Pulitzer Prizes Awards Humanities Washington and Copper Canyon Press Grant for Poetry Discussion Series

Humanities Washington and Copper Canyon Press have been awarded a grant from the Pulitzer Prizes for a new event series titled “Pulitzers in Person.” The events will commemorate the prize’s 100th anniversary by bringing Pulitzer Prize-winning and -nominated poets together for three live conversations about reading and writing poetry. The central question addressed will be “What makes a poem, or a poetry collection, ‘extraordinary?’”

The events will be held during fall 2016 at a venue in Seattle. To take the discussion beyond the walls of the event space, the discussion will also be streamed online, and Copper Canyon Press will create discussion guides and provide reduced-cost books for distribution among book clubs and writing circles throughout the state. Further, poets and scholars featured in the materials will be available for visiting select groups.

“Too often, poetry is considered an esoteric and solitary pursuit, written by tortured artists and read by academics,” says Julie Ziegler, executive director of Humanities Washington. “The brilliant poets and the poetry awarded the Pulitzer Prize provide us with a place to start shedding light on the process of writing, exploring, and experiencing poetry. Who better to collaborate on these events than Washington State poets, a long-time publisher of poetry, and a nonprofit organization specialized in bringing the humanities to a broader audience?”

Watch this space or check out our website in the coming months for event times and details.