A Poetry Reading with James Ragan
13.12.2024 / 22:22 | Aktualizováno: 13.12.2024 / 22:27
Join us for a special Poetry Reading with James Ragan on December 19, 2024, at 7:00 PM at the Czech Consulate General in Los Angeles! James Ragan, the acclaimed American poet of Czechoslovak origin and close friend of the late Czech President Václav Havel, will share his poetry in this intimate setting.
Ragan’s works have been featured in 36 anthologies and translated into 15 languages, and his readings have taken him across the globe, including performances at the U.N., Carnegie Hall, and for heads of state.
TIME: Thursday, December 19th, 2024, 7pm.
LOCATION: Clara Vostrovsky Winlow Library at Czech Consulate General, 10990 Wilshire Ave., Suite 1120, Los Angeles, CA 90024
RSVP: Please confirm your attendance by Tuesday, December 17th, 2024 at: CzechConsulateLA@gmail.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Appearing in 36 anthologies and 15 languages, James Ragan is an internationally recognized author of 12 books of poetry, including The Hunger Wall and Chanter’s Reed, and 2 plays, Saints and Commedia, staged in the U.S, Moscow, Beijing, Athens etc. With poems in over 100 journals, including Poetry, The Nation, Los Angeles Times, World Lit Today, and readings in 34 nations, he has performed for the U.N. Carnegie Hall, CNN, NPR, PBS, BBC and for 22 Ambassadors and 7 Heads of State including Václav Havel (with playwright Arthur Miller) and for Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985 (with Bob Dylan and Seamus Heaney). Honors: 2 Litt.D’s, 2 Fulbright Grants, Emerson Poetry Prize, 9 Pushcart Prize nominations, Swan Foundation Humanitarian Award, an NEA, a Telly Award as Host of Poets Chamber (BHTV), and the Bucharest Film Festival’s “Contribution to the Arts” Award. Finalist: Poetry Society of America Gertrude Claytor Award, Walt Whitman Book Award, Ohio Book Award, London’s Troubadour Int. Poetry Prize, etc. He is the subject of the Arina Films documentary, Flowers and Roots, awarded 17 Int. Film Festival Recognitions, and Platinum Prize at Houston’s Int. Film Festival. In 1977, SONY MUSIC recorded 10 of his poems as lyrics for the Jazz album, ALFA, featuring vocalist Linda Carriere with a re-release in 2024. He also worked in film as a screenwriter on the films “Voyager” and “The Rising,” and as Production Asst. on “The Godfather,” Script Consultant on “The Deer Hunter” and “The Border,” and Script Editor on the Czech film “Havel” in 2020. He Directed USC’s Professional Writing Program (25 yrs) and served as Distinguished Professor of Poetry at Prague’s Charles University (24 summers). President Václav Havel honored him as “Ambassador of the Arts” at Prague’s 1994 World PEN Congress. Also, in 1994 he was named by Buzz Magazine as “one of 100 Coolest People of Los Angeles: Who Make a Difference.” For additional information view the Website: jamesragan.com