2008 Woodie Awards
'A sharp contrast'
Two English professors to read from their poetry
Trisha Tupper
Issue date: 2/28/08 Section: Campus Life
The first event of the Distinguished Visiting Writers Series kicks off at 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, in the Governors Room in the Overman Student Center with the Second Annual Faculty Author Reading, which will feature English faculty members Stephen E. Meats and Laura Lee Washburn reading from their poetry.
"With the inception of the PSU English master's emphasis in creative writing, the department realized we should begin to showcase faculty writers in the Distinguished Visiting Writers Series in addition to the writers we bring in from off campus," said Washburn, director of creative writing in the English Department.
Meats, English professor and department chairman, will read poems from his book "Looking for the Pale Eagle" along with some of his other works.
"I'm thinking of focusing on poems that deal with my interest in science," Meats said. "I've also written several short short stories and may read one or two of those."
Meats, who has been a professor at PSU since 1979, says he has been writing poetry for a long time.
Although a lifelong writer, Meats says he wrote his first poem 30 years ago when he was 34.
"Like any poet, I write about the things that move me, and most often those are things in nature: the birds, the trees, the landscape, the weather, the sky."
Meats has been the poetry editor for the Midwest Quarterly since 1985.
Like Meats, Washburn will read her newest work from the soon-to-be-released book, "This Good Warm Place: Expanded 10th Anniversary Edition," as well as poems from her award-winning collection, "Watching the Contortionists."
Washburn, who participated in the Twinbird Reading Series with Meats years ago, says she jumped at the chance to read with him again.
"I think our poems then made a sharp contrast," said Washburn. "It'll be interesting to see how they play off each other this time."
Washburn says she is "quite the fan" of Meats' work.
"Steve's book 'Looking for the Pale Eagle' is highly underread and studied in American literature," Washburn said. "I consider Steve arguably the finest Kansas poet of this century and the last."
"With the inception of the PSU English master's emphasis in creative writing, the department realized we should begin to showcase faculty writers in the Distinguished Visiting Writers Series in addition to the writers we bring in from off campus," said Washburn, director of creative writing in the English Department.
Meats, English professor and department chairman, will read poems from his book "Looking for the Pale Eagle" along with some of his other works.
"I'm thinking of focusing on poems that deal with my interest in science," Meats said. "I've also written several short short stories and may read one or two of those."
Meats, who has been a professor at PSU since 1979, says he has been writing poetry for a long time.
Although a lifelong writer, Meats says he wrote his first poem 30 years ago when he was 34.
"Like any poet, I write about the things that move me, and most often those are things in nature: the birds, the trees, the landscape, the weather, the sky."
Meats has been the poetry editor for the Midwest Quarterly since 1985.
Like Meats, Washburn will read her newest work from the soon-to-be-released book, "This Good Warm Place: Expanded 10th Anniversary Edition," as well as poems from her award-winning collection, "Watching the Contortionists."
Washburn, who participated in the Twinbird Reading Series with Meats years ago, says she jumped at the chance to read with him again.
"I think our poems then made a sharp contrast," said Washburn. "It'll be interesting to see how they play off each other this time."
Washburn says she is "quite the fan" of Meats' work.
"Steve's book 'Looking for the Pale Eagle' is highly underread and studied in American literature," Washburn said. "I consider Steve arguably the finest Kansas poet of this century and the last."
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