Poet laureate to visit 'Berg next week

Nationally known poet Eric McHenry, the current Poet Laureate of Kansas, will make a visit to Heidelberg next week, and he’ll be multi-tasking while he’s here.

In addition to meeting with a number of Honors, English and writing classes, McHenry will conduct a poetry workshop for all students on Friday, Oct. 14, at 2 p.m. Contact Dr. Julie O’Reilly for additional details at joreilly@heidelberg.edu.

Friday evening, McHenry will be the featured guest of Ohio Poetry Day. He’ll lead a workshop and do a reading of his poetry. Heidelberg is this year’s host of Ohio Poetry Day Friday and Saturday, Oct. 14-15. Read more about Ohio Poetry Day here or contact Dr. Bill Reyer at wreyer@heidelberg.edu

In addition to serving as poet laureate, McHenry is associate professor of English at Washburn University in Topeka, Kan. His work has been featured in publications such as Poetry International, Slate, Yale Review and Topeka magazine, among many others. He also contributes poetry reviews for the New York Times and Columbia magazine.

Odd Evening, McHenry’s third book of poems was published earlier this year. It can be purchased in the bookstore and at Friday evening's Ohio Poetry Day event. His first book, Potscrubber Lullabies, earned him the prestigious Kate Tufts Discovery Award in 2007, the largest American prize for a first book of poetry. His second book is titled Mommy Daddy Evan Sage.

Outside of the college classroom, McHenry has taught poetry in various settings, including K-12 teacher workshops, adolescent service agencies, local authors’ groups and libraries. He received his undergraduate degree from Beloit College and his master’s degree from Boston University.

McHenry's visit is sponsored by the Department of English, the Department of Communication and Media, the Life of the Mind Honors Program and the Community Engagement Committee.

We look forward to welcoming him to Heidelberg!