Visiting Master Poet to Speak at Colorado State University’s Literacy Through Poetry Project

A master poet and published author will speak at Colorado State University’s Literacy through Poetry Project at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 19 in the Hatton Gallery.

Literacy through Poetry is a three-year poet laureate project that matches master poets with apprentice poets from Colorado State. Julio Marzàn, this year’s master poet, will train apprentices on how to teach the writing of poetry to elementary school students nationwide.

Marzàn is the author of several books of poetry including "Translations without Originals: Poems by Julio Marzàn" and "Luna, Luna: Creative Writing Ideas from Spanish, Latin American and Latino Literature." Marzàn’s work also has been published in journals such as "The New School Bulletin," "The New York Quarterly" and "The Little Magazine."

Marzàn is an assistant professor of English at Nassau Community College and is on the governing board of Poets House in New York.

Marzàn’s seminar on how to teach poetry will be Sept. 20-21. Although closed to the public, it will be attended by local master poets, apprentice poets and observed by public school teachers from the Poudre School District.

Following the training workshop, each apprentice will hold eight student workshops in a Fort Collins elementary school each semester and publish students’ works in an anthology.

Literacy through Poetry is one of several poet laureate projects of Mary Crow, Colorado’s poet laureate, who teaches in Colorado State’s English Department.

Sponsors for the Literacy through Poetry program include the Witter Bynner Foundation for Poetry, the Yeager Family Foundation, the Lilla B. Morgan Memorial Fund, the Poudre School District and the Colorado Council on the Arts.

The reading is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Mary Crow at (970) 491-6843.