FORT DAVIS –– It is rare that a poet laureate visits the remote Big Bend, but two of them will be featured at the Jeff Davis County Library on Wednesday, May 8. Starting at 2 p.m., Karla K. Morton, a graduate of Texas A&M, will introduce her recent work which highlights national parks; a portion of the proceeds benefit the parks.
Morton has authored 16 poetry collections, is the recipient of several literary awards, is guest editor for TCU Press and was chosen for an E2C grant. She is published in many journals and was selected as Texas state laureate in 2010 — later collaborating with Alan Birkelbach on The National Parks: A Century of Grace, the first book of poetry written in-situ by poets who have visited all 63 national parks.
Birkelbach became a Texas Poet Laureate in 2005 and is a Texas native who is also an award-winning writer. He compiled the anthology, 8 Voices of Contemporary Poetry from the American Southwest, which became part of the teaching curriculum for SMU in Dallas. Birkelbach is also published in numerous journals and will join his wife in a lively discussion regarding poetry at the library.
Light refreshments will be available. The program is free of charge and sponsored by Friends of the Library in Fort Davis.