Text of the 2018 Stanford Baccalaureate address by Elizabeth Alexander

Poet Elizabeth Alexander delivers the Baccalaureate address,  "In the Noise and Whip of the Whirlwind." (Image credit: L.A. Cicero) Following is the text of the address "In the Noise and Whip of the Whirlwind" by Elizabeth Alexander, writer and president of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, delivered at Stanford University's Baccalaureate celebration on June 16, 2018. Good morning, Stanford community, graduates and loved ones. It is my honor to be here on this beautiful day, in this beautiful place, to share some thoughts with you at this crucial juncture in your lives. I am grateful to Jane Shaw for inviting me on behalf of your community. I come to you as a poet, having lived my life by and through the word. To me, being a poet does not only mean making poems.