I recently attended a poetry reading by Claudia Rankine. She read select works from her book Citizen: An American Lyric. I was a little anxious about going, as it was the first poetry reading I’d attended, and I didn’t know exactly what to expect.

Ms. Rankine was exceptional. I was already a fan of her poems, but I was really impressed by the poet. Between readings of her works, she would explain their inspiration and genesis, as well as the origins of the artwork in the book. It was great to hear an author tell the stories that brought about such poignant and affecting lines about race in America. Despite being prose poetry, the poems are kind of sublime, and it was a great contrast to have the author be really down-to-earth.

The entire reading was engaging and thought-provoking. The Q&A at the end was also really valuable to me, as Ms. Rankine provided some sharp advice to students with really great questions.