Distinguished poet, Maggie Anderson, to visit GC&SU
By Erin Semple
Staff Writer
The Creative Writing Program presents Maggie Anderson, an accomplished poet, on Thursday, Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m. in the Arts and Sciences Auditorium
According to the Arts and Letters Web site, Maggie Anderson is the author of four collections of poetry, her most recent is “Windfall: New and Selected Poems.” She also has edited “New & Selected Poems of Louise McNeill” and has won a National Endowment for the Arts and other awards. She teaches creative writing at Kent State University, directs the Wick Poetry Program and edits the Wick Poetry Series.
“The Creative Writing Program tries to bring in a variety of writers on campus: men and women from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds,” said Dr. Martin Lammon, professor of English. “A lot of writers are talented, certainly Maggie Anderson, but it’s important to me that we bring in writers who will be accessible to our students.”
According to her website, Anderson has been known to be a writer who expresses the essence of being human. She inspires readers to discover and experience their surroundings. Anderson shares her experiences of living in West Virginia in her poetry.
“I think Maggie Anderson’s poems reveal both people and the places that have been important to her, especially West Virginia and Pennsylvania,” said Lammon.
According to that website, Anderson has written four books, including “A Space Filled with Moving,” “Cold Comfort,” “Years That Answer” and “The Great Horned Owl.” She has also written many poems and articles, which have been published in journals, anthologies and textbooks. She has been awarded many professional honors throughout her writing career. Some of her awards include The Pushcart Prize and an Honorable Mention for “Closed Mill” in 1994 and for “Big Romance” in 1993.
According to the website, Anderson has been a teacher and a poet at many schools, including The University of Oregon, The University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania State University, Hamilton College, and her alma mater, West Virginia University. She is currently an Associate Professor at Kent State University in Ohio. According to Lammon, Kent State University in Ohio held its 20th anniversary, around 10 years ago, of the disaster that happened there. In May of 1970, students rallied together and protested the Vietnam War. Governor Rhodes, the Governor of Ohio during this time, sent in the state militia to calm the students down. Unfortunately, the state militia opened fire and killed four of the student protestors. They also wounded many other students. Anderson and other poets came together and read their works in honor of this incident. Lammon sent a poem of his in for the occasion. Some of those poems are published in “A Gathering of Poets.”
For more information, contact Martin Lammon at 445-3176 or visit the Arts and Letters Website at al.gcsu.edu.
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Jan 25 2002. Filed under Features.
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