U.S. Poet Laureate Arthur Sze in Conversation — Fri, Sept. 18

This September, 25th United States poet laureate Arthur Sze will come to Honolulu for the first stop of his "Words Bridging Worlds" project, a four-city national tour encouraging Americans to engage with translation. Organized by the Library of Congress in collaboration with several Hawaiʻi nonprofit organizations, programming will take place across two consecutive days, with a public presentation on Friday, September 18 at Mission Memorial Auditorium and a translation workshop to follow on Saturday, September 19. These programs are both free and open to the public with pre-registration required. Registration is now available through The Library of Congress. This programming is being organized with the support and participation of several Hawaiʻi-based nonprofit organizations. These include The Merwin Conservancy—a Maui-based nonprofit organization founded to steward the home, garden, and legacy of the renowned poet and ecologist W.S. Merwin—where Arthur Sze was a resident in 2022. Arthur Sze’s public presentation at Mission Memorial Auditorium is made possible through the support of the Honolulu Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts. The Hawaiʻi Center for the Book, housed at the Hawaiʻi State Library, will host a translation workshop the following day, on September 19. Additional support for this program is provided by the Laila Twigg-Smith Art Fund. The September 18th event will launch Arthur Sze’s “Words Bridging Worlds” tour, the main project of his second term as poet laureate which empowers readers to dissolve the boundaries between reading, writing, and translating poetry. Recognizing the Hawaiian Islands as a vital crossroads of cultural and linguistic exchange, and honoring the vitality and enduring presence of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Arthur Sze will be in conversation with Puakea Nogelmeier, co-founder of Awaiaulu, an organization dedicated to fortifying the continuity of Hawaiian language and knowledge. Hawaiʻi State Poet Laureate Lee Tonouchi, Da Pidgin Guerrilla, will introduce the event, drawing a connection between the national and Hawaiʻi’s state laureateship, which is hosted by The Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities, and Hawaiʻi State Public Library System. On the afternoon of September 19th, a translation workshop will take place at the Hawaiʻi Center for the Book, allowing participants to practice their own translations. As Poet Laureate, Sze upholds the value of speech and writing as means of connection, particularly across differences. “We live in a challenging world that is increasingly interconnected,” Sze has said. “Poetry is for everyone, and it bridges our differences by showing us that our experiences of what it is to be human reach across languages, cultures and time. Now, more than ever, we need to recognize how poetry deepens our attention and understanding, and how it helps us connect. ‘Words Bridging Worlds’ exemplifies democracy in action, where people of all ages and all walks of life can come together through the living art of poetry.” Arthur Sze’s time in Honolulu marks a meaningful return to Hawaiʻi. Arthur Sze was a resident at The Merwin Conservancy with his wife, the poet Carol Moldaw, in the summer of 2022. His time in residence inspired several poems written about the islands, including the poem “Peʻahi Light,” which appeared in his acclaimed collection Into the Hush (Copper Canyon Press, 2025). Sonnet Coggins, the Executive Director of the Merwin Conservancy, says “It is a joy to welcome Arthur back to Hawaiʻi for this extraordinary program. His return as Poet Laureate, with a project centered on translation, feels especially meaningful here, where language, place, and the continuity of knowledge are so deeply intertwined. We’re grateful to the many Hawaiʻi partners who have come together to welcome him back and make this first stop possible.” Sze’s September 18th program is being presented as a part of The Merwin Conservancy’s beloved speaker series known as The Green Room, which highlights leading voices that inspire conversations about nature, language, and the imagination. Founded by the poet W.S. Merwin—who served as the 17th poet laureate of the United States—and his wife Paula Merwin, this series, now in its 14th year, has highlighted the work of over fifty renowned writers, artists, and scholars, including 24th Poet Laureate Ada Limón.

Event Links

Tickets: https://go.evvnt.com/3796010-0

Website: https://go.evvnt.com/3796010-2

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