Why reading literature is a form of therapy | Lisa New | Big Think Edge

Reading as Therapy
Using Literature and Poetry as Coping Mechanisms

with Lisa New

Moderated by Big Think co-founder and president Peter Hopkins

Time and again, reading has been shown to make us healthier, smarter, and more empathic. How can we use literature as therapy during this moment of drastic change? In this live session with Harvard literature professor Lisa New, you’ll dive into the world of prose and poetry, discovering the answer to questions like: how can I use reading as a coping mechanism? What do I lose when I only watch the movie and ignore the book? And why do people roll their eyes at poetry, anyway? Sheltering in place is the perfect time to reconnect with books and your love of reading.

Ask your questions for Lisa New in the live Q&A!

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Poems for discussion

One Art
By Elizabeth Bishop


This Your Home Now
By Mark Doty


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Elisa New is the director and host of Poetry in America, director of Verse Video Education, and the Powell M. Cabot Professor of American Literature at Harvard University, where she teaches courses in classic American literature from the Puritans through the present day.

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