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'Index' to a Threshhold Moment

Cover of poetry book for Skorton inauguration

(View book as PDF)

David Skorton, Cornell University's 12th president, describes the humanities as the soul of the university. A new collection of poems, "Like a Fragile Index of the World," celebrates his inauguration through the work of 38 Cornell poets, past and present. You may download a PDF of the book here.

Below are links to video recordings of 15 of the poets. You may choose individual poets or watch or listen to all of them at once. These readings are also available as podcasts and vodcasts through the Cornell Chronicle Online. A news story about the book is also available there.

Video Highlights

Cover of poetry book for Skorton inauguration

Download a video or audio compilation of all the recordings.

"The Meaning Box"

Fred Muratori is a librarian and the bibliographer at Cornell University Library.

"Slate"

Alice Fulton is the Ann S. Bowers Professor of English at Cornell.

"A Selection of Haiku"

Tom Clausen works at Cornell’s Mann Library.

Kenneth A. McClane

"The Glowworm"

Kenneth A. McClane is the W.E.B. DuBois Professor of Literature at Cornell.

Elizabeth Holmes

"Taking a History"

Elizabeth Holmes is an editor in the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning at Cornell.

Phyllis Janowitz

"Evanescence"

Phyllis Janowitz is a professor of English at Cornell.

Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon

"Ithaca"

Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon is an assistant professor of English at Cornell.

Gail Holst-Warfaft

"The Cost of Lingering"

Gail Holst-Warhaft is an adjunct professor in the departments of Classics and Comparative Literature.

"Lift-to-Drag Ratios"

Roald Hoffmann is the Frank H. T. Rhodes Professor of Humane Letters at Cornell.

from "Severance Songs"

Joshua Corey is a Ph.D. candidate at Cornell.

Jonathan Monroe

"Occupation"

Jonathan Monroe is a professor of comparative literature at Cornell.

Sasha Skenderija

"untitled"

Sasha Skenderija is a research technology coordinator for the Cornell Law Library.

Franklin W. Robinson

"A Selection of Haiku"

Franklin W. Robinson is the Director of the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell.

"Apples"

Mary Gilliland is a senior lecturer at Cornell's Knight Institute for Writing.

"Rearview Mirror"

Robert Morgan is the Kappa Alpha Professor of English at Cornell.