The Jeanne Harris Hansell Endowed Fund for Poetry
12th Annual Jeanne Harris Hansell Endowed Poet
Tina Chang
Thursday, April 2, 2026 | 7 p.m.
Free and Open to the Public
Thursday, April 2, 2026 | 7 p.m.
Free and Open to the Public
Register Here
Her craft reaches far beyond the page. In her role as Brooklyn’s Poet Laureate, she worked to expand poetry’s audience through working with young people and expanding literary programming. She is the Director of Creative Writing at Binghamton University.
This event is made possible through a gift from the Hansell family. The Jeanne Harris Hansell Endowed Fund for Poetry, established in the name of Jeanne Harris Hansell ’45, will ensure continued success of the “Poetry at Parker” series, as well as allow the school to host renowned guest poets and speakers about poetry in years to come. Former Poet Laureate Billy Collins was Parker’s inaugural visiting poet in the 2012–13 academic year, followed by Nikky Finney, Louise Glück, Kevin Young, Joy Harjo, Naomi Shihab Nye, Natasha Trethewey, Elise Paschen ’77, Julian Randall ’11, Gabrielle Calvocoressi and Elizabeth Acevedo.
“‘Vocabulary is the future we’ve all been waiting for.”—Tina Chang
Please join us for an evening of poetry with acclaimed poet Tina Chang, who will share her work as Parker’s 12th Annual Jeanne Harris Hansell Endowed Poet.
Chang is a highly celebrated poet, former Brooklyn Poet Laureate, and the author of three collections of poetry, including Hybrida, which was named a Notable Book of the year by the Academy of American Poets. Her previous work includes Half Lit Houses (2004), Of Gods and Strangers (2011); her new book, Lion, will debut in the fall of 2026. Of her work, the poet Marie Howe says, “Tina Chang is writing to the future, from the past towards the present, and all the way back again.”
Her craft reaches far beyond the page. In her role as Brooklyn’s Poet Laureate, she worked to expand poetry’s audience through working with young people and expanding literary programming. She is the Director of Creative Writing at Binghamton University.
United States Poet Laureate, Tracy K. Smith, says of Chang’s most recent work, Hybrida, “In Hybrida’s poems of deep conscience and urgent compassion, I recognize her fearless imagination and searching intelligence. I also find a new sense of need. These poems are clear-eyed and unblinking–written to save lives.”
This is not an evening to miss. The event will begin with Chang reading her work, followed by a Q & A.
This event is made possible through a gift from the Hansell family. The Jeanne Harris Hansell Endowed Fund for Poetry, established in the name of Jeanne Harris Hansell ’45, will ensure continued success of the “Poetry at Parker” series, as well as allow the school to host renowned guest poets and speakers about poetry in years to come. Former Poet Laureate Billy Collins was Parker’s inaugural visiting poet in the 2012–13 academic year, followed by Nikky Finney, Louise Glück, Kevin Young, Joy Harjo, Naomi Shihab Nye, Natasha Trethewey, Elise Paschen ’77, Julian Randall ’11, Gabrielle Calvocoressi and Elizabeth Acevedo.
Francis W. Parker School educates students to think and act with empathy, courage and clarity as responsible citizens and leaders in a diverse democratic society and global community.