English

The 2024 Paul Engle Prize winner and celebrated poet Camille T. Dungy will read from her newest poetry collection, America, a Love Story, and will be joined in conversation with University of Iowa Associate Professor and poet, Donika Kelly. Described by publisher Wesleyan University Press as a "powerful testament to living and loving as a Black woman and mother in today's America, and her first book of poetry in almost a decade," America, a Love Story is praised by Charley Burlock of Oprah Daily as an "electrifying new collection [that] arrives just on time, offering a version of patriotism capable of meeting the present moment and carrying us through to a brighter future," while award-winning poet and novelist Kaveh Akbar says: "What a great fan I am of Camille Dungy's work. I've spent so much time sitting at the foot of her language, just sort of learning what I can in slack-jawed wonder."

Join Kathy Lavezzo, professor of English, and William Rhodes, associate professor of English, for an evening exploring the enduring influence of the medieval world through their newest books. After the reading, Sarah Bond, associate professor of history, will moderate a conversation exploring the books' shared in medievalism’s lasting influence on later history and culture. This event is free and open to the public.