BY SAM SPOKONY
Poets House, the national poetry library and literary center (located at 10 River Terrace, in Battery Park City), will host a free reading on Thursday, July 21 at 7pm to celebrate the 75th anniversary of New Directions — an innovative publisher that has printed the work of some of America’s greatest poets and literary figures (including Ezra Pound, Dylan Thomas and William Carlos Williams, among many others). It is being held in conjunction with an exhibition (on view through October 8) featuring rare books, letters, photographs and works of art representing the creative history of New Directions. The reading will include presentations from poets Susan Bernofsky, Forrest Gander, Susan Howe, Nathaniel Mackey, Richard Sieburth, Mónica de la Torre and Eliot Weinberger.
“We’re thrilled to honor New Directions,” said Poets House Program Director Stephen Motika. “The items in the exhibition are especially unique because they highlight the daily activity of book publishing and really help to contextualize the mid-20th century period.”
Founded in 1936 by James Laughlin, New Directions continues to publish both American and international literature, adding approximately 30 books a year to a list of more than 1,000 titles in print. For New Directions info, visit ndpublishing.com.
For Poets House info, call 212-431-7920 or visit poetshouse.org, facebook.com/poetshouse or twitter.com/poetshouse.
