Nye, Fountain and McGriff Light Up UT with Verse

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Left to right: Naomi Shihab Nye, Carrie Fountain, and Michael McGriff

The Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas is widely known as one of the nation’s premier creative writing MFA programs. So it’s no surprise that the center hosts a plethora of superb writers for their annual reading series. Next up is a triple- header from poets Naomi Shihab Nye, Carrie Fountain and Michael McGriff.

Nye, the self-described “wandering poet” (and the Observer‘s longtime poetry editor) has written an impressive 26 books of prose and poetry, and has been awarded the Lannan Literary Fellowship for her work, among a long list of honors and awards. She’s currently teaching a first-year seminar at the Michener Center.

Fountain, a Las Cruces, New Mexico, native, is the 2009 National Poetry Series winner for her debut collection Burn Lake. She’s a former fellow at the Michener Center and currently teaches at St. Edward’s University in Austin.

McGriff is the author of three poetry collections and winner of the Lannan Fellowship for his most recent book, 2012’s Home Burial. His second collection, Dismantling the Hills, received the 2007 Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize. Like Fountain, McGriff is a former fellow at the Michener Center, and currently teaches the program’s graduate poetry workshop.

Nye, Fountain, and McGriff will read Thursday, Dec. 5, at 7:30 p.m. in the Avaya Auditorium on the UT campus.