A small crowd gathered at the American Center in Jerusalem last Thursday (26/5/11), to attend an evening with American poet Mark Strand. Strand read excerpts from his books of poetry and short prose, and then held a short Q & A session with the audience. Strand, 77, who currently teaches English and comparative literature at Columbia University, shared his views on his own work as well as the work of other poets and writers. The Pulitzer Prize-winning poet stated that he had “divorced poetry” some time ago. When asked about that statement, he replied that the standards for his own poetry became too high, and that he found prose to be better suited for his creative expression these days. The evening was sponsored by the American Embassy.
Yonatan Hurwitz is a writer and poet, living in Jerusalem. His work has appeared online, on the radio, and in print.
