As part of the Being Human Festival (US), the Princeton Public Library and the Humanities Council present “Between Lines and Stanzas: Ways of Being Human with Poetry,” a slate of events exploring how poetry shapes and reflects the human experience.
These public, community-focused programs invite participants to read, discuss, experience, and create poetry together as part of a nationwide celebration of the humanities. Spearheaded by Cliff Robinson, public humanities specialist at the Princeton Public Library, the series includes interactive workshops, poetry performances, and collaborative presentations.
“In putting these events together with our supporting partners I have been motivated by the thought that there may be especially now a profound need for what perhaps poetry alone can provide for us,” said Robinson. “In distinction from the prevailing tone of our civic discourse today, poets empower us to find out what we really mean when we speak, sometimes even what we mean to one another. We owe a great debt of appreciation to those who stake their voices to fill our minds and ears with poetry.”
University partners and co-sponsors include the Princeton Film Festival Society, the Princeton Humanities Initiative, and the Lewis Center for the Arts.
Being Human is a national festival led by the National Humanities Center in the United States. This year’s festival features nearly two dozen events across 14 states and districts.
Upcoming events include:
- “Overlooked Stories and Storytellers,” Part 1
Saturday, April 18 · 10:30 am · Princeton Public Library, Conference Room
In this workshop – the first of two sessions led by Ellen Gilbert – participants will explore the relationship between poetry and storytelling. Session one will examine “War of the Wall,” by Toni Cade Bambara. Written in 1980, Bambara’s story considers the effects of racism, the power of community and what is not seen as characters make assumptions about one another and unfolding events. A reading and discussion of Langston Hughes’s poem “Let America Be America Again” will complement the story. - Princeton in Cinema: Exhibition Opening
Monday, April 20 · 6:00 pm · Princeton Public Library, Community Room
This dynamic exhibition, presented by the Princeton Film Festival Society, uncovers the town’s surprising cinematic legacy, from Thomas Edison’s pioneering experiments in nearby West Orange to Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer.” Through rare archival materials, film stills, newspapers, and residents’ stories, it traces how Princeton’s architecture, landscapes, and intellectual aura have shaped—and been shaped by—the moving image. Co-sponsored by the Princeton Humanities Initiative. - “Overlooked Stories and Storytellers Discovered,” Part 2
Saturday, April 25 · 10:30 am · Princeton Public Library, Conference Room
In the second of two reading and discussion sessions led by Ellen Gilbert, participants will explore the relationship between poetry and storytelling. Session two will cover the short story “The Archivists,” by Daphne Kalotay, about the consequences of World War II on the generation that experienced it and those who came afterward. A discussion of W.H. Auden’s poem, “September 1, 1939” will complement the story. - “Poetry in a Burning World: Works by Ilya Kaminsky and Katie Farris“
Monday, April 27 · 6 pm · Princeton Public Library, Community Room
Join award-winning poets Katie Farris and Ilya Kaminsky for this collaborative presentation of their works on deafness, the challenges of facing cancer, and the war in Ukraine. Blending performance with conversation, they will explore how poetry can make meaning out of tragedy and steady us through hardship. Presented by the Humanities Council at Princeton University in collaboration with the Princeton Public Library. Co-sponsored by the Lewis Center for the Arts. - “Hear Our Poetry“
Wednesday, April 29 · 6 pm · Princeton Public Library, Newsroom
This multilingual poetry reading features readers sharing and hearing poetry from any global language together with an English translation. The program invites audience members to engage with poetry not only through linguistic comprehension, but also through the textures and rhythms of unfamiliar languages. Readers and listeners alike are welcome to attend. Apply here to read a poem.
The American edition of the Being Human Festival is part of a global Being Human initiative, launched in the United Kingdom in 2014. In 2018, Princeton University became the first U.S. institution to serve as an international hub for the festival, with programming organized by the Humanities Council
In addition to the Being Human (US) events, the Princeton Public Library is also marking National Poetry Month with a broader celebration of the form. Programming includes a poetry marketplace, workshops for children and teens, a performance at Princeton Porchfest, and a keynote with former U.S. poet laureate Robert Pinsky, in conversation with Eliza Griswold, director of the Humanities Council’s Program in Journalism.
For a full list of Princeton’s Being Human Festival (US) events, visit the Princeton Public Library website.
To learn more about the Being Human Festival (US), visit the National Humanities Center website.
