Poetry in the park

Collins has been called one of the most "widely read and accessible poets" in contemporary America, but his poems, while often light-hearted, are anything but superficial.

The recipient of numerous awards and fellowships, including the Guggenheim and the Pushcart, Collins served as United States Poet Laureate from 2001-2002. He has over a dozen books of poetry to his credit. Collins lives in New York where he teaches at Lehman College and the City University. Collins' poems are original, quirky and always revealing ways of looking at ordinary events and landscapes.

In a recent commencement address, Collins delivered "a call for slowing down, for quietness, even for a kind of creative loafing" in order that we may not "lose sight of the real life around us." This real life lies at the heart of this poet's work, which helps us draw closer to our own lives and the bigger truths that both unite and elude us all.

Local poets, Leigh Hancock and Diane Allen will take part in the two poetry programs. Hancock, who will lead the discussion of Picnic Lightning, has been writing poetry since she was in the second grade. She has a masters of fine arts in creative writing and currently teaches English and creative writing at Columbia Gorge Community College. She has been published in several literary magazines and anthologies, including Calyx's "A Fierce Brightness," and is currently working on a nonfiction book about her father's adventures with polio.

Refreshments will be provided by the Friends of the Library. For more information about this and other library programs and services call the library (509) 493-1132 or visit the Fort Vancouver Regional Library home page www.fvrl.org