Poet Gwendolyn Brooks, in her 1967 occasional poem “The Chicago Picasso,” observed that: “Art hurts. Art urges voyages-/ and it is easier to stay at home, / the nice beer ready.” This notion invites the consideration of a lyric: Darling, you send me. Written in 1955 by the late singer Sam Cooke and released in 1957, “You Send Me” is timeless in theme and durability. How might a poem ‘send’ us? Leafing through Kevin Young’s repertoire of poets and poems, we’ll situate ‘sending’ as an effect responsive to desire and surrender. Featuring poets Rodney Terich Leonard, Lise Esdaile, Trapeta B. Mayson, and Monnette Sudler.

The event is one of a series of eclectic programs organized by One Book One Bronx, in collaboration with the Leonard Lief Library at Lehman College, as part of the Lift Every Voice: Why African American Poetry Matters initiative. Lift Every Voice seeks to engage participants in a multifaceted exploration of African American poetry. It is sponsored by the Library of America and The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. 

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