"I still can't believe that Natasha Trethewey gave a poetry reading in our living room!" Charles Haynes 71C 85G told the EAA the other day.

Yes, I guess it's not every day a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet stops by for a visit, but that's the beauty of the EAA's Faculty on the Road program. Not all of Emory's teaching is done in the classroom. When Emory faculty travel, the EAA invites them to meet with alumni while they are on the road (hence the name "Faculty on the Road"). Sometimes it's for dinner; other times, like Trethewey's recent visit, there is a presentation involved. The formality varies.

Haynes, a 2005 Emory Medalist, and his partner, Christopher Wilson, hosted Trethewey and 20 other members of the Emory community in their Alexandria, Va. home on March 15, and from all reports the day was wonderful.

Trethewey read poems from several of her collections, including her Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Native Guard, and answered questions from the guests. Haynes and Wilson said she was engaging and insightful, and for anyone who has met Trethewey and heard her present, that description is no surprise.

Poetry readings can be a great time, especially when the presenter is skilled. Alexandria wasn't the first time Trethewey has read for alumni, and we look forward to working with her again.

-- Eric Rangus, director of communications, EAA