West Texas A&M University will host the current Texas Poet Laureate, Amanda Johnston, on Thursday. The event will take place in the Texas Poets‘ Corner located on the second floor of the Cornette Library on the Canyon campus.
Guests are invited to arrive at 6:30 p.m. for a meet-and-greet, followed by Johnston’s reading at 7 p.m. She will share her own poetry and read a piece by Jenny Lind Porter, the founder of Texas Poets’ Corner and a former Texas poet laureate.
Dr. Patricia Tyrer, WT’s Jenny Lind Porter Professor of English, praised Johnston’s work. “Her poems are very cultural and explore the Black experience, both positive and negative,” Tyrer said. “She’s a dynamic poet who is at the beginning of what I see as a long and illustrious career.”
Johnston has been recognized by Blavity as one of “13 Black Poets You Should Know,” and her work has appeared in various media outlets.
Following the reading, Johnston will participate in a reception. The event is free and open to the public.
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