Common Read: The Power of Poetry with Ada Limón

Join us for a reading & conversation with 2026 Common Read author, Ada Limón. She is the author of seven books of poetry, including The Carrying, which won the National Books Critics Circle Award. Limón is the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and was named a 2024 Time MagazineWoman of the Year. Her new short-form non-fiction book, Against Breaking: On the Power of Poetry is an invitation to see poetry as much more than just words—as a powerful force for healing, a call to action, and a vibrant celebration of humanity’s many voices. Brandon Som is a UC San Diego professor in the Literature Dept. He is a Chicano and Chinese American poet who received his Ph.D. in Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Southern California, and an M.F.A. in Poetry at the University of Pittsburgh. He is the author of Tripas, which was awarded the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry and was a finalist for the National Book Award. SUBMIT YOUR QUESTION FOR ADA LIMÓN