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Poet Terrance Hayes On 'The Poetics Of Liquid'

Seattle Arts & Lectures finished its most recent poetry series with a visit from multiple award-winning poet Terrance Hayes.

Fellow poet Cornelius Eady said of Hayes' work: “First you’ll marvel at his skill, his near-perfect pitch, his disarming humor, his brilliant turns of phrase. Then you’ll notice the grace, the tenderness, the unblinking truth-telling just beneath his lines, the open and generous way he takes in our world.”

Seattle Arts & Lectures Poetry Curator Rebecca Hoogs said Hayes’ work is “fluid, resists genre and shrugs off easy categorization.”

Hayes is the author of five volumes of poetry, including his latest, “How to Be Drawn.” He won the National Book Award for Poetry for his volume, “Lighthead.” He has been the recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Guggenheim Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation. His work has appeared in three “Best American Poetry” collections.

Hayes currently teaches at the University of Pittsburgh.

Hayes appeared at Chihuly Garden and Glass on May 5. In this episode of Speakers Forum he presents his lecture, “The Poetics of Liquid.” This event was presented by Seattle Arts & Lectures, The Bagley Wright Lecture Series on Poetry, The Seattle Times and KUOW 94.9. Thanks to Anna Tatistcheff for our recording.

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