In Poetry Is Not a Luxury we use the best contemporary poets to explore the most urgent social issues. Each month we focus on a different book and discuss poetry as poets do. We read our favorite poems out loud, listen for sound and rhythm, consider how the poet plays with language, and consider the joys and sorrows in the poems.

Our 2017-2018 season focuses on Voices of the Silenced/Voices of the Resistance.

In October we have both poetry collection and poet! We will be joined by Cynthia Manick, author of Blue Hallelujahs.

Read a selection of Cynthia Manick's poems

When people ask me about Blue Hallelujahs, I say it asks the question “If you’re breathing what makes you alive? What does the heart eat? It eats the blues, ink on skin, brown bodies in kitchens, peaches, stars, and home.”