This event tonight is really two events.
It's a reading by the poets Eduardo Corral and Natalie
Diaz, and it's also the inauguration
of an annual reading--
the Morgan Lucas Schuldt Memorial Reading.
And I'll talk a little bit about that in a second.
But before I get started, many of Cybele Knowles
who's up here.
Cybele, will you raise your hand?
If you see her later afterwards, wink at her
because she organizes everything that happens here.
And be very excited.
She does an amazing work.
A few words about this inauguration--
for a number of years now, the Poetry Center
has presented an annual reading of emerging and/or innovative
poets.
Recently, we've been calling this The Next
Word in Poetry Reading.
You can search on our readings archive
and see who has been here in the past.
We've featured such writers, and this is just a short list--
Kazim Ali, Dan Beachy-Quick, Olena Davis, Camille Dungy,
Matthea Harvey, Lauryn Goodman, Suji Kwock Kim, Ben Lerner,
Joyelle McSweeney, Rusty Morrison, Srikanth Reddy,
Zachary Schomburg, Brandon Shimoda, Richard Siken,
Catherine Wing.
The list goes on-- a list of very exciting poets.
You can find each of these readings also archived on Voca
or online out of audio visual archive
that's hosted on our website.
Starting with tonight, though, we're
renaming this series and this event.
And it will be called the Morgan Lucas Schuldt Memorial
Reading going forward.
A generous gift from Boyer Rickel,
one of our Walt Whitman's circle members,
made in Morgan's memory to the Poetry Center's programs
endowment has enabled us to name this event after Morgan.
The Poetry Center is honored to be
a part of this truly fitting tribute to Morgan's life,
to Morgan's spirit.
A native of Toms River, New Jersey, Morgan Lucas Schuldt
came to Tucson to earn his MFA in poetry
at the University of Arizona.
By the time of his early death from complications
from cystic fibrosis, he had become
a published poet and a publisher of poetry himself.
He was dedicated.
He was exceptionally generous.
He was charismatic, and he was talented.
He was greatly loved, and he is deeply missed.
The Poetry Center is exceptionally proud
that our annual reading specifically celebrating
the vigor and newness in poetry is now
associated in Morgan's name.
First, Eduardo Corral will read for about 20 minutes and then
Natalie Diaz afterwards.
And then we'll follow both of their readings
with a Q&A. After the reading, there will also be a book
signing, and so I encourage you to grab those books, find them,
and then cake.
And, now, I will just quickly introduce the introducer,
who's Lucas Wildner.
Lucas Wildner is a poet in the MFA program at the University
of Arizona, and teaches delightfully awesome students
at University High as well.
He does double duty.
Of his publications, he noted to us
the inclusion of two of his poems in a recent anthology
by Sibling Rivalry Press--
This Assignment is so Gay--
LGBTIQ Poets on the art of Teaching.
Lucas is also a Poetry Center volunteer of long standing,
and, most recently, he's volunteered
to lead the shop talk discussion of poetry
of Eduardo and Natalie that happened
on Tuesday before this event.
Please help me welcome Lucas Wildner.