Festival of Writers

4 1

5 2

6 7

9 10 11

HRI held the Festival of Writers November 12–13, 2021 at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. Featuring award-winning literary voices Roxane Gay, Tracy K. Smith, and Jericho Brown, this two-day experience was the culminating event in HRI’s Year of Creative Writers series, organized in collaboration with the Creative Writing Program in the Department of English and funded by the Presidential Initiative to Celebrate the Impact of the Arts and Humanities. More than 1,000 attendees from the ChampaignUrbana community and beyond attended in-person readings, discussions, and more with our guests.

Tracy K. Smith, the 22nd U.S. Poet Laureate, connected with undergraduate students at an Inside Scoop lunch event at HRI. She read poetry from her latest collection and answered questions about her process. Later, Smith graced the stage at Krannert Center, opening the public festival by sharing a selection of pieces from her award-winning collections of poetry.

Jericho Brown, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, read from a selection of his work on-stage. He mesmerized the audience with his command of the poetic form, including duplex, a form of his own invention. He also fielded questions from the audience after the reading. Brown later joined Roxane Gay in a lively conversation and Q&A, moderated by University of Illinois Art and Design Professor Stacey Robinson. Earlier in the day, over brunch, Brown shared his wisdom and experiences with undergrads and MFAs in the Creative Writing program.

Roxane Gay, New York Times bestselling author, professor, editor, and leading public voice, closed out the festival in fine form, reading from an assortment of long-form essays, columns, and chapters from her extensive body of published work. Gay also addressed audience questions, providing her unique perspective on issues that impact individuals of all ages.

1. Jericho Brown 2. Tracy K. Smith 3. Roxane Gay 4. Karen Flynn (Gender and Women’s Studies) 5. Corey Van Landingham (Creative Writing, English) 6. Stacey Robinson (Art + Design) and Smith 7. Antoinette Burton and Janice Harrington (English) 8–9. Smith and students at Inside Scoop event 10. Roxane Gay, Stacey Robinson (Art + Design), and Jericho Brown 11. Audience at Krannert Center for “Roxane Gay and Jericho Brown in Conversation”