The board and staff of the Asian American / Asian Research Institute are saddened by the loss of our good friend, past AAARI board member, poet and Distinguished Professor Meena Alexander (Hunter College & CUNY Graduate Center), who passed away on November 20, 2018. The following is a poem by Russell C. Leong, editor of CUNY FORUM, in memory of Prof. Alexander:
For Meena Alexander from the City of Angels
Dear Meena-
Our everyday Histories of amnesia.
– R. Leong
Videos of Prof. Alexander from past AAARI lectures and events:
Impossible Grace: Poems and a Journey (featured in Asian American Matters: A New York Anthology)
Articles About Meena Alexander
Poetry Foundation | The Indian EXPRESS | The New York Times | The Wire
Bio
Meena Alexander was a Distinguished Professor of English at the CUNY Graduate Center and Hunter College/CUNY. Prof. Alexander recently published two new books: her eighth book of poetry Atmospheric Embroidery (TriQuarterly Books/ Northwestern U Press), and an anthology she edited: Name Me a Word: Indian Writers Reflect on Writing (Yale U Press). Her awards include those from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation, the Fulbright Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundations and the Arts Council of England. She has also received the PEN Open Book Award and the Imbongi Yesizwe International Poetry Award from South Africa. In 2011, she was Poet-in-Residence at Al Quds University in Jerusalem, and took part in the Palestine Festival of Literature (PalFest). www.meenaalexander.com
