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In Praise of Legacy: Writers of Color and the Challenge of the Canon (AWP Panel)

  • Room 2503AB, Kansas City Convention Center, Level 2 Kansas City, MO (map)

The word “canon” in literary studies was intended to refer to humanity’s greatest writings—those which all "educated" people should know. Thanks to the work of critics and scholars of color, however, we are now able to recognize the exclusions, the silences, and the gaps that exist in the traditional concept of the canon. The four poets/professors on this panel will read poems and discuss how to explore, expand, and explode the literary canon in one's work and in the classroom.

Panelists: Kenzie Allen, Rita Banerjee, Nathan McClain, Enzo Silon Surin
Moderator: Michael Mercurio

Room 2503AB, Kansas City Convention Center, Level 2