“Come to the Table, an Exhibit of Food Poetry” exhibit at the UA Poetry Center


September 4, 2019
By Matt Sterner

Visionary flavors and the poetic aesthetics of food.

Food has always had a way with words.

The University of Arizona Poetry Center is hosting the “Come to the Table, an Exhibit of Food Poetry” exhibit from Tuesday, August 27 – Saturday, November 23.

The show is inspired by food and the conversations that come along with it.

The exhibit is organized by the four fundamental stages of the culinary experience — growing, sourcing, cooking, and eating — and dives into the  several unique ways “poetry uses food and food uses poetry.”

“I’ve always thought of recipes as poems: the musicality and lyricism of them, their pace. For a lot of writers, food, cooking, shared meals, and nourishment are common sources of material,” says Leela Denver, the Poetry Center’s Senior Library Assistant. “You’d be hard-pressed to find a poet who hasn’t written about food in one way or another— food is pretty vital to life and human connection.”

A lot of what you’ll read at “Come to the Table” may cause your stomach to grumble, but may also get your creative juices flowing.

The exhibit showcases work by numerous authors, such as the likes of Sarah Gambito, Gwendolyn Brooks, Naomi Shihab Nye, and Mayumi Oda.

The exhibit is free to the public and will be up and running until Saturday, November 23.

In addition to the tasty words on display, you — as a viewer — are invited to participate in the exhibit by contributing your very own Tucson “taste memories” in the form of a collaborative poem.

The University of Arizona Poetry Center is located at 1508 E. Helen St. For more information, visit poetry.arizona.edu.

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