# An Evening of Poetry, Music, Art: Celebrating Peripheries No. 6 December 05, 2023 *by Tristan Angieri, MDiv Student and CSWR Student Research Assistant* On the evening of November 30, 2023, the much-anticipated event celebrating the launch of Peripheries, the Center for the Study of World Religions’s (CSWR) annual literary and arts journal, unfolded with a blend of poetry, music, and art, drawing over 140 attendees both in-person and virtually. The air buzzed with excitement as guests, including Chef Daniella Malfi, a MRPL candidate and musician deeply inspired by the journal, expressed their eagerness to delve into the 6th edition. The event, hosted by Transcendence and Transformation and the CSWR, showcased the journal's commitment to exploring the peripheral in artistic expression. Since its inception in 2017, Peripheries has become a beacon for works that dwell in the interstices of various discourses and forms. The program commenced with jazz musician Sam Weinberg's mesmerizing "collages on saxophone," setting a tone of creative exploration. Charles Stang, Director of the CSWR, then took the stage, acknowledging the efforts of the Peripheries Editorial Team, including Editor-in-Chief Sherah Bloor, Associate Editor Emma De Lisle, Managing Editor Samuel Bailey, and Designer Gabby Woo, among others. Stang described the journal's naming process, in which the journal was initially called “Periphery”, playing off the name of the Center – center and periphery.” The pair eventually landed on Peripheries, reflecting the journal's dedication to the many peripheral points of view. Stang’s speech highlighted the journal's ethos, centered on embracing a diversity of perspectives and emphasizing the role that both the Divinity School and the Center play in creating and cultivating spaces – whether physical, philological, or poetic – that celebrate odd angles and the marginal. Sherah Bloor, echoing Stang's sentiments, extended her gratitude to all contributors and collaborators, including Harvard University Press and Grolier Poetry Book Shop. She introduced the evening's poets, starting with Alice Oswald, who captivated the audience with her sonnets, emphasizing the ephemeral nature of time and language. Victoria Chang, with her forthcoming book With my Back to the World, showcased her ekphrastic poems, seamlessly merging poetry with visual art, notably featuring Agnes Martin's paintings. Jorie Graham provided thought-provoking insights into the confluence of poetry and existential queries, resonating with her latest work, To 2040. Her commentary on climate change brought an added sense of urgency and pertinence to the evening's theme. At the reception, accompanied by Jamie Balmer's melodic guitar, poet Gina Dorcely, a long time Grolier Poetry Book Shop patron, praised the readings as “incarnations of existence and perception.” Dr. Frédérique Apffel-Marglin, professor emerita at Smith College, described being “blown away” by the event, lauding Peripheries as an “absolutely needed” publication. The Peripheries launch event was not just a celebration of the journal’s history and its latest edition but a testament to its role in uplifting art at the edges of expression. See also:- [ Art ](/topic-tags/art) - [ CSWR ](/media-topic/cswr) - [ Transcendence and Transformation ](/programming-threads/transcendence-and-transformation) - [ Poetry, Philosophy, and Religion ](/programming-threads/poetry-philosophy-and-religion) - [ Poetry ](/programming-threads/poetry)