Event Title: A Reading by Edward Hirsch and Natasha Trethewey, Sponsored by the Academy of American Poets
Description: The Academy of American Poets will present a reading by the award-winning and bestselling poets Edward Hirsch and Natasha Trethewey. Edward Hirsch is the author of nine books of poetry and has received the National Book Critics Award and a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship. Natasha Trethewey, Pulitzer Prize for Poetry winner, was appointed as the 19th Poet Laureate of the United States in 2012. Jen Benka, the Executive Director of the Academy of American Poets, will introduce the event.
Participants: Jen Benka, Edward Hirsch, Natasha Trethewey
Date & Time: Saturday, April 2, 2016, 8:30pm – 10:00pm
 

Q: Given how much time writers spend alone to practice their craft, what do you think are the advantages of creating the large community that exists at the AWP conference? 
A: I've been going to the AWP Conference for nearly twenty years and it has remained one of my favorite ways to reconnect with friends across the country. Getting to spend a few days attending great panels and readings and engaging in lively conversations about the craft of writing invigorates me.

Q: Outside of the conference, what about Los Angeles are you looking forward to? Are there any Los Angeles activities you would recommend to conference attendees? 
A: I've been reading about what a great food city LA is and I am looking forward to trying several restaurants.

Natasha Trethewey served two terms as the Poet Laureate of the United States (2012-2014). She is the author of four collections of poetry—Thrall; Native Guard, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize; Bellocq’s Ophelia; and Domestic Work—as well as the nonfiction book Beyond Katrina: A Meditation on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. She is the recipient of fellowships from the NEA, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, among others. She is Robert W. Woodruff Professor of English and Creative Writing at Emory University, and has been inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. (Photo credit: Joel Benjamin)