After his son Gabriel died in 2011 at age 22, acclaimed poet Edward Hirsch navigated grief by writing Gabriel: A Poem, a slim-book-length elegy that The New Yorker called a “masterpiece of sorrow.” Published in 2014, the work is a seminal piece in the literature of grief and a point of connection for others in the aftermath of loss.

In a wide-ranging conversation, Edward — president of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation in New York — speaks with Exit Strategy host Stephanie Garry about the singularity and universality of his experience, the genesis and impact of Gabriel: A Poem, and poetry as a lens on grief … and reflects on another loss, his decreasing vision, which he addressed in a New York Times essay in 2023.

About Edward Hirsch:
www.edwardhirsch.com

Gabriel: A Poem:
https://www.amazon.com/Gabriel-Poem-Edward-Hirsch/dp/0804172870

“I am Going Blind, and I Now Find It Strangely Exhilarating,” The New York Times, 3/28/23
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/28/opinion/embracing-blindness-disability.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Contact Exit Strategy:
exitstrategy@plazajewish.org

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