Hosted by Robert Hass and university librarian Thomas Leonard, the kickoff features distinguished faculty and staff from a wide range of disciplines introducing and reading a favorite poem. This year's participants: Aftab Ahmad (South & Southeast Asian Studies), Ben Braun (Men's Basketball), Janet Broughton (Dean of Letters & Science, Philosophy), Jennifer Dorner (Library), E. Bond Francisco (Physical Plant), Cecil Giscombe (English), Lucia Jacobs (Psychology), Kathleen McCarthy (Classics and Comparative Literature), Paul Parish (Faculty Club), Kay Richards (East Asian Languages and Cultures, Center for Korean Studies).

Support for this series is provided by Mrs. William Main, the Library, The Morrison Library Fund, the dean's office of the College of Letters and Sciences, and the Townsend Center for the Humanities. These events are also partially supported by Poets & Writers, Inc. through a grant it has received from The James Irvine Foundation.

Additional information is available at lunchpoems.berkeley.edu.