Poet and memoirist Garrett Hongo was born in Volcano, Hawaiʻi and grew up there and in Los Angeles. He earned his BA from Pomona College and his MFA from the UC-Irvine. His poetry collections are Yellow Light, The River of Heaven, which received the Lamont Poetry Prize and was a Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and Coral Road. His most recent publication is The Perfect Sound: A Memoir in Stereo. In other non-fiction, he has published The Mirror Diary and Volcano: A Memoir of Hawaiʻi. His work has been recognized with fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. In 2022, he was given the Aiken Taylor Award for lifetime achievement in poetry. Current poems and essays appear or are forthcoming in The New Yorker, SoundStage! Ultra, Georgia Review, and Sewanee Review. He is Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Oregon.
The Robert Chasen Memorial Poetry Reading is a biennial event, featuring a public reading by a distinguished poet. It was established in 1980 by Margaret Rosenzweig, '32, in memory of Robert Chasen.
Book signing and reception to follow the reading.
We are proud to partner with Buffalo Street Books at this event. Buffalo Street Books is Ithaca’s community-owned cooperative bookstore, dedicated to re-imagining the ways an independent bookstore can serve its community. Garrett Hongo’s books are available online, in store, and on site at the reading. Show your student ID at BSB and get 10% off every day!
Order online here:
Coral Road: Poems by Garrett Hongo
The Perfect Sound: A Memoir in Stereo by Garrett Hongo
FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Currently on Cornell's campus, masking is encouraged.
Please check Cornell's up to date COVID-19 policy for visitors to campus here.
We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. To be respectful of those with allergies and environmental sensitivities, we ask that you please refrain from wearing strong fragrances. The venue is wheelchair accessible and equipped with assistive listening technology. If you need additional accommodations to participate in this event, please contact us as soon as possible.
For more information about this event visit english.cornell.edu/zalaznick or email englishevents@cornell.edu.
This event is presented by the Department of Literatures in English / Creative Writing Program at Cornell University.
