Resonance: Patricia Smith and John Burnside (2010)

For the O.B. Hardison Poetry Series 2010, Patricia Smith and John Burnside read from their works in the Folger's Elizabethan Theatre on March 1, 2010. Post-reading conversation was moderated by poet Sandra Beasely.

Patricia Smith

Soulful, impassioned poets Smith and Burnside create poems that shimmer with magic. Patricia Smith is the author of five poetry volumes. Her most recent, Blood Dazzler, which chronicles the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, was a 2008 National Book Award finalist. She is a four-time individual champion in the National Poetry Slam.

John Burnside

Scottish poet John Burnside has published numerous collections, including Feast Days and The Asylum Dance, winner of the Whitbread Poetry Award. His latest collection is The Hunt in the Forest. Burnside, also a novelist, teaches at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland.

Reviews

“Smith writes the way Tina Turner sings.” —E. Ethelbert Miller (poet and editor of Poet Lore magazine)

“[Smith’s] poems sweat up the pages, caress the reader’s eyes, set fire to the books they’re printed in.” —Bob Holman (slam poet and producer of United States of Poetry for PBS)

“Burnside is one of the most exciting and talented poets writing today.” —The Guardian (UK)

“John Burnside’s latest collection shimmers with beauty, excitement and apprehension” —Sunday Herald (Scotland)