Please join us for an online talk from Jan Worth, “Elegies from the Last Days of the Empire: Roethke and a New Book of Poetry.” This is the first of four talks as part of our 2026 Virtual Speaker Series.
The annual Virtual Speaker Series features talks by Roethke scholars who recontextualize or offer new interpretations of Roethke’s work and talks from poets whose own work has been influenced by Roethke, providing a contemporary connection to the classic texts. It is organized by William Barillas.
Please register below and the zoom link will be emailed to you before the event. The email will come from info@friendsofroethke.org.
This is a pay-as-you-can series. The Friends of Roethke is a non-profit 501c3 organization, and every donation goes right back into our programming and restoration efforts. We appreciate any amount you are able to donate.
About Jan Worth
Jan Worth is a Flint, Michigan-based author, poet, essayist, and editor known for her detailed chronicles of Rust Belt life. A retired University of Michigan-Flint writing lecturer and former Peace Corps volunteer, she edited East Village Magazine from 2015 to 2020 and wrote the novel Night Blind (2006). Her latest work includes That’s My Moon Over Court Street: Dispatches from a Life in Flint (2023), a collection of essays, and the poetry collection Elegies From the Last Days of the Empire (2026).