The New Colossus - Emma Lazarus -
poetry in america

Host Elisa New rediscovers the freshness and the still-potent charge of Emma Lazarus's iconic sonnet of immigration alongside singer-songwriter Regina Spektor, activist and founder of the United We Dream Foundation Cristina Jimenez, President of the American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten, financier and philanthropist David Rubenstein, and poet Duy Doan.

Episode Duration: 26 minutes and 46 seconds

Episode Number: 112

About Poetry In America:

The 12-part series POETRY IN AMERICA draws students of all ages into conversations about poetry.

Hosted by Harvard University professor Elisa New, each half-hour episode highlights the work of one distinguished poet (Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks) with a reading by an individual well known for accomplishments outside the humanities (actress and playwright Anna Deavere Smith, Grammy-Award winner Herbie Hancock; former vice president Joe Biden, and rapper/poet Nas), as well as a chorus of others, including: a chorus of pick-up basketball players, young naturalists at the Massachusetts Audubon Society, and students at the Parsons School of Design.

The fast-moving, beautifully shot series offers viewers a fully immersive experience in hearing, reading, and interpreting a single American poem.

Scholar Elisa New opens a conversation about poetry and encourages viewers at home to extend the discussion past the episode's end.

Visit the Poetry In America web site

Watch Poetry In America - Clips, Episodes & Previews

Shirt by Robert Pinsky

Those Winter Sundays by Robert Hayden

Fast Break by Edward Hirsch

I cannot dance opon my toes by Emily Dickinson

The Gray Heron by Galway Kinnell

The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus

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