This fall, VCU celebrates the life and work of the late poet and former VCU professor Larry Levis with three days of readings, talks, an exhibition of his letters, and the screening of a documentary film. Make My Meaning Plain: A Celebration of Larry Levis gathers Levis’ friends, former students, and prominent contemporary poets in Richmond, the city where much of his late work took shape. This festival offers attendees a chance to encounter one of American poetry’s essential voices through the poets and scholars who carry his legacy forward.
Event Details
October 28-30, 2026
Virginia Commonwealth University
See schedule for time, location and registration details.
Festival Highlights
- Larry Levis tribute reading at the ICA
- Levis Reading Prize award celebration
- UVA and VCU student poetry reading
- Film screening and Q&A with filmmaker
Event Schedule
Wednesday, October 28, 6:00 p.m.
Larry Levis Tribute Event
Location: Institute for Contemporary Art, 601 W. Broad St.
Nine poets — among them longtime friends, former students, and writers shaped by his work — each read a single Levis poem and offer brief remarks, together forming a portrait assembled in many voices. The evening opens with remarks from Dean Ingrassia and closes with wine and hors d'oeuvres.
Doors at 6 p.m., readings begin at 6:30 p.m.
Featuring
- Terrance Hayes
- John Murillo
- Morgan Parker
- Megan Fernandes
- David Tomas Martinez
- David St. John
- Anna Journey
- James Ciano
- L.A. Johnson
Register here
Thursday, October 29, 7:00 p.m.
29th Annual Levis Reading Prize: Matthew Tuckner
Location: Cabell Library
Now in its twenty-ninth year, the Levis Reading Prize honors an outstanding first or second book of poetry, a tradition VCU has kept since shortly after Levis's death. The evening features opening remarks and a reading by this year's honoree, Matthew Tuckner, author of “Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” (Four Way Books, 2025).
Register here
Friday, October 30, 1:30 p.m.
UVA/VCU Joint Graduate Poetry Reading
Location: The Commons Theater
Graduate poets from the University of Virginia and VCU read new work written in Levis's wake — poems that carry his questions into another generation's voices, and a reminder that his truest legacy is the writing he has made possible in others.
Register here
Friday, October 30, 3:00 p.m.
“A Late Style of Fire” & Q&A with the filmmaker
Location: The Commons Theatre
A screening of Michele Poulos's 2016 documentary “A Late Style of Fire: Larry Levis, American Poet,” with an original score by Iron & Wine, followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker. Through conversations with poets who knew him — including Philip Levine, Charles Wright, Carolyn Forché, and David St. John — the film traces Levis's California childhood, his friendships, and the risks he took in a life given unabashedly to art.
Register here
Ongoing from [TBD]
Larry Levis Library Exhibition
Location: Cabell Library Lecture Hall, Room 303
Select letters, drafts of poems, and ephemera from Larry Levis’s papers, held by Cabell Library’s Special Collections. Exhibition curated by poet James Ciano.