Blood Dazzler: A Poetry Reading

Speaker:

Patricia Smith

31 Jan 2010

1:00 PM

Sun Room, Memorial Union

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Patricia Smith's fifth book of poetry, Blood Dazzler, chronicles the human, physical and emotional toll exacted by Hurricane Katrina and the disaster's lasting spiritual and political impacts. It was a finalist for the 2008 National Book Award. Recognized not only as a writer and poet but also as a performer, Smith is a four-time national individual champion of the notorious and wildly popular Poetry Slam - the most successful competitor in slam history. She was featured in the film Slamnation and appeared on the award-winning HBO series Def Poetry Jam. Smith's other works include Teahouse of the Almighty; Close to Death; Big Towns, Big Talk; and Life According to Motown. Part of the Symposium on Wildness, Wilderness, and the Creative Imagination.

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[b]View the complete schedule of symposium events:[/b] [url= http://engl.iastate.edu/programs/creative_writing/mfa/visiting-writers-series/wildness2010.html]Things Fall Apart: Finding Beauty in a Broken World[/url] ---- This lecture was made possible in part by the generosity of F. Wendell Miller, who left his entire estate jointly to Iowa State University and the University of Iowa. Mr. Miller, who died in 1995 at age 97, was born in Altoona, Illinois, grew up in Rockwell City, graduated from Grinnell College and Harvard Law School and practiced law in Des Moines and Chicago before returning to Rockwell City to manage his family's farm holdings and to practice law. His will helped to establish the F. Wendell Miller Trust, the annual earnings on which, in part, helped to support this activity.