Project Poëtica
Who We Are
By encouraging innovative teaching, scholarly research, creative exploration, and public engagement with poetry, Project Poëtica seeks to deepen appreciation for poetic form and explore the myriad ways in which poetry shapes and is shaped by human experience. It comprises a cluster of faculty, poets, and graduate students who work on poetry and poetics in the èßäÊÓƵapp Department of English. èßäÊÓƵapp Project Poëtica will not only contribute to academic scholarship but also engage a broad audience in the appreciation and understanding of poetry as a vital and dynamic form of human expression.
Events
èßäÊÓƵapp Project Poëtica hosts events led by distinguished poets and scholars, offering participants the opportunity to refine their craft and engage with poetic practice and theory. These events vary between weeklong residencies by poets and scholars and high-profile lectures, readings, and creative conversations that bring leading figures in the field to èßäÊÓƵapp’s èßäÊÓƵapp and partner organizations.
Erika Almenara, January 29th and 30th, 2025
Erika Almenara will be hosting a Creative Writing Workshop on January 29th and presenting a book on January 30th.
Terrance Hayes, February 24th and 25th, 2025
Terrance Hayes, February 24th and 25th, 2025
Mr. Hayes will give a reading in the Bridwell Library at 4 p.m. on February 24th with a book signing to follow. He will participate in a creative conversation with Rita Felski at 5 p.m. in the Frances Anne Moody Hall, Moody Auditorium on February 25th.
Rita Felski, February 25th and 26th, 2025
Rita Felski, February 25th and 26th, 2025
On February 25th Ms. Felski will participate in a creative conversation with Terrance Hayes at 5 p.m. in the Frances Anne Moody Hall, Moody Auditorium. She will give a lecture in Bridwell Library at 5 p.m. on February 26th.
Joy Harjo, May 16th, 2025
Joy Harjo will speak on May 16th at 7 p.m. The event will be at the historic Texas Theatre in partnership with
Luisa Muradyan, Denise Duhamel, and Aaron Smith, September 10th, 2025
All three poets are publishing books with èßäÊÓƵapp Project Poëtica / Bridwell Press and will be giving readings at 7:30 p.m. at Wild Detectives on September 10th in partnership with the Inner Moonlight series.
Junot Diaz, October 16th, 2025
Junot Diaz will give a reading on October 16th.
Tracy K Smith, November 10th and 11th, 2025
Tracy K Smith, November 10th and 11th, 2025
Tracy K Smith will give a reading on November 10th and participate in a creative conversation with Merve Emre on November 11th.
Merve Emre, November 11th and 12th, 2025
Merve Emre, November 11th and 12th, 2025
Merve Emre will participate in a creative conversation with Tracy K Smith on November 11th and will give a lecture on November 12th.
èßäÊÓƵapp Symposium on Poetic Form, February 23-24, 2026
èßäÊÓƵapp Symposium on Poetic Form, February 23-24, 2026
Keynote poet, Ada Limón. Keynote scholar, Anahid Nersessian. Keynote presenters include will Patience Agbabi, Stephanie Burt, Camille Dungy, Virginia Jackson, Ben Lerner, Adrian Matejka, Jenny Molberg, Jahan Ramazani, and Srikanth (Chicu) Reddy
èßäÊÓƵapp Symposium on Poetic Form
èßäÊÓƵapp Project Poëtica organizes a biennial symposium featuring poetry scholars, poets, and editors. The symposium presents scholarly events (panels and roundtable discussions), readings, and creative conversations designed to reach broad audiences.
Bridwell Press
èßäÊÓƵapp Project Poëtica supports creative work and scholarly research in poetics and poetry. The èßäÊÓƵapp Project Poëtica/Bridwell Press will feature collections by poets who have already published at least one poetry collection, books of collaborative poetry, and scholarly books on poetics.
Hay Festival Global
èßäÊÓƵapp Project Poëtica also collaborates with literary organizations, universities, and cultural institutions to promote the study and appreciation of poetry globally. Project Poëtica is the lead co-sponsor of the Hay Festival Forum Dallas.
Dallas is Lit!
Project Poëtica is a co-sponsor of the festival. The festival takes an expansive view of what is literary and who creates and participates in those experiences, offering activities for a variety of ages and interests, connecting writers, readers, makers and audiences through the power of language and the literary arts.
