Elizabeth Alexander: Signals Across Vast Distances

Renowned poet, scholar, cultural advocate, and Mellon Foundation president Elizabeth Alexander will be joined by film scholar, archivist... Monday, November 9 at 7pm Signals Across Vast Distances Elizabeth Alexander in conversation with Jacqueline Stewart The New York Times praised Elizabeth Alexander’s memoir The Light of the World, calling it “a testament to the power of art to help us see what is otherwise unimaginable.” Renowned poet, scholar, cultural advocate, and Mellon Foundation president Elizabeth Alexander will be joined by film scholar, archivist, and Turner Classic Movies host Jacqueline Stewart for a conversation about Alexander’s moving new collection of essays and stories, Signals Across Vast Distances: Essays and Tales. Alexander’s work combines profound cultural insight with deep emotional empathy and understanding. In this new collection, Alexander offers profound and galvanizing lessons from culture and life for moving through challenging times. Through close readings of beloved poets and writers—including Muriel Rukeyser, Gwendolyn Brooks, Audre Lorde, James Baldwin, June Jordan, and others—she reflects on how words and values can sustain and inspire us, interweaving her own voice with works by some of our great visual artists. The collection offers hope and a deeper understanding of the moment we live in and our enduring connection to one another. Special thanks to our sponsors ALOUD is made possible thanks to support from: Judith and Steve Krantz Foundation, Hearst Foundations, Humanities Endowment Fund, Gregory Peck Literacy Endowment, Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, Sharon Oxborough Endowed Fund for ALOUD Additional support generously provided by the Los Angeles Public Library and by donors and members of the Library Foundation of Los Angeles.