50/100 Centennial Celebration
The year 2011-2012 marked the centennial of the birth of Hyam Plutzik (1911-1962) and also the fiftieth anniversary of the Plutzik Reading Series at the University of Rochester, established in 1962 to continue the popular reading series Plutzik established shortly before his death.
The 50/100 celebrations included UR-sponsored events around the nation, including Plutzik Series Readings "on the road", the publication of a new edition of Plutzik’s poetry collection Apples from Shinar by Wesleyan University Press, and other offerings including those listed below:
READINGS
A festive 50th year program for the Plutzik Series at its home base, the University of Rochester, and at other universities in the Northeast. The Plutzik Reading Series welcomed the following poets and speakers during 2011-12: Yusef Komunyakaa, Eavan Boland, Christopher Ricks, Susan Stewart, U.S. Poet Laureate Philip Levine, and Rosanna Warren. Philip Levine delivered his lecture on Apri 20, 2012. Click this link for a video of his presentation:: CLICK TO VIEW VIDEO
PUBLICATIONS
A republication of Apples from Shinar, Hyam Plutzik’s award-winning work, by Wesleyan University Press, which published the original edition in 1959.
LIBRARY EXHIBITS
Two exhibits at Rush Rhees Library at the University of Rochester, co-curated by faculty, staff, and students – on the life and work of poet-teacher Hyam Plutzik, and on the history of the Plutzik Reading Series.
SCREENINGS
Screenings at various venues around the country of Hyam Plutzik: American Poet, a documentary film created by Academy-award nominee Christine Choy and Ku-Ling Siegel.
THEATRICAL PRESENTATIONS
A staged reading of Hyam Plutzik’s major work, Horatio, was performed by Nigel Maister, artistic director of the University of Rochester’s International Theatre Program.
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
We cast a wide net to work with a range of creative partners around the country that believe in the power of poetry to bring people together, including the Brooklyn-based literary micro-magazine Abe’s Penny and Miami’s University of Wynwood.