Dana Gioia, Chair of National Endowment for the Arts, to give talk at Harry Ransom Center

Dana Gioia, poet and Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), reads a selection of poetry on Tuesday, March 6, at 7 p.m. at the Harry Ransom Center . A question and answer session follows this Ransom Center 50^th anniversary event.

Gioia, a poet, critic, and translator, is one of the most influential and controversial voices in contemporary poetry today. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors and has chaired the NEA since 2003. His essay, "Can Poetry Matter?" which appeared in the Atlantic Monthly in 1991, sparked an international debate on the role of poetry in modern

intellectual life.

Join the Ransom Center in welcoming this advocate for the arts for a special reading and discussion on the challenges that face poetry in today's world.

Seating is free, but limited.