Stephanie Burt, Taylor’s Version with Rainy Day Books

This event takes place in Unity Hall (in the lower level of Unity Temple) and includes a conversation with Stephanie, Misty Heggeness, and an opportunity to get your book signed and personalized.

“This is an outstanding look at one of the world’s most beloved entertainers.”―Kirkus

Taylor’s Version: The Poetic and Musical Genius of Taylor Swift

A preeminent Harvard professor and poetry expert explains the artistry—and the celebrity—of Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift has become a peerless superstar, ceaselessly productive and internationally beloved. From her teen country debut to her Eras tour and beyond, Swift’s career and her creations have captivated and bewitched us, opening up new ways to see both her life and our own.

In Taylor’s Version, the poet and literary scholar Stephanie Burt offers an insightful and heartfelt critical appreciation of Taylor Swift, her body of work, and the community that her art has fostered. Drawing from her 2024 Harvard course, Taylor Swift and Her World, as well as from her years as a Swiftie, Burt examines Swift’s particular form of genius – not the destructive genius of tortured poets, but the collaborative and joyful genius of an artist who has mastered her craft. She highlights the ways Swift’s work remains at once intimate and relatable, portraying people we feel that we know and people we wish we could be, from the first loves and girlhoods on Fearless through the public and private angst of Midnights. How does she do it (with a broken heart)?

Tracing a path through the Eras, Taylor’s Version shows what Swift has created, how it works, and why her songs will endure.

Stephanie Burt is Donald P. and Katherine B. Loker Professor of English at Harvard University. Her work appears in the New York Times Book Review, New Yorker, and the London Review of Books, among others. Her other books of poetry and literary criticism—fourteen in all—include We Are Mermaids, Advice from the Lights, and Don’t Read Poetry: A Book About How to Read Poems. She lives in Massachusetts.

Misty L. Heggeness is an associate professor in the School of Public Affairs and Administration and an associate research scientist in the Institute for Policy and Social Research at the University of Kansas. She has over a decade of experience leading high-profile economic research informing federal government decision-making. Her research focuses on poverty & inequality, gender economics, economic demography, and the high-skilled workforce and has appeared in outlets like The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, The Economist, and Science. She is author of the upcoming book titled, .

Please Note: There are no refunds for this event. If you are unable to attend, your book will be available for pickup at the shop the following day. If you are not local, we'll be happy to mail it to you. Thank you for your support!

Also check out other Arts events in Kansas City, Literary Art events in Kansas City.