Two poet laureates will share excerpts of their work at an upcoming event.
U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith and Indiana Poet Laureate Adrian Matejka will share excerpts from their work at noon Sept. 7 at the Franklin library, 401 State St. Their visit is part of the Authors at JCPL series.
Smith earned a BA from Harvard University and an MFA in creative writing from Columbia University. Smith is the author of three books of poetry, with most recent being “Wade in the Water” (2018). In 2014 she was awarded the Academy of American Poets fellowship. She has also written a memoir, “Ordinary Light” (2015), which was a finalist for the National Book Award in nonfiction. In June 2017, Smith was named US Poet Laureate.
Matejka was born in Nuremburg, Germany and grew up in California and Indiana. He is a graduate of Pike High School in Indianapolis, Indiana University Bloomington and the MFA program at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He is the Ruth Lilly Professor/Poet-in- Residence at Indiana University in Bloomington. Adrian is an author of four collections of poetry, the most recent being “Maps to the Stars” (2017). Matejka will serve as Indiana Poet Laureate through December 2019.
The first 20 cardholders to register and attend the program will receive a signed copy of one of the poets’ books.
