Should poetry take on an activist role, or should it offer an alternative to our contentious political world, or does it do both? In this conversation moderated by poet and Berry professor Sandra Meek with Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet Jericho Brown and prominent German poets Georg Less and Yevgeniy Breyger, the role of poetry in an era of deep division and distrust will be discussed, with a focus on the current racial reckoning in the US and the persistence of antisemitism in Germany. Moderator questions will be conducted in English; responses will be in English or in German, translated into English. As a translator will be on hand, the audience may pose questions in English or German.