I invite proposals for the formation of a panel on Adrienne Rich for the upcoming American Literature Association Symposium on American Poetry in October 2014 in Savannah, Georgia, October 23-25th.

As we all know, American poet Adrienne Rich died on March 27, 2012. The response, nationally and international, to this loss was immediate and speaks to her place and import in American literature and culture. As Katha Pollit wrote, "The death of Adrienne Rich marks not only the end of a long and transcendent literary career—thirty books of poetry and prose, prizes beyond counting—but the end of a kind of poetry that mattered in the world beyond poetry." The Poetry Foundation claims Rich as "one of America's foremost public intellectuals," while the New York Times wrote that Rich was "a poet of towering reputation and towering rage, whose work — distinguished by an unswerving progressive vision and a dazzling, empathic ferocity — brought the oppression of women and lesbians to the forefront of poetic discourse and kept it there for nearly a half-century." For over 60 years, Adrienne Rich has mapped who we are and what we believe in five essay collections, sixteen poetry collections, and three editions of collected poems. Her volumes of writings address a diverse range of issues including, gender, class, sexuality, nationalism, poverty, violence, racism, and our individual and collective responsibilities to our local, national, and international communities.

The panel proposal is due to the ALA Symposium by July 20th. For consideration, please send abstracts (250-600 words) by July 10th.