Poet Ross Gay on Sport and the Act of Looking

Описание: “Poems are profoundly bodily,” says Ross Gay. We spoke with the poet about embodiment in artistic and athletic practices, the act of looking, and his longform poem "Be Holding", which takes its inspiration from “Dr. J” Julius Erving’s famous layup in the 1980 NBA Finals.

The poem now serves as the libretto for a new performance work of the same name, presented by Girard College and created in collaboration with composer Tyshawn Sorey, new music ensemble Yarn/Wire, and director Brooke O’Harra. Be Holding explores themes of Black genius and beauty in the face of racial violence and inequities and considers how imagination and careful looking can bring people closer to one another.

"Be Holding" at ‪@GirardCollege‬ premiered May 31-June 3, 2023.

Filmed at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia on April 20, 2023.

Ross Gay is the author of four books of poetry, including Be Holding (winner of the PEN American Literary Jean Stein Award) and Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude (winner of the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award and the 2016 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award). His first collection of essays, The Book of Delights, was released in 2019 and was a New York Times bestseller. His new collection of essays, Inciting Joy, was released by Algonquin in October of 2022.

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The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage (the Center) is a multidisciplinary grantmaker and hub for knowledge-sharing, dedicated to fostering a vibrant cultural community in Greater Philadelphia. The Center invests in ambitious, imaginative, and catalytic work that showcases the region’s cultural vitality and enhances public life, and we engage in an ongoing exchange of ideas concerning artistic and interpretive practice with a broad network of cultural practitioners and leaders.