Anne Sexton, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1967, is credited as an inventor of a new kind of “confessional” poetry, which represented the breadth of human experience from family trauma to love to mental illness to bodily pleasures. She died by suicide in 1974, after a long battle with mental illness and addiction. Even when written from darkness, Sexton’s poetry has fueled inspiration and fostered joy. After an introduction to Sexton’s life and work by scholar Dawn Skorczewski, we will invite members of the audience to read her work. Please bring an Anne Sexton poem to share.  

Hosts:  Dawn Skorczewski, PhD, Professor Emerita of English, Brandeis University, Senior Lecturer, University of Amsterdam, Author of An Accident of Hope: the Therapy Tapes of Anne Sexton, and many articles about Anne Sexton. 

Rachel Hadas is a  poet, teacher, essayist, and translator. Her most recent essay collection is Piece by Piece: Selected Prose (Paul Dry Books, 2021), and her most recent poetry collection is Ghost Guest (Ragged Sky Press, 2023). An NEK resident, Hadas has been a frequent presenter at the Athenaeum. An NEK resident, Hadas has been a frequent presenter at the Athenaeum.

This event is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.