Contemporary poet Li-Young Lee will be coming to UR this evening at 7 p.m. in the Interfaith Chapel to read from some of his newest poetry.
He will also be participating in a student roundtable in the Welles-Brown Room Friday at noon.
Lee is visiting UR as part of the 39th Plutzik Memorial Poetry Series in which several contemporary poets including Joy Harjo have come to UR to discuss and read poetry with students as part of the series.
Born in Jakarta, Indonesia, Lee moved to the United States in 1959 with his family to escape a dictatorial regime that had imprisoned his father for 19 months.
Lee became intrigued with poetry and writing after attending the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Arizona and SUNY Brockport.
He is the author of ?Rose,? and ?The City in Which I Love You.? He has also published an autobiography, ?The Winged Seed.?
Lee has won several awards including one from the Illinois Arts Council, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
He will be reading selections from his newest book, ?The Book of My Nights? which is coming out in print this fall.
In his poetry, Lee often reflects upon the differences between his American culture and his parents? life in Indonesia. His poetry focuses on love, family and his past.
Both the reading and the roundtable are free and open to the public.
