The late John Berger wrote that the work of “every authentic poem” is to “bring together what life has separated or violence has torn apart.” At this moment, many American poets feel keenly the importance of writing across divides. What can our poems do to cross the lines of race, gender, class, or sexual identity? What obstacles—imposed by ourselves or others—get in the way? Two poets—Rita Dove, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and Commonwealth Professor of English at UVA, and Mark Doty, National Book Award winner and Kapnick Distinguished Writer-in-Residence at UVA—will discuss these questions with each other and with the audience, talk about what they have or haven’t been able to write, and why poetry feels necessary now.

For more information, see the UVA Today Q&A article on Mark Doty’s stay at UVA as the Kapnick Distinguished Writer-in-Residence!