Description: Is there such a thing as a 'poet's novel, ' a text which uniquely traverses boundaries between genres? Why do poets turn to prose? If such a form does exist, how is it characterized? The Poet's Novel, a talk by Laynie Browne, presented with drawings by Noah Saterstrom, examines this erratic, hybrid and often elusive form.
Brief description: Laynie Browne is the author of thirteen collections of poems and three novels. Recent books include: In Garments Worn by Lindens, Periodic Companions, and The Book of Moments. Her poetry has been translated into French, Spanish, Chinese and Catalan. She co-edited the anthology I'll Drown My Book: Conceptual Writing by Women (Les Figues Press, 2013) and edited the anthology A Forest on Many Stems: The Poet's Novel (Nightboat Books 2020). Honors and awards include a Pew Fellowship (2014) the National Poetry Series Award (2007) for her collection The Scented Fox, and the Contemporary Poetry Series Award (2005) for her collection Drawing of a Swan Before Memory. Recent collaborations include a public art project, "Dawn Chorus" a curated constellation of poetry in thirteen languages by twenty-eight writers engraved in The Rail Park in Philadelphia with visual artist Brent Wahl. She teaches at University of Pennsylvania and at Swarthmore College.