Dinner and Table Talk with Stephanie Burt:
"What is poetry – and why?"

The art form we now call poetry goes back to the song of deliverance from the sea, the oldest part of the Book of Exodus. Or does it go back to the Psalms? Or to the beginning of spoken or written language? Why does it stick around? Why read it now? Is poetry really ever only one thing? What do we need to know to find out?

In this wide-ranging talk, Temple member and Harvard professor Stephanie Burt will draw from her forthcoming book "Don't Read Poetry: A Book of How to Read Poems" to explore these and other questions. She will examine common mistakes and exciting rewards to be found in the reading, and writing, of poems today and in the distant past.

Join us for dinner and conversation!

6:15 - catered dinner
6:45 - presentation and discussion

Register at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. $18 if you register by May 3, or $25 after that.  Pay at the door by check or cash.