In celebration of National Poetry Month, join The Poetry Project’s Executive Director Kyle Dacuyan for illuminating recollections and archival footage of the incredible The Poetry Project. The Poetry Project was founded in the summer of 1966 as a direct successor to, and continuation of, the various coffeehouse reading series that had flourished on the Lower East Side since 1960. The Poetry Project has served ever since as a hub for artistic experimentation and cultural action through readings, performances, lectures, events, and workshops. From the New York School to L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E, UMBRA, and Flarf, The Poetry Project has changed the whole world from their home St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery, by presenting poetry to diverse audiences, increasing public appreciation of the arts, and providing a community in which poets and artists can exchange ideas and information.

Kyle Dacuyan is a poet, performer, and translator. His poems appear in DIAGRAM, Lambda Literary, Foundry, and Best New Poets, among other places, and he is the recipient of scholarships from Poets House, the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, Sewanee Writers’ Conference, and the Academy of American Poets. Prior to joining The Poetry Project, he served as Co-Director of National Outreach and Membership at PEN America, where he led the launch of a nationwide community engagement fund for writers. Before that, he served as Associate Director at the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America.