Robert Pinsky with Josh Ritter and Friends: Poetry at the Extremes

A night of music and reading with the former U.S. Poet Laureate that plumbs the extremes of human emotion.

Dubbed “our finest living example” of the American civic poet by The New York Times, Robert Pinsky’s oeuvre is as concerned with the intellectual pursuit of poetry as it is with demonstrating its vitality and importance to our actual life experiences. In The Mind Has Cliffs of Fall, he guides readers through a range of emotions—reason, grief, and love; despair, guilt, and manic laughter—as exemplified in work from writers over the centuries, from Shakespeare to Tracy K. Smith. 

Poets Terrance Hayes, John Murillo, and Monica Youn, all featured in the anthology, will read selections over the course of the evening. Robert Pinsky and singer/songwriter Josh Ritter will compare songs and poems, in general and  with particular examples from The Mind Has Cliffs of Fall.

Pinsky will also curate a one-night-only display of rare and archival items from the Library’s special collections produced by poets featured in the book. Join us early! Doors open around 6:15pm. 

Interested in coming to more than one event? Think ahead, and save with subscription packs. Buy tickets for three to five events and save 15%. Buy tickets for six or more events and save 20%.
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All proceeds from tickets go toward supporting programming at The New York Public Library.

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Please send all press inquiries (photo, video, interviews, audio-recording, etc.) at least 24-hours before the day of the program to Sara Beth Joren at sarabethjoren@nypl.org.

For all other inquiries, please contact publicprograms@nypl.org.

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the speaker(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of The New York Public Library.

ASL interpretation and real-time (CART) captioning available upon request. Please submit your request at least two weeks in advance by emailing accessibility@nypl.org.

Robert Pinsky © Eric Antoniou