News Article

Herman Asarnow will read a selection of his poetry at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 18, in the Foley Teleconference Room, as the first guest writer in the 2007-2008 Visiting Writers Series, sponsored by Humanities Washington and Gonzaga University's English department, office of intercultural relations, academic vice president, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Faculty Speaker Series. The event is free and open to the public.

Asarnow, who received his doctorate from the University of Denver in 1981, is the author of “Glass Bottom Boat,” a collection of poems. His poetry and essays have appeared in such magazines as Prairie Schooner, Beloit Poetry Journal, The Southern Review, Southern Humanities Review, North Dakota Quarterly, and West Branch. In 2005, Asarnow was awarded a residency at The Ragdale Foundation. He has also translated the work of Spanish and Argentinean poet Noni Benegas. He has been a professor of English at the University of Portland since 1979.

The Visiting Writer Series has grown enormously this year, due to a $7,500 grant that Associate Professor Tod Marshall received from Humanities Washington. The grant allows for much more diversity in the program, as well as visits from speakers of national importance, including former United States Poet Laureate Robert Hass. The year’s series will be as follows:

• Herman Asarnow: 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 18, Foley Teleconference Room
• Donald Revell: 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 9, Cataldo Hall Globe Room
• Joy Harjo: 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 14, Cataldo Hall Globe Room
• Bharati Mukherjee: 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 6, Cataldo Hall Globe Room
• Robert Hass: 7:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 25, Cataldo Hall Globe Room
• Daniel Butterworth: 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 26, Cataldo Hall Globe Room

For more information, contact Marshall at (509) 323-6681 or via e-mail. To learn more about Asarnow, visit his Web site.