Poet and Mellon Foundation CEO Elizabeth Alexander’s New Book Examines How Art Can Bridge Distances

“Poems are not mere breadcrumbs left behind,” writes the acclaimed poet Elizabeth Alexander in her new book “Signals Across Vast Distances: Essays and Talks.” “They are fireflies, a path of light, a way to find our way to each other and know what we have lived.” Alexander, who drew national attention for the poem she read for President Obama’s first inauguration in 2008, is a longtime educator, scholar, and cultural advocate. She now heads the Mellon Foundation, the largest arts funder in the U.S. She joins us to talk about her book, which examines how art, literature and history shape civic life and can help us find our way to each other. As she observes, while these times may seem unprecedented, we have faced these challenges before.

Guests:

• Dr. Elizabeth Alexander, author, poet, educator, cultural advocate, president of Mellon Foundation, latest book is “Signals Across Vast Distances: Essays and Tales”