Elizabeth Alexander: Signals Across Vast Distances

Poet, scholar and Mellon Foundation president Elizabeth Alexander brings her new collection, Signals Across Vast Distances: Essays and Tales, to downtown Los Angeles on Monday, November 9. She sits down with film scholar, archivist and Turner Classic Movies host Jacqueline Stewart for a conversation about the book. It is an easy pick if you are scanning for things to do in Los Angeles that feed the mind rather than just fill a night.

When: Monday, November 9, 2026, 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM Where: Mark Taper Auditorium, Central Library, 630 W 5th St, Los Angeles Tickets: Price not listed by the source; check the event page before you go

What the conversation covers

Alexander's earlier memoir, The Light of the World, drew praise from The New York Times as "a testament to the power of art to help us see what is otherwise unimaginable." Her new book turns from personal loss to a wider cultural view. It offers close readings of poets and writers including Muriel Rukeyser, Gwendolyn Brooks, Audre Lorde, James Baldwin and June Jordan, and it weaves her own voice together with the work of visual artists.

The through line is how words and values can sustain people in hard times. The collection is framed as a source of hope and a reminder of how connected we remain to one another, even across great distances.

Why Stewart is a good partner for the talk

Jacqueline Stewart works across film, archives and public culture, so she brings a viewer's eye to a book that moves between literature and visual art. Expect a conversation rather than a lecture: questions about how Alexander chose her subjects, how a poet reads a painting, and what these older voices have to say to readers now.

Getting there

The Mark Taper Auditorium sits inside the Richard J. Riordan Central Library on 5th Street, in the middle of downtown. The Metro B and D lines stop at Pershing Square and 7th Street/Metro Center, both an easy walk away. Street parking is scarce at night, so plan on a nearby garage if you drive.

The program runs about an hour, which leaves room for dinner before or after. If you are building a week of upcoming events in Los Angeles, it pairs well with a daytime visit to the library's rotunda and gardens. The source does not list a ticket price or registration details, so confirm those on the event page linked below.

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