CONTACT: Lisa Lacher, 515-271-3119, lisa.lacher@drake.edu
Drake University’s Writers and Critics Series continues on Monday, Oct. 30, with a double poetry reading by two National Poetry Series Award-winning writers, Juliana Spahr and Lee Ann Brown. The reading, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Cowles Library Reading Room, 2725 University Ave.
Spahr has published numerous books of poetry, including “Response,” winner of the National Poetry Series Award. She has written and lectured widely on the cultural politics of Hawaiian poetics, creative writing pedagogy, experimental writing and cultural studies.
Brown, a filmmaker, performer, poet and writer, won the National Poetry Series Award for “Polyverse.” She teaches at the Nairopa Institute’s Writing and Poetics Program and is also an assistant professor at St. John’s University in New York.
Established in 1978, the National Poetry Series recognizes and promotes excellence in contemporary poetry by ensuring the publication of five books of poetry a year through a series of participating publishers. Poets submit their manuscripts to an open competition; winners receive a cash prize and publication of their work.
The fall Drake Writers and Critics Series will conclude Wednesday, Nov. 8, with a free performance of Samuel Beckett’s “Not I” by Judith Roof, a critic, performance artist and professor of English at Michigan State University. The performance, followed by a lecture and discussion, will start at 8 p.m. in the Cowles Library Reading Room.
Roof has written extensively on theories of sexuality in relation to drama, film and narrative studies. Her books include “All About Thelma and Eve: Sidekicks and Third Wheels” and “Come as You Are: Narrative and Sexuality.”
For more information about the Drake Writers and Critics Series, contact Dina Smith at 515-271-3127 or dina.smith@drake.edu.