“A little mayhem goes a long way,” according to Mary Ann Samyn, Russell and Ruth Bolton Professor in the Department of English, who will publish her fifth book of poetry, called “Beauty Breaks In,” that centers on the mischief and sanctity of life.

“Samyn is able to hijack sorrow, or error, or delight, and transform them into deeply imagined, perfectly condensed, and terrifyingly expanded glimpses,” said Laura Kasischke, professor of creative writing at the University of Michigan. “One doesn’t quit reading a Samyn poem, as they accumulate in the reader’s mind, follow us like our own shadows, permanently. There’s that much power.”

Mark Brazaitis, associate professor of English and the director of WVU’s Creative Writing Program, is thrilled New Issues Poetry & Prose plans to publish Samyn’s book in November. He explained that her passion for writing poems transfers to the classroom where she teaches in the master’s of fine arts (MFA) program and has been awarded for her skills in communication.

Samyn is author of four other collections of poetry: “Purr,” “Inside the Yellow Dress,” “Captivity Narrative,” and “Rooms by the Sea.” She is the recipient of the Poetry Society of America’s Emily Dickinson Prize, the Mid-American Review’s James Wright Poetry Award, and a Pushcart Prize. Her poems and essays have appeared in prestigious literary journals, including Field, Denver Quarterly, Kenyon Review, Virginia Quarterly Review, and Verse.

For more information, contact Mark Brazaitis, director of creative writing, at (304) 293-9707 or Mark.Brazaitis@mail.wvu.edu.

-WVU-

lp/10/05/09
CONTACT: Rebecca Herod, Marketing and Communications Coordinator
304-293-7405, ext. 5251, Rebecca.Herod@mail.wvu.edu