Arthur Sze, the 25th U.S. Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry, is embarking on a national tour titled "Words Bridging Worlds." This initiative, launching this week, aims to engage Americans with poetry from diverse international cultures, encouraging participation in translation workshops.
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The tour will involve graduate students from Queens College's MFA program, who will collaborate with Sze to lead poetry translation workshops in four cities. Each stop will also feature a public reading and discussion about Sze’s signature project.
"We live in a challenging world that is increasingly interconnected," Sze stated. "Poetry is for everyone, and it bridges our differences by showing us that our experiences of what it is to be human reach across languages, cultures, and time. Now, more than ever, we need to recognize how poetry deepens our attention and understanding, and how it helps us connect. "Words Bridging Worlds" exemplifies democracy in action, where people of all ages and all walks of life can come together through the living art of poetry."
During his first term, Sze published "Transient Worlds: On Translating Poetry," a collection featuring 22 poems from 13 languages, released in April by Copper Canyon Press and the Library of Congress.
The tour will include two free events at each stop: a public reading and a poetry translation workshop. The scheduled cities and dates are:
- September 18-19: Honolulu, Hawai’i - public event on September 18 at the Mission Memorial Auditorium and a workshop on September 19.
- November 7: Minneapolis, Minnesota - public event and workshop at the Twin Cities Book Festival.
- February 9-10, 2027: Boise, Idaho - public event and workshop with The Cabin.
- April 9-10, 2027: San Antonio, Texas - public event and workshop with the San Antonio Book Festival.
Sze will conclude his tour and tenure as Poet Laureate on April 29, 2027, at the Library of Congress.