When Dana Gioia's provocative essay "Can Poetry Matter?" was published in the Atlantic Monthly in 1991, it received more public response than any other piece in the magazine’s history, sparking a firestorm of debate and discussion over the role of the poet in today’s world. His 2013 essay, “The Catholic Writer Today,” ignited a national conversation about the role of Catholicism in American literature.

Gioia is a former chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts and Poet Laureate of California. He has published six full-length collections of verse, most recently Meet Me at the Lighthouse (2023). His collection 99 Poems: New & Selected (2016) won the Poets’ Prize as the best new book of the year. Interrogations at Noon (2001), was awarded the American Book Award.

An influential critic, Gioia has published five collections of essays. In 2010, he was appointed as Judge Widney Professor of Poetry and Public Culture at USC. He has received the Presidential Citizen’s Medal and the Aiken Taylor Award in Modern Poetry, among many other honors.

Gioia is best known as a central figure in the revival of rhyme, meter, and narrative in contemporary poetry. In recent years, he has emerged as a compelling advocate of Christianity’s continuing importance in contemporary culture.

Lunch will be provided. Books will be available for sale and signing.

BC students, faculty, parents, families, and public welcome. RSVPs appreciated but not required.

To RSVP, and for parking, accessibility, and more information, please visit: https://bit.ly/danagioia