A Day with Acclaimed Poet Jane Hirshfield

Suffolk University will welcome award-winning poet Jane Hirshfield to campus on Wednesday, February 7 for a day of exploration and inspiration.

Hirshfield has made significant contributions to literary culture, including eight collections of poetry, two works of prose about poetry, and translations of the work of Japanese women poets. “Her work is deeply informed by a confluence of Buddhist thought and feminism,” says Fred Marchant, Professor Emeritus and Director of the Poetry Center.

The day will begin with a roundtable discussion for the Suffolk University community and invited guests. Students will have the opportunity to participate in a dialogue with Hirshfield about her process, her work, and the importance of poetry to cultural and individual life.

The evening will conclude with a reading by Hirshfield, which will be open to the public. Hirshfield is expected to read new works. Marchant also hopes to hear a classic piece he finds always resonates with his students:

‘The Envoy’ conjures images of small things that pass through our lives unnoticed, leaving lasting impacts. That’s what poetry does. It gets us to pay attention to those small things,” says Marchant.

“What poetry does on the page and in person is open up new places of thought in your mind and your imagination and help you see things anew. A reading is the unique occasion of hearing the person who composed those works reading them as they were intended to be read. It opens up new ways of seeing and thinking when you experience the work in a new way.”

About the Event

Roundtable Discussion
Wednesday, February 7
3 p.m.
The Poetry Center

Public Poetry Reading
Wednesday, February 7
7 p.m.
Blue Sky Lounge & Commons
Sargent Hall, 5th Floor
Suffolk University

This event is sponsored by The Poetry Center, The Rosenberg Institute for East Asian Studies, the English Department and the College of Arts & Sciences Dean’s Office.