Design Matters at 15: Elizabeth Alexander

In 2009 at President Barack Obama’s first inauguration, Elizabeth Alexander read a poem she wrote for the occasion called “Praise Song for the Day”. It was a high point in her celebrated career as a poet, essayist, playwright, and academic. She has published many books of poetry and prose, she taught at Yale for many years, and now she’s teaching at Columbia, in New York City, where she was born. In 2012 her husband suddenly and unexpectedly died, and her memoir, The Light of the World, is a moving portrayal of openhearted love.

Debbie talks to Elizabeth about the journey of her extraordinary life and about how death makes us think about what we truly value. “If we’re all going to die, what is the meaningfulness of life? We can’t just do it for the things that make our bodies feel good in a day.”

For more information about Design Matters or to subscribe to the show newsletter, go to DebbieMillman.com. If you like this podcast, please write a review on iTunes and link to the podcast on social media. Design Matters is produced by Curtis Fox Productions. The show is published exclusively by DesignObserver.com.

Subscribe to Design Matters with Debbie Millman on iTunes, your favorite podcast app, or follow on SoundCloud.