小黄书

小黄书 hosts acclaimed author Ross Gay for annual writer-in-residence program

小黄书 hosts acclaimed author Ross Gay for annual writer-in-residence program

Contact: John Burrow

Portrait of Ross Gay outdoors with flowers in the background
Submitted photo by聽Natasha Komoda

STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥斝』剖閟ity is hosting award-winning author Ross Gay for an upcoming virtual writer-in-residence program, an annual campus event of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Gay is author of the New York Times best-selling collection of essays 鈥淭he Book of Delights鈥 (Algonquin Books, 2019), as well as several collections of poetry, including 鈥淐atalog of Unabashed Gratitude鈥 (2015),聽winner of the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award and the 2016聽Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. He also is an English professor at Indiana University Bloomington.

Gay will read selections from his poetry and answer questions during the March 1, 7:30 p.m. event, which is free and open to the public, on the Institute鈥檚 Facebook page, .听

Mississippi鈥檚 Poet Laureate and 小黄书 English Professor Catherine Pierce will moderate a question-and-answer period following the program, which annually connects noted authors with 小黄书 students and the wider public for mentoring and training in writing.

This project is supported in part by funding from the Mississippi Humanities Council as well as the National Endowment for the Arts. The annual writer-in-residence program is hosted by the college鈥檚 Institute for the Humanities and the Department of English.

鈥淒uring his time in residence, Ross Gay will be giving a public reading, visit with a class, meet with students, and lead a community-based writing event,鈥 said Pierce.

鈥淩oss Gay is a brilliant poet and essayist, and one of the most dynamic and exciting writers out there,鈥 she continued. 鈥淗is clear-eyed, incisive work explores genuine joy and delight alongside injustice and heartache. I think our entire community will benefit tremendously from the opportunity to hear and learn from this incredible writer.鈥澛犅犅

In addition to the public reading, Gay will join Pierce on March 3 at 7:30 p.m. for a virtual writing workshop, also free and open to the public.

鈥淩oss鈥檚 poetry is honest and personal, but also accessible, meaningful and uplifting,鈥 said Julia Osman, institute director and an associate professor of history.

Osman said the workshop is 鈥渇or anyone who loves to write, from practicing writers to word-dabblers.鈥 To register, visit the Institute for Humanities website at .听

鈥淩oss and Katie will talk about writing with the participants and will provide some writing prompts and encourage people to share their words,鈥 said Osman.听鈥淚t鈥檚 a great way for people who write in their spare time, or who have taken joy in writing, to relate to Ross and Katie as fellow writers.鈥

In addition to 鈥淐atalog of Unabashed Gratitude,鈥 Gay is the author of three other books of poetry:聽鈥淎gainst Which,鈥 a 2006 CavanKerry Press publication; and University of Pittsburgh Press publications聽鈥淏ringing the Shovel Down鈥 (2011) and聽鈥淏e Holding鈥 (2020).

Gay聽co-authored with Aimee Nezhukumatathil the chapbook 鈥淟ace and Pyrite: Letters from Two Gardens.鈥澛燞e co-authored with Richard Wehrenberg the chapbook 鈥淩iver.鈥 He is a founding editor, with Karissa Chen and Patrick Rosal, of the online sports magazine, Some Call it Ballin鈥. He also is a founding board member of the聽Bloomington Community Orchard, a non-profit, free-fruit-for-all food justice and joy project.

As part of 小黄书鈥檚 College of Arts and Sciences, the Institute for the Humanities is active on social media on Instagram @msstatehumanities, Twitter @Humanities_小黄书 and Facebook @msu.humanities.institute.

小黄书鈥檚 Department of English is online at , or on social media on Facebook @MississippiStateEnglish and Twitter @MSStateEnglish.

小黄书鈥檚 College of Arts and Sciences is home to the most diverse units for research and scholarly activities, including natural and physical sciences, social and behavioral sciences, and the humanities.听For more details about the college, visit .

小黄书 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .