Poet and Author Benjamin Myers Guest Reading on March 18
Article by: Rosa Linda Reynoso
His latest collection of poetry transports you back to one of the darkest times in 20th century American history … when desperation and despair reigned, but hope lingered, too. In fact, noted American poet Andrew Hudgins wrote that Benjamin Myers’ latest work “is history come alive.”
On Wednesday, March 18, Myers will bring that dark time to life and read verses from his collection, “Black Sunday: The Dust Bowl” (Lamar University Press, 2018) during a guest poetry reading at Del Mar College (DMC). The former Oklahoma Poet Laureate will also share other poems from his body of work.
Sponsored by the College’s Department of English and Philosophy and the DMC Libraries, the FREE reading begins at 2 p.m. in Room 514 of the White Library, which is located on the East Campus at Naples off Kosar at Staples. Myers also will serve as the featured reader during a free Open Mic session scheduled at 7 p.m. in the same location that evening. Both readings are open to the public.
For more information about either activity, contact Alan Berecka at 698-1933 or aberecka@delmar.edu.
“Black Sunday” features a series of sonnets that follow four characters through their experiences during the Oklahoma Dust Bowl, one of the most trying times in our nation’s history. Myers’ long, dramatic poem, “Faith Healer,” provides a glimpse into a child’s view; and his accessible, crafted and wholly moving poems remind readers of the importance and power of love during the darkest times.
Myers’ poems have appeared in The Yale Review, Image, Measure and many other journals. His essays and reviews may be read in First Things, Books and Culture, World Literature Today, Oklahoma Today and The Imaginative Conservative as well as in various scholarly journals. He is a frequent lecturer at conferences and literary festivals around the country.
Other published books in Myers’ repertoire include Lapse Americana (New York Quarterly Books, 2013) and Elegy for Trains (Village Books Press, 2010).
He earned his masters and doctoral degrees from Washington University in St. Louis and a bachelor’s degree from the University of the Ozarks. Currently, Myers teaches at Oklahoma Baptist University and serves as the Crouch-Mathis Professor of Literature.
Del Mar College empowers students to achieve their dreams. We offer quality programs, individual attention, outstanding instruction through faculty with real-world experience and affordable costs to credit and noncredit students in Corpus Christi and the South Texas Coastal Bend area. Nationally recognized while locally focused, we’re ranked in the top two percent of community colleges in the country granting associate degrees to Hispanic students (Community College Week). Del Mar College focuses on offering our students programs that match current or emerging career opportunities. Whether students are interested in the fine arts, sciences, business, occupational or technical areas, students get the education they need for the future they want at Del Mar College.