Critically-acclaimed poet Claudia Rankine will be featured for the University’s John and Renee Grisham Visiting Writers series tonight at 7 p.m.
Rankine, who received her MFA from Columbia and has taught at universities across the country, will be reading from her latest work, “Citizen,” in Brevard Hall room 134.
Rankine’s “Citizen” is a collection of poems that explore racism surrounding the African-American community. Cases such as the Jena 6 and Rankine’s own personal experiences permeate her writing. However, what readers will also find is a journey of self-exploration in uncomfortable situations.
(Claudia Rankine | The DM Online)
Holly Bass of the New York Times writes, “Rankine brilliantly pushes poetry’s forms to disarm readers and circumvent our carefully constructed defense mechanisms against the hint of possibly being racist ourselves.”
“The world is wrong,” writes Rankine. “You can’t put the past behind you. It’s buried in you; it’s turned your flesh into its own cupboard. Not everything remembered is useful, but it all comes from the world to be stored in you.”
Along with Rankine’s deep exploration of several topics regarding race, her poetic style is also noted for its various forms.
“(Rankine) is very innovative,” Author and University of Mississippi English professor Ann Fisher-Wirth said. “And she has an active social conscience. She’s interested in political and social issues and combines them with personal issues.”
Professor Derrick Harriell of the English department at Ole Miss gave similar praise for Rankine.
“(‘Citizen’) has definitely echoed much of the societal and racial concerns of black people in contemporary America. ‘Citizen’ is a brave book that forces us to face racial inequalities and discriminatory acts, like racial profiling, head-on and has fostered an important conversation among poets and non-poets alike,” he said.
Students will get to listen to Rankine read her poems live and take part in a question-and-answer session at the end of the reading. According to Fisher-Wirth, this is a rare opportunity that doesn’t happen on many campuses.
“This is a major writer we will have on campus,” Fisher-Wirth said. “(Students) should take it seriously and recognize what a privilege it is to bring her…and frankly the time couldn’t be more appropriate…it should be an exhilarating experience.”
This event will allow students to hear a new voice on issues regarding the African-American community and explore a connection with recent issues being dealt with on campus.
“I think her appearance on our campus is timely considering all of the tensions that have surfaced in conversations about the state flag,” said Harriell. “And even more than this, she’s a fantastic writer, and it’s always significant for us to host fantastic artists…I believe students will leave this event with things to think about. To me, this is always the bonus of an event, when the work forces me to reconsider the way I look at the world.”
