Pittsburgh Contemporary Writers Series Presents: Frost Medal Winner Mei-mei Berssenbrugge with Diana Khoi Nguyen

Photo Credit: Kelly Writers House staff. Photo Courtesy: New Directions, Diana Khoi Nguyen.

One of America’s foremost poets, Mei-mei Berssenbrugge is associated with the poetry of the New York School, and her work is noted for its interdisciplinary nature—often drawing from phenomenology, science, nature, and visual art. This October, the prolific artist will visit City of Asylum for a reading and conversation with fellow poet Diana Khoi Nguyen. 

This program is presented in partnership with the Pittsburgh Contemporary Writers Series, which is directed by Diana at the University of Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Contemporary Writers Series brings notable writers to Pittsburgh every year. The series is free and open to the public and features contemporary writers with extraordinary talent in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Past presenters include George Saunders, Maxine Hong Kingston, Gay Talese, Richard Ford, John Edgar Wideman, John McPhee, Dan Chaon, Lucille Clifton, Anne Carson, Mark Doty, and Michael Ondaatje, among others.

This program will be followed by a public reception with complimentary hors d’oeuvres and drinks for all artists and attendees. 

About the Artist:

Mei-mei Berssenbrugge was born in Beijing and grew up in Massachusetts. She is the author of thirteen books of poetry, including Hello, the Roses; Empathy; and I Love Artists. Her collaborations include Endocrinology with Kiki Smith and Hiddenness with Richard Tuttle, as well as performances with Morita Dance Company, Blondell Cummings, and Davide Balula. In 2021, she was awarded the prestigious Bollingen Prize for Poetry for her lifetime contributions to American Poetry and the Mary McCarthy Award in recognition of engagement in the public sphere. She lives in northern New Mexico and New York City.

About the Moderator:

Diana Khoi Nguyen is the author of Root Fractures and Ghost Of. A Kundiman and MacDowell fellow, she teaches in the MFA programs at Randolph College and the University of Pittsburgh.

About Your Visit: 

The in-house restaurant, Cucina Alfabeto, is open for brunch from 9:30 to 2 p.m. and for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Please visit OpenTable or call 412-435-1111 to make a reservation.