Poet Sharon Olds to read at Vassar, November 27

Sharon Olds, New York State Poet Laureate for 1998-2000, will read and discuss her poetry on Tuesday, November 27, at 5:30 p.m. in Vassar College's Taylor Auditorium, Taylor Hall, as part of the Elizabeth Bishop Poetry Series.

The reading, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Department of English and the Office of the Dean of the Faculty.

The author of several volumes of poetry, most recently "The Wellspring," Olds commits herself in verse to an unflinching investigation of things she feels literature has overlooked. Her poetry might record the mundane wait at the supermarket register, or unravel truths about family relationships and sexuality.

Olds' second volume of poetry, "The Dead and the Living," published in 1984, won the Lamont Poetry Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award.

"What is most striking is Olds' vigorous and fecund metaphorical imagination," one reviewer wrote for the American Book Review. "In a way, these poems describe a psychic world seen under water."

Olds' work is anthologized in over 100 collections, ranging from literary poetry textbooks to special collections.

The poet currently serves as chair of New York University's Creative Writing Program. Olds is also the founding chair of the writing program at Goldwater Hospital for the severely physically disabled.

The Elizabeth Bishop Poetry Series is made possible through the gift of Priscilla H. Rockwell and H.P. Davis Rockwell, and additionally through the Helen Forster Novy '28 Fund for Visiting Scholars.

For additional information, call the Office of the Dean of the Faculty at (845) 437-5305. Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Cathy Jennings at (845) 437-5370, as far in advance as possible to request appropriate and reasonable accommodations.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations or information on accessibility should contact Campus Activities Office at (845) 437-5370. Without sufficient notice, appropriate space and/or assistance may not be available.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

This article was posted on Tuesday, November 27th, 2001.