Kevin Young, Acclaimed Poet & Author, Speaks at SMC

Renowned poet and award-winning author Kevin Young will kick off the 2018 Saint Mary’s College Creative Writing Reading Series on Wednesday, Sept. 19, at 7:30 p.m. in Hagerty Lounge in De La Salle Hall. The series is part of the College’s aim to welcome authors from around the world to Saint Mary’s for readings, conversation, and community engagement.

Kevin Young is the director for the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, newly named a National Historic Landmark; and poetry editor of The New Yorker. He is the author of 13 books of poetry and prose, most recently Brown (2018); Blue Laws: Selected & Uncollected Poems 1995–2015 (Knopf, 2016), longlisted for the National Book Award; and Book of Hours (Knopf, 2014), a finalist for the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award and winner of the Lenore Marshall Prize for Poetry from the Academy of American Poets. His collection Jelly Roll: a blues (Knopf, 2003) was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.

“We’re thrilled to welcome prize-winning poet and essayist Kevin Young to SMC this week. It’s an honor to have him here, and we’re grateful to the Roy E. and Patricia Disney Forum for making this happen,” said Sara Mumolo, program manager, MFA in Creative Writing program.

After the Sept. 19 event with Kevin Young, the series will present Tongo Eisen-Martin, author of the multi-award-winning book Heaven Is All Goodbyes, on Wednesday, Oct. 19; and Samina Ali, activist, cultural commentator, and author of Madras on Rainy Days, on Wednesday, Nov. 7.

The free SMC Creative Writing Reading series is open to the public and is presented by the Roy E. and Patricia Disney Forum; and sponsored by the Cummins Institute, the English Department, the MFA in Creative Writing program, and the Intercultural Center; with additional sponsorships by Scopus Vineyard and Wagner Family of Wine.