Nick Laird “has the rare ability to mate tragedy and comedy in a single line without making either side feel cheap for it” (Michael Chabon, Interview). Laird has written screenplays and three novels, as well as four books of poems. His most recent volume of poetry, Feel Free, was short-listed for the T. S. Eliot Prize in 2018. His honors include the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize and the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature. This series of readings is organized and hosted by Stephen Yenser, poet and professor at UCLA.