Michigan poets to speak at Maurice Brown Memorial Poetry Reading

By Katie Land, news editor

For the 22nd year running, Oakland University’s Department of English and College of Arts and Sciences will host the Maurice Brown Memorial Poetry Reading from 5-6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Oakland Center Banquet Room B. This year’s reading will feature Michigan poets Dennis Hinrichsen and David James.

The two working poets will present their own original work, a first for the series. Their books will be available for purchase and autographing afterwards.

Hinrichsen has written many books and collections of poetry such as “Kurosawa’s Dog,” “Cage of Water,” “The Rain that Falls this Far” and “Detail from the Garden of Earthly Delights,” which won the 1999 Akron Poetry Prize. Hinrichsen currently teaches at Lansing Community College.

As a playwright, James has had success with “After Godot,” “The Aftermath” and “Finding the Muse,” all of which have been produced off-Broadway. James also published “A Heart Out of this World” and four small chapbooks and teaches at Oakland Community College.

The Maurice Brown reading is popular among members of the university community as well as the community at large, according to Robert Anderson, associate professor of English. Many attendees are Oakland alumni who keep coming back and others are residents who simply love poetry.

The majority of students who go to these literary readings begin by saying they came only for extra credit in a class, but soon discover that they truly enjoy themselves, Anderson continued.

“This is what we hope happens to every student who comes,” he said. “They learn that poetry is alive and engaging, that poetry can speak to their experiences and provide a pleasure that only poetry can provide.”

The series of poetry readings was created as a tribute to Maurice F. Brown, an Oakland professor from 1961 until his death in 1985. The Maurice F. Brown Collection of Contemporary Poetry in Kresge Library honors his memory.

Two student groups, Sigma Tau Delta and the English Honor Society, will be at the event, serving as ushers.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, view the flyer or visit the English department’s Web site at oakland.edu/english.