Srikanth “Chicu” Reddy, a professor in the Department of English Language and Literature, has taught at the University of Chicago since 2003. A poet, scholar, and literary editor, Reddy will read an excerpt from his epic poem, Underworld Lit, at the Oct. 29, 2021, inauguration of Paul Alivisatos as the 14th president of the University of Chicago. One thing Reddy loves about the University is its communal willingness to engage in constructive critique, and to occasionally step back from the seriousness of scholarly endeavor: a kind of humor and openness to growth that is reflected in the poem.

“I think people in the University community want to laugh sometimes at the hilarity of the idealism and frustration that this kind of collective enterprise involves,” Reddy told UChicago News. “So I hope that we can use comedy as a way of thinking critically—and in a joyous way—about what our hopes are for the University as we begin this new era.”

Read more about Reddy in his Department of English and Literature bio page or in this Q&A.