A Night of Poetry with Dr. Sam Dodson

Join us for an evening of poetry presented in partnership with Recluse Books, featuring Fort Worth poet, scholar, and educator Dr. Sam Fisher Dodson. Presented in connection with Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers, the program invites audiences to experience poetry as a live, reflective, and communal art form through readings and conversation with Dr. Dodson.

This program is free, open to the public, and will be held in the Modern’s auditorium.

About Dr. Sam Fisher Dodson

Dr. Sam Fisher Dodson is a professor of English at Tarleton State University, Texas A&M’s oldest system school. He has taught for 46 years and holds an MA from the University of Iowa and a PhD from the University of Nebraska.

Dodson is the author of Berryman’s Henry: Living at the Intersection of Need and Art and Big Life: A Poetic Memoir Complete with Fiction. His work includes scholarly writing and poetry performances with jazz and rock-and-roll musicians throughout the country. He lives in Fort Worth with his wife and youngest son.

Stage Events - Throughout the run of the special exhibition Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers, a site-specific stage located in front of the Modern’s auditorium will host both programmed performances and spontaneous activations. An artwork in its own right, Stage, 2026, features a powder-coated steel surface bearing Johnson’s signature marks, scratched and branded into the metal, aging and burnishing over time. This platform, where others can express themselves, emphasizes the reciprocal relationship between artist and audience, a central motif in the artist’s practice.

Inspired by Johnson’s early memories of dancing and performing with friends atop Carl Andre’s Post-Minimalist floor works at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, Stage is a testament to Johnson’s commitment to creating space for others. More than an invitation to engage and interact, the work fosters artistic endeavors and creativity as a collective experience.