Otherwhere: New and Selected Poems, 1976-2026
Carolyn Forché presents *Otherwhere: New and Selected Poems, 1976–2026*, a career-spanning volume gathering five decades of poetry shaped by moral responsibility, empathy, and witness. Selected by Forché herself, the book brings together work from *Gathering the Tribes*, *The Country Between Us*, *The Angel of History*, *Blue Hour*, and *In the Lateness of the World*, along with a new sequence titled “If there is ink,” which responds to the crises and upheavals of the present.
Forché will discuss the collection with Maureen Corrigan. The conversation will consider the evolution of Forché’s poetic voice, from her early evocations of family and place to poems addressing war, displacement, political violence, memory, and the possibility of human connection.
When: Sunday, September 13, 2026
Showtimes: 3:00 p.m.
Venue: Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Format: In-person conversation, with a livestream option listed on the event page
Participants: Carolyn Forché in conversation with Maureen Corrigan
About Carolyn Forché: Forché is a poet, translator, and memoirist whose poetry books include *Gathering the Tribes*, *The Country Between Us*, *The Angel of History*, *Blue Hour*, and *In the Lateness of the World*. She is also the author of the memoir *What You Have Heard Is True*. Her honors include the Academy of American Poets Fellowship, awarded in 2013, and the Windham-Campbell Prize, which she received in 2017. She is a University Professor at Georgetown University and lives in Maryland with her husband, photographer Harry Mattison.
About Maureen Corrigan: Corrigan is the book critic for NPR’s *Fresh Air* and the Nicky and Jamie Grant Distinguished Professor of the Practice in Literary Criticism at Georgetown University. She is an associate editor and contributor to *Mystery and Suspense Writers* and received the 1999 Edgar Award for Criticism. Her other honors include the National Book Critics Circle’s 2019 Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing, the 2023 John Seigenthaler “Legends Award,” and Washington Monthly magazine’s 2023 Kukula Award for Excellence in Non-Fiction Reviewing.
Tickets: Free
Seating: First come, first served.
Accessibility: To request accommodations or ask about accessibility, email events@politics-prose.com. The venue recommends making requests about one week before the event, though it will try to accommodate requests made closer to the program.
Ages: Not specified.
Run time: Not listed.
Featured book: *Otherwhere: New and Selected Poems, 1976–2026* by Carolyn Forché, hardcover, $30.00. The book is scheduled for publication on September 8, 2026.