The University of Southern Indiana College of Liberal Arts is proud to present A Celebration of Poetry: a reading and reception with Ruth Awad and Natalie Louise Tombasco from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, September 23 in the USI Performance Center. The poets will read from their recently released collections, followed by a brief Q&A and the opportunity to purchase books and have them signed by the authors. This event is open to the public at no charge.
“I’m really excited about these two poets because their subjects have the potential to bring the campus community together for meaningful dialogue,” says Dr. Stephanie Young, Professor of Communication Studies. “Awad’s poetry explores themes of identity, displacement and war, while Tombasco’s work interrogates femininity and desire. Plus, each poet brings a rich understanding of the beauty and texture of language that any listener will pick up on and be delighted by.”
Tombasco and Awad are past Micheal Waters Poetry Prize winners, Tombasco in 2023 and Awad in 2016. The Michael Waters Poetry Prize was established in 2013 to honor Michael’s contributions to USI’s Southern Indiana Review (SIR) and American arts and letters. A prize of $6,000 and publication by SIR Press is awarded annually for a collection of poetry written in English.
This event is made possible by the USI Foundation.
