In a renewed effort to share with a wider contemporary audience some of the great literary moments which the Poetry Center has presented across the decades, this page features archival recordings by some of the best writers of our time.

As Tony Kushner said, "To participate in an event at the Poetry Center at 92nd Street Y, onstage or as an audience member, is always an occasion of great joy and excitement for me. You are instantly connected to history and to the clamorous, contentious, vital present moment."

92Y Unterberg Poetry Center webcasts and access to our archive are made possible in part by the generous support of the Sidney E. Frank Foundation.

Poetry Magazine at 100 Poetry magazine celebrates its centenary with contemporary poets Frank Bidart, Thomas Sayers Ellis, Atsuro Riley, and Charles Wright reading from The Open Door: One Hundred Poems, One Hundred Years, a commemorative anthology compiled by Don Share and Christian Wiman, the magazine's editors. April 8, 2013 Full Program: 1h:03m:31s Watch

Jamaica Kincaid: A Live Paris Review Writers-at-Work Interview Jamaica Kincaid's reads from her novel See Now Then and then has a conversation with critic Darryl Pinckney as part of the Poetry Center's longstanding collaboration with The Paris Review and its legendary interview series. February 25, 2013 Full Program: 1h:04m:35s Watch

A Writers' Celebration of Romare Bearden Playwright August Wilson praised Romare Bearden for his celebration of "black life presented on its own terms, on a grand and epic scale, with all its richness and fullness, in a language that was vibrant and which, made attendant to everyday life, ennobled it, affirmed its value, and exalted its presence." Creative writers—including Elizabeth Alexander, John Edgar Wideman, Russell Goings and Stanley Crouch—speak about what Bearden's life and art has meant to them. December 3, 2012 Full Program: 1h:46m:05s Watch

Dean Young: Bender: New and Selected Poems Dean Young reads from Bender: New and Selected Poems. November 15, 2012 Excerpt: 20m:26s Watch

Tracy K. Smith: Life on Mars Smith begins: "I often start, kind of preface my readings from this book Life on Mars, by just saying two things. This first is, that, when I was initially thinking about space and the universe, and science fiction as devices, they really were just that, devices. I was trying to figure out a way of finding a different kind of distance from the kinds of topics I find myself drawn towards. At the simplest level, they’re basically questions of why we do the things that we do to one another." November 15, 2012 Excerpt: 24m:04s Watch

Tribute to Adrienne Rich Ms. Rich's family, friends and fellow poets gathered at 92Y for an evening of readings and remembrance. She had "one of the authentic, unpredictable, urgent, essential voices of our time," wrote W. S. Merwin. "All her life she was in love with the hope of telling utter truth." This event was co-sponsored by the Academy of American Poets, W. W. Norton, the Poetry Society of America and Poets House.. November 9, 2012 Full Program: 1h:27m:16s Watch

Tom Wolfe: Back to Blood Tom Wolfe reads an excerpt from Back to Blood and is interviewed by 92Y's Bernard Schwartz. November 5, 2012 Full Program: 1h:24m:05s Watch

Salman Rushdie: Joseph Anton In this clip, Rushdie reads a part about his father, Anis Ahmed. "Anis was a godless man," he began, "still a shocking statement to make in The United States, though an unexceptional one in Europe, and an incomprehensible idea in much of the rest of the world where the thought of not believing is hard even to formulate." October 11, 2012 Excerpt: 26m:30s Watch

Edwidge Danticat: "Create Dangerously" In this clip, Danticat reads from a section that described how a friend of hers, iconic Haitian photographer Daniel Morel, was forced to attend an execution in Port-au-Prince, as a teenager during the years of François "Papa Doc" Duvalier. Morel pinpoints this moment in his life and relates it to how he became a photographer. October 11, 2012 Excerpt: 13m:39s Watch

James Fenton Former Oxford Professor of Poetry James Fenton reads three poems: "Out of the East," "Blood and Lead" and "The Milk Fish Gatherers." December 12, 2011 Excerpt: 12m:13s Watch | Read more

Sapphire and Sherman Alexie Sapphire and Sherman Alexie answer questions after their readings. Both writers—in tones both serious and not-so—talk about the relationship between vernacular and standard English, the bleakness of life as compared to fiction, the banning of their books in various communities across the country and, finally, what they would promote as recommended reading were they themselves high-school teachers. November 21, 2011 Excerpt: 11m:40s Watch | Read more

Jennifer Egan and Jeffrey Eugenides In her first appearance at 92Y, Jennifer Egan reads from A Visit from the Goon Squad, which won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize. Joining her was another Pulitzer winner, Jeffrey Eugenides, who read from The Marriage Plot. November 14, 2011 Excerpt: 13m:53s Watch | Read more

Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin From an evening of "Four Irish Poets," Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin reads a translation of "Just That" by Romanian poet Ileana Malancioiu and her own "Stabat Mater." October 31, 2011 Excerpt: 5m:06s Read more Listen

Amos Oz: Scenes From Village Life After reading from his new collection of stories, Scenes From Village Life, Israeli writer Amos Oz was interviewed by critic Ruth Franklin, author of A Thousand Darknesses: Lies and Truth in Holocaust Fiction. October 26, 2011 Excerpt: 10m:58s Watch | Read more

Art Spiegelman's MetaMaus On the 25th anniversary of Maus, Art Spiegelman discusses one of the central questions which any reader of Maus can't help but ask—Why Comics?—as well as how he has tried to honor both the historical record and his father's own memories of living through the Holocaust. October 6, 2011 Excerpt: 7m:03s Watch | Read more

Seamus Heaney The Unterberg Poetry Center opened its 73rd season of literary events with a reading by Seamus Heaney. This video features excerpts from two poems in his "Clearances" sequence, then "In the Attic" and "A Kite for Aibhín." September 26, 2011 Excerpt: 10m:40s Watch | Read more

Ernesto Cardenal: The Massive Diversity of Life Cardenal reads an early poem ("Managua 6:30 P.M.") and a late poem ("Stardust"), both of which are also read in English by translator Jonathan Cohen. Now eighty-six, Cardenal has written more than thirty books, and his latest collection, The Origin of Species and Other Poems, is devoted to Charles Darwin. "There is science fiction," he recently told the Daily News. "This could be called science poetry." April 29, 2011 Excerpt: 6m:53s Watch

