Former US Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey's visit

The 19th Poet Laureate of the United States returned to her Cornish roots when she visited the Duchy to perform and discuss her work.

Pulitzer Prize winning Natasha Trethewey, whose father Eric was a Canadian of Cornish descent, performed a public lecture at the University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus. She also gave a reading of her work at Falmouth Art Gallery.

These events, organised by Dr Natalie Pollard, Lecturer in Modernist and Contemporary Literature, were a delight for both the students and local community who attended. You can see Natasha reading some of her work in the above video.

The themes in Natasha Trethewey’s poetry are at the heart of global politics today, and this is a wonderful chance to hear this work read by the poet herself. Her writing speaks to some of the most pressing social realities both in America and globally. It's poetry that addresses difficult personal and public issues, such as individual and shared identity, collective memory and the struggle for equality and justice.

Dr Natalie Pollard, Lecturer in Modernist and Contemporary Literature, who organised the event.

For future events on the Penryn Campus, please see our events pages