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  • Poetry
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I Guess It Was My Destiny To Live So Long

Nov 18—Nov 22, 2025
Next Wave
I Guess It Was My Destiny To Live So Long
A poetry series honoring the legacy of June Jordan
Curated by Hanif Abdurraqib
    Part of
  • Next Wave 2025
  • and
  • Fall 2025
“I Guess It Was My Destiny To Live So Long is a series of nights and events that center on the spirit of June Jordan's work: not just her politically radical approach to poetics, but also her radical and expansive approach to the love poem, the form and urgency of love as a central topic, and the understanding that people, collectively, must work to build a new world.”
—Hanif Abdurraqib

Following up last year’s powerful election-week poetry series, BAM Curator at Large and MacArthur Genius Hanif Abdurraqib is back with another dynamic program of events calling us to celebrate poetry’s power to connect. Honoring the legacy of legendary Brooklyn poet June Jordan, a constellation of artists, writers, and performers activate BAM’s spaces, illuminating the truths of our moment via poetic imagination.

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UPCOMING Performances

      VENUE

      Various

      TICKET INFORMATION

      Sign up to learn more about this programming as events are added.

      All performances will adhere to protocols developed in accordance with New York State regulations and in consultation with medical professionals for the safety of our artists, audiences, and staff.

      Leadership support for
      BAM’s strategic initiatives provided by:

      Mellon Foundation

      Leadership support for
      BAM Access Programs provided by
      the Jerome L. Greene Foundation

      JL Greene

      Leadership support for
      BAM programming provided by:

      Howard Gilman

      Leadership support for
      Next Wave 2025 provided by
      National Endowment for the Arts

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