The word “canon” in literary studies was intended to refer to humanity’s greatest writings—those which all “educated” people should know. Thanks to the work of critics and scholars of color, however, we are now able to recognize the exclusions, the silences, and the gaps that exist in the traditional concept of the canon. The four poets/professors on this panel will read poems and discuss how to explore, expand, and explode the literary canon in one’s work and in the classroom.

Join Enzo Silon Surin (Poetry, 2012), Nathan McClain, Kenzie Allen, Michael Mercurio (Poetry, January 2017), Rita Banerjee for this panel at the 2024 AWP Conference in Kansas City.