Dr. Neil Baldwin, Director of the Creative Research Center interviewed distinguished poet Mary Jo Salter at the Alexander Kasser Theater about her poetry and work as a lyricist. <\/p>\n
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The discussion centered around Salter’s lyrics for the song cycle Rooms of Light<\/em>, a collection of songs from renowned composer\/jazz pianist Fred Hersch which explores various aspects of photography. The songs conjure photographs set in the Civil War, in wedding albums, X-rays, and images from paparazzi, outer space, the deep seas, Instagram, and selfies. <\/span><\/p>\n Several of the songs first premiered at Lincoln Center as part of the American Songbook series in 2007, and the latest production, which featured a cast of singers performing the song cycle and the Fred Hercsh Ensemble, ran at Peak Performances in October 2015. <\/span><\/p>\n Mary Jo Salter is the author of seven books of poetry, all published by Alfred A. Knopf. Her most recent are Nothing by Design<\/em> (2013) and A Phone Call to the Future: Selected Poems<\/em> (2008). She is also a co-editor of The Norton Anthology of Poetry<\/em>, fourth and fifth editions. An essayist, playwright, and author of a children\u2019s book, she has been working as a lyricist with Fred Hersch for the last decade. <\/p>\n