January 23, 2010

BCU Professor to Be Featured Poet at Sioux Falls Event

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Jeanne Emmons, Ph.D., professor of English and writing at Briar Cliff University, will be a featured poet at the Second Annual Painters, Poets & Pavilion (P³) poetry reading on Saturday, Jan. 30, from 1–3 p.m. at the Everist Gallery of the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls, SD. 

The P³ project is an effort by the Washington Pavilion to pair poets with artists in collaboration to produce a work of poetry and a painting. The resulting exhibit showcased 25 poets and 25 visual artists. Dr. Emmons was paired with Dr. Fatih Benzer of South Dakota State University. The exhibition will be on display through Feb. 28, 2010.

At the Second Annual P³ event, Dr. Emmons will read her poem “Subjective,” which explores the issue of being the subject of a painting. The poetry reading will feature poets reading their poems as the images of paintings are projected. A book signing will follow the reading.

Dr. Emmons has three published collections of poetry: Rootbound (New Rivers Press 1998), Baseball Nights and DDT (Pecan Grove Press 2005) and The Glove of the World (Backwaters Press 2006). Emmons’ first book won the Minnesota Voices Poetry Competition. Her newest book, The Glove of the World, won the Reader’s Choice Award from Backwaters Press.

In addition, she won the Comstock Poetry Prize and James Hearst Poetry Prize, as well as awards from The Sow’s Ear Poetry Review, South Coast Poetry Journal and Iowa Woman. Her work has appeared in literary journals, such as American Scholar, Alaska Quarterly, Confrontation, Prairie Schooner, New Orleans Review, Cream City Review and many others.

Dr. Emmons, who joined Briar Cliff in 1980, received her Ph.D. in English from the University of Texas.

Briar Cliff University is a Catholic institution with an enrollment of more than 1,100 students from 28 states.  Students are educated in the Franciscan tradition of excellence in the liberal arts and career preparation in an environment of care and compassion. For more information, please visit www.briarcliff.edu.

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