Polish Poet Adam Zagajewski to Visit Midwest Poets Series Oct. 31

Acclaimed Polish poet Adam Zagajewski will open the 31st season of Rockhurst University’s Midwest Poets Series. His reading will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31, in Mabee Theater.

Zagajewski’s luminous, searching poems are imbued by a deep engagement with history, art and life. He enjoys a wide international readership.  The New York Book Review attests, “Zagajewski is now one of the most familiar and highly regarded names in poetry both in Europe and in this country.”

After Sept. 11, 2001, The New Yorker published Zagajewski’s poem, “Try to Praise the Mutilated World.” The poem resonated with many readers, including poet Mary Oliver, who wrote, “I remember how this poem was passed around from person to person during 9/11. It was profoundly moving and apt (it still is), and I remember how thankful I was that poetry exists (I still am).”

Zagajewski’s most recent books in English are Unseen Hand (Farrar, Straus, & Giroux, 2011); Eternal Enemies (FSG, 2008); and Without End: New and Selected Poems (2002), the last of which was nominated for a National Book Critics Circle Award.

Admission is $3 at the door; no one will be denied admission for lack of funds. Books will be available for purchase; a reception and book signing follow the reading. Mabee Theater is located in Sedgwick Hall on Rockhurst University’s campus, 54th Street and Troost Avenue. For more information, call The Center for Arts and Letters, 816-501-4607.