November 02, 2007
Media Contact: Anne Halsey (312) 799.8016; ahalsey@poetryfoundation.org

Poetry Presents A Theatrical Interpretation of Frank Bidart’s “The Third Hour of the Night”

CHICAGO —Poetry magazine is proud to present a theatrical interpretation of Frank Bidart’s complex and beautiful epic poem “The Third Hour of the Night.” Inspired by the Egyptian Book of Gates and drawing on the autobiography of Renaissance artist Benvenuto Cellini and a mythic tale of black magic, the poem explores the fervent and often contradictory desires that lie in the heart of every artist, and how “making is the mirror in which we see ourselves.”

What: A theatrical interpretation of Frank Bidart’s “The Third Hour of the Night”
Conceived and directed by Valerie Jean Johnson. Devised and performed by the ensemble: Cara Clifford, Katie Hartsock, Joshua McGrane, Jessica Mondres, and Theresa Neef. Bidart’s poem was first published by Poetry in 2004, and is included in his collection Star Dust (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005).

When: THREE PERFORMANCES
Friday–Sunday, November 16–18, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Links Hall, 3435 N. Sheffield, Chicago

Admission is free; call 773.281.0824 for reservations. Visit www.poetryfoundation.org for more information.

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About Poetry Magazine
Founded in Chicago by Harriet Monroe in 1912, Poetry is the oldest monthly devoted to verse in the English-speaking world. Monroe’s “Open Door” policy, set forth in volume I of the magazine, remains the most succinct statement of Poetry’s mission: to print the best poetry written today, in whatever style, genre, or approach. The magazine established its reputation early by publishing the first important poems of T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, Marianne Moore, Wallace Stevens, H.D., William Carlos Williams, Carl Sandburg, and other now-classic authors. In succeeding decades it has presented—often for the first time—works by virtually every significant poet of the 20th century.

Poetry has always been independent, unaffiliated with any institution or university—or with any single poetic or critical movement or aesthetic school. It continues to print the major English-speaking poets while presenting emerging talents in all their variety. In recent years, more than a third of the authors published in the magazine have been young writers appearing for the first time. On average, the magazine receives over 90,000 submissions per year, from around the world.

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