On April 21, 2017, writers Kazim Ali, Rita Banerjee, Amanda Golden, Shadab Zeest Hashmi, Patricia O’Neill, and Sejal Shah examined the life and work of Kashmiri poet Agha Shahid Ali (1949-2001) at the Poets House in New York City during their panel “Rooms Are Never Finished: The Legacy of Agha Shahid Ali.” Celebrated for bringing the ghazal into English, Ali’s work explores cultural ties and divisions, the enduring qualities of love and friendship, and the difficulty of maintaining both. These writers highlighted Ali’s groundbreaking work in their new collection of essays, Mad Heart Be Brave: Essays on the Poetry of Agha Shahid Ali (Ed. Kazim Ali, University of Michigan Press, May 2017). A recording of their essays and discussions on Ali’s work can be found on the Poets House website here.
Rita Banerjee 