A reading by Keorapetse Kgositsile

Presented by Writers Without Borders
Co-sponsored by Writers Without Borders, Africana Studies, and the English Department

"Writers Without Borders" features writers from around the world whose fiction, drama, poetry, memoir, journalism, and performance art demand an international — and, what's more, a globally minded — readership and response. Support for Writers without Borders comes from the Office of the Provost, supplemented by a generous start-up grant from Seth Ginns (C'00).

KEORAPETSE KGOSITSILE is a South African poet of international acclaim. From 1961 to 1975 he lived in exile in the United States as an influential member of the African National Congress. In the US he became a significant member of the African-American poetry community through his identity as an African poet; he is recognized as having bridged an important gap between African poetry and American Black poetry. His published work includes the poetry collections My Name is Afrika, Heartprints, To the Bitter End, If I Could Sing, and This Way I Salute You. He has received literary awards such as the Harlem Cultural Council Poetry Award. In 2008 he was awarded the National Order of Ikhamanga: Silver (OIS). He has been National Poet Laureate of South Africa since December of 2006.

This program originally occurred on April 5, 2012. For more information, please visit: http://writing.upenn.edu/wh/calendar/...