Ephemerality & Permanence
Sep 12 at 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Poetry that is produced orally and poetry that is written have often been pitted as fundamentally different, the former an ephemeral, inspired process and the latter thoughtful and labored. Oral poems are uttered, only to be forgotten if not remembered, while written poems are recorded and edited, over and over again, until the poet deems them complete. This distinction then extends to how oral and written cultures are understood more generally.
On Thursday September 12, the Asian American Writers’ Workshop is proud to present a prerecorded conversation between Craig Santos Perez, Ivanna Sang Een Yi, Aone van Engelenhoven, and Jan-Henry Gray, during which our esteemed speakers use poetry as a lens to discuss the way language evolves and changes. What are the differences and similarities between poems produced orally and poems that are written? How does poetry change a written tradition? How does it change an oral tradition? What role does it play in either?
The talk will be posted to our YouTube and will be available to watch at any point afterwards.