The Making of “Citizen”: Claudia Rankine | Woodberry Poetry Room

Claudia Rankine presents a powerful reading from her award-winning collection, “Citizen: An American Lyric.” The event took place on the day of Freddie Gray’s funeral in Baltimore, and Rankine begins her reading with a poem dedicated to him. Rankine combines a discussion of the interviews she conducted as a part of her writing process with readings from the collection. She also explores the way that she integrated images (by Glenn Ligon and Nick Cave, among others) into the book. The event was made possible by the Catherine L. Morrissey Memorial Fund. Additional funding was provided by the Harvard Department of English and LITFest. For additional information, visit hcl.harvard.edu/poetryroom