Folger Shakespeare's Library's O.B. Hardison Poetry Series to Welcome Rafael Campo, 12/8

On Monday, December 8 at 7:30 pm, the O.B. Hardison Poetry Series at the Folger Shakespeare Library continues its 46th season with a reading by award-winning poet Rafael Campo. The reading is co-sponsored by The Poetry Society of America. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the Folger Box Office at 202.544.7077 or by visiting www.folger.edu/poetry.

An annual tradition, this year the rum and fruit flavored "black cake" made from Dickinson's own famous recipe will be provided by The Suga Chef and served after the reading.

Emily Dickinson once wrote, "I am afraid to own a Body-/I am afraid to own a Soul." As a physician and poet, Dr. Rafael Campo bridges the worlds of arts and science in this annual poetry reading in honor of Emily Dickinson, whose poetry explores the physical and the metaphysical and the all-too-mortal body and its immortal soul. Campo teaches general internal medicine at Harvard Medical School and creative writing at Lesley University. He will read from his own work, speak on Dickinson and what her work voices about science, medicine, technology, in connection to the liberal arts and to healing. The moderated conversation following the reading will be lead by Poetry Society of America program manager, Charif Shanahan.

A special addition to the Dickinson Tribute this year, the O.B. Hardison Poetry Series, the Library of Congress, and The Emily Dickinson International Society, will be sponsoring a day-long marathon reading of Dickinson's poetry at the Library of Congress, Jefferson Building, in room LJ-119, from 9am to 5pm. The public can sign up for a ten-minute slot at http://www.folger.edu/wosummary.cfm?woid=956 or on Sign-Up Genius at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0f4ba8ac28a6f85-emily.The marathon reading is a free event.