Last week Sapphire, author of bestselling novels Push and The Kid, came to Rollins as part of Winter With the Writers. On Feb. 4 she attended a reception at the Enzian theatre where there was a screening of Push’s adapted film: Precious. On Feb. 5 she held a master class in Bush Auditorium as well as a reading, Q&A, and book signing.
Sapphire is known for her performance poetry. When she read from The Kid, it sounded like she was reading poetry instead of prose. She read sections from throughout the book, so the audience heard Abdul grow up from an abandoned nine-year-old boy to an adult.
“The reverence she has for her craft shows in how she talks about it—that her characters are real people and not just characters in a story, and that the stories have a depth that needs to be shared with everyone. She is a very wise and intelligent woman who treats writing like the art it is,” said Winter With the Writers intern Anna Keeler ’16.
This week Natasha Trethewey, former US Poet Laureate and current Poet Laureate of Mississippi, will be visiting. She has published several books of poetry, and her collection Native Guard (2006) won the Pulitzer Prize. Her most recent collection of poetry is thrall (2012). Both of these books delve into the issues of race and family using history, art, and personal stories.
At 4 p.m. on Feb. 12, Trethewey will be holding a Q&A on craft instead of a master class. She will also perform a reading and offer a book-signing beginning at 7:30 p.m. in Bush Auditorium.
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