Michael Slater on Charles Dickens' Shakespeare During a talk on Charles Dickens' love of Shakespeare, distinguished biographer Michael Slater delivers a comedic reading of the scene from Chapter 31 of Great Expectations when Pip and Herbert see Mr. Wopsle in a rundown production of Hamlet. April 17, 2011 Excerpt: 8m:25s Read more Listen

Bei Dao: "The Rose Of Time" Bei Dao reads from his recent book, The Rose of Time: New and Selected Poems, including "Black Map," "Road Song," "Passing Winter" and "The Rose of Time." March 31, 2011 Excerpt: 9m:24s Watch

Marie Lundquist Marie Lundquist read in Swedish, her native language, with Malena Mörling offering translations into English. A former librarian, Lundquist is the author of 11 books of poetry, fiction, and essays on photography. March 28, 2011 Excerpt: 11m:30s Watch | Read more

Tomasz Rózycki: "Maps" Read in both Polish and English (with translator Mila Rosenthal reading her translation). Also read is an excerpt from Twelve Stations, a series of poems about Rózycki's hometown of Opole, read by Rózycki and a second translator, Bill Johnston. March 28, 2011 Excerpt: 6m:59s Watch | Read more

A Celebration of Czeslaw Milosz with Adam Zagajewski A tribute to the Polish poet on the occasion of his centenary. Czeslaw Milosz's "trust in the delicious joy-bringing potential of art and intellect was protected by strong bulwarks built from the knowledge and experience that he had gained at first hand and at great cost," wrote Seamus Heaney, upon Milosz's death in 2004. March 21, 2011 Excerpt: 10m:56s Watch | Read more

Clare Cavanagh on Wislawa Szymborska Clare Cavanagh, award-winning translator, discusses Polish poet Wislawa Szymborska and reads the poem “Identification” in both English and Polish. March 20, 2011 Excerpt: 11m:45s Read more Listen

Edith Grossman on "The Most Difficult Poem In The World" Translators Edith Grossman and Clare Cavanagh discussed the tricks of their trade for our Books & Bagels series. Toward the end of the conversation, each of them offered an example of recent work, and Grossman read from "a book she is more excited about than any other book she has ever translated": Luis de Góngora's long poem "Soledades" ("The Solitudes"). March 20, 2011 Excerpt: 11m:01s Read more Listen

Gary Shteyngart and Victor LaValle Gary Shteyngart and fellow novelist Victor LaValle answer questions after their readings at 92nd Street Y in March. March 4, 2011 Excerpt: 10m:56s Watch | Read more

C. D. Wright: One With Others C. D. Wright reads from her National Book Critics Circle Award-winning One With Others. March 3, 2011 Full Program: 24m:08s Watch | Read more

Joyce Carol Oates With Henri Cole Joyce Carol Oates reads from her new memoir, A Widow's Story, about the death of her husband Raymond Smith in 2008 and the unexpected aftermath after 48 years of marriage. Ms. Oates was interviewed by poet Henri Cole after the reading. February 21, 2011 Excerpt: 9m:26s Watch | Read more

Maxine Hong Kingston and Leslie Marmon Silko In the 1980s, Maxine Hong Kingston and Leslie Marmon Silko traveled through China together. They reunited at the Poetry Center on January 31 to read from their new memoirs, I Love a Broad Margin to My Life (Kingston) and The Turquoise Ledge (Silko). January 31, 2011 Excerpt: 9m:41s Watch

Carlos Fuentes with Alfred MacAdam In his last appearance at 92Y, Fuentes read from his latest novel, Destiny and Desire, then sat for a conversation with Alfred MacAdam. In this clip, Fuentes talks about the eternal recurrence of characters, his plans for three more books (one about Dracula's relocation to Mexico City), his love of old movies and the mystery of the creative process. January 24, 2011 Excerpt: 7m:55s Watch

John McPhee and Ian Frazier McPhee and Frazier—two of The New Yorker's best "place-profilers"—were interviewed by Mark Singer after reading from their new books: Silk Parachute and Travels in Siberia, respectively. This excerpt from that conversation ranges from the origins of their recent work to how they've influenced each other over the years. December 13, 2010 Excerpt: 12m:15s Watch

An Evening of Mozart Poet J. D. McClatchy's witty English-language libretto of Mozart's The Magic Flute has become a holiday favorite at The Metropolitan Opera. He has now translated seven of the libretti, including The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni and Così Fan Tutte. To celebrate the publication of his translations, Mr. McClatchy is joined by Met singers for an evening of readings and performance. December 1, 2010 Excerpt: 11m:39s Watch

Jonathan Franzen and Lorrie Moore Freedom is Jonathan Franzen's first novel since The Corrections, for which he won the National Book Award. After reading A Gate at the Stairs, Lorrie Moore's most recent novel, Jonathan Lethem said she "may be the most irresistible contemporary American writer: brainy, humane, unpretentious and warm; seemingly effortlessly lyrical; Lily-Tomlin funny." November 15, 2010 Full Program: 1h:08m:02s Watch: Full | Excerpt | Read more

Syrian poet Adonis Long considered a candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature, Syrian poet Adonis is "today's most daring and provocative Arab poet," wrote Edward Said. Now 80 and living in Paris, Adonis makes his first appearance at the Poetry Center, reading from his newly published Selected Poems. Khaled Mattawa, his translator, reads from an English translation starting about six minutes into the recording. October 25, 2010 Excerpt: 9m:53s Watch | Read more

V. S. Naipaul V. S. Naipaul was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2001. His new book is The Masque of Africa. "My theme is belief, not politics or economical life," writes Mr. Naipaul. "And yet at the bottom of the continent the political realities are so overwhelming that they have to be taken into account." He is the author of more than 20 books, including A House for Mr. Biswas, A Bend in the River and The Writer and the World. Mr. Naipaul is introduced and then interviewed by George Andreou, his longtime editor. October 18, 2010 Full Program: 1h:15m:32s Watch

Don Paterson: Rain Scottish poet Don Paterson reads from Rain, his new collection of poems. "This new collection has darkness and sorrow in it, but all is alleviated by his virtuoso spirit," wrote Richard Wilbur. "The poems sacrifice nothing to form, but are empowered by it; may they prove contagious on this side of the Atlantic." October 14, 2010 Excerpt: 31m:12s Watch

