File 029298
Poetry in America Guest Invitation from Harvard University (File 029298)
Letter from Harvard professor Elisa New inviting Beyoncé Knowles-Carter to participate in the Poetry in America television series, with references to previous guests including Bill Clinton and other notable figures.
Summary
Elisa New, Director of Poetry in America at Harvard University, writes to invite Beyoncé Knowles-Carter to be a featured guest on the Poetry in America series. The letter mentions previous season guests including Bill Clinton, Joe Biden, and other prominent figures, and proposes interpreting a poem by contemporary poet Evie Shockley called 'you can say that again, billie.' The content would be used for the public television series, streaming services, airline programming, and K-12 educational materials developed in partnership with Harvard.
HARVARD UNIVERSITYDEPARTMENT OF ENGLISHBarker Center - 12 Quincy Street - Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138ELISA NEWPowell M. Cabot Professor of American LiteratureNovember 25, 2018Dear Ms. Knowles-Carter,Tel:Fax:I am writing now to invite you to be a featured guest of Poetry in America(poetryinamerica.org). Poetry in America's first season's guests included Bill Clinton,Joe Biden, Cynthia Nixon, Shaquille O'Neal, Yo Yo Ma, Samantha Power, HerbieHancock, John McCain, Nas, Angela Duckworth, Bono, Regina Spektor, Frank Gehry,Stuart Weitzman, E.O. Wilson, and many others. Seasons Two and Three will feature justas distinguished a line up. The series airs on public television stations everywhere,streams via Amazon Prime and other streaming services, and it is now also airing on avariety of domestic and international airlines.The poem we'd read and interpret together is by the contemporary poet Evie Shockley,and it's called "you can say that again, billie." It's a brilliant and beautiful poem thatspeaks back to Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" and evokes a whole history of gender andrace in the American South. You are the ideal reader for this poem. We would use whatwe filmed together in an upcoming season of Poetry in America. We would also use thecontent in materials that we are creating for K-12 classrooms in partnership with Harvard.Everything we create would be educational and non-commercial.Thank you for considering this request. I would be very honored to work with you.Sincerely,Elisa NewDirector and Host of Poetry in AmericaPowell M. Cabot Professor, HarvardHOUSE OVERSIGHT 029298