Elizabeth Alexander: The Light of the World – A Reading and Booksigning

Wednesday, April 22, 2015 - 5:00pm
Yale University Art Gallery See map
1111 Chapel St.
New Haven

Elizabeth Alexander, acclaimed poet and author, is releasing her latest work—a memoir reflecting on the sudden death of her husband, Ficre Ghebreyesus, and her attempt to find meaning in its aftermath. The book is a meditation on love, grief, community, and the healing, redemptive power of art. Struggling to make sense of her husband’s death at only fifty years old, Alexander turned to poetry, music, and her own prose for companionship and refuge. The manifestation of her introspection is her resonant, deeply moving memoir that examines both her individual search for gratitude and peace in the wake of tragedy as well as the universal struggle for understanding and acceptance in times of loss.
 
Alexander is the author of six books of poems, two books of essays, and several edited collections. Her memoir, The Light of the World, published by Grand Central Publishing, will
be released on April 21, and Alexander will give a public reading at the Gallery on April 22. Following the reading, there will be a reception in the Gallery lobby and Alexander will sign books which will be for sale by R.J. Julia Booksellers.
 
Space is limited. The Lecture Hall will open at 5:00 pm.

Elizabeth Alexander is the Frederick Iseman Professor of Poetry and Professor of African American Studies and American Studies at Yale University.