Paul Muldoon: Maggot Irish poet Paul Muldoon returns to the Poetry Center to read from Maggot, his new collection. "Maggot, like all Mr. Muldoon's work, is packed with gnarled and unfamiliar terms... [his] verse works high and low," wrote The New York Times. "The poems in Maggot play over a wide variety of human experience, but sex and death are the subjects that repeatedly cut its surface like twin dorsal fins." October 14, 2010 Excerpt: 23m:33s Watch

Rosanne Cash Interviewed by A.M. Homes Ms. Homes asks Cash about her spiritual life and her multiple roles as a mother, wife and touring artist. October 7, 2010 Excerpt: 9m:53s Watch

An Evening of Madame Bovary with Lydia Davis "To achieve a translation that matches [Flaubert's] high standard is difficult, perhaps impossible," writes Lydia Davis in the introduction to her new translation of Madame Bovary—the 20th into English, by her own count. Nevertheless, seven years after her translation of Proust's Swann's Way was met with universal celebration, Ms. Davis, also an acclaimed writer of fiction (her Collected Stories was published in 2009), returns to the Poetry Center to read from her rendering of Flaubert's classic novel. October 4, 2010 Full Program: 1h:53m:57s Watch

An Evening of Gatsby with Elevator Repair Service and Oskar Eustis Just before the New York premiere of their word-for-word performance of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel, members of Elevator Repair Service—actor Scott Shepherd and director John Collins—read from the work and discuss the adaptation, which New York Times critic Ben Brantley called "one of the most exciting and improbable accomplishments in theater in recent years." September 27, 2010 Excerpt: 7m:08s Watch

The Correspondence of Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell In her first letter to Robert Lowell, dated May 12, 1947, Elizabeth Bishop wrote, "I was supposed to read, too, up at the YMHA Saturday evening but couldn't make it, and I hope my absence was a help rather than a hindrance." While the poets never shared an evening at the 92nd Street Y Poetry Center, the recently published Words in Air: The Complete Correspondence Between Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell makes clear that they shared much during their 30-year friendship. And in a dramatic presentation of their letters and some of their poems, Tony-nominated actors Kate Burton and Michael Cumpsty brought that friendship to life. May 24, 2010 Full Program: 1h:47m:48s Watch: Full | Excerpt

James Shapiro on Shakespeare A talk by one of our most renowned Shakespeare scholars. James Shapiro's new book is Contested Will: The Shakespeare Authorship Controversy. May 2, 2010 Full Program: 1h:06m:37s Listen

The Great Fire: Shirley Hazzard with Richard Ford A rare meeting of two modern-day masters of the grand themes—"time, love, the coming around of inexorable events... the acceleration and dislocation of modern life." What Australian novelist Shirley Hazzard once said about her own subject matter can also be said of Richard Ford's, especially his epic Bascombe Trilogy (The Sportswriter, Independence Day and The Lay of the Land). Ford is a great admirer of Hazzard's work and will serve as her interviewer for this very special evening. Author of such contemporary classics as The Transit of Venus and The Great Fire, Hazzard is "one of the greatest writers working in English today," said Michael Cunningham. The evening features readings of Hazzard's work by Annabel Davis-Goff. April 30, 2010 Full Program: 1h:10m:43s Watch

Opening Night of the Sixth-Annual PEN World Voices Festival An evening of readings by internationally acclaimed writers: Mohsin Hamid, Yiyun Li, Daniele Mastrogiacomo, Sofi Oksanen, Atiq Rahimi, Salman Rushdie, Alberto Ruy-Sanchez, Andrzej Stasiuk and Miguel Syjuco. April 28, 2010 Full Program: 1h:38m:33s Watch

Terrance Hayes: "Arbor for Butch" Terrance Hayes reads "Arbor for Butch" from his National Book Award winning collection, Lighthead. April 26, 2010 Excerpt: 8m:04s Watch

Dunya Mikhail Iraqi poet Dunya Mikhail has published four collections in Arabic and two in English translation. As part of National Poetry Month, she reads from her most recent work, Diary of a Wave Outside the Sea. "These are political poems without political rhetoric, Arabic poems without Arabic poetical flourishes, an exile's letter with neither nostalgia nor self-pity, an excavation of the ruins of her homeland," wrote the judges of the Griffin Prize, for which Mikhail was short-listed in 2006. April 8, 2010 Excerpt: 29m:28s Watch

Ian McEwan Ian McEwan reads from his latest novel, Solar, then is interviewed by Wendy Lesser. April 6, 2010 Full Program: 1h:19m:58s Watch

The Critic's Voice: First Reads with James Wood As part of a special assignment from the Poetry Center, James Wood read David Foster Wallace's Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, a book he had never read before. In this appearance, he offers his critique of the short story collection. March 22, 2010 Full Program: 1h:10m:48s Watch

Péter Esterházy: Celestial Harmonies In a rare U.S. appearance by one of Europe's leading writers, Péter Esterházy read from Celestial Harmonies, a work that Mario Vargas Llosa described as an "ambitious magnum opus, a masterwork." In this clip, Esterházy reads from his novel and is interviewed by Peter Sherwood, with André Balog interpreting. Sherwood asked Esterházy what it was like to be a member of a distinguished aristocratic family in post-war state socialist Hungary. March 1, 2010 Excerpt: 10m:01s Watch | Read more

John Banville and Colum McCann "With his fastidious wit and exquisite style, John Banville is the heir to Nabokov," wrote The Sunday Telegraph. Banville's last novel, The Sea, won the Booker Prize in 2005. His new novel is The Infinities. "Leave it to an Irishman to write one of the greatest-ever novels about New York," wrote Dave Eggers of Colum McCann's Let the Great World Spin. It's "a gorgeous book, multilayered and deeply felt, and it's a damned lot of fun to read, too." February 24, 2010 Full Program: 1h:27m:01s Watch: Full | Excerpt

