The Charles D. and Marjorie J. Thompson Visiting Poets Series brings acclaimed poets to the Babson College community. This long running series honors diversity, inclusion, and artistic excellence.

Cynthia Dewi Oka is originally from Bali, Indonesia. She is the author of Fire Is Not a Country (2021), Salvage (2017) and Nomad of Salt and Hard Water (2016). She is a recipient of the Tupelo Quarterly Poetry Prize and the Leeway Transformation Award. Her writing has appeared in The Atlantic, POETRY, Academy of American Poets, The Rumpus, PANK, Guernica, and elsewhere. She has taught creative writing at Bryn Mawr College and is a 2021-2022 Poet in Residence at the Amy Clampitt House in Lenox, MA.

“[Cynthnia Dewi Oka] traces the globe in gothic dimensions, revealing designs in the culture that would be transparent if not for the ‘brief . . . malevolent shadow[s]’ they cast. She invokes history’s ghosts to reckon with self-soverignty, and these poems help us map ourselves in a society where ‘having a body is not the same thing as being seen.’” – Gregory Pardlo

Series made possible in part by the Charles D. and Marjorie J. Thompson Visiting Poet Fund.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: We are happy to welcome the general public to our events in-person again. With the exception of current Babson, Olin, and Wellesley students, staff, and faculty already approved to be on campus, ALL eligible individuals attending events on campus must review and follow all visitor protocols and be fully vaccinated. Proof of vaccination must be provided ahead of the event using CrowdPass. Registration is required and a unique link to upload vaccination verification will be provided with your confirmation email as well as the pre-event reminder email.

If you have questions or need assistance please email babsonarts@babson.edu or call the box office at 781-239-5880.