US Poet Laureate: Ada Limón Reading

by Chloë Moore ’24

On November 8th, US Poet Laureate Ada Limón visited the University of Minnesota to offer a reading from her latest collection from Milkweed Editions, The Hurting Kind. In a bright turquoise outfit and with a stage presence that demands your attention, Limón read a range of poems, including “Sanctuary,” “Joint Custody,” “Open Water,” and “The End of Poetry” (one of my personal favorites). She also spoke about how, “the relationship between the page, the poet, and the world is reciprocal,” offered thoughts about writing joyfully about difficult things, and the intertwining of missing and loving something or someone. Limón offered levity, too, talking about some humorous experiences as the US Poet Laureate, and attributing some minor microphone malfunctions to ghosts. As Poet Laureate, much of what she does involves working with children, but Limón was also clear about her belief that adults, too, need poems. Given her role, Limón said one of the most common questions people ask poets is, “How do we have hope?” Her response: “Have you read poems? How would we know?!” But even among the ghosts, the hauntings, and the often apocalyptic nature of the world, it’s hard not to be hopeful when people like Ada Limón are making such wonderful poems, and especially when they share those poems with our little Midwestern corner of the world.