Tusculum College to host internationally-known poets in January

Two internationally-known poets will be featured at Tusculum College in January, sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Affairs, in conjunction with the college’s African-American literature course.

On Thursday, January 19, Earl S. Braggs will visit Tusculum to conduct a question and answer session and give a reading of his poetry. Braggs is the Herman H. Battle Professor of African-American Studies at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, and the author of six collections of poetry, the latest being “Younger Than Neil” (Anhinga Press, 2009).

Braggs has been awarded an Individual Artist Grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission, and in 1995 he won the Jack Kerouac Literary Prize for “After Allyson,” a chapter from his yet to be published novel. The question and answer session will take place at 4 p.m. and the reading will take place at 7 p.m. Both events will be held in the Thomas J. Garland Library.

On January 24, D. Antwan Stewart will visit campus and also conduct a question and answer session and give a poetry reading. Stewart received his Master of Fine Arts degree from the Michener Center for Writers, where he was also a Michener Fellow.

He is the author of “The Terribly Beautiful” (2006) and “Sotto Voce” (2008), both Editor’s Choice selections in the “Main Street Rag Poetry” Chapbook Series. Recent poems from Stewart appear in “Callaloo,” “Many Mountains Moving,” “Poet Lore” and other publications.

Stewart’s question and answer session will also take place in the Thomas J. Garland Library on Jan. 24 at 4 p.m., and his reading will take place later that evening, also in the library, at 7 p.m.

All events are free and open to students, faculty, staff and the public.