Arts & Science Lecture in Classics

Please join us April 25th for the inaugural Arts & Science Lecture in Classics, with special guest Dr. Emily Greenwood (Harvard)! Dr. Greenwood will be giving a lecture titled "Odysseus at the Bag Check: Greek Myth and Immigration in Contemporary Poetry”.

There is plenty for the postcolonial poet not to like about Homer’s Odysseus. Odysseus has more than a touch of the proto-colonizer about him, but his experiences as a wandering exile have also made him a fellow-traveller for minoritized immigrant poets who fail real and metaphorical bag checks. This lecture will explore the role of Odysseus and other characters from ancient Greek myth as privileged, fast-tracked fellow-travellers in contemporary poetry about immigrant and refugee experiences. The recycling of these characters offers interesting insights into the cultural exchange value of Classics in the wreckage of modernity. 

The lecture will include discussion of poems by Dionne Brand, Vahni Capildeo, Marlene NourbeSe Philip, Ocean Vuong, and Monica Youn.

April 25 Schedule

4:00 - 5:30PM - Lecture

5:30 - 6:30PM - Reception

In addition to the lecture on April 25, Dr. Greenwood will be leading a workshop for graduate students on April 26.

The Arts & Science Lecture in Classics is a newly established lecture series inviting prominent classicists as well as leaders in the creative arts and public life who have derived inspiration from ancient Greece and Rome to speak about their thought and work. The lecture series aims to promote the study of Greco-Roman antiquity by showcasing exciting and innovative work within the field and by demonstrating its continued relevance for influential thinkers and creators across the public sphere.