Hard Hat Reading Series
Happy New Year from Poets House!
We’re excited to announce the launch of a new ongoing series of Hard Hat Readings!
As many of you know, the library at 10 River Terrace suffered a devastating flood in August of 2021. We are now in the process of repairing the extensive damage, at the same time as we embark on a period of listening, reflection, and reimagining the future of our organization. As we begin to identify, with the help of our community and professionals in our field, the various steps needed to carry Poets House toward its reopening and beyond, we turn to poetry—where else?—for solace and inspiration.
This series will feature readings by poets and other community members which focus on connection, creative lineage, hope, and evolution. We’ll be asking our poet readers to select one poem from the collection and then one poem of their own, drawing a line between the two as a way of practicing gratitude toward our creative forebears and excitement for where their offerings have led us. We’ll also be reaching out to non-poet members of the community who recognize similar resonances among writers in our collection and wish to share those poems as part of the series.
We hope you’ll join us in the spirit of embracing transition, evolution, and the happy work of building on what has come before.
Our first reading, featuring Poets House board member Monica Youn, is already available on the site, and more will follow in the coming weeks. We look forward to sharing these readings with you as we continue to work toward the library’s official reopening.
