Native Speaker

Hurricane Katrina, the Civil War and the history of race relations in the United States are all themes in the work of poet laureate Natasha Trethewey. Her poetry evokes beautiful imagery of this country and its history, while showing the harsh truth and social injustice that comes with it. In her Pulitzer Prize-winning book Native Guard, Trethewey pairs harrowing stories of black Civil War soldiers with the struggles of her mixed-race family living in 1960s Mississippi. As part of a signature project in her second term as poetry consultant to the Library of Congress, Trethewey is traveling across the country and discussing the impact of literature in American communities. These talks will be reported on as part of the PBS NewsHour Poetry Series. Trethewey speaks tonight at 7;30 at Finney Chapel at Oberlin College & Conservatory as part of their Convocation Series. Admission is free. (Gonzalez) 90 North Professor St. (Oberlin College), Oberlin, 440-775-8269, oberlin.edu/conservatory.