William Carlos Williams Symposium 9.20

On September 17, 2005, several thousand people attended a day-long William Carlos Williams Symposium honoring Rutherford’s native son on the anniversary of his birth. Sponsored by the newly-formed William Carlos Williams Poetry Symposium (WCWPS), this was the first celebration of the Pulitzer Prize winning poet in his hometown in 22 years, and featured the premiere of a double-screen documentary on WCW and his family, an award-winning slide presentation and bus tour of historic WCW sites in Rutherford, and the first full-length performance of a Williams play in Rutherford. Since 2005, the non-profit WCWPS has held annual events honoring Williams. This year it will host a gala celebration of the poet’s 125th birthday on September 20 and 21, 2008, at the Williams Center, with related activities at the Rutherford Library and Meadowlands Museum.