Edward Hirsch, a celebrated poet and tireless advocate for poetry, will be giving a reading at the Folger Theatre on April 25, 2024, as part of the O.B. Hardison Series Finale. Hirsch has received numerous awards and fellowships, including a MacArthur Fellowship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the National Book Critics Award for his second poetry collection, Wild Gratitude. In 2008, he was elected a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets. Hirsch's first collection of poems, For the Sleepwalkers, received the Delmore Schwartz Memorial Award and the Lavan Younger Poets Award. He has published a total of ten books of poetry and five prose books, including the national bestseller How to Read a Poem and Fall in Love with Poetry. Hirsch has served as a professor at Wayne State University and the University of Houston and has been the president of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation since 2002. In his own words, Hirsch believes that "Poetry is the social act of a solitary person" and that "When you're reading a poem you're not alone with your own feelings." This sentiment reflects Hirsch's lifelong dedication to promoting and sharing his love of poetry with others. The O.B. Hardison Series Finale Reading by Edward Hirsch promises to be a captivating event for poetry enthusiasts. Hirsch's extensive body of work and his passion for the art form are sure to shine through in his reading and discussion.