Pleasures of Poetry, the seminar-style, daily IAP gathering to read and discuss memorable poems, began on Monday, January 8 with a lively exchange led by Stephen Tapscott, professor of literature, above, on works by the infinitely tormented Austrian poet Georg Trakl (1887-1914). Today (Jan. 10), Howard Eiland, lecturer in literature, will guide discussion on Walt Whitman's ebullient "Song of Myself." Upcoming sessions will focus on poems by Allen Ginsberg, Gwendolyn Brooks, Geoffrey Chaucer, Ho Xuan Huong, and Derek Walcott; discussion leaders will include Ben Lanckton, Peter Perdue and Mary Fuller. Pleasures of Poetry is organized by the literature section; it meets each weekday, 1 to 2 p.m., in 14H-304, throughout IAP. A packet containing all of the poems in the series is available in the Literature Office. For a complete schedule, please go to web.mit.edu/lit/www/popiap.html. Photo / Donna Coveney

A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on January 10, 2007 (download PDF).