The Poetic Genius of Taylor Swift

Saturday, November 8, 2025
11:00am, Red Cap Room (located upstairs from the Book Fair)

★ This event is ASL interpreted!

Why do so many people love Taylor Swift? How did she become the songwriter she is, and how has she kept her songwriting so fascinating through all her eras? What to say to her detractors? What’s up with all the Gaylors? And what do we think about Swift’s latest chart-topping release, The Life of a Showgirl? Renowned poet and critic Stephanie Burt will answer these questions and more, drawing on her new book Taylor’s Version—itself drawn from the author’s Harvard University course on Swift that garnered massive media attention for daring to study the pop star’s work alongside classic English literature. 

About the Author

Stephanie Burt is a poet, literary critic, professor, and author of numerous books. Her essay collection Close Calls with Nonsense (Graywolf Press, 2009) was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.