The Main Museum’s writer-in-residence Travis Diehl presents parts of his essay on “The Snake,” a soul song from the 60s that has become a right-wing spoken word hit at Donald Trump’s rallies. Diehl’s analysis of “The Snake” winds through the weeds of our polarized politics, dwelling in particular on the swampy edges of dog-whistles and conspiracy theory, and redefining ideological realities not in terms of right and left, but of self-evidence and ambiguity. After this brief talk, Diehl will be joined by critic, poet, and professor in the MFA program at ArtCenter College of Design Bruce Hainley to discuss the finer points of America’s nationalist poesy, via works by Juliana Spahr, Gary Snyder, and Robert Frost.

Free admission