Threa Almontaser Poetry Reading

On Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023, Meredith’s English Department hosted Threa Almontaser for a reading of her debut poetry collection The Wild Fox of Yemen. Additionally, she led a mini-lecture in the afternoon titled “Writing in Grief,” where she explored the many roles and portrayals of grief in poetry, music and film (and looked so great in her thrifted fit doing it).

Almontaser’s accomplishments, aside from her MFA from NC State University, features a host of accolades including the Walt Whitman Award from the Academy of American Poets, the inaugural Maya Angelou Book Award, the George Ellenbogen Poetry Award and the Brooklyn Public Library Literary Prize. She is also the recipient of writing fellowships from Duke University, National Endowment for the Arts and the Fulbright Program. Despite her list of admirable achievements, the time spent around her revealed her grounded nature. Members of the English department had the opportunity to have lunch with her, and her ease of conversation and connection with each person felt natural, almost as if having lunch with a friend.

Being in attendance of the event and listening to the reading demonstrated Almontaser’s ability to incorporate a marriage of profanities and profound imagery which speaks for her poetic soul and modern-day mind. She spoke as if reading her poetry was as easy as breathing. It was a captivating and inspiring experience which explored the depth of her work. For those who weren’t able to attend and wants to learn more, Almontaser can be found on Instagram.

By Grayson Morris, Podcast Co-Director

Photo by Grayson Morris