Poetry Reading: Patricia Smith and Quincy Troupe

Renowned poets Quincy Troupe and Patricia Smith performed on campus.

Qunicy Troupe has authored eight award-winning volumes of poetry, three children’s books, and six nonfiction works. Troupe’s most recent title is Errançities, a work of poetry that roves from Yoruba to Harlem to Guadeloupe in search of new definitions of the musical, physical, and philosophical. A heralded writer and producer of poetry, articles, essays, and features for both television and radio, Troupe has received countless awards for his vibrant and unique artistic voice including the Peabody Award, the Paterson Award for Sustained Literary Achievement, and the American Book Award for Lifetime Literary Achievement.

National Book Award finalist Patricia Smith has authored five volumes of award-winning poetry, including Shoulda Been Jimi Savannah, her most recent poetry collection. Chronicling the lives of African Americans following the Great Migration, Smith evokes empathy, passion, and pain like few can. Widely considered a seasoned and evocative performer, Smith has used her background in slam poetry to elicit visceral reactions from her audiences at the Sorbonne, in Carnegie Hall, at the Folger Shakespeare Library, on tour with Lollapalooza, and on HBO’s Def Jam Poetry.