Ada Limón, 24th poet laureate of the United States, visited the University of Illinois on Thursday to read some of her work at the Spurlock Museum.
Limón was appointed the title of poet laureate in July 2022 by the Library of Congress. The poet laureate is a highly esteemed title given to a poet who is unofficially holding an honorary representative position in a particular country, region or group, according to the Oxford English Dictionary.
Limón is also the recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship and National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry. Her appearance at the Spurlock Museum was a free event and open to the public. She read 16 poems from her books “The Carrying” and “The Hurting Kind.”
“I’m interested in the conversation part of the program, and I’m also interested to hear the poetry,” said Karen Huck, library specialist for collections, events and outreach at the Literatures and Languages Library. “After meeting her today, I’m very excited for the whole thing.”
Limón’s name and reputation created anticipation for the event, according to attendees.
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Following the readings of her poetry, Limón was interviewed on stage about her work. She discussed topics relating to grief, identity and how her work connected her to the world.
At the conclusion of the panel, the audience rose to its feet with applause. Attendees had the opportunity to have Limón sign copies of her books.
Maria José Palacios Figueroa, a University alum with a master’s degree in Hispanic linguistics, had been anticipating the event, as she was familiar with Limón’s work. She hoped Limón would read the poem, “The Contract Says: We Like The Communication To Be Bilingual.”
“We’re at a university institution, and it’s about when you’re asked to speak and they’re asking you to tap into certain identities and perform,” Palacios Figueroa said.
The announcement of Limón’s arrival seemed to align with Palacios Figeroa’s interest of Limón’s work.
“I discovered her work maybe a year ago, and really resonated with it,” Palacios Figeroa said. “Then I learned, less than a week ago, that she was coming. So, it seemed serendipitous and exciting.”
The Knight Auditorium at the Spurlock Museum filled to capacity as guests filed in throughout the night. Attendees like Aaron Mukhopadhyay, sophomore in LAS, were excited to have the opportunity to see Limón.
“The poem ‘The Contract Says: We Like The Communication To Be Bilingual,’ I think I was the first person to start clapping for that,” Mukhopadhyay said. “I was on the edge of my seat because every point resonated so much with being part of the minority in academia.”
“Wondering constantly if you’re just there for diversity purposes is something that I wonder about a lot, and I know it’s probably not true, but the doubt lingers,” Mukhopadhyay said. “She captured it perfectly.”
