POETRY & THE AMERICAN CONVERSATION: PHILIP SCHULTZ AND JILL BIALOSKY WITH DAVID RATTRAY

What role can poetry play in shaping how we understand, question, and participate in civic life? Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Philip Schultz and acclaimed poet, novelist, and editor Jill Bialosky join David Rattray, editor-in-chief of The East Hampton Star, for an afternoon of readings and conversation exploring poetry as both a reflection of its time and an active form of civil discourse. Through their newly published collections, Schultz and Bialosky consider how poets respond to the social and political forces around them—and how writing can become an expression of conscience, resistance, empathy, and collective understanding. The afternoon weaves live readings by Schultz and Bialosky with historic recordings of some of America’s most influential poetic voices—including Walt Whitman, Sylvia Plath, Allen Ginsberg, and others—placing contemporary work in dialogue with generations of poets who have challenged, chronicled, and helped shape the American conversation. Copies of Bialosky’s new collection, Mock Heart, and Schultz’s new collection, Enormous Morning will be available for purchase.