Carl Phillips will read from his work, Laylah Ali will present hers, and the two will participate in a moderated discussion and Q&A.

Carl Phillips is the author of numerous books of poetry and winner of awards including the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award, the Thom Gunn Award, a Los Angeles Times Book Prize, an Academy of American Poets Fellowship, and an Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Laylah Ali is an acclaimed visual artist, whose works have been included in the Venice Biennial, the Whitney Biennial, and in the permanent collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, and the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo.