Poet laureate to read, speak Tuesday at UT

Kay Ryan, the current U.S. poet laureate, will visit the University of Tennessee campus for a poetry reading and book-signing event.

Ryan will read and talk about her poetry at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 16, in the University Center auditorium. A book signing will follow.

During the event, which is free and open to the public, several of Ryan's books will be available for purchase: "The Niagara River," "Say Uncle" and "Elephant Rocks: Poems."

Ryan describes poetry as an intensely personal experience for both the writer and reader.

"Poems are transmissions from the depths of whoever wrote them to the depths of the reader," Ryan said in a statement. "To a greater extent than with any other kind of reading, the reader of a poem is making that poem, is inhabiting those words in the most personal sort of way."

As the 16th poet laureate, Ryan succeeds Charles Simic and joins a long line of poet laureates, including Robert Frost. She has written six books of poetry, plus a limited edition artist's book, as well as a number of essays.

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