbian Poetry (twice). In 1997 she declined to accept the National Medal for the Arts from President Clinton, saying, "A president cannot meaningfully honor certain token artists while the people at large are so dishonored."

Rich has conducted poetry writing workshops and has served on the faculties of various universities. From 1982 to 1985 she was the Andrew Dickson White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University.

The Distinguished Visiting Writers Series has previously hosted William Kennedy, Judy Grahn, Joy Williams, Barbara Ehrenreich, and Donald Hall.

For more information contact Katharyn Howd Machan, associate professor of writing, at 274-3325 or machan@ithaca.edu.