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O.B. Hardison Poetry Series subscriptions

The 55th season of the O.B. Hardison Poetry Series continues its long-standing tradition of welcoming the most incandescent names in poetry to the Folger. The work of established and emerging poets in our upcoming season engages audiences with innovative language that answers the question, “what’s your story?” Poet Evie Shockley writes in her newest collection, Suddenly We, that “a mythology begins with a question.”  This season of poetry delves into the question of who we are, what inspires us, and the connections that make us human.

Subscribe today to enjoy 25% off single ticket prices and guarantee your seats to a season of 5 readings in the newly renovated Folger!

Contact the box office at (202) 544-7077 or folgerboxoffice@folger.edu for more information.

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About the O.B. Hardison Poetry Series
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About the O.B. Hardison Poetry Series

Subscriber benefits

  • Guaranteed seats at in-person readings
  • Ticket discounts to other programs including Folger Theatre, Folger Music, and other Folger events
  • Emails with more content, information, and special invitations

The 2023 | 24 O.B. Hardison Poetry Series

The O.B. Hardison Reading

Jorie Graham

October 3, 2023 | 7:30pm (ET)
Virtual on Zoom

We start the season with Pulitzer-prize winning poet Jorie Graham. This virtual reading will include a moderated conversation by Rep. Jamie Raskin.

The Emily Dickinson Birthday Tribute

Evie Shockley

December 5, 2023 | 7:30pm

We celebrate the birthday of Amherst’s bard, Emily Dickinson, with our annual birthday tribute reading. This year, we highlight poet and literary scholar Evie Shockley who thinks, creates, and writes with her eye on a Black feminist horizon.

Co-sponsored with The Emily Dickinson Museum.

Not Just Another Day Off

Annual Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

January 15, 2024 | 11:00am

We look forward to celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday with our annual free and family-friendly event Not Just Another Day Off on January 15. This event showcases historical speeches from King, Frederick Douglass, Fannie Lou Hamer and more with work from contemporary poets.

The Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize

Linda Gregerson and Hannah Louise Poston

March 12, 2024 | 7:30pm

We celebrate Waywiser Press’s 18th annual Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize with a reading from this year’s judge, Linda Gregerson, and this year’s winner Hannah Louise Poston.

Co-sponsored with Waywiser Press.

The Folger Poetry Board Reading

This year’s reader TBA

April 25, 2024 | 7:30pm

Since 1991 a group of Folger Poetry supporters have selected a poet to read for the season. The poet selected is then invited to read from their own work as well as the poets they cite as influences. This year’s poet will be announced soon.

Plus a virtual writing workshop!

BLOOM: A Virtual Poetry Workshop

Camille T. Dungy

February 26, 2024 | 6:30pm (ET)
Virtual on Zoom

In this virtual workshop acclaimed poet and essayist Camille T. Dungy, along with a horticulturalist, will present a generative poetry workshop with a botanical theme. This workshop is co-sponsored with the U.S. Botanic Garden as part of the ongoing BLOOM series of workshops.