Dr. Adam Groves and Dr. Connor Graham in conversation

In this event, organised by student group The Verse, which was held at the college Reading Room on 5 February 2014, Dr. Adam Groves and Dr. Connor Graham — both Fellows of the College — conversed on poetry, the sound of words, poetic thought, and the role of poetry in learning, education, the college, UTown, and the university as such.

Groves introduced the notion of “apposition” from Wallace Stevens, both in his talk and during a reading of excerpts from his collection Filial Arcade, and spoke on how he works at the point of productive difference between seeming antonyms.

Groves focused particularly on the tension between reason and unreason, referencing the dossier he is currently exploring as part of the Junior Seminar, On Blindness, that he is co-teaching with Dr. Jeremy Fernando.

The lively question and answer session was led and moderated by Dr. Graham, who raised concerns about the possibility of a poetic community, and the power of poetry to bring people together, in relation to Groves’ work.