Still Hungary: A Poetry Reading

Type of Abstract (select): Paper presentation

Abstract (max. 250 words):
As many first-generation Hungarian-Americans in the United States, I focused on assimilating into the Irish-Catholic school into which I was enrolled. Raised by my grandmother Mamcsi, a recent immigrant, I spoke only Hungarian. I didn’t understand the other children and nuns, and they didn’t understand me.
Over a half century later, I look back at my career devoted to English Literature, only to realize that, despite long periods absent from Hungarian communities, I am still very much my Mamcsi’s child. As elegy to her and exploration of my experience as a child of immigrants, I have completed a collection of poetry tracing Mamcsi’s life, my experience of bridging cultures, and my return to my Hungarian heritage.I propose to read a selection of these poems accompanied by a PowerPoint of images.


Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Susanna Lippóczy Rich is a bilingual Hungarian-American, a Fulbright Fellow in Creative Writing (Hungary), a Collegium Budapest fellow, and Distinguished Professor Emerita of English at Kean University (NJ). With two Emmy Award nominations for poetry, Susanna is founding producer of Wild Nights Productions, LLC. Her repertoire includes the musical Shakespeare’s *itches: The Women v. Will and ashes, ashes: A Poet Responds to the Shoah. Susanna is author of five poetry collections, most recently Beware the House, and SHOUT! Poetry for Suffrage. She is currently writing “Still Hungary,” a book-length elegy in verse for her grandmother Mamcsi. Visit her at www.wildnightsproductions.com.