A Nigerian poet will host campus readings and discussions about his work next month.
Chris Abani, internationally acclaimed poet and former Nigerian political prisoner, will visit campus April 4.
Abani will conduct a reading and open discussion at 10 a.m., an open mic event at 6:15 p.m. and a final reading and book signing at 8 p.m. in Kerr-McGee Auditorium in Meinders School of Business.
Abani’s appearance is part of the Thatcher Hoffman Smith Poetry Series through the Center for Interpersonal Studies through Film and Literature. This is the series’ 20th year. Last year’s poet was Simon Armitage, a British poet.
Abani is also a novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and playwright. He has done TED Talks and written essays about humanitarianism, the social role of art and storytelling, and ethics and political responsibility.
Blaze Stark, history junior, said people don’t appreciate poetry as much as they used to.
“I definitely don’t think it’s a lost art, but I think it’s something people are kind of losing a bit of appreciation for,” Stark said. “I mean, when’s the last time you sat down and read a book of poetry?”
Stark said he is interested in attending the readings, but was surprised by the lack of word-of-mouth about the event.
Dustin Barlow, acting sophomore, said, if properly advertised, the readings would be a success, and that there is ample but untapped interest in poetry.
“I think people would be really receptive to it,” Barlow said. “It just doesn’t happen a lot. I performed a poem at Open Mic Night my freshman year, and people came up to me and were just like, ‘Thank you for sharing.’ It was just nice, and I feel like people have a wanting to do that too. I mean, we do that with our art, but this maybe just isn’t something we’ve explored as a community.”
Visit okcu.edu/events/chris-abani-thatcher-hoffman-smith-poetry-series for more information about the event.
Leave a Reply