David Lee, Former Utah Poet Laureate, to Read at Robber’s Roost Books, May 10
On Saturday, May 10, Robber’s Roost Books and the Entrada Institute are proud to present a special preseason reading by the legendary poet and educator David Lee, Utah’s first Poet Laureate. Lee will read from and sign copies of his new book, Last Call. The 7:00 p.m. reading, to be held at Robber’s Roost Books and Beverages, 185 W. Main in Torrey, is free and open to the public. Donations to the nonprofit Entrada Institute are welcome.
Lee’s publisher, Wings Press, had this to say about his work: “Few poets of Western America fill the ‘organic intellectual’ role better than David Lee. His poetry is the real deal when it comes to recording hilariously insightful (and linguistically accurate) observations of rural culture—and America at large—while using a host of astute literary allusions and techniques. Imagine Robert Frost simultaneously channeling Will Rogers and Ezra Pound.”
Kent Haruf, author of the acclaimed novels Plainsong, Eventide, and Benediction, described Last Call as a “transcendent book” that is characterized by “miracles, visions, visitations, hard lessons, riffs of talk, fabulous instances of word play and righteous scorn set alongside rips of great good humor, tall stories, sad stories, and moments of deep affection.”
The first poet laureate of Utah, Lee has received numerous awards, including the Utah Governor’s Award for lifetime achievement in the arts and the Entrada Institute’s Ward Roylance Award. He is the author of numerous poetry collections, including The Porcine Legacy, Driving and Drinking, The Porcine Canticles, Wayburne Pig, News from Down to the Café: New Poems, and A Legacy of Shadows: Selected Poems. His 2004 collection So Quietly the Earth which portrays the Southwestern landscape, was among the 25 books chosen for the New York Public Library’s annual “Books to Remember” list.
In
his long and storied career, Lee has been a boxer, pig farmer, seminary student, cotton mill worker, and the only white baseball player for a Negro League team. He received a PhD in literature, with a concentration in the poetry of John Milton, from the University of Utah. Lee taught for three decades at Southern Utah University.
For more information on this event, call 435-425-3265 or visit www.entradainstitute.org.