In the Hour of War: Poetry from the Ukraine: A Book Discussion

Led by Kathleen Willard: 3rd event of The Carolyn Forché Symposium
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Join a book discussion based on In the Hour of War: Poetry from the Ukraine edited by Carolyn Forché and Ilya Kaminsky. (2023)  One Ukrainian poet writes “I am writing/and all my people are writing.”  Ukrainian poets are the most apt witnesses to life in a war zone.

We will discuss the contemporary Ukrainian poetry written since the invasion by Russia  and poetry’s ability to spotlight the war.  How does poetry differ from journalism or nonfiction as it delivers the same content? What power does poetry have in this discourse?  What poetic techniques or procedures do poets employ to create empathy, compassion and understanding that other modes of writing cannot? Is poetry dangerous? Can poetry change the world? Can poetry be used to sustain interest as the world exhibits fatigue to the conflict in the Ukraine? How does poetry do this work? Why are poets silenced when they speak of atrocity? Can writing  poetry be considered a revolutionary act?


Willard suggests attendees buy and read In the Hour of War: The Poetry of the Ukraine to gain a full understanding of the poetry of witness. While we will be reading this far away from the war zone, we are witnesses. Handouts will also be available.
 
https://www.amazon.com/Hour-War-Poetry-Ukraine/dp/B0BVGRSJLS