The Immigrant Experience: Becoming Americans To commemorate the publication of the Library of America's Becoming Americans: 400 Years of Immigrant Arrival—an anthology that features letters, poems, journal entries, memoirs, essays and fiction—contributors Jamaica Kincaid, Norman Manea and Jessica Hagedorn read excerpts from the book and discuss their personal experiences. February 1, 2010 Full Program: 1h:40m:06s Watch

Joyce Carol Oates and Elaine Showalter: A Jury of Her Peers—On American Women Writers A discussion between longtime friends and colleagues about Elaine Showalter's A Jury of Her Peers, a comprehensive history of American women writers from 1650-2000. January 17, 2010 Full Program: 1h:10m:40s Listen

Letters Of Beckett: Martha Fehsenfeld and Lois Overbeck The editors of Samuel Beckett's letters discuss the influence of music on Beckett's art. December 6, 2009 Full Program: 1h:01m:33s Read more Listen

Paul Auster and Javier Marías Paul Auster reads from his new novel Invisible and Spanish writer Javier Marías from Poison, Shadow and Farewell. Mr. Auster is introduced by Rick Moody; and Mr. Marías by Wyatt Mason. November 30, 2009 Full Program: 1h:33m:54s Watch

Rita Dove and Philip Levine Rita Dove has always refused to be confined by category," wrote The New York Times. "Her poems wander into unexpected metaphor and subject matter." In poems, prose and a short play, Dove's latest book, Sonata Mullatica, reimagines the life and times of George Polgreen Bridgetower, a 19th-century violin virtuoso. Philip Levine "is extraordinary, a visionary of our dense, troubled, mysterious time," wrote Joyce Carol Oates. "The grittiest and most brutal of his poems is, to me, an experience I would not hesitate to call ineffable." Levine's latest collection is News of the World. November 19, 2009 Full Program: 1h:20m:00s Watch

A Celebration of Vladimir Nabokov, Including "The Ballad of Longwood Glen" Read by Nabokov in 1964 at 92Y Martin Amis, Brian Boyd and Chip Kidd pay tribute to Vladimir Nabokov and read from his posthumous work, The Original of Laura. Biographer Brian Boyd begins with a presentation on the novel's place within Nabokov's canon; Martin Amis discusses Nabokov in relation to tragedy and the Holocaust; Chip Kidd discusses the design history of Nabokov's books in reference to his own design of The Original of Laura. A reading from Laura follows. November 16, 2009 Full Program: 1h:53m:18s Watch

Orhan Pamuk In his first appearance at the Poetry Center, Orhan Pamuk reads from The Museum of Innocence, his first novel since winning the Nobel Prize in 2006. He is introduced and interviewed by his editor, George Andreou. November 9, 2009 Full Program: 1h:30m:40s Watch

A.S. Byatt: The Children's Book A.S. Byatt reads from The Children's Book, a finalist for the Booker Prize, which The Sunday Times of London has called "easily the best thing Byatt has written since her Booker-winning masterpiece Possession...[It] superlatively displays both enormous reach and tremendous grip." October 29, 2009 Full Program: 1h:14m:14s Watch

Chinua Achebe with K. Anthony Appiah Chinua Achebe speaks with philosopher K. Anthony Appiah about his experience growing up in Nigeria, Nigerian literature, education and cultural politics. October 19, 2009 Full Program: 1h:17m:18s Watch

Rosemary Harris: The Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde Actress Rosemary Harris reads two stories by Oscar Wilde: The Happy Prince and The Selfish Giant. The program includes a post-reading Q&A session with the actress. September 26, 2009 Full Program: 52m:44s Read more Listen

Richard Wilbur with Roger Rosenblatt Roger Rosenblatt interviews Richard Wilbur about his writing process. Wilbur also reads his poem "The House." May 21, 2009 Excerpt: 8m:10s Watch

David Grossman on Bruno Schulz David Grossman speaks about is adoration for Polish writer Bruno Schulz, as part of the PEN World Voices Festival: "...And every story of Schulz is a protest. Full of humor and irony, but a protest against oblivion and boredom and banality." May 4, 2009 Excerpt: 4m:09s Watch

E.L. Doctorow with Roger Rosenblatt Author and Bronx native E.L. Doctorow is interviewed by Roger Rosenblatt. They speak about Doctorow's time as a student at Bronx High School of Science and his novel, Homer & Langley. April 29, 2009 Excerpt: 8m:57s Watch

Nikolai Gogol at 200: Gary Shteyngart reads from Dead Souls A reading in honor of Nikolai Gogol's 200th birthday. March 30, 2009 Excerpt: 20m:23s Watch

The Critic's Voice: Daniel Mendelsohn on Cavafy Award-winning writer and critic Daniel Mendelsohn discusses the work and style of Egyptian poet Constantine P. Cavafy. He is introduced by Richard Howard, distinguished poet, literary critic, essayist and translator. March 26, 2009 Full Program: 1h:31m:25s Watch

Rae Armantrout Rae Armantrout reads a selection from her Pulitzer Prize-winning collection of poetry, Versed. March 12, 2009 Excerpt: 16m:18s Watch | Read more

Jayne Anne Phillips and T.C. Boyle Novelists Jayne Anne Phillips and T.C. Boyle read from their work. Phillips read first in the video, and Boyle begins his reading at the 3:18 mark. February 9, 2009 Excerpt: 6m:26s Watch

Junot Díaz and Jamaica Kincaid Junot Díaz and Jamaica Kincaid read from their novels. Junot leads off the reading with a humorous and sometimes cringe worthy story about a couple's fractious trip to Santo Domingo. Kincaid begins at the 2:52 mark, reading a personal excerpt from a book about her brother, who is no longer with us. January 26, 2009 Excerpt: 6m:28s Watch

Jamaica Kincaid Jamaica Kincaid reads from her short story Wingless and novel My Brother. January 26, 2009 Excerpt: 12m:04s Listen

Amitav Ghosh Amitav reads from his book, Sea of Poppies, a work of astonishing ambition that was short-listed for the Man Booker Prize. December 1, 2008 Excerpt: 3m:07s Watch

Lucille Clifton In this appearance at 92nd Street Y, Clifton reads five poems: Out of Body, Mataoka, Albino, Cream of Wheat and Aunt Jemima. November 3, 2008 Excerpt: 10m:51s Watch | Read more

