Willis Offers Reflective Poems of Comfort
Paul Willis, professor of English at 鶹avӳý, will be reading from his new book of poetry, “” (Cascade Books, 2013), Wednesday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m. in Granada Books, 1224 State Street; and Thursday, Nov. 21, at 4 p.m. in Hieronymus Lounge at 鶹avӳý’s Kerrwood Hall. Both events are free and open to the public. Copies of the book will be available for sale and signing.
鶹avӳý student-poets Riley Hall ’14 and Katie Shara ’14 will precede Willis at the 鶹avӳý reading.
“Say This Prayer into the Past” reckons with cadavers in the family closet, a house lost to a wildfire, and the heartbreaking beauty of the Sierra Nevada. “These poems speak into the trials and joys the years have rendered,” Willis says. “Their purpose is to bless those of us who mourn and to bring some measure of comfort.”
Willis, Santa Barbara Poet Laureate from 2011-13, has published several collections of poetry, including “Rosing from the Dead” (WordFarm, 2009) and “Visiting Home” (Pecan Grove Press, 2008). He has published numerous poems in journals such as Poetry, Ascent, Wilderness, and Christian Century.
He graduated from Wheaton College, earned a doctorate in English at Washington State University, and has taught at 鶹avӳý since 1988.