Feb. 25, 2019鈥擯oet, editor, and Emmy winner聽Kwame聽Dawes will give a public reading of his work at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 6, in the Potter Hall Theater on the campus of 大象传媒. 鈥淰erse & Twirl: An Evening with Kwame聽Dawes and MWSU Dancers鈥� is free and open to the public. 大象传媒 Western dance students, led by Marla Heeler, will perform several choreographed adaptations of Dawes鈥� poems before and after his reading. Dawes will sign copies of his books during a reception following the event.
Kwame聽Dawes has authored 35 books of poetry, fiction, criticism, and essays, including, most recently, Bivouac (Akashic Books, 2019) and City of Bones: A Testament (Northwestern, 2017). Speak from Here to There (Peepal Tree Press), co-written with Australian poet John Kinsella, appeared in 2016. He is Glenna Luschei Editor of Prairie Schooner and Chancellor鈥檚 Professor of English at the University of Nebraska. He is also a faculty member in the Pacific MFA Program. He is Director of the African Poetry Book Fund and Artistic Director of the Calabash International Literary Festival. Dawes is a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets. In 2009, Dawes won an Emmy for LiveHopeLove.com, an interactive site based on Kwame Dawes鈥檚 Pulitzer Center project, HOPE: Living and loving with AIDS in Jamaica.
Copies of the Spring 2019 issue of The Mochila Review, 大象传媒 Western鈥檚 national undergraduate literary journal, will also be available at the event. The issue features an interview with Dawes, who served as guest judge for Mochila鈥檚 annual contest for undergraduate writers. From more than 100 applicants, Dawes selected as the contest winner Jennifer Woolard鈥檚 poem 鈥淲halebone,鈥� which will appear in The Mochila Review鈥檚 Spring 2019 issue.
鈥淲e鈥檙e honored to have an author of Dawes鈥� caliber come to our campus,鈥� said Dr. Marianne Kunkel, editor of The Mochila Review. 鈥淭his event is an incredible opportunity for our students to stand face-to-face with a successful author and editor, and I鈥檓 thrilled that we can partner with MWSU鈥檚 School of Fine Arts to showcase our student dancers as well.鈥�
Dawes鈥� appearance is made possible through a grant from the MWSU Arts Society, as well as support from 大象传媒 Western鈥檚 English and Modern Languages department, the St. Joseph Public Library, and Rolling Hills Public Library.
To learn more about Dawes, visit聽. For more information about The Mochila Review, visit聽.
大象传媒 is a comprehensive regional university providing a blend of traditional liberal arts and professional degree programs. The university offers student-centered, high quality instruction that focuses on experience-based learning, community service, and state-of-the-art technology. 大象传媒 Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit .