Georgia Southern to host reading with acclaimed poet in Savannah

October 1, 2019

Georgia Southern University will host a reading by the critically acclaimed poet Beth Ann Fennelly in Savannah, as part of the annual Armstrong Visiting Writers Series. The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place at Savannah Coffee Roasters on Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. 

“Through hosting poets and novelists who teach in graduate programs at universities in the southeast and beyond, the Visiting Writers Series exposes students to great writing while providing them the opportunity to interact with great writers to whose programs they might apply after graduation,” noted William Belford, Ph.D., creative writing senior lecturer and director of the Visiting Writers Series. “Furthermore, in hosting the readings at a centrally located public venue, the series serves the local community and the campus community alike.”

Fennelly, a professor in the Master of Fine Arts Program at the University of Mississippi, is the Poet Laureate of Mississippi. She has published three poetry books: Open House, Tender Hooks and Unmentionables, as well as three books of prose: Heating & Cooling: 52 Micro-Memoirs, Great With Child: Letters to a Young Mother and The Tilted World, a novel co-authored with her husband Tom Franklin. Fennelly’s poetry has also been included in over 50 anthologies, including Best American Poetry and Poets of the New Century.

Fennelly is the recipient of two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships, a United States Artists Award, a Pushcart Prize and a Fulbright grant to study in Brazil. She is the first woman honored with the University of Notre Dame’s Distinguished Alumni in the Arts Award. Fennelly also serves as a contributing editor to The Oxford American.

The Armstrong Visiting Writers Series is sponsored by the College of Arts and Humanities at the Armstrong Campus, with additional support provided by the Department of Writing and Linguistics and the Department of Literature on the Armstrong Campus. Gail and Mickey Rountree, in memory of their son Rhett Morgan Rountree, are also among other patrons of the series.

Georgia Southern University, a public Carnegie Doctoral/R2 institution founded in 1906, offers 141 degree programs serving nearly 26,500 students through nine colleges on three campuses in Statesboro, Savannah, Hinesville and online instruction. A leader in higher education in southeast Georgia, the University provides a diverse student population with expert faculty, world-class scholarship and hands-on learning opportunities. Georgia Southern creates lifelong learners who serve as responsible scholars, leaders and stewards in their communities. Visit GeorgiaSouthern.edu.