A nationally regarded poet will visit the West Virginia University campus Thursday, Jan. 11, as a guest speaker for the Native American Studies Program.
Allison Hedge Coke, named the 2005 Writer of the Year in Poetry by the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers, will be the first lecturer in WVU s Sycamore Circle program in 2007.
A reception will take place at 5:30 p.m., followed by a poetry reading, discussion and book signing at 6 p.m. in the Rhododendron Room of the Mountainlair on WVU s Downtown Campus. The events are free and open to the public.
Hedge Coke is of Huron, Eastern Tsalagi, French-Canadian and Portuguese descent. She has an associate of fine arts degree from the Institute of American Indian Arts and a master of fine arts degree from Vermont College. Her poetry has been published in 28 books, anthologies or journals.
In addition, Hedge Coke has a long list of honors and awards, including the 2001 Mentor of the Year from Wordcraft Circle for her work with incarcerated Native youth, a 1999 Individual Artist Project Grant from the South Dakota State Arts Council and theAbiko Quarterlyeditors choice award in 1995. Her poetry volume,Dog Road Woman,won the 1998 American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation, and she has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize twice.
The Sycamore Circle series consists of informal lectures and discussions that highlight and encourage the sharing of creative work and research on wide-ranging Native American topics. The talks are conducted by faculty and studentsfrom WVU and elsewhereand by scholars and professionals in relevant fields.
Hedge Cokes appearance at WVU is sponsored by the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, Native American Studies Program, Department of English, Center for Womens Studies, Division of Social Work and John Ernest, Eberly Faculty Distinguished Professor of English.
For more information, contact Bonnie M. Brown, Native American Studies Program coordinator, at native_american_studies@mail.wvu.edu or 304-293-4626.
On the Net:http://www.wvu.edu/~nas/