21st Annual Levis Reading Prize
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Welcome & Introduction 
by John Ulmschneider Poetry under the Stars A Reading by Kaveh Akbar |
The 21st annual Levis Reading Prize was awarded to Kaveh Akbar for his collection Calling a Wolf a Wolf (Alice James Books, 2017). Kaveh Akbar and his writing were celebrated at an event held at Virginia Commonwealth University’s James Branch Cabell Library on the evening of October 8, 2018.
Dean of Libraries and University Librarian John Ulmschneider welcomes and gives special thanks to the sponsors of the Levis Reading Prize as well as supporters of the library’s other literary events and the acquisition of papers of Virginia writers, such as those archived in the Levis Collection.
Gregory Donovan’s essay “Poetry under the Stars” discusses the Levis poem “Ghost Confederacy,” published in Winter Stars (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1985).
Caitlin Etherton, the 2018–2019 Levis Fellow, introduces Kaveh Akbar and discusses the unique nature and strengths of his award-winning collection.
Kaveh Akbar’s reading from Calling a Wolf a Wolf and his newer work concludes the evening. 