William Carlos Williams Conference Plenary Lecture: Challenging Williams by Dr. Tara Betts

The William Carlos Williams Society kicks off its 9th Biennial Conference, Challenging Williams, with a plenary lecture by poet, teacher, and scholar Dr. Tara Betts. The conference theme seeks places and poems in Williams’s oeuvre where a (re)evaluation may be fruitful; not only what Williams poems are challenging to read, but in what ways might we as contemporary readers want to challenge his work? Join us for a lively lecture, kicking off two more days of WCW-related papers and exhibits.

Tara Betts is the author of the poetry collections Refuse to Disappear, Break the Habit, and Arc & Hue. In addition to her work as a teaching artist and mentor for young poets, she has taught at Rutgers University, University of Illinois-Chicago, DePaul University, Northwestern University, and at Stateville Prison via Prison + Neighborhood Arts Project. She is the Inaugural Poet for The People Practitioner Fellow at University of Chicago. Tara is also the Poetry Editor at The Langston Hughes Review and founder of the nonprofit organization The Whirlwind Learning Center on Chicago’s South Side. 

Poetry Foundation’s events are completely free of charge and open to the public. This lecture will include live captioning and ASL interpretation. If you require any other accessibility measures, please contact us by emailing events@poetryfoundation.org.