Dear Friends and Readers,
With great sadness we are postponing the much anticipated marathon Reading of the Iliad at Bard College from the 2nd-3rd of May to a yet to be determined weekend at Bard in the fall. It became eminently obvious that a variety of worthy academic and recreational events were taking place at the same time at the Bard campus and at the schools in the broader community surrounding the college and we did not wish to be competing with them for student and audience participation.
Thus, we shall be conferring with all good Bard and schools officials in order for an appropriate date to be selected in the upcoming fall, when we will all be able to sing Homer into the day-night-day again in comfort, feasting on the sound of his poetry, on music composed by Bard students and hopefully on delicious Homeric food and drink.
Those of you who generously posted donations on these sites please know that we shall be contacting you to thank you and to refund your offerings in full.
May all have a successful exam period and a restful summer, and we shall see you in the fall.
The Readers of Homer
THE READERS OF HOMER warmly invite you to a marathon audience-participation reading of Homer's Iliad on May 2-3. Discover the magic of ancient epic poetry as you hear the stirring tale of Achilles and the Trojan War, a tale of gods and heroes, mighty battles and great sorrow. Participate as a reader and rediscover the joy and challenge of reading poetry aloud as we all bring the great tradition of oral epic performance back to life.
Readers are assigned passages of about 40 lines each upon registration. We will be using Robert Fitzgerald's translation of the Iliad, but you are free to read your passage in a version or language of your choosing.
Readers of ALL AGES AND BACKGROUNDS are encouraged to participate in this communal event. Space is also available for those who just wish to listen. While we encourage you to experience the full epic scope of the poem, you do not need to stay for the entire reading. Ticket holders are welcome to come and go as they please.
The reading will be held at the Old Gym on the campus of Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The reading begins at 1:00 PM on May 2 and will continue until we are finished some time after dawn on May 3. Refreshments will be available, and the reading will be accompanied by music inspired by antiquity.
Check-in for readers begins at noon on May 2. Please prepare your reading ahead of time and come early.
Bard students and other night owls are strongly encouraged to register for late night and early morning time slots, when the epic scale of the endeavor begins to emerge and your lively and creative voices are most needed.
The event is free for members of the Bard community and for students of area schools.
All other participants are kindly requested to contribute a fee of $10 dollars payable upon presentation of their e-ticket at the registration desk on the day of the event.
HOW TO REGISTER
1. Choose the time you wish to read.
2. Complete the registration form.
3. Print your e-ticket and bring it with you on the day of the event.
Assigned passages, reading instructions and the "rules of the game" will be emailed to registered readers prior to the event.
Major support for THE ILIAD@BARD is provided by Bard College.