Walt Whitman video added to ModPo

Recently we made five new videos for ModPo. Zach Carduner is now uploading them to the ModPo '15 site. Here's a sneak preview of one of them—on canto 47 of Whitman's "Song of Myself," which will be added to the main ModPo syllabus for week 1. And....here's your link to the video. ModPo, hosted by the Kelly Writers House, is an open online 10-week course/symposium on modern and contemporary U.S. poetry. ModPo '15 begins on 9/12/15. Enroll (free) here.

Sam Apple is a rocket boy

In the New Yorker you can find Sam Apple's essay on growing up with the Houston Rockets and Max Apple. Max, of course, is Sam's father. Both of them teach Creative Writing at Penn and are regulars at the Kelly Writers House. Here is a link to the essay.

Kelly Writers House Fellow

The amazing novelist, poet, and playwright Jessica Hagedorn visits Writers House tonight (April 27) at 6:30 PM. Hagedorn is best known for her hip, funky, surreal epic novel about Manila, Dogeaters, and for editing the anthology Charlie Chan Is Dead: An Anthology of Contemporary Asian American Fiction. But she's also the author of many other poems, novels, and plays -- and is currently writing a musical adaptation of Lysley Tenorio's acclaimed short story "Felix Starro." There are a few seats left. Email whfellow@writing.upenn.edu to reserve your seat.

Camara and Nadia!

Camara Brown and Nadia Laher after their fabulously good readings/performances the other day for a group of Trustee Council of Penn Women members gathered at Kelly Writers House.

great poet eyebrows

Great poet eyebrows belonging to two poets beloved by KWH'ers—Bob Perelman and Greg Djanikian. During our 4/9/15 celebration of Bob (who is retiring after this semester), Greg rose to toast him and remarked that one reason he (Greg) likes him (Bob) is his fabulous eyebrows. Later, during the reception, two posed for eyebrowish comparison.

leonard cohen celebration - video

The video recording of our recent Leonard Cohen festival is now available here. Here is a link to a preview of the event.

getting medieval - a new podcast

Episode #32 in the "Kelly Writers House podcast" series features a 20-minute excerpt from a program led by David Wallace and students in his medieval literature seminar in December 2013 - called "Getting Medieval": CLICK HERE TO LISTEN. You can also watch the video recording of the entire program by clicking here.