The Center for Poetry & Poetics seeks to enhance the study and understanding of poetry in our global age. Poetry goes back thousands of years, yet still flourishes today in many different parts of the world. The Center aspires to help develop various ways of thinking about poetry—what it is, how it works, why it matters, and how it changes and endures across time, place, and culture. The Center strives to advance the understanding of poetry through its support for various activities, such as conferences, colloquia, visiting speakers, and graduate and undergraduate participation in the study of poetry.