Cynthia Ozick with Roger Rosenblatt Cynthia Ozick speaks with Roger Rosenblatt and answers questions from the audience. In 2008, Ms. Ozick published a new collection of stories, Dictation, and won both the PEN/Malumud Award and PEN/Nabokov Award for lifetime achievement. October 29, 2008 Full Program: 1h:00m:02s Watch Excerpt Listen

Jorie Graham and Yusef Komunyakaa Jorie Graham reads The Violinist at the Window, 1918 (after Matisse), a poem from her collection Sea Change. Yusef Komunyakaa begins reading at the 3:52 mark, from "an in progress collection entitled Chameleon Couch." October 16, 2008 Excerpt: 9m:16s Watch

Maurice Sendak's 80th Birthday Celebration The star-studded line-up featured friends reading and singing from his work including Eleanor Reissa, Eyal Danieli, Linda Emond, Stephen Greenblatt, Stephen Gosling & Elizabeth Keusch, James Gandolfini, Dave Eggers, Chuck Cooper, Aisha de Haas, Kimberly Grigsby, Denis O'Hare & Alice Playten, Meryl Streep, Catherine Keener, Vince Landay, Spike Jonze and Max Records, Tony Kushner, Christine Quinn and Maurice Sendak himself. September 15, 2008 Full Program: 1h:45m:12s Watch: Full | Excerpt | Read more

Garrison Keillor and Roger Rosenblatt: Pontoon: A Novel of Lake Wobegon Roger Rosenblatt interviews Garrison Keillor, who reads from his latest Lake Wobegon novel and takes questions from the audience. April 9, 2008 Full Program: 55m:47s Watch Excerpt Listen

Anne Carson Poet Anne Carson and collaborators perform two works: Cassandra Float Can and a sonnet sequence. March 26, 2008 Full Program: 55m:47s Watch Excerpt Listen

David Grossman: To the End of the Land In March of 2008, as part of the Poetry Center's Festival of Hebrew Literature, David Grossman appeared at 92Y for an interview with Adam Rovner. The conversation took place on a Sunday morning. That night, in Israel, Mr. Grossman's new novel—Isha Borachat Mi-besorah—was published. March 23, 2008 Excerpt: 5m:05s Watch

Frank McCourt: Letters to a Young Writer In honor of the 92nd Street Y Poetry Center Schools Project's 20th anniversary, Frank McCourt, a former high-school English teacher, shares anecdotes and advice on writing. March 17, 2008 Excerpt: 13m:17s Watch

Alice McDermott with Roger Rosenblatt Alice McDermott speaks with Roger Rosenblatt and answers questions from the audience. They talk about the art of fiction, both writing and teaching it. January 30, 2008 Full Program: 55m:47s Listen

Robert Alter and Marilynne Robinson: The Psalms Biblical scholar and renowned translator professor Robert Alter reads from his new translation of "The Psalms" and discusses them as translations, as poetry, and as prayer. With Marilynne Robinson, author of the Pulitzer Prize winner Gilead, also reading and offering commentary. December 17, 2007 Full Program: 1h:37m:11s Watch Excerpt Listen

Joyce Carol Oates: Content to Create a World of Mystery Roger Rosenblatt interviews Joyce Carol Oates about her recently published journals and her writing process. During the audience Q&A, Oates addresses her reservations about publishing her journals and her reactions to criticism. November 9, 2007 Full Program: 1h:13m:12s Read more Listen

David Markson: The Long Littleness of Life "Richard Burton, I am not," said David Markson, before reading the final pages of The Last Novel in his first and only appearance at the 92Y Poetry Center in November of 2007. His introducer that night, Ann Beattie, once wrote: "No one but Beckett can be quite as sad and funny at the same time as Markson." November 5, 2007 Excerpt: 33m:07s Watch

Mario Vargas Llosa: A Larger Horizon Mr. Vargas Llosa has visited the Poetry Center many times over the years. In a 2007 appearance, he read from his latest novel, The Bad Girl, and took questions from the audience. In today's featured excerpt, he discusses the impact of living abroad on his career as a writer, as well as his early reactions, while he was still abroad, to the political upheaval which was taking place in Latin America in the 1950s and 60s. October 15, 2007 Excerpt: 6m:52s Watch

Derek Walcott Caribbean poet and playwright Derek Walcott reads new poems. September 17, 2007 Excerpt: 33m:45s Watch

Lawrence Ferlinghetti Lawrence Ferlinghetti reads from his work, introduced by Marie Ponsot. April 16, 2007 Full Program: 42m:50s Listen

Calvin Trillin and Frank McCourt March 29, 2007 Full Program: 55m:19s Listen

Tribute to W.H. Auden Poet W.H. Auden appeared at the 92nd Street Y more than 20 times between 1940 and 1972. In this tribute, his literary executor Edward Mendelson is joined by Shirley Hazzard, J.D. McClatchy, Ned Rorem, Charles Rosen and Oliver Sacks. March 5, 2007 Full Program: 1h:34m:12s Watch

Jews in Shakespeare and Marlowe: A Performance by F. Murray Abraham F. Murray Abraham reads scenes from The Merchant of Venice and The Jew of Malta. In January 2007, he starred in Theater for a New Audience's repertory productions of both plays. Includes a discussion with the company's artistic director, Jeffrey Horowitz, and critic Michael Feingold. December 6, 2006 Full Program: 2h:02m:44s Watch

The Art of the Book An evening of visual presentations by design legend Milton Glaser, superstar jacket designer Chip Kidd and McSweeney's publisher Dave Eggers. Followed by a panel discussion with Michael Bierut of the design firm Pentagram. December 4, 2006 Full Program: 1h:43m:57s Watch

Kay Ryan Kay Ryan, former Poet Laureate of the United States, reads from her sixth collection of poetry, The Niagara River. November 13, 2006 Full Program: 29m:47s Watch

Gore Vidal: Point to Point Navigation Gore Vidal reads from his book, Point to Point Navigation, does some loving and spot on imitations of Truman Capote, and opines on the advertisements for credit cards and mortgages he saw in L.A. "You know that house by house is going to be just stolen from the people." November 9, 2006 Excerpt: 8m:09s Watch | Read more

Uzodinma Iweala and Zadie Smith Uzodinma Iweala is the Nigerian-American author of Beasts of No Nation. Salman Rushdie said, "This is one of those rare occasions when you see a first novel and you think, this guy is going to be very, very good." With On Beauty, her most recent novel, Zadie Smith cemented her reputation as an irreverent observer of family, race and class. Ms. Smith is also author of White Teeth and The Autograph Man, as well as Changing My Mind, a collection of essays. September 18, 2006 Full Program: 1h:25m:15s Watch

Frank McCourt: Teacher Man Frank McCourt reads from his memoir Teacher Man. He is introduced by his brothers, Alphie and Malachy. December 15, 2005 Full Program: 1h:10m:40s Listen

David Hare: Stuff Happens Introduced by Wallace Shawn, British playwright David Hare reads from his play about the Bush Administration's decision to go to war with Iraq, Stuff Happens. December 5, 2005 Excerpt: 27m:06s Listen

Herman Melville's World Tony Kushner, Andrew Delbanco, Maureen Howard and Stanley Crouch pay tribute to Melville and read from his work. October 31, 2005 Full Program: 1h:26m:57s Listen

W. S. Merwin The Poetry Center honored poet W.S. Merwin, when Naomi Shihab Nye, Edward Hirsch, Gerald Stern and Merwin himself all read on stage. October 10, 2005 Excerpt: 38m:16s Watch | Read more

Billy Collins with Garrison Keillor Former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins and Garrison Keillor trade bursts of poetry from their respective anthologies (Keillor's Good Poems and Collins' Poetry 180). September 19, 2005 Excerpt: 11m:43s Buy DVD Listen

Speak the Speech: An Evening of Shakespeare with Claire Bloom and John Neville "Speak the speech, I pray you," Hamlet instructs the players, "trippingly on the tongue." Claire Bloom and John Neville perform Shakespeare's "Venus and Adonis." May 24, 2005 Full Program: 1h:16m:26s Watch

Pico Iyer Travel writer Pico Iyer describes a recent journey to India and the mystifying experience of attempting to decipher the strange English street-signs he encountered all around him. April 18, 2005 Excerpt: 14m:16s Watch | Read more

Marilynne Robinson: Gilead Marilynne Robinson reads a selection from her novel Gilead, which won the Pulitzer Prize. It is the fictional autobiography of John Ames, an elderly pastor writing down what he remembers of life for his young son to read once he's gone. March 14, 2005 Full Program: 28m:31s Watch

Richard Wilbur In this reading, Richard Wilbur offers paeans to both his wife (For C. and The Catch) and his daughter (The Writer). December 6, 2004 Excerpt: 8m:22s Watch

Norman Mailer From Mailer's last appearance at the 92nd Street Y. In addition to presenting poetry, Mailer offers his thoughts on writing, smoking, George W. Bush, Karl Rove and American stupidity. September 20, 2004 Excerpt: 12m:28s Listen

Martin Amis: "Phantom of the Opera" When Martin Amis appeared at 92Y during the 2004 Presidential Election, he remarked that "this is a time when politics fill the sky." He followed with a reading of "Phantom of the Opera"—an essay recounting his experience at the 1988 Republican National Convention. April 15, 2004 Excerpt: 32m:29s Listen

Doris Lessing: The Grandmothers: Four Short Novels Nobel Prize winner Doris Lessing reads selections from The Grandmothers: Four Short Novels. March 15, 2004 Excerpt: 32m:42s Listen

Paul Auster reading Nathaniel Hawthorne From an event which honored Hawthorne's bicentennial, here is Paul Auster reading the short story "Wakefield." March 1, 2004 Excerpt: 10m:49s Watch

Shirley Hazzard: The Great Fire Introduced by J.D. McClatchy, Australian author Shirley Hazzard reads from her National Book Award-winning novel The Great Fire soon after its release. November 3, 2003 Full Program: 42m:23s Watch

Jeffrey Eugenides: Middlesex Eugenides reads from Middlesex, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2003. This excerpt features his reading of the beginning of the novel, as well as a much later section in which Calliope visits the Obscure Object's house for the first time. September 30, 2002 Excerpt: 8m:36s Watch

Jonathan Franzen: The Corrections Franzen reads from The Corrections, winner of the National Book Award in 2001 and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 2002. September 30, 2002 Excerpt: 5m:36s Watch

Paul Auster with Michael Wood: Writers At Work Live Interview In this Paris Review Writers-At-Work interview, Paul Auster speaks with critic Michael Wood and reads from his novel The Book of Illusions. September 3, 2002 Full Program: 57m:37s Read more Listen

Edward Albee Playwright Edward Albee reads from works spanning his career. He is introduced and interviewed by New York Times critic Mel Gussow. May 21, 2002 Full Program: 1h:24m:55s Watch

David Mamet: Faustus Author/playwright/director David Mamet reads a manuscript version of Faustus, later published in 2004. During the audience Q&A, he talks about adapting plays into film and his memories of Shel Silverstein. He also offers advice to young writers. March 25, 2002 Full Program: 55m:47s Buy DVD Listen

Ian Frazier From a 2002 Poetry Center appearance, Ian Frazier reads a selection from Lamentations of the Father. January 28, 2002 Excerpt: 11m:06s Watch

Philip Levine: The Language of the Place Levine reads and offers commentary about several poems, including "On the Meeting of Garcia Lorca and Hart Crane," "My Father With Cigarette Twelve Years Before the Nazis Could Break His Heart" and "Two Voices." November 12, 2001 Excerpt: 31m:55s Read more Listen

Tom Stoppard In a rare public appearance, British playwright Tom Stoppard reads selections from his work, including selections from Cahoot's Macbeth, Night and Day, Arcadia and The Coast of Utopia—before that play had been produced. March 27, 2001 Full Program: 53m:57s Watch

Rita Dove: On the Bus with Rosa Parks As part of the Poetry Center's 60th anniversary gala, Rita Dove reads poems from her collection, On the Bus with Rosa Parks. May 17, 1999 Excerpt: 16m:38s Read more Listen

William Trevor The Irish master William Trevor reads two of his stories from the 92nd Street Y stage, Teresa's Wedding and The Piano Tuner's Wives. Set in 1950s Ireland, Teresa's Wedding examines the life of a young pregnant woman who is being forced into marriage by her priest. In The Piano Tuner's Wives, Trevor describes an elderly blind piano tuner caught between two wives—one living and one dead. May 12, 1997 Full Program: 1h:01m:43s Watch

Cynthia Ozick reads Henry James In one of her many appearances at the Poetry Center, Cynthia Ozick reads Henry James's short story "Greville Fane" (1892). Ozick's most recent novel, Foreign Bodies (2010) is a reworking of James's The Ambassadors. February 5, 1996 Excerpt: 12m:00s Listen

Tony Kushner: I Want More Life In this excerpt from his 1995 appearance, Kushner reads a scene from his play A Bright Room Called Day; a poem against drama critics ("A Song For Playwrights in Self-Defense"); and a scene from Perestroika, the second part of Angels in America. February 6, 1995 Excerpt: 9m:56s Listen

Chinua Achebe: Against Blindness From Achebe's first appearance at the Poetry Center, Martin Luther King Day in 1994, he reads an Igbo dirge in King's honor, as well as excerpts from the novel Anthills of the Savannah and the poem "We Laughed at Him." January 17, 1994 Excerpt: 32m:12s Read more Listen

Brian Boyd on Vladimir Nabokov: A Mastery of Particulars Biographer Brian Boyd lectures about Vladimir Nabokov and discusses Nabokov's dislike of novelized biographies and "the unrevisitable nature of time past and the impenetrable uniqueness of the individual" in his work. December 5, 1992 Full Program: 1h:16m:43s Read more Listen

A.S. Byatt: "Your Own Poet's Voice" In her first appearance at the 92Y Poetry Center in 1991, A.S. Byatt reads from Possession, which had won the Booker Prize the year before. This excerpt comes from Chapter 8 of the novel. Ms. Byatt conjures the voices of all four of her main characters—two modern-day researchers (Roland and Maud) and two Victorian poets (Randolph Henry Ash and Christabel LaMotte). October 28, 1991 Excerpt: 24m:15s Read more Listen

Adrienne Rich: What Kind of Times Are These Adrienne Rich reads from What Kind of Times Are These. By way of introducing her reading, Ms. Rich explains, "I cannot give you a poetry of passions resolved, or of pure observation, or of self-enclosed self-exploration." She went on to say: "I believe that poetry is one of our great human resources, and often a strangely wasted resource, like so many others in the United States. At a time when extremely sophisticated tactics are being employed to disinform and demoralize us as a people, I believe that poetry speaks not from a separate sphere but in a different voice." October 14, 1991 Full Program: 53m:36s Listen

E.L. Doctorow on Songs Doctorow reads from his notes on a competing art form: songs. May 21, 1991 Excerpt: 11m:11s Listen

Avrom Sutzkever: Inside Me At Avrom Sutzkever's second and last appearance at 92Y, he was introduced by Irving Howe and joined by translators Barbara and Benjamin Harshav. He reads his poem Inside Me in Yiddish. May 6, 1991 Excerpt: 6m:10s Read more Listen

John McPhee: Rising from the Plains Writing Rising from the Plains, McPhee remarked before his 1989 reading at the Poetry Center, "I got into a dialogue with [Miss Ethel Waxham]—writer to writer, author and subject—speaking back and forth across most of a century. I couldn't resist this duet. There was so much wit and elegance in the way she put things." December 11, 1989 Excerpt: 10m:51s Listen

Saul Bellow National Book Award and the Nobel Prize-winner Saul Bellow reads from Humboldt's Gift at his second appearance at the Poetry Center. October 10, 1988 Excerpt: 11m:07s Read more Listen

Galway Kinnell: An Evening of Romantic Poetry Galway Kinnell reads selected works from Blake, Coleridge, Keats, Whitman and Dickinson. December 14, 1987 Full Program: 1h:16m:29s Listen

Richard Wilbur: Sweet Excess Richard Wilbur reads and discusses over two dozen poems, including A Storm in April, The Ride, Shad-Time, Advice From the Muse, The Prisoner of Zenda and Opposites. May 5, 1985 Full Program: 1h:02m:59s Read more Listen

Kurt Vonnegut: "Short Sentences and Placebo Profundities" Kurt Vonnegut begins by reading a speech he delivered at Haverford College shortly after the shootings at Kent State. He then reads two more speeches—one on our addiction to war preparation and another on nuclear holocaust, which was originally delivered at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. "If you are a New Yorker, if you are a writer, it's part of your civic duty to appear at the Y—at least once," Mr. Vonnegut says in his opening remarks. May 16, 1983 Excerpt: 40m:09s Read more Listen

Tennessee Williams Tennessee Williams, whose centenary is celebrated in 2011, wrote such stage classics as The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. From his last appearance at the Poetry Center just a few months before his death, here is Mr. Williams reading from his work. November 22, 1982 Excerpt: 9m:30s Listen

John Cheever: "The Swimmer" "The story was made into a film some of you may have seen," Cheever remarked before he began to read. "It still runs on late-night television. I know because people always call me and say, 'Hey, you’re in the movies!' It's usually about half past 11... Here again the story has had an international success, and the various interpretations have always interested me. It's very popular in Russia, for example, where there are almost no swimming pools and where almost nobody swims." December 19, 1977 Excerpt: 26m:40s Read more Listen

Allen Ginsberg's "Mind Breaths" The poem, as Ginsberg introduced it this night in 1977, was inspired by his study of samatha meditation, which he learned from Chögyam Trungpa, a Buddhist monk. February 28, 1977 Excerpt: 10m:19s Read more Listen

Margaret Atwood: Love & Destruction From 1975, an excerpt of a recording of Margaret Atwood reading her poems. This was Ms. Atwood's first appearance at the Poetry Center. "For me poetry is a foray into the unknown," Ms. Atwood has said. "And it sometimes opens up areas that I later go into with electric light and explore more thoroughly in prose." March 31, 1975 Excerpt: 16m:06s Read more Listen

James Earl Jones reads Walt Whitman Actor James Earl Jones reads passages from Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself." October 21, 1973 Excerpt: 38m:10s Listen

Allen Ginsberg: "What would you do if you lost it?" This Ginsberg reading includes "What would you do if you lost it?" - with inspired heckling by fellow Beat poet Gregory Corso - and ends with some songs and a chant. Part of the Dave Nolan Poetry Series supported by The Aeroflex Foundation. February 26, 1973 Excerpt: 24m:51s Read more Listen

Women Writers: Has Anything Changed? Literary critic Helen Vendler moderates this panel talk featuring freelance journalist/writer Nora Ephron, novelist Elizabeth Janeway and poet Carolyn Kizer. December 11, 1972 Full Program: 1h:39m:42s Read more Listen

W.H. Auden Auden reads a group of early lyrics and culminates with his recitation of "Metalogue to The Magic Flute," which was composed for Mozart's bicentenary in 1956. March 27, 1972 Excerpt: 17m:43s Listen

Allen Ginsberg: The Shrouded Stranger Ginsberg reads early works including "The Shrouded Stranger Of The Night," "Sweet Levinsky," and "Stanzas: Written at Night in Radio City." December 3, 1970 Excerpt: 8m:44s Listen

Kurt Vonnegut: Breakfast of Champions This excerpt is Kurt Vonnegut's very first public reading of the classic Breakfast of Champions, three years before it was published. May 4, 1970 Excerpt: 26m:54s Read more Listen

Adrienne Rich: Mourning Poem, Spring Thunder, White Night and other poems In her fifth appearance at the 92nd Street Y, Adrienne Rich introduces and reads a dozen of her poems. April 22, 1968 Excerpt: 35m:04s Listen

Leonard Cohen Leonard Cohen visited 92Y in 1966 to read several poems and perform one song that would become an all-time classic. In this excerpt, Cohen reads two poems - "For E.J.P" and "You Have the Lovers" - and performs "The Stranger Song," which became popular in 1967, with the release of Cohen's debut album Songs of Leonard Cohen. February 14, 1966 Excerpt: 11m:25s Listen

Galway Kinnell: First Song, The River That is East, Middle of the Way and other poems Galway Kinnell, one of the most influential American poets of the latter half of the 20th century, reads First Song, The River That is East, Middle of the Way and other poems. November 29, 1965 Excerpt: 29m:24s Listen

Discovering Mark Strand This recording features Mark Strand's first appearance at 92nd Street Y's Unterberg Poetry Center in April of 1965, when he was one of four winners of that year's "Discovery" poetry contest, which the Poetry Center continues to oversee to this day. April 19, 1965 Excerpt: 14m:18s Read more Listen

John Dos Passos: Art and Isadora This excerpt is from John Dos Passos's only appearance at the Poetry Center. He begins with some remarks on his development as a writer after World War I, then reads a section on dancer Isadora Duncan from the second volume of his U.S.A. trilogy—The Big Money. January 18, 1965 Excerpt: 16m:19s Listen

Harold Pinter: Tea Party, New Year in the Midlands and other readings This program includes a reading of short stories and poems—Tea Party, New Year in the Midlands, A Glass at Midnight, You in the Night, The Drama in April, The Anesthetist's Pen, Jig, Episode, Afternoon, The Error of Alarm, The Table, The Black and White selection, The Examination—followed by a Q&A where he talks about literary influences, point of view, his opinion of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and the classic Beatles vs. Rolling Stones debate. November 12, 1964 Full Program: 1h:05m:41s Listen

Richard Wilbur Richard Wilbur introduces and reads Lilacs, Seed Leaves (twice), Praise in Summer, The Puritans, Museum Piece and other poems. May 4, 1964 Full Program: 1h:00m:54s Listen

Truman Capote Reads Breakfast at Tiffany's Breakfast at Tiffany's was published in 1958, and the film adaptation starring Audrey Hepburn was released in 1961, so when Capote asked the 1963 audience if they'd like him to read a section of Breakfast at Tiffany's, everyone was downright thrilled. April 7, 1963 Excerpt: 16m:59s Read more Listen

W.D. Snodgrass W.D. Snodgrass made six appearances at 92Y's Poetry Center between 1959 and 1997. In this program, he reads The Lovers Go Fly a Kite, Just Lobsters in the Window, No Use, Point Pelee in March and other poems. Snodgrass is introduced by critic John Simon. March 28, 1963 Full Program: 1h:08m:32s Listen

Nadine Gordimer: A Style of Her Own, The Bridegroom Nadine Gordimer appeared at the 92nd Street Y early in her career to read and discuss the short stories A Style of Her Own and The Bridegroom. April 24, 1961 Full Program: 55m:36s Listen

W.H. Auden In one of his many visits to the 92nd Street Y, poet W.H. Auden reads from a selection of his work, including "Bucolics" (a sequence of seven poems about man's relation to nature) and selections from "Horae Cononicae" (a series of poems which dramatize Auden's religious position.) January 22, 1955 Full Program: 1h:21m:55s Listen

William Carlos Williams: A Sort of a Song The first-ever Poetry Center reading was given by William Carlos Williams in October of 1939. In this selection, from an appearance in 1954, Williams reads "A Sort of a Song," "The Maneuver," "Seafarer," "The Three Graces," "Paterson, Episode 17," "The Descent" and "Fish." January 27, 1954 Excerpt: 21m:01s Listen

Discovering John Ashbery Ashbery was not yet 25 when he read at 92Y's Poetry Center in 1952. The poems he read that night—"Meditations of a Parrot," "The Painter" and "The Picture of Little J.A. in a Prospect of Flowers"—were collected in his first book, Some Trees, which was published four years later. This recording is part of the Dave Nolan Poetry Series supported by The Aeroflex Foundation. April 3, 1952 Full Program: 30m:23s Read more Listen

W.H. Auden In one of his early visits to 92nd Street Y, W.H. Auden reads from a selection of his poems. March 8, 1951 Excerpt: 12m:12s Listen

Wallace Stevens In his first appearance at the Poetry Center, Stevens reads two of his longer poems, "Credences of Summer" and "An Ordinary Evening in New Haven." January 25, 1951 Excerpt: 31m:31s Read more Listen

Thornton Wilder on Emily Dickinson In his first appearance at the Poetry Center, Wilder asks for the audience's indulgence as he re-imagines the writing life of the reclusive Dickinson and offers renderings of some of her poems: "The Wind Took Up the Northern Things," "Troubled About Many Things," "Wild Nights" and "They Put Us Far Apart." January 13, 1951 Excerpt: 12m:05s Read more Listen