The Cathedral of St. John the Divine is honored to announce Muriel Rukeyser as the 2021 inductee to the American Poets Corner, celebrating both her groundbreaking poetic voice and a return to in-person literary gatherings. Rukeyser, known for her poetry and for her social activism, will be commemorated at an induction ceremony on Sunday, November 14 at 4 pm.

Join us inside the Cathedral at the American Poets Corner for an intimate evening, celebrating Muriel Rukeyser's life and writings, hosted by Cathedral Poet in Residence Marie Howe. Lovers of great literature are invited to RSVP to this free event.

Muriel Rukeyser, born in New York City in 1913, is known for her bold poems of social realism drawing upon the voices and experiences of oppressed people. Her poetry of womanhood and Jewishness celebrate difference and decry injustice. As a lifelong New Yorker, she formed a relationship with the Cathedral towards the end of her life, becoming the namesake of the Muriel Rukeyser Poetry Wall. Today, the Poetry Wall continues to receive submissions of poetry from incarcerated people around the United States.