Marianetta Porter: Breath, Fragment, Return interpolates Robert Hayden’s poem “O Daedalus, Fly Away Home” multiple times, both showcasing how longing and joy can be connected and complicated by time. Using Porter’s art as inspiration, discover what happens when you use poetry to associate an emotion or image with a chronological setting. Is laughter a contained happenstance? Is weariness stretched to the past? What makes some want to fly toward the future?

Poet and U-M lecturer in the LSA Sweetland Center for Writing Chris Crowder will guide you through a triptych of grounding, poetry, and artistic activities to practice curiosity toward your memory and observancy. After the exercises, you’re invited to participate in an open mic to share what you’ve learned and created.

Prior experience is not required. Free and open to the public. Limited space available, registration required.

Stamps Gallery is pleased to present this program with support from the CEW+ Frances and Sydney Lewis Visiting Leaders Fund.

More about the guest poet:

Chris Crowder is from Flint, Michigan, and his debut poetry collection, The Kin of Nakedness, was published by Four Way Books in March 2026. His work has appeared in various publications, including The Rumpus, The Georgia Review, Best New Poets, MQR: Mixtape, TriQuarterly, Indiana Review, the Poetry Foundation’s Poetry Off the Shelf and VS podcasts, and elsewhere. He is Managing Editor of The Adroit Journal and a lecturer at the University of Michigan, where he earned his MFA in the Helen Zell Writers’ Program. He lives in Ann Arbor with his wife and dog.