Event Type
2025 marks the centennial of the birth of Kenneth Koch and this event is a part of the international celebrations scheduled for 2025. Kenneth Koch, who died in 2002, was one of the finest poets of the 20th century. With John Ashbery, Frank O’Hara, James Schuyler, and Barbara Guest, this group formed the nucleus of the first generation of the New York School of Poetry. Koch’s fame came not only from his poetry, but from his innovative work as a teacher of poetry. Teaching graduate and undergraduate students, children in public schools, and senior citizens, his influence comes not only from his writing but from the generations of poets he taught, and the poets they taught and continue to teach. The presenters will reflect on Koch and the role he played in their artistic lives. These represent friends of Koch, family, and individuals who Koch influenced deeply. The same four presenters will read from Koch’s poetry, from the earliest exuberant and witty poems, for which Koch was first known, to the stunning final books, New Addresses and A Possible World, which confirmed Koch’s place as a 20th century master. There will also be time for audience members to reflect on Koch and their experiences